Big Mikes Calypso Kitchen in Croydon

Don’t understand the negative reviews, always enjoyed big mikes from the jolly farmers to boxpark. Great food, and even the frozen fruit punches are lovely too.

The festival is was oily and lacked flavour. The lady in charge was extremely unhelpful.

Not for the Caribbean plalette lacked in flavour. The food seemed stale and pre heated. The coleslaw was off as if it were stored out of the fridge. The server forgot a few things in our order. Not a good experience 😕

If you thought Turtle bay was bad congratulations “ big Mike” you win 🥇 1st price. The mac and cheese was ghastly the rice and peas tasted like white rice (bland) unfortunately i won’t be coming back.

Awful, got my order wrong and the food itself was bad. Don’t even bother spending your money here. Go to marjays next door. If I could it would be zero stars. Wish I had read the reviews before ordering.

I don't like giving bad reviews but I'm so disappointed! I had high hopes for this. I ordered pork with rice. Dry!!!! And totally inedible how can that b so dry that my fork struggled to pick it up??? Rice had no flavour and bbq sauce tasted off? With some of the good ratings and praises you have been given I was hoping to give you the same but on this occasion I can't.

Whenever I’ve visited big mikes at Boxpark I always get good service, the staff are very polite. The food is really well cooked I ordered a jerk thigh chicken meal with chips. Also Big Mikes Twerk & Jerk sauce is delicious.

Big Mike does the best vegetarian chicken alternative in Croydon, maybe even in all of London. The jackfruit bites are incredible, especially with the jerk sauce, and I’m glad I’ve been introduced to Caribbean food all because of this restaurant!

Food was tastless, grainy gravy, lacked flavour and salt and by the marks on side of container looked like it was heated in a microwave.. worst curry goat i have ever eaten...

DO NOT ORDER, the food is not fresh its old and reheated and they dont reheat properly which is a huge health and safety issue JERK CHICKEN wings were dry, rock hard and cold couldnt eat JERK PORK was 80% fat and the small bit of meat was rock hard not edible CURRY GOAT wasnt fresh was so so dry RICE & PEAS was the only edible food Hard to believe they think that its acceptable to take your money in exchange for food that went straight into the bin. I will not be ordering from here again. Stick to your local west indian takeaways

Awful I dont know how even the rice can taste so awful Not even talking about the chicken Also, not sure i was told its so spicy Never again 🫤

I ordered the jerk thighs with rice and peas and it was delicious. The flavours were perfect, it wasn’t too much or too little and the jerk sauce was spicy, which I personally prefer. Great portion and service was very quick!! Defo coming back to Croydon for this food!

Great vegan options, Vegan fried chicken tastes suppringly close to chicken good example of fried jackfruit. Rice and peas also good

Undoubtedly, the Best Food Stall at Box Park Croydon. Jerk Chicken with Rice and Peas with a free side of BBQ Sauce the Fast seller. I wish they added Jerk Chicken Roti to their Menu. Value for Money...large portions.

Mike, I think that has to be the best jerk chicken I have ever tasted! As an ex-chef myself, I could not comprehend the flavor of the chicken - I had to take my time eating it, haha. I will certainly be back for more 🐣 Ps, these negative reviews are scaring me. 10* to the bank. Keep it up, Mike

Don't get the jerk chicken wrap - burnt offcuts with bones, seemed like majority rice and beans. Worst 10 pounds in the park.

I was very dissatisfied with the quality of food sold. I had a curry goat roti and it was one of the worst I've had. The dhalpuri was very stale and hard and the curry goat lacked flavour and it was like a burnt curry stew. This was just terrible considering the price as well. Need to ensure food is of quality for that price. I would never order there again.

Had jerk chicken with rice, festival and plantain. Everything was fresh and flavoutful, chicken tender. Generous portions. Made sure I told the lady behind the counter how much we enjoyed it.

This place seems to be very hit and miss unfortunately. Today the channa curry was inedible. It was dense with too much curry powder which made it very bitter and unpleasant. Why didn’t the chef bother to taste it? I went to tell the staff but there was a queue, so I cut my losses and will vote with my feet. Oh, and the portion of coleslaw was in a dip sized container. Really??!!

My introduction into Caribbean food was an amazing experience. But that was 5 meals ago! I keep coming back!

