Cool Runnings - Toronto

We walked in on a late Monday afternoon around 1:30pm and found the interior to be small but with plenty of tables. Everyone else who came in opted for takeout, but we chose to dine in. The service was extremely laid-back and friendly. Our waitress kept our water glasses full and even changed the TV channel so we could watch the French Open. Just a heads up, the food does take a bit of time to come out, so be prepared if you're on a tight schedule. The menu consists of two pages with options such as appetizers, sandwiches/wraps, vegetarian dishes, stir fry, salads, soup, roti, meat platters, seafood, sides, and desserts. We tried the plantains ($2.50), which came with four pieces. They had a good sweetness to them, but some pieces were a bit too dry. For the main course, we ordered the curry lamb shank ($19.00) and the curry goat ($14.00 for a large portion). The lamb shank was a pleasant surprise as it's not often seen on Caribbean menus. The dish came with three solid shanks, and the texture was excellent. The rice and beans were good, and the coleslaw was light and refreshing. As for the curry goat, it was tender and had a wonderful depth of flavor. I would highly recommend getting it with bones for the extra $2, as they add a lot of flavor to the dish. Overall, we enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere and the delicious food at Cool Runnings. I would definitely return to try their oxtail or seafood dishes in the future.

The beef roti at this restaurant is delicious and full of flavor. I would definitely return to try out other dishes. The ambience is decent and there is street parking available. The prices are very reasonable.

Cool Runnings is a classic-style Jamaican restaurant located just south of Gerrard on the west side of Main Street. It is quite appropriately named after the Jamaican bobsled team of the same title, who’s challenging journey to the Olympics in the face of prejudice and eventual earning of respect was made into a movie. On that note… Hey International Olympic committee, remember when your biggest controversy was Jamaica competing in a winter sport? I’m sure they’ll answer after clearing their diving pool of algae and their landline phone of pleading voice mails left by Ryan Lochte.

We thoroughly enjoyed our first time at this hidden gem. I had the chicken soup which was so delicious. It was full of chicken and tasted like home cooked West Indian soup. Then the oxtail and rice&peas. gravy was very flavourful. My husband had the lunch special jerk chicken and coco bread. Also so delicious! Great service, reasonable prices. We can't wait to go back when the weather gets better to hang on the patio.

One of the better places to get awesome jerk chicken. Tender, succulent and enough spice to my liking. I personally like their coleslaw, which is creamy and sweet. Their large size platters are good for two but not if you're really hungry. It is a little more pricey than your average Caribbean joints but well worth. Oxtail was apparently also good according to my friend. When I was here previously, I had their fried chicken and that was quite crispy and delicious with the gravy on the side. Overall, good food, decent prices for the portions and nice staff. I will come back again to try their roti.