Flambo Caribbean Restaurant: Authentic Trinidadian Cuisine in Philadelphia

I tried Flambo during restaurant week and my favorite part of the meal was the jerk and tamarind wings. They were fall-off-the-bone tender and very flavorful. The curry chicken was my entree and I must say it was underwhelming. It lacked spice and the portion size was small. The buss-up-shot was doughy and the carrot cake was ok. I might check out their full menu to see if the portion size is better and hopefully, I get more than just a wing and a half for my appetizer. My friend had the oxtails so I can't rate that.

The food was food and the service was exceptional. The owner and the staff were so gracious and welcoming and just amazing.

Delicious menu with a lovely ambiance and spacious seating arrangements. Perfectly located in Center City, Flambo offers both brunch / lunch and dinner menus with a great selection of Caribbean-inspired drinks such as rum punch, sorrel-flavored mimosas, and more. The location and quality menu would be great for attracting a bigger lunch crowd, which right now is pretty small. The restaurant should consider updating their exterior signage to include “Caribbean restaurant” beneath the name so that its more visible to passerby’s. Also expanding the brunch menu to add one more breakfast option and unlimited mimosas to compete with the other brunch offerings in the neighborhood. As far as the menu goes, we had the chickpea doubles, the curry goat entree, ans the rasta pasta. All were absolutely excellent and transported my best friend back to her time in Trinidad. We’ll definitely be back again!

Flambo! Trinidadian and Indian make a fantastic pairing of excellent flavors. I took a Trinidadian local with me to verify the authenticity. He said, "This is what I ate as a child growing up on the island!" Yes! Authentic! The bartender Eloy was excellent, pouring drinks and telling us the origins of the restaurant. The food was excellent! Vibrant rum cocktails are a must try! Enjoy!

Was craving Caribbean and found this online. Checked it out for happy hour. Happy to find Trini food in Center City! Tamarind wings and pholourie bar bites were great. Curry goat, escovitch fish, and buss-up shot also great! Sorrel cocktail $7 at happy hour on repeat. Our bartender Amanda was amazing and took good care of us. Can't wait to come again when back in Philly!

Delicious! I started with the curry muscles and the broth was so good I asked for a spoon and at every drop! For the main dish I once again went with curry but got shrimp this time- not quite as spicy as the muscles but just as good! My mom got the paneer masala which was also delicious and my sister got the curry goat which was also amazing . We ended with the carrot cake and it was some of the best I’ve had. Great service and with a final smile!

The music was amazing and the drinks. Kevin the owner is handsome and super friendly and Arjun. The DJ Lionel was good he had my sisters and I jamming. Now the server Jeremy he was not professional and very forgetful and I think he needs to be retrained. He did not inform us of simple things, for example the carrot cake they offer came Warm and I don’t prefer warm cake so I asked that it not be warm, he brought the cake FROZEN not explaining that it comes cold ! That was literally my last straw with him because I put up with his childlike behavior and whatnot. He seemed high to be honest. We asked for ice and he said that he had to ask the bartender but then proceeds to tell us he’s planning to get drunk , and the boss should know he said they sneak drinks in the back.

Just go- go NOW!!! Oxtails are different from Jamaican oxtails- they’re sweet but delicious. Became a bit too sweet after a while though. The lamb chops were ok- I feel like they were missing something but still good. The Chinese chicken was DELICIOUS- something completely unexpected and I’m glad we tried it out! The brown stew chicken, pepper shrimp, curried mussels & samosas were SOOOOOOO GOOOOOD!!! Definitely getting them again. The tamarind sauce the samosas came with is hands down the BEST tamarind sauce I’ve ever had. The pholourie was so good I got another order to go. The coconut shrimp was perfectly crunchy and the ROTI….. it’s PRECISELY the flavors you want in your mouth when eating roti. Nowhere around me has had good roti & I FINALLY found what I’ve needed all this time. SO happy we tried this place for my best friend’s bday dinner. The service was GREAT! Kyairha was an absolute pleasure and she took care of us and all our foolishness She took care of the entire restaurant swiftly & efficiently by herself. The bartender was good too- I have NO complaints. Now excuse me while a cry about how I’m supposed to unbig my back…