Unfortunately the Caribbean Experinece has not evolved. The man that cooks the food thinks that because it gets "smoked", that the meat near the bone is ok to be PINNNNNNKKKMT. Asking for a replacement they said they would only offer me a similar chicken.. Short sited business. Making the customer walk away happy is the difference between thriving business and those that fade... The plantian was fine.

Have ordered many times from here ,the food is always good ,well seasoned and nicely cooked ,would definitely recommend, there is a lot of places like this but not as good ,price wise it's very reasonable and the portions are a good size.

Food is Exquisite! The jack fruit is the best on the plannet!!! Amazing and polite staff. Danielle had exceptional customer service 👏🏿! Would recommend every time!

Sooo good… I had the curry goat. Full of meat and packed with flavour and the right amount of heat. Daughter had jerk chicken…ditto, full of smoky flavours and a good size portion too. I love the coleslaw- daughter not keen- precisely because it’s not drenched in mayonnaise like the shop bough ones are and it complimented my goat beautifully. Look forward to finishing mine tomorrow for lunch. Excellent value for money. Will order again. Thank you

AMAZING,AMAZING delicious curry goat and rice and peas this place was great… not to mention the great customer service from one of the ladies at the till with glasses very polite and respectful. Amazing definitely worth coming again!!!!

There is a rather large lady in whom works behind the counter and I must say her work ethics is rubbish. She has an attitude that needs to be changed. I ordered a meal and she did not even take due care attention when handing it over making a mess off my contents in the bag.

Honestly I have never ever seen poor service poor food than today at the town hall. Something is seriously wrong with your services. It was shaming . The dessert !!!!!! since when did plantain become a dessert.

Seriously poor! Worst food I've eaten out. Should have no stars

Very disappointed in my curry goat, plantain and coleslaw from Big Mikes today. I found it was all bland, the curry goat was grainy as another customer mentioned, which is unfortunate as I usually enjoy caribbean food. I think the food was much better around a year ago, when they were located on the outside of boxpark croydon. The plantain was not sweet or salty at all. I’m sad to have to write a negative review about this place, hopefully some improvements are made soon.

People avoid the food is a joke chick peas in my curried chicken couldn’t even find the rice. And you lie about fresh my festivals where tough like rock. Absolute robbery owner should be ashamed

I love this place. Amazing staff who are always pleasant and the food always tastes good. Shout out Danielle, Leon & Xena

I love this place so much. The food is a proper taste from back home. Danielle is amazing with her customer service. It’s a must visit!!

Had the jerk pork and the ribs on their own. Sadly pretty awful, absolutely drowned in bbq sauce that was just sugar and no flavour. I didn’t finish it because it was so off putting, and I’ll eat almost anything. Honestly it looked like a stew. The meat was miles from the melt-in the-mouth-tenderness that was promised. The ribs were better though. I would advise getting without sauce. I should’ve taken it back but was being British and couldn’t be arsed with the agro. My wife had the fish cakes and plantain which was much nicer, hence an extra star.

Food is good but the only thing that let the experience down was the lady at the till. She might have just been having a long day but I found her to be very moody & acted as though I was inconveniencing her somehow. LIKE???

I would give ZERO STARS!! Baring in mind Caribbean food is my absolute favourite food, this food was absolutely AWFUL!! I ordered curried goat, Mac ‘n’ Cheese, and coleslaw. The curried goat was was dry and the gravy was very grainy. The mac ‘n’ cheese was like a brick and pasta and now sauce. The coleslaw was bitter and watery, so tell me this inedible (considering how pricey it was compared to normal prices in the area, this cost me just under £18). I came back to get a refund and was met with rudeness by the server Dani, whilst smirking there was nothing she could do as no one else had complained today. She then went on to offer a £4 refund which isn’t even the price for the Mac ‘n’ Cheese let alone the price for the food. So naturally I told her this was unexceptable and she responded with more rudeness and swearing.. AVOID THIS PLACE AT ALL COSTS!!!

My experience here has been mixed. I enjoyed the Jerk Chicken meal, Mac and Cheese and Festivals. The Curry Goat was okay, good quality of meat but the curry flavour was more on the bland side. The Bajan Fish Cakes were interesting, they are very filling so might be worth sharing. The Curry Chicken was a big disappointment, it had pretty much no taste. Unfortunately the food never arrived hot, it was just a tiny bit warm. All of my experiences have been via delivery, so I can't say what the food is like when eating at Boxpark, one day I'll try it and will update once done.

