Teddy’s Roti Shop

The owner was very nice and went out of his way to get us information to a Caribbean bakery in the area we were going to. Fair prices. EXCELLENT roti shells and several vegetarian options. Our favorite was the pumpkin roti and doubles.

Teddy’s was my first encounter with Trinidadian food and I have no reason to look elsewhere! A friend of mine introduced me a few years ago and now I’m a loyal customer. I’m a huge fan of the conch roti. I could eat it everyday! Sometimes I switch it up with the goat roti or the chicken buss up shut.
Everything is delicious, you really can’t go wrong and Teddy is the nicest :) I took my sister and her husband here when they lived in NoVA, they’ve since moved back to Chicago. My last trip to visit I packed some roti in my carry-​on, I’ve never seen smiles so big.

They gave me old roti. It was extremely hard. Too many Caribbean restaurants in the area for them to be doing that ish.

Unfortunately I really don’t like to give bad reviews and you can see that from my other reviews on Unilocal.
Being from Canada, and now living here, I have had my fill of west indian food and my dad is from Guyana. Trini food is my fave for sure.
At the recommendation of a friend I drove out of my way as I live in Elkridge to give them a shot.
The doubles were ok but yes greasy like others have mentioned, and that made the bag break of course.
The roti was super salty, and thick. I also have made roti before, taught by my best friend up in Canada who is Trini, and it takes a lot of work so I don’t really have time to make it. This is the first time I’ve ever thrown a roti away. I tried both goat and boneless chicken and I just couldn’t do it. I bought 4 roti skins too… what I waste.
So long story short, I wouldn’t recommend the place. You can give it a shot for yourself, but honestly this isn’t the spot to get your west indian food fix on.
Island Spice is a jamaican restaurant but up north the other way (up 95) but they are really good. I’ll continue my search for good west indian spots but for now I can’t wait to go back to Canada to get some real west indian food.

Ohhh where do I begin???
Pholouri was amazing!
Bussup was great. I also had the curry chicken, chana, and potatoes.
Doubles were pretty good.
Price=Expensive but where else are you going to get really good roti and the likes in the dmv that meet the quality and taste you expect if you are from the islands???
Listen…whenever I am in the area I will seek this place out… and even if i’m not i will drive the hour to go get some. Yes, they are that good.

You walk in the door and it smells heavenly… and that’s about it.
It took 15 minutes to order because the two women were in the back cooking the food. The customer service was lacking-​all attitude! It almost felt like my ordering and paying was an imposition. I didn’t mind the additional 15 minute wait for the food, because that’s standard for a good roti. However, this one was horrible. Very salty, but lacking in flavor. The goat meat was really tough and the actual roti (bread) was thick and rubbery in texture. The final straw for me was the discovery of hair strands that I am assuming belonged to the goat. :sigh:
I don’t think that I have ever thrown a roti in the trash in all my years, but there was no way that I could finish that one. And maybe I just ordered the wrong item; but I would assume that if a shop specializes in roti, then that’s what you get.

Visited from Florida in May, we went up for my Niece’s wedding, thought it would be nice to take the whole family, about 14 of us went to Teddy’s…it was just ok… the owner was very rude to us, he complained all the time about all the taxes etc he had to pay in DC. We had left overs, so we asked for a bag, he said it would cost 5 cents for each bag… I would never tell anyone to go there… he was verbally nasty to my Niece… said we ordered stuff we never ordered. Huge mistake going there, it will never happen again

Welllllll Teddy got one over on me today because the whole Teddy’s Roti Shop experience was a NO. Everything from the customer service or should I say lack thereof, was terrible. The prices are ridiculously high for food that is not even mediocre. I love Trini food and my fiancé who is Trini was disgusted by the look of the doubles and roti– he would not even taste it. I was craving some nice hot doubles and shrimp roti but what I received was not what I am used to or had in mind. The barra was sooo thick and the tamarind sauce you have to pay an additional 50 cents for is in the smallest plastic container I have ever seen in my life. I do not mind paying my money for good food but this does food does not qualify.

My family is from Trinidad so I grew up on Roti. I remember my grandmother preparing roti in the kitchen as a kid. I remember the smell, and I definitely remember the taste. Teddys Roti Shop is authentic. Teddy’s is the absolute truth!!! It’s not «like» Trinidadian roti. It IS Trinidadian roti. It gets no better than this!!!
It’s a bit expensive, but you’re basically getting 2 meals with every roti. Lunch and dinner.

