Tara’s Roti Shop

Tara has attitude but her food is so good. I’m not trying to be friends, I’m trying to eat good

Learn how to communicate to customers. The old lady tactic isn’t going to benefit the family business in the Age of Info. The doubles lack flavor & the curries are made with low grade meat. The attitude and treatment is priceless.

It’s not much to look at but that’s not imortant to me, what is is the Food and Tara’s is one of the best and most authentic West Indies cuisine I have tasted in a while too. If your looking for the real deal, flavor and spice (tailored) then you hit the mother load! One piece of advice is to Call in your order before you get there or you might be waiting a while since her food is in high demand by people who know good food. I will easily make the 45 minute trek to her place whenever I am getting that Rhoti desire. Their doubles are some of the best even compared to Queens NYC area ones and the Rhoti is amazing! Delicious)))

Being from Ohio and getting a taste of home was worth the Über ride from the airport. Next time I am heading to my regular spot even if it’s a bit more of a drive. Not bad, but expecting more spice. We went early and some menu items were not ready.
Location was good, restrooms a bit scary. Owner (?) was friendly.

Rude and crooked.
My spouse, who is Trini, raves about this place. While on this side of town I figured I would surprise my other half by bringing home some roti. I walked on and the pissy woman behind the counter was yelling at two young girls because they didn’t know what they wanted. Pissy lady finally got them ordered and went in the back to make it as I waited my turn.
I ordered 2 curried goat roti, a beef patty (over fried and had really hard edges), a chicken patty, and 3 Solo. Almost $ 40!!!
I know the menu said the goat was $ 9 each, paddies were $ 2 & $ 2.50. So you mean to tell me that she charges $ 5 for a bottles Solo that you can get at any other roti shop for $ 1.25 (And that’s pushing it!)…nah, she just thought I was some caramel tourist and chose to overcharge me.
My spouse is Trini and maybe I’m not but Pissy just lost our business forever. My spouse was Triniiiiii pissed!!!
#ByeTara

For those of you like me who don’t feel like Googling what Roti is, here is your basic explanation: a big thing of bread stuffed with stuff. I got the beef Roti, which means I got bread stuffed with meat… and other stuff. Now just meat and bread is good but not impressive… what makes this truly Trinidadian is the stuff. I am not quite sure exactly what it is, but I can tell you it is really delicious.
They will serve you tremendous portion sizes here for a very small price. The place is family owned and it will leave you feeling like what you ate was truly authentic. The menu is small which means that each dish you get is a specialty. Don’t be turned away by the rough looking exterior because the food that is inside is excellent. The only critic I have is we got some of the appetizers and they tasted good but definitely not fresh… like they were just microwaved from frozen.
The entrees however made me feel like I just ate something REAL Trinidadian and also contributed to a small business in my community. Highly recommended people.

I ordered the following for my family:
Curry Chicken Roti, Buss Up Shut with Curry Chicken, two spicy Doubles and a Oxtail dinner with collard greens. It was all cooked to order. Everything was amazing!
It had been several years since I had visited. I drove from Riverview and it was worth the trip!
It was the best Caribbean food I have had in a while!
I am a foodie so please trust me when I say the food was delicious. Seasoned well and the temperature was spot on!

Went here today with my boyfriend, and was not disappointed. The owner seemed a little annoyed by us, but we thought it was super funny and ironically, it added to the charm of the place for us. I got the curry shrimp roti while my boyfriend got the boneless curry chicken roti. I loved my curry shrimp roti and my boyfriend likes the chicken one, but thinks he will opt for shrimp one next time. The hot sauce is SPICY, and as a spicy food lover, I found it almost too spicy… Which is saying a lot. Only real complaint is that I think the Jamaican pineapple sodas are overpriced, we paid about 4 dollars each for them. Great food though and will definitely come back again!

Loved her wrapped rotis! Friend had her chicken curry and I had the goat curry. My friend was the one that introduced me to the shop. He being from jersey we have awesome Indian food, and the many times I’ve come to the Tampa (area) I haven’t seen anything to comparison. Even though this is Caribbean food, still hits home with the good Indian good. The owner lady is so funny. True to her culture and I love it. We justify take out but I’d stay there and eat just To have a beer/​shot and convo w the owners/​workers. If you’re looking for a good food and don’t care about the high end of things, it’s a good joint for you.

I have been here a few times and can say it is the best Caribbean food I have had in Tampa. The dishes we ordered were the goat curry and the chicken curry. The portion were large and very tasty.

