Reviews
My wife and I had the pleasure of discovering this little gem of a restaurant in Abbotsford's Matsqui Village area tonight. It's fantastic. We had the jerk chicken and pork combo platter which was delicious and had enough to feed three so we'll enjoy some leftovers for lunch. We had a couple of nice Jamaican rum cocktails which were great and finished off with some great desserts check out the rum & pinapple float... yum!. The owners and staff are the absolute best and really make you feel like home. We will be back and hope to time a visit with one of the live music shows there too as that would be even more fun. Well done, Coolrunnings!
In the heart of Matsqui Village, Coolrunnings Bistro comes to life at 4:00 pm. You'll find it right on Riverside with bright yellow umbrellas adorning the front. Outdoor seating is available. There is ample customer parking in the back. The service was great, we ordered a jerk chicken nacho plate as a snack to share. We were delighted by the amount of toppings that were included with plenty of jerk chicken. Very large portion and delicious. A DJ arrived for the next evening upon our return and we ordered a Beef entré with rice. Super delicious!! The restaurant is set up for live bands. Cordel, Wayne and Amani are great hosts! We thoroughly enjoyed this great restaurant with a Jamaican/Caribbean vibe, and would highly recommend!! Thanks!!
What a find this restaurant is. Came for a birthday party. The staff are so warm and welcoming. The food is great, especially the Jamaican beef stew. Band and DJ were fantastic. A fun time to be hard here. Will be back!
Oh my goodness... Delicious! Authentic food beautiful spiced. Family owned, super friendly people, geat atmosphere. Honestly, I have nothing but good things to say. Suggest making reservations.
Very cozy and friendly atmosphere. We ordered the chicken and pork for 2 platter, it was a large amount of food, had to force it all down. They also have a great selection of pot distilled rum, that goes back to the original days. Would go again for sure.to try other items on the menu
This food was so good it made me want to Veggie patty came with such a delicious sauce and the soup and tea were so full of flavor too! There were other menu items to try next time and live music to come back for too The owners are so sweet and cultural too. It is worth going here even if you're from cities far away.
This place exudes island vibes. The atmosphere is great, food is always fantastic and the dj and live music nights are awesome. I highly recommend itFood: 5/5
Fantastic food and atmosphere! Can’t wait to come back. The family that runs this restaurant just amazing people too.Recommended dishesJerk Chicken Wings
I’m sorry but the taste of island food here is something that I have not ever experienced. Yes the atmosphere is nice. I flew in for a private party but if I tell you that it just wasn’t the experience I was hoping for ….I ordered the chicken fricasse which was fricking cold, when I asked what would be done the server said “I will give you a new order” he returned minutes later with the same chicken Luke warm and the rice piping hot… I’m sorry but whatever the other reviewers ate wasn’t served to this private party I attended. Please use your own discretion!
Great experience..... Fair price. Had the stew beef which comes with a salad. Also ordered a small soup. The staff told me it was a callaloo with sweet potatoes. I'm Trini and this wasn't callaloo I've had before.... I've also spent a fair bit of times in st Ann's Jamaica and this wasn't what they made there. Don't get me wrong it was tasty and had a hint of a taste of callaloo but it was more a broth with zucchini sweet potato and callaloo bush. I didn't get a sense of okra in it which should be prevalent in a callaloo. The salad was really good they use a light Greek dressing and oranges strawberries blueberries cucumber and tomatoes. Now onto the main dish. Was quite spicy not overly at all and it was cooked in..... I'm someone to keeps pepper sauce in the car but I'm glad I didn't put any on this. The rice was nice and fresh the beef was also really good. But again this was not a traditional West Indian stew there was no hint of tomato this more tasted like an oxtail type base. Overall though for a city that lacks any west Indian food at a reasonable price or taste I will be back to try the curry chicken at a minium. My order was $23 and change and I'm totally satisfied with value for money. I would recommend this place to anyone just beware the stew beef is quite spicy.
