Island Soul

• Cuisine(s): Caribbean, Latin American, Southern
  Hours: Mon-Sat 12pm-9pm
  Price: $
• Payment Types: MasterCard, Visa, cash
  Features: Takeout, Catering, Wheelchair Accessible
  Serving: Dinner, Lunch
• Alcohol: Beer/Wine
  Reservations: Accepted, Recommended for Large Parties
  Parking: Street

Description

There is indeed soul in this laid-back Caribbean restaurant in Columbia City. It's the kind of place where if you ask what the coconut corn muffins taste like, you're likely to get a small plate of them gratis. You will then know that they are fabulous, especially when warm, adding a slightly exotic twist to Southern U.S. cuisine. Lunch here is particularly good, and reasonable: Eight dollars will buy you a superb fish sandwich, like one with red snapper transformed by a spicy pepper, onion, and carrot vinaigrette. Island Soul is also one of the few places in town where you can get plantains, either the luscious ripe variety or crispy tostones. Largely undiscovered by the aging hipsters who converge on the neighborhood, it isn't as crowded as some Columbia City hot spots. That leaves more room for the rest of us.