The man working behind the counter was extremely rude and aggressive to me and my family. He overcharged us and attempted to make us pay for doubles we did not order. When we decided to take some doubles home, he carelessly packaged it. The doubles were also watery and they were not worth dealing with the man’s aggressive attitude. Also, the restaurant itself is very tiny and hot. I’ve been to Trinidad many times and I have been comfortable in the tiny roti shops. But this one was way too hot, there was absolutely no AC.

Good trini food. Riri skins were great. Goat a little salty. Doubles were good. Very small space.

This Trini restaurant, used to be the talk of the town, back in the 80−90s, when it came to getting a good tasting roti, in the DC area but not anymore!!!
Firstly, there is no West Indian, much less Trini, cooking the food. When I discovered that, it explained, why the food was less that satisfactory, on numerous occasions. The young woman, from Ethiopia, who greets you, doesn’t even know, what pelau is; p-​e-​l-​a-​u, our national dish! Just for that alone, Teddy’s shouldn’t be able to use, Trini, in any advertising for this place.
I use to drive 45 mins, from Capitol Heights, to Silver Spring (because of traffic) and even farther, when I went from home, spending upward of $ 40, a visit and was disappointed 9.5 out of 10 times.
While the doubles aren’t bad, they aren’t Trini good either. The curry is not tasty, at all. The roti skin and bussup shut are fine. I will give them credit, for having bussup shut on hand, unlike Caribbean Palace, where you have to pre order it. The aloo pie, again, nothing to write home about.
The pholourie is the worst tasting, of all the dishes, I have tried though. Whenever I went there, the dough was either too soft (mushy and NASTY) or too hard (tough and dry). This was soooooooo disappointing to me, that I took to Facebook, on multiple occasions,
to rant, about how awful the food is, and how much, I pay, for the awful food.
This is a very expensive faux Trini food experience. Pholourie, doubles & aloo pie are around $ 3.50 — $ 3.95 and the bussup shut is $ 16. IF it tasted delicious, I wouldn’t mind shelling out, those kinds of prices.
IF I were you, I would save my money and go get Chipotle or something, as this food, while not horrible, is still not good enough, to be labeled Trini food.

Buss up, roti, curry, doubles, pumpkin, peanut punch… All excellent! Prices are a little high and service can occasionally be unenthusiastic but I’ve never had a bad experience. I recommend them every time!

I was craving for some good food on a Sunday and the hubs recommend Teddys and we were on GA Ave. You really need a good GPS and a good pair of ²⁰⁄₂₀ vision to spot this place. The place is small, its more of a carry out then a sit down joint, I dont recommend sitting down here because its soo cold and the door opening freezes the whole room. Any how, the lady behind the counter is nice but its really hard to understand her, however she provided great customer service.
I ordered the Chicken Roti, it was full of flavors and spices. It can be messy so make sure you have a lot of napkins.
You must get their homemade Irish Moss drink, its expensive but its worth it! and even better when its served chilled on ice. Im still craving this drink.
The hubs got Buss Up Shut, it was sooo good. mixed with goat meat and a lot of goodness. THe roti it came with was damn good
I got also doubles, its like a turnover with a lot of good stufff inside. I ate that on my way home and it was delish!
Overall, I liked it. However they should have handy carry out menus. Not a menu on a dry erase board. Thats a downer. Theres many mom and pop printing services that can print menus at an affordable price. Im just saying.
I agree with most, it is expensive, over priced for the main courses. but the food is great!

The prices are outrageous and not worth it. There are plenty of other places in the city to get higher quality food for a much better price. I spent $ 32 on stewed chicken with rice and peas and one goat roti. I’ve never spent that in my life.
The food a pretty good but not worth $ 32. I suggest heading to the Jamaican spot down the street.
I wish I would’ve come to Unilocal before I went there… did I mention Tibet added a 10% sales tax… highway robbery. Unless they lower the prices by 40% I’d suggest going elsewhere.

Never disappoints! I discovered this spot through a friend many years ago. It’s a complementary blend of eclectic flavors.
A subtle spice and robust flavor! The boneless chicken is a bit dry but tasty nonetheless.