Firstly the female staff member seemed a little moody. (Typically the experience of most Caribbean take outs). The Mac and cheese was a bit basic and required some kind of additional flavour to make it something special. The curried chicken in roti was bland and I couldn’t taste or see any curry, period. The chicken was so dry I had to coat it in ketchup just to wash it down. This whole particular combination definitely requires some sauce, maybe some chopped small potatoes/veg mixed in with it to give it some much well needed moisture. I think this spot has potential, just needs tweaking in certain areas to make it great.

Big Mike, you need to come down and do some quality control because the food let you down today. My jerk chicken was so dry, parts of it were totally dehydrated, bordering on being burnt, the flavour was seriously lacking, it was either overcooked or reheated tou much, either way it was bland and dry, most of it was inedible, you couldn't chew it. The rice and peas tasted like plain rice with kidney beans in it, terrible. The Mac and cheese while flavourful, felt like it had been reheated too many times, it was dried out completely in places and crunchy.... Honestly the only good thing about today was the server, who is a charming, polite and a lovely young lady. I would seriously reccomend you do some secret 'shopping' so you can get see what is happening with your business, those awards that you have won, there was no sign of that food today.

The jerk chicken was AMAZING! Best food I've had in ages!

I was surprised to see some of the negative comments of this place. I visited yesterday and had some sensational curried goat. The meat was incredibly tender and just as it should have been. Will be back again, to try one of the other extensive menu options.

The food I ordered from here was inedible. It clearly was not fresh at all. When I opened the bbq ribs I could smell gone off meat straight away. Stunk out the whole kitchen. I can’t believe they sent this out. The coleslaw was such a weird colour and was all sticky around the edge and you could just tell it was old. Mac n cheese absolutely soggy and tasteless. Rice tasteless too. The jerk sauce tastes nice but the chicken didn’t seem fresh either. Very disappointing as we had to throw the whole thing away. And trust me, I can usually eat anything so just know that it was really bad!! I’m sure I used to order from here years ago when it was first in boxpark and it was nice. I dunno what’s happened but I could never order from here and wouldn’t recommend other people do either. T

I used to order from big Mike's and get their chicken roti wrap .... this was few years ago before the new location, went to order at the boxpark after seeing it after so long and disappointed! Curry chicken no flavour, dry and just shredded.. use to be chunks of chicken saucy with good amount of potatoes and fresh Thyme! Roti changed recipe and is just bland holding together dry chicken! 2 star just because of the customer service girl was lovely ! Used to be the best roti wrap ... shame

Tried the curry goat with the rice and peas - great flavours, however the meat was very chewy and fatty, and around half of it was inedible... I wasn't expecting poor quality meat given the price and small portions.

Festivals were good but everything else was poor. The Curried goat was so tasteless and the rice soggy.

I remember when this first came to box park and was available to order via Deliveroo. It was so good we used to order every weekend, the Jerk pork was great and the curry goat was just the best! We ordered last week and boi it tastes completely different now. The jerk pork is barely jerk, the meal portion size is mostly rice with a few pieces of meat and the curry goat is too thick and grainy, the meat didn’t taste right neither… “renk”. Still gets 3 stars because it was once really good and the festivals have improved greatly, they are banging, could eat them all day. Please stay competitive, there are lots of Caribbean restaurants in Croydon, Big Mikes could easily be one of the best if it goes back to what it was! Love…

This is my go to when I'm in East Croydon. I can't understand the negative reviews because every meal I have had here has always been amazing. I always go for their vegan curry and the jackfruit is packed full of flavour .. the coating is crunchy and perfectly spiced. The plantain always hit the spot and never have a bad experience with the staff. Absolutely check it out. Especially if you are vegan. You won't be disappointed. The portions are larrrgeeee so if you like something really saucy, just add extra or speak to the staff.

I have been to Big Mike on 4 occasion, the first 2 times I ordered the jerk pork with rice. The first one was good as it was plain rice no sauce. Second was not that all special as the rice and peas , was bland and clumpy. my third visit jerk pork again with large plantain portion , my mistake I took the sauce over it and it was not all that good. My last visit I tried the sauce over the pork and rice , it did not hit right. The 3 star is the customer service , staff were cheerful , helpful and dynamic in there approach. I will not take the sauce over the meal but separate. I know my jerk , I am Jamaican. I will go again but would not go out my for it

Keneil the chef is going places, proper lovely grub!! Definitely coming back

Wonderful curry goat - proper real

Curry goat Roti OMG was so chewy and salty it was unreal. As for the Mac&Cheese, we’ll what an insult. Soggy and flavourless… also Mr Big Mike I can see your ignorance in responding to reviews. How about you refund people, or offer them back so you can rectify their experience? The reviews are shocking, honestly do better. Big big 2022…no time for S Caribbean food?!

