Garifuna Flava: Flavor Oasis in Chicago Lawn

When the hunt is on for good jerk chicken in Chicago, don’t assume an easy outing.  That may be because the city lacks the large number of people of Caribbean heritage who make Chicago home as they do in New York and Toronto.  That dearth is reflected in our culinary landscape.  Thankfully there’s a quiet little spot on west 63^rd filling the void by offering a number of superb examples of fare characteristic of the region.

Garifuna Flava is a husband, wife and kids operation that’s been making Chicago a better place to eat for the past 10 years.  The family hails from Belize on central America’s eastern coast and a thousand sea miles from Jamaica. That distance means that the similarities between the two cuisines is not really that great.  Based on a recent visit to the restaurant, the Belizean take on at least one Caribbean standard, jerk chicken, equals or out shines what you’d expect to find in Kingston.

A lot of that has to do with the fullness of the restaurant’s flavor spectrum and the consistently high quality of the food’s preparation.  When they opened up shop, the neighborhood just assumed it would be a place to get jerk chicken because the word “Caribbean” emblazoned on the restaurant’s awning.  And because that expectation was voiced with such frequency, Garifuna Flava not only put it on the menu; they made sure it was both authentic and excellent.

Much of the restaurant’s success rests in the hands of Yolanda Castillo, the chef.  When you can prepare food as well as she does so consistently and so intuitively well, you almost have an obligation to share it with the world.  With the help of Caribbean and African purveyors, she’s able to use herbs and spices unique to her home country to conjure magic in her kitchen.

The rice and beans, already delicious without adornment, get another jolt of wonderful flavor with a sauce from the restaurant’s stewed chicken poured over them.  The jerk chicken, already jacketed in heat when they hit the plate, can be further ignited with its own delectable special sauce.  Afro-Belizean food is a mixture of Central American, Caribbean and African influences that coalesce into its own distinctive cuisine.  Some specialties are only available on the weekend like the fried monkfish served in an incredible coconut milk broth.  Succulent and softly sweet plantains are plentiful and the stewed cabbage is tender and subtle.

Others have noticed how well the restaurant does what it does. Chowhound loves the place, it’s been featured on Check Please and Guy Fieri profiled Garifuna Flava on his triple D show a few years back.

The restaurant takes its name from the people.  The Castillos are Garifunans, people of Central American, Indian and African extraction who populate the tiny country of just over a half million.  It would be foolish to think their small numbers restricts their inventiveness.  Refreshing and light, the restaurant’s Belizean Long Island Iced Tea is a delicious surprise that pairs beautifully with much of the restaurants fare.  Made with rum, vodka, gin and “juices”, it’s also an indulgence that requires restraint.  It’s also a splendid reason to return.