When I’m feeling nostalgic and ponder on the times I lived in Flatbush, Brooklyn, I drive a few blocks to Teddy’s Roti Shop. The portions are unusually large. You may not be able to eat it all, but the food is fantastic. It has the right amount of seasoning, flavors and spice. There are several options of drinks too. I’m a vegan. So, there are foods for the non-​carnivores. What makes this place great is the owner, he greets you with a smile and has a wonderful sense of humor. Stop by ASAP! You’ll regret it if you don’t.

As Caribbean food goes, it is pricey!
And they are letting you know right from jump they reserve the right to take advantage of you fools.
The prices are written in magic marker on a dry erase board. But the boards own disclaimer says to not trust the prices you see on the board.
Really? What are you waiting for a chisel.
The food is a bright spot that earned it, its stars. But don’t order the black cake.
I am a lover of black cake… so much so I have imported it from New York or the Virgin Islands. So, I didn’t hesitate about the price. With joy I ripped the wrapping paper off only to take a few bites and leave it languishing in the fridge.
Black cake is very difficult to get right. Much debate on the right amount of liquor needed to give it its unique but delicious taste has caused smack downs between the Jamician version and Trinidian versions of this cake. I prefer it as its best. So I am island neutral on my preference as long as it’s good. This cake may be black but it isn’t black cake.
Service is inconsistent. Depending on who you get you will be carefully guided through the menu or met with an eye roll for intereupting whatever they were doing in the back. My guess… a Scandal marathon on Netfix. Anywho do partake but .only if you are in the utmost mood for a roti.

Bad customer service and BLAND curry for $ 17 a pop!!! You’ve got to be kidding me…
So I found myself far from home and craving Caribbean food so I turned to Unilocal.To make a long story short, I spent over $ 60 on four meals and peanut punch and when I got my food, my order was wrong. Ok fine *shrugs*, before leaving the restaurant I informed the cashier that my order was wrong and that I was willing to pay the difference to have it corrected… Would you believe that she REFUSED!!! She informed me that it was my fault and that she will not correct my order.
With that response I was convinced that this establishment employs people who would spit in your food, so I left. During my long drive home with a dish that I didn’t want, I decided not to let this go.
I called and spoke with Teddy about his employees and he was quite apologetic. But at the end of the day, I spent over $ 60 on the worst experience ever. And to make things worse, the food wasn’t even good. Ugh!
I will NEVER return and I hope no one else spends their money in his overpriced establishment.

Me being from Baltimore, there is a huge possibility that I am biased to the prices of Caribbean food from my city because I found myself looking at the prices on the board of this shop and thinking «GOOD LAWD» in my best Chris Rock voice… before pulling out my $ 100 bill.
Bias forcibly pushed aside, I will just review Teddy’s Roti Shop on the experience and food and give it a 4 star rating instead of a price influenced 3 star. As other reviewers have said, this definitely is more of a carry-​out place as opposed to eat in unless you’re trying to kill time for a few quick minutes and/​or disappear for a few.
I ordered the jerk chicken dinner for my friend and a spinach & potato buss-​up shut w/​yams added. My veggie buss-​up shut was pretty good and big but I think I would have preferred the roti over it because it was so thick. It came rolled up like a burrito but more than half my mouthfuls were dough and not much filler. There also weren’t many vegetable offerings for the original price so I found myself searching for the most economical ways to get a simple veggie buss-​up with pumpkin, potatoes, and spinach without spending too much on the add-​in costs. Back in Baltimore, I’m used to getting at least three veggies with my roti or buss-​ups, but the costs here made it hard to duplicate this fave dish of mines.
I do give props to Teddy for having white meat jerk chicken, as it’s hard to find smaller places that offer it. Teddy’s jerk is more of a dry rub instead of the saucy types I’m used to but my taste buds did not complain! Our chicken was so tender, juicy and delicately seasoned we almost forgot we were eating white meat (note this was supposed to be my friend’s dinner but I just couldn’t stop my fork from constantly wandering over to his plate).
The cost? $ 30. The taste? $ 30. Oh, wait I meant, it was great, but $ 30!!! Back in Baltimore I would have paid at least $ 10 less, but I guess when in Rome… you go broke and chill in the slums with the paupers because you spent all your money on some Caribbean food. All in all, worth the trip for some good food and the owner is extremely pleasant and helpful in explaining the menu.