Midtown Lunch

Do you like golden-hued pastries stuffed with meat? And would you like to pair one of those patties with some chicken and rice and peas for less than $10? Well, then Golden Krust is the place to be since they have a $5 lunch special of either curry or stew chicken with “veg” and rice and peas. I realize this is probably not as good as going to either of the Veronica’s Kitchen or Little Ochi carts downtown, but it is slightly cheaper and a little more accessible for those who work in the northern part of the Financial District. I went to the location on Nassau St. (btw. John and Fulton) to try out the lunch special and finally try one of their patties that I see everyone in my neighborhood eating.

There was a continuous line while I was there, but it moves quickly so don’t be discouraged. I was actually pretty impressed with how swift the food came out because at every one of the Jamaican eateries I’ve been to in Brooklyn (which is a lot) they definitely operate on island time.

There are several options to choose from, along with some daily specials and porridge. On Wednesdays and Thursdays they have coconut chicken, but they always have oxtail, jerk chicken, stew chicken, curry goat, fish and a vegetarian special. The sizes for a small seemed to be between $7 and $9 for most, and from what I’ve seen the variation is mostly in how much rice and peas and veg you get.

I went for the lunch special of stew chicken which comes with either white rice or rice and peas and a small pile of cooked cabbage and carrot. You definitely want to specify rice and peas, and also if they ask if you want gravy, you should say yes. Basically they take some of the sauce from the oxtail and put it over the rice which helps with the otherwise dryness of the rice. And gravy is delicious.

The chicken is not for those averse to getting their hands dirty because it has a lot of tiny bones in it and you have to pick to get the meat off. There were three chunks in the container. What fills you up is the rice and peas, which are a little dry on their own. That can be fixed by either getting gravy on it or…

…you can douse it in the house hot sauce that packs a punch. I may have found this out after accidentally dumping way more than I wanted on.

Since I got the smallish lunch special, I also went for a spicy beef patty ($1.75). This was no Pat La Frieda beef, and was more of a meat paste. Despite this, I kept eating it because the crust was weirdly addictive with its yellowness.

Golden Krust Caribbean Bakery, 80 Nassau St. (btw. John & Fulton), (212) 766-5795