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Location: 128 S. Highland Ave., East Liberty. 412-362-1861
Hours: Tue.-Thu. 11 am.-10 p.m.; Fri.-Sat. 11 a.m.-11 p.m.; Sun. 1-8 p.m.
Prices: Starters $3-9; entrées $9-25
Fare: Caribbean
Atmosphere: Urban cabana
Liquor: BYOB
Smoking: None permitted
East Liberty’s cycle of flourish, decline and, lately, revival is one that’s got everyone in Pittsburgh buzzing. No, it’s not a fairy tale about food — unless we’re talking about a couple new grocery stores. But food is central to the East Liberty experience. In good times or bad, people gotta eat. Even in its bleakest days post-Penn Circle, the neighborhood has been fertile ground for restaurants owned and run by African Americans.
More recently, the trend took on a foreign flavor when Pittsburgh’s first Ethiopian restaurant opened on Highland Avenue, fast becoming the neighborhood’s restaurant row. Perhaps encouraged by its success, an excellent new Caribbean restaurant next door is East Liberty’s newest comer.
Royal Caribbean is the creation of owner and chef Ben Crownie. In a small storefront midway between the tony new shops on Centre Avenue and the hip-hop beat of Penn, he has created a mellow, welcoming dining room colored with pastel versions of Jamaica’s iconic red, yellow and green. A takeout counter is built of bamboo to evoke a beachside cabana, though it’s strictly bring-your-own-fruity cocktails.
Such libations should taste pretty good with the sometimes-fiery flavors on the simple, enticing menu, which focuses on chicken and seafood, jerk and curry. In particular, nearly half the menu consists of fish and shrimp dishes, with several preparations available for either whole or filet tilapia or red snapper.
We began with seafood fritters. The puck-sized patties were chewy on the inside, crispy on the outside, and packed with flaky white fish and tiny, succulent shrimp. Their slightly spicy flavor warmed us up for jerk-chicken salad. Our waitress cautioned us that the jerk was hot, but we found it well on the tolerable side of palate pyrotechnics, balanced by the cooling properties of crisp greens and ranch dressing (Royal Caribbean’s house dressing, made with cucumbers, was unfortunately unavailable). A big, juicy wedge of mango reminded us that jerk was born to accompany tropical fruit.
Around here, it’s safe to say that not every restaurant offers goat, so when Angelique saw goat curry on the entree list, she looked no further. Meaty yet tender, hearty yet mild, the goat kept company with a few soft potatoes in a warmly seasoned, lightly piquant sauce. It was excellent with a side dish of rice and beans.
Jason tried tilapia escovitch, a vinegar-cured preparation related to ceviche (citrus-marinated seafood) and escabeche (pickled vegetables). In this case, it was a gorgeously sautéed filet topped with a mildly tangy, but not sweet, vinaigrette and lightly sautéed onions and tomatoes. The combination of warm cooking with a salad-like presentation added delightful dimensions of temperature, texture and flavor to this wonderful dish.
Though tropical cocktails aren’t on the menu, you might not miss them if you try Royal Caribbean’s special beverages. The juices come directly from the fruit, not a can, and the homemade ginger ale packs a zing that makes the stuff from the supermarket taste like sugar water.
As East Liberty’s star continues to rise, we’re thrilled to see it become home to restaurants like Royal Caribbean, whose unique offerings and unpretentious, intimate atmosphere say, loud and clear, “Welcome to the neighborhood.”
JR: 
AB:
This article appears in Mar 29 – Apr 4, 2007.
Tried to go here this past Saturday night (8/9/08/) two families, 6 total guest. Walk in about 5:45pm, some people are eating, plenty of room it seemed, but we where told “we’re closing up now, there’s a technical problem.” We parent’s talked about this “technical” during dinner at another restaurant, coming to the conclusion that we were just not wanted there. So, we paid our bill in cash, $127 + $25 tip at the other establishment, had a great time and will never try Royal Caribbean again.
Mongo
I’m not sure why you came to the conclusion that “[you] were just not wanted there.” Indeed, it remains unclear why you found the “technical problem” claim to be insincere. Is it not possible that such a problem could exist outside of the dining room, that it could have happened after the folks who were eating had their food made, and that it warranted not cooking or preparing anything further? This seems entirely plausible to me. Regardless, a reasonable person would need to know much more and different information than your knee-jerk interpretation of the “technical problem” before choosing to take your comment seriously and acting on its basis. Royal Caribbean and, indeed, any restaurant deserves nothing less.
Wow. We must have gone to a different restaurant than Jason and Angelique, yet with the same establishment, menu, and name. Using one of those delectable restaurant.com coupons, we were prepared for a feast. Upon arriving, we were informed that over half the menu was unavailable (this was around 6.45p on a Saturday, with an empty house)
What we did order was good; fried plantains and seafood fritters. Then came the shrimp platter. We had waited over an hour for our food, and they had run out of vegetables (!) Rather than ask us if we wanted to sub, she said they had more on and would bring out shortly.
Now folks, we didn’t complain too loudly because these steamed vegetables would have been rejected by your grandmother’s nursing home cafeteria. Steamed to death with no salt or butter… absolutely flavorless and nutritionless.
Trying to get our tab up to $40, we ordered dessert. Half an hour later, our waitress came by but we didn’t have any forks. She said she’d bring them, no problem. Having had to wait earlier until we were finished with the entree to get an initial water refill, we knew the fork story was suspect… so we ate cake, melting ice cream and all, with our knives.
The folks ordering food to go were being served faster than the dine-ins… and as more people poured in, I overheard the waitress say that even more items were unavailable. “No beef…” …”No rice and peas…” (their signature dish, that three tables canceled orders and left!)
**Verdict: if you’re interested in so-so Caribbean fare, try this place to-go!
I Loved the food!!! The customer service was great. I went on a Saturday around 7pm. It was a bit busy but the wait wasnt too long. I guess every experience is different because I read the reviews but decided to try it on my own. The best Caribbean food in Pittsburgh. The chef was very welcoming, I will be back.