One of the new favorite places to eat. I took a group of friends to Tara’s Roti Shop. Two of the friends in my group are Trini and haven’t had much luck with the Trinidadian restaurants in Orlando.
The second we walked in, they said they felt at home. They said the atmosphere is that of a true Trinidadian restaurant. Tara told us our food may take awhile since the shop was getting a little full. She didn’t seem to have too much help that day. We didn’t mind waiting. It actually came out quicker than we expected. Everyone enjoyed their food. I think they enjoyed the atmosphere most.
Tara reminded my friends of a Trinidadian aunt, so she is now «Auntie Tara.» I will be back for the doubles, and the buss-​up-​shot and curry chicken. It was all delicious! :)

I know a place is particularly good when I can’t put my fork down… they know how to make a killer roti.
The boneless curry chicken roti truly is delicious, and very large (fills a whole paper plate!) The dhalpurie (ground split pea) roti dough is highly addictive. It’s thin, but somehow creates this pocket between the two layers where there is the ground up split peas in the middle, which creates a nice texture similar to cornmeal on pizza dough. The curry has great flavor, and definitely try the hot sauce if you can handle the heat! It is HOT but I couldn’t stop myself from pouring it all over my curry :)
Talking with who I believe is Tara, we realized how customizable they can make your meals! My mom doesn’t eat a lot of carbs due to diet restrictions, but they said they can easily not add potatoes to your roti, or if you get a rice plate with curry you can substitute the rice for cabbage. They were incredibly helpful and kind in being open to meeting different dietary restrictions– great to know in the future! I know I’ll be back here very soon.

I don’t know if it is just me, or if she hates all her customers, but the curried goat roti is phenomenal! I will never stop going back!!!

Omg… the roti here is amazing! Nooo lie! Read all the reviews about the customer service but we sat here for hours chatting with the owner. She has tons of stories! She’s hilarious! A true trini experience.
When next i visit Tampa, I’ll be back!

I have read about Tara’s here on Unilocal,and have been meaning to stop in for the last six months. Today I did, and I am so happy I did! I love introducing my girlfriend to new foods, things that she has never had… and she used to make faces and say «gross» every time I suggested something new. Lately she gets a big smile on her face, because she knows she is going to probably like it!
Today… I suggested we go to Tara’s Roti Shop… and would get her some goat curry. We went, and I ordered her a Goat Roti, and ordered myself a Goat BussUpShot, Portions were huge, the curry was awesome, the pepper sauce was dangerous and had me sweating, and wanting even more!
GF ate all of her Roti… and that is unusual! It was huge! The Paratha served with mine was excellent… fresh, hot, chewy and buttery… one of my favorite breads!
We also shared a double… so she could see what it was like, and it was delicious! We also had two sorrels (spiced hibiscus tea, think of chai without milk, sort of!) that were delicious!
Tara didn’t say much, but she did give us a smile… and a lovely smile it was.
We will be going back… my girlfriend says that Goat Curry is a new favorite, lol! I want some more of that Peppa sauce! OUCH!

Don’t be deterred by the sketchy exterior and location of this place-​the food is totally worth it. I had no idea what to expect, but the restaurant was larger on the inside than I thought it would be, with stools to sit at the counter, and many tables scattered throughout.
We chose to sit at the counter, which was so fun because the Owner chatted with us, told us how things were made, and made suggestions. She recommended the juice drink called sorrel to start with, and it was sweet and refreshing — and she makes it herself. Apparently she tried growing the fruit here, and it had no flavor, so she has friends ship it over from Trinidad to make it. She also gave us a sample of the drink, mauby, just so we could taste it. That is NOT for me — hah!
I love when I was thinking things over on the menu the Owner would say «you don’t want that» or «do you like spicy?» When trying a new-​to-​me type of food, that’s exactly the kind of input I need. I ended up going with the Vegetarian Platter and it was delicious. Mild potato curry, cabbage with saffron, plantains, one doubles, and six little dough balls called phoulorie. I didn’t think the phoulorie had much flavor, but everything else was crazy good. Especially the doubles — first time having one and the combo of cucumber, chick peas and seasonings between the fried dough was outstanding.
The roti is next on my list to try, and I can’t wait to return to Tara’s with friends!

Nice Local Business located in Tampa… Reminds me of a simplified Island setup. Roti tastes good for local area. Food is Nice and fresh… Waitress was nice & friendly.

As authentic West Indian as it gets in Tampa Florida had duck curry with rice and peas and the curry chicke roti … Very spicy !! Very delish! Can’t wait to try the other menu items

Yes. This place is fantastic. Don’t come here expecting the typical smiling face of customer service. This lady is from Trini (maybe?) and doesn’t care about your first world struggles.
Came here with a friend. It turned out to be dinner and a show. We had a few questions and this lady is no nonsense. She even called a customer and hassled them to pick up the food. Later, this customer comes in unfazed– they were talking like neighbors.
You will be rubbed the wrong way but by no means is it unfriendly. We sat at the counter and she waited with us making small talk. She also sat with us as we ate and wanted to make sure we enjoyed the food.
By the way we did.
Doubles were killer. The chicken roti was pretty good, but I’m excited to come back and try more.
This was really refreshing. Courtesy is all good and dandy, but sometimes you don’t want to be served by a robot but a real person from a different culture who really cares about the food.

Tara’s roti shop is fantastic. Out of respect for vegetarians, they use separate pots and pans to cook meat free foods. I had the vegetarian sampler, then some rice and beans and a doubles. Doubles are this fantastic Trinidadian street food with pepper sauce, cucumbers and curried chickpeas in fried bread. I’ve never had it before and it’s such an interesting and delicious mix of flavors. I’m so glad I stopped in and I can’t wait to go back.