Wonderful service, wonderful atmosphere. Food is high quality and very tasty. Will recommend to guys at work

Went on a trip to London for a few days and I can tell you there ain’t no place like this that I been to in London. U can tell the food is so fresh and effort was put in. Just got back home in Amsterdam rn and I already regret not discovering this place earlier. Big up to the staff for their hospitality as well: this is the kind of place that makes u feel welcome and wants u to have a good experience. Definitely returning here when I come to London

Delicious food. Generous portions. Friendly service. Superb takeaway. Hoping they can fix some deliveries soon though.

Always a delight to come and spend my money on good food I had mac pie which was cooked to perfection and the jerk chicken, which btw is a MUST TRY. Clearly the negative comments must be from people with little knowledge of Caribbean cuisine….will be coming back for sureee !!!!!

Had the Curry Goat a little while ago lacks the heat and flavor you want from Caribbean food just. I don't know if they think they have to tone down the flavors to appeal to the box park clientele but yeah just very bland and disappointing.

No real flavour to the jerk chicken and it was dry and felt old. Not sure why it comes with sauce smothered all over. Same story with jerk pork. No real flavour in the pork and just a bucket of sauce pored over. The fish cakes were made fresh but lacked seasoning and didn't taste of fish. Had high hopes for this place but was disappointed.

Come here every weekend now - can't go too long without this perfect jerk chicken. I definitely recommend anyone who hasn't given this 5 stats to try the jerk chicken - onions might change! Danielle and Jacob are always an excellent vibe to see at the till too - great service

Ordered from this place last week, the Mac and cheese was good sized portion, festivals were the best thing out of my whole meal!, jerk chicken was the most bland jerk chicken I’ve had. Ordered 10 pieces of plantain that was THICK circle chunks and hard! couldn’t consume not one. The plantain clearly was ripe enough to be cooked and the cook clearly didn’t take that into consideration. The lady who served me however had great customer service when I visited and welcomed with a smile.

Family ordered food from this kitchen and it was so burnt we were unable to eat and it was thrown into the dustbin and Deliveroo refunded.

Okay food order through Deliveroo but they missed my sauce as I requested on the side, chicken was a little dry in the end but the rice was alright.

I've never had a bad experience with you guys until today. The staff didn't seem like they wanted to be there (very moody) the curry goat tasted very grainy and the fish cakes are all different sizes and some burnt. Very disappointed

I don't know where to start. The food and drinks are subpar and so overly priced. Absolutely horrible place and very unprofessional and rude behaviour from the staff. Do not waste your money or time on this place.

I ordered jerk pork and rice and peas . There was a smell coming from the rice that wasn't fresh maybe a couple of days old and the pork wasn't fresh either it was very chewy and also seemed a stale and a couple of day old the restaurant was empty no surprises there. I didn't ask for a refund I just won't be returning. I beg everyone please don't waste your money 🤮🤮

After reading the rest of the reviews online (which I would advise to back up my case, I’m mad I didn’t do this before ordering) this seems to be a common occurrence. Wrong sauce smothered all over my food, which I must say was absolutely disgusting so I wasn’t able to even eat it, bland jerk chicken regardless, missing coleslaw also, festivals were basically stale and over fried which also made these horrible to try to consume, dry plantain. Honestly the worst Caribbean food I have ever tasted. I have contacted Uber as I am looking for a full refund, disgusting. Do not recommend. As Big Mike is also competing with other Caribbean restaurants in the area such as Good Life Jerk, Real Flavour Caribbean Takeaway, The Dutchie, Brixton. the comparison is night and day. Please do better.

I must say I was very disappointed with what I received for the money. I thought I would try African food and is was cold. I would say , Overpriced, overrated, mediocre taste. Don't bother, go everywhere and get more for your money! I only gave 3 stars for the delivery driver.

Without doubt the most bland and flavourless jerk food I've ever had. I ordered curried chicken and fish cakes, the curried chicken both looked and tasted like cardboard baby food. The fish cakes were even less flavourful. A woefully overpriced and barely edible experience. Avoid avoid avoid.

Ok I understand, I just didn't understand you banning me from ordering again, I have revised my feedback taking in consideration your account of what happened.

