Fisherman’s Cove

Reviews

• Anitra C.

  star star star star star 19 October 2026

  I came all the way from the upper eastside the oxtails dinner plate was absolutely one of the best dishes I've ever had hands down will be returning for More

• Michelle H.

  star star star star star_border 12 October 2026

  Had the jerk chicken rice & peas and cabbage. Jerk chicken was tasty, well seasoned and well cooked. Cabbage was also well steamed with carrots and nice flavor. Rice was light & fluffy with nice subtle notes of coconut and the beans were kind of big & soft. Oxtail gravy was a nice touch on the rice. Decent prices. Only $11.25.

• Natalia G.

  star star star star star 4 October 2026

  Amazing island food. I loved the goat curry. The other stuff was just whatever but goat curry mixed with the Mac n cheese is too good to be true

• Kevin K.

  star star star star star_border 25 September 2026

  When it comes to prepared foods, I have always held to the belief that it's the simple stuff that is the most difficult to get correctly.  Take 'cue, for example.  It's essentially meat exposed to a heat source, but yet, there are infinite variations on the techniques used.  A simple cut of rump cap (aka Picanha) only needs some rough salt and a hot grill to elevate it beyond the broiled filet mignon with a cognac reduction (hoity-toity brasserie fare), but only if you know how to salt it, roast it and cut it for that juicy, like-butta finish.  Chicken wings can be deep fried and slathered with butter/garlic/Texas Pete for Buffalo wings, or marinated/smoked/grilled for jerk chicken.  Either instances it can be great bar eats, or merely desiccated frat-boy kibble.  
  
  When it comes to jerk chicken, nothing beats a jerk pan (an oil drum cut in half, packed with wood trimmings, a makeshift grill applied on top) and a cover to give it that smokiness.  However, that only happens in street fairs and the Caribbean.  Otherwise, it'll be a grill in a dedicated kitchen with range hoods working hard to keep the kitchen tidy.  Now, it's not that hard to do your own jerk chicken at home (the spice mixture is well known, and Jamaican companies like Grace Foods sell the paste in jars), but it'll always be missing that smokiness that you can only get in dedicated shops.
  
  Well, enter the Fisherman's Cove.  It's a mini-chain with a location near the junction (Flatbush/Nostrand & Brooklyn College), and one on Church Avenue.  It's part of the area foodscape - small eateries that concentrates on inexpensive, quality takeaways for the local working folks.  Prospect Lefferts Gardens is on the south side of Prospect Park.  Just like Flatbush and Bed-Stuy, It's a gentrifying neighborhood traditionally inhabited by African Americans from the West Indies.  They are dinky joints with a steam table counter and a chopping block.  Place your orders, stand to the side.  Jerk chicken, curry goat, oxtails, escovitch fish, rice & peas, and one or 2 sides (steamed veggies, macaroni salad, greens, sweet potatoes/plantains), sometimes you can do a piece of festival (fried dumplings).  If you did the jerk chicken, that's the countermen chopping it up on the block - wanna know their turnover?  Listen to the frequency of the whacks off the chopping block.  Most of those places work off the neighborhood word-of-mouth - smokiness, freshness, how well was the meat marinated, how fresh and well-made were the sides, and most of all, how's their oxtail sauce (the joints will offer to anoint your rice with sauce off the oxtail stew ("gravy"), which you should never decline).
  
  So, why the Fisherman's Cove, and why here?  It has high turnover (Parkside Avenue subway is next door, as is Prospect Park) so the food does not sit around.  The chicken is smoky but yet moist, and the meat falls off the bones with minimal effort.  Their rice-n-peas have that coconuty sweetness and stands up to their oxtail sauce.  The oxtail has a good amount of meat and well penetrated flavors.  The salad and veggies are done properly.  Their service (while on the curt side) is not slow (which happens in many of these counter joints).  They also have a secret weapon - ThisIsIt juice products, which is an exclusive to the chain - $2 gets you a clean, fresh tasting limeade that's not coyingly sweet or contain artificial flavors.  The price is reasonable, and you always have the luxury of walking the Styrofoam tray into Prospect Park to enjoy your meal.  I would prefer coming to Parkside for a meal than hit some fancy bistro.  And so should you.

• Stacey A.

  star star star star star_border 25 September 2026

  I used to live a few blocks from here. I would visit the restaurant at least once a week. It's finally time to give them the props they deserve.
  
  I LOVE this place. I've never been unhappy with my food. I always order the oxtails or the jerk chicken. It's so good I often have to remind myself to stop or I'll get a stomach ache. The prices keep rising on the oxtails but it's to be expected.
  
  The only thing stopping this place from being 5 stars is the staff and inconsistent portions. I basically know their schedules so I can go on the days that I know the people who are heavy handed are working. Or I'll wait until the right person is available. I'm willing to pay for good food but I want to make sure I get a fair amount of food.