Sipho’s Restaurant and Cafe

I would’ve never expected such traditional Jamaican cuisine especially in Chico of all places. On top of the food being amazing, the atmosphere made me feel as if I was on the island. (Down to the heat in the inside dining area). The staff and the owner were so nice and pleasant to speak with. I purchased some jewelry from the small merchandise counter that I love.
The best meat patties I’ve ever had. They ran out of the Jamaican rum cake but I’ll try it next time. The ginger lemonade was amazing too. Don’t visit Chico without stopping here… hungry!

This is from my experience at the Thursday night farmers market. First option since the line was short so I decided to give it a little try. I’d have to say I’m very disappointed in what I was expecting to receive from a $ 10 plate. Not only is the plate super small but you only get a couple pieces of chicken that mostly consists of bones. The flavor of the chicken was good, the rice not so much. Definitely not worth the money.

I like to try new things. Found this on Unilocal on our way home to Oregon. Very tasty and tender. Had the goat only regret is how far we live from it or it would be a regular.

My girlfriend and I tried Sipho’s for lunch last Sunday. My family is West Indian, so I was excited by the possibility of having some great jerk chicken in Chico.
When we arrived we were the only customers, but I attribute this to the fact that it was raining heavily outside. The restaurant has a casual atmosphere and I heard several Bob Marley classics during our meal. Side note: I love Bob Marley, but there are so many more great reggae artists out there. At least toss in some Tarrus Riley every once in a while.
To drink, I ordered a ginger lemonade which is described on their menu as lemonade with a ginger twist. In reality, the ginger was the only thing I could taste. The drink needed either more lemon juice or more sugar. Something was needed to balance out the spice of the ginger.
For our meals, we ordered the jerk chicken plate and a jerk chicken sandwich. Before the chicken arrived, we received a plate of fried plantains. This was the best part of the meal. The plantains were crispy on the outside, and soft and sweet on the inside. Unfortunately, the rest of the meal was not quite up to the standard of the plantains.
The jerk chicken plate only had two small pieces (a tiny drumstick and a thigh) of chicken. The rest of the plate was mainly unseasoned rice and beans. There was a little bit of a salad tucked into the corner of the plate. While the portions were disappointing, the chicken did have a great smoky taste. However, it was not spicy and lacked some of the spices that really set jerk chicken apart from American barbecue, namely allspice. I couldn’t taste any allspice on the chicken.
The jerk sandwich was fine, although I wish they had used a roll for the bun instead of two slices of un-​toasted wheat bread. The fries were really the highlight of the dish as they were well-​seasoned and perfectly cooked.
Even though the food was not impressive to me, our service was great and the atmosphere was pleasantly relaxed. If you haven’t had Jamaican food, it is definitely worth trying.

I love this place! I have been many times and have attended several birthdays here, including my own. Sipho and his whole crew are incredibly accommodating, my birthday is in November and he went out of his way to get heaters for the outside patio so my could be warm and comfortable. The food is fantastic, everything is so flavorful. The jerk chicken, curried goat, and the oxtail are all amazing. Big portions served with peas and rice and salad or soup. The plantains are delicious and so are the festivals (little fried dumplings with syrup and powdered sugar, yum!). I’ve had the soup a few times and it’s always delicious. Can’t go wrong with anything here, it’s all super tasty. The patio out back is awesome, it makes me feel like I’m chilling at home, having a beer and some delicious food. Check it out if you haven’t!

We’ve been here more than a few times now and have always had a great time. The food, the service, the atmosphere, the live music… all have been perfect! As far as the bones in the food… the menu says right on it «served natural style and contains bones»…I say go veggie if you can’t hang… they can do that for you too. Oh… and as far as «the wait»…We’ve never been in a hurry to leave there due to the relaxing and purifying atmosphere… so we hadn’t noticed. The food is homemade and that takes time… you want it old and dry now or you wanna wait for the fresh stuff? maybe some microwave? Perhaps a drive-​thru is more your style? I cook a lot at home and I am my biggest critic… lol…we should all appreciate the art form and try to excuse that margin of human error that we all stumble across from time to time (cooking or dining). Thanks Sipho’s…for the hard work and unique experience!!!

Awesome curry and plenty of new foods to try! I’ve been here plenty of times and love their chow! I’m a huge fan of exotic foods and this was a great way to try new styles of cooking I had never had!

We were literally the only people there besides one other couple and the food took over an hour to come out. Then when we finally got to eat it was poorly prepared for the amount of time it took to make. If you’re going to take an hour to make a couple plates, at least make sure they taste good.

This place was amazing! My boyfriend took me here for the first time today. We sat outside to enjoy our meal and started off with fried plantain as our appetizers (this was delicious btw!) I had the Jerk Chicken Sandwhich which came with a side of fries and my boyfriend had the full Jerk Chicken Plater. I was impressed with how everything tasted. The chicken is to die for. Food was delicious and service was great, will definitely come again.

I called in a full oxtail plate with a side of dumplings. I have to say I was disappointed when I opened my box at home. «Full» means 60 percent rice 20 percent little salad and 20 percent oxtail/​gravy. It was really good but I wouldn’t recommend it if you want to be full because their was only 3 pieces of meat. Also worst part, the DUMPLINGS! They should probably just call it «pieces of dough». Hard, and they didn’t put any sauce on it like I asked. I doubt the sauce would’ve helped. All in all it was a pretty rough first experience. maybe I’ll try it again next time

I stopped by this restaurant on 3÷14÷15 (Pi Day) on my way home after shopping at Costco in Chico. The restaurant is located off the main thoroughfare, so this hidden gem may only be known to locals. Thank goodness for Unilocal!
I love spicy dishes, so I decided to check this place out. I’m an island boy myself from the Pacific, so I’m used to spicy flavors. I had the Ackee and Salt Fish (national dish according to their menu). It was good, but there was not much of the salt fish in the dish. I did enjoy the Ackee fruit and fried plantains, and the Ackee with the smidgen of salt fish was flavorful. Rice and Peas? Rather, rice and beans were not mesmerizing. The dish overall was 3 stars for me if it weren’t for that rice and peas in addition to the lack of salt fish.
Service was also the same, about 3 stars from the wait staff. I must give props to them though, especially the cook because it was hot in the dining room in the house. Imagine the heat in the kitchen on a hot day without the air condition running. I sat in the patio when I dined at this restaurant, and it was cooler outside than in the house.
Revisit? I’m not sure, but we’ll see what happens next time I’m in Chico.

Yah Mon, love dis, no Jerk’in around! Tis place be Jahmm’in!

This is only based on their food truck at farmers market. I got the curry chicken dinner for my mom. Flavor was good and she enjoyed it except she found lots of little bones in the meat :(jerk chicken was yummy but spicy. Nice portions and friendly, accommodating staff. Would give them 5 stars but they need to fix their bone issue.

This is my new favorite restaurant in Chico. I’ve passed this place many times driving back from meetings with farmers out on Dayton Rd. This place is on the edge of town before you hit the orchards. The food here is awesome. If you’ve never had Jamaican food before, it’s like spicy soul food. I say that because their food really has soul. I had the oxtail stew at lunch with rice and beans. It also comes with a small side salad and some fried plantains. It