Very disappointed by the food quality and care given to the food at Big Mikes Calypso Kitchen .. I have given this place 3 tries over the last couple of years but each time the food has been of a very disappointing standard/quality. Recently purchased 6 Caribbean fish cakes.. I tried hard to eat them.. but could not eat them as the salt level was ridiculously high and the fish cakes were not edible. It seems that the fish used was either not properly desalted or maybe not desalted at all. Management you have a great location and branding but I urge you to please take the time and care to ensure the food quality is good and that all staff preparing the food know how to properly prepare good quality Caribbean food.

How on earth is this place not 5 star? The ribs were succulent, melt in your mouth, juicy and delicious. The wings were extraordinary! Rice and peas flakey and moist, the festival's were out of this world. A nice tang to the slaw and superb roti! Big Mike, you've got some regulars now!

I recently had a delivery from there. I had seen reviews saying that the mac and cheese was dry, but didn't appreciate just how bad it actually was - a solid brick of macaroni, with a small amount of cheese melted on top. The chicken with jerk and twerk was just as dry, although the small amount of sauce was tasty. Charging £1 for the coleslaw is an insult. If any place served this in the Caribbean, I don't think it would last long.

Honestly worst experience so far and haven't even got the food getting really bad customer service and none stop rudness from get go...scared to even get my food incase that lady touched it

Worst mac and cheese I have ever had 🤢🤢🤢 it was dry pasta with congealed "cheese" layered on top. No flavour no cheesiness. Tasted like cardboard whatever that would taste like. I had to have a whole pint of Ben & Jerry's to cleanse my pallette smh Only tried them since Flavour Boss was closed.

Worst buy of 2021. I regret not reading the reviews -mac&cheese- dry as he'll and the cream and cheese curdled... my 12 yr old borther could make better mac and cheese -fish cakes- SALTYYYYYY omfg praise the Lord I had water with me. -3 little round pieces of plantain which was actually the only bit I ate. I was so hungry Never again. I do not recommend. I would have gone back for a refund but I was on my train back to London I saw this ... Wish I read the reviews

It was okay. I would not recommend it out of all the places there. The Mac and cheese was dry af. And the chicken was cold and tasteless. I wouldn’t go there again.

If I could give this 0 I really would. food was bland as hell, chips was soggy. I had what was ment to be jerk chicken poor attempt. Portions was a joke we got 3 little circles for plantains they couldn't even cut it long ways. Never again would I return to this poor quality place

Omg their food is so banging! I got curried goat, plantain and coleslaw. Let me tell you it was some of the best I’ve ever had! 10/10 I’d definitely recommend! The curried goat melted in my mouth. Love from Chilango’s💖

Not knowing Croydon too well we took a chance and stopped for a quick lunch and this place was great! Such a shame I live so far away I've been craving it ever since. Nice staff and lovely food

The food quality is just BANGING!!! I’m a Fan!

WOW JUST WENT TO BIG MIKES KITCHEN ON MY TRAVELS FROM WEST LONDON FANTASTIC CHICKEN ROTIS BOOMBASTIC BAJAN FISHCAKES .GREAT CUSTOMER SERVICE AT THE FRONTDESK AND IN THE KITCHEN REVISIT IS A MUST THANKS GIrlS FOR AN EXCELLENT EXPERIENCE

Atmosphere looked decent and guy behind the till was really welcoming. Ordered a beef roti wrap. The dhal puri roti was done proper, however the beef was so salty I could not eat it. Very disappointed.

Amazing food and service! This Kitchen pays attention to detail and offers a true Caribbean experience. Its food is reminiscent of home style cooking with unique offerings like real split peas roti and currants roll. The portions are also well sized. Highly recommend.

10/10!!! Everything is so fresh + the portions are massive 💥⭐

Excellent curried chicken roti and macaroni cheese. Will be going again!

Best service and food so happy about new location

Absolutely excellent and authentic food like straight from a kitchen. Taste so fresh and good. Matched by equally excellent service and music in a relaxed setting. Brilliant value for money and excellent drinks, Caribbean coconut ice drink with rum is excellent post food. Definitely be back. Thank you.

Excellent. Had curry goat with rice and peas - goat was as tender as it gets, gravy thick and hearty, real comfort food. Staff are very friendly too.

Absolutely BANGING!! Best food I’ve had at box park reasonably priced and full of flavour 10/10👌👌👌

Everything is delicious. The mac n cheese is amazing!

Super tasty! Best curry goat I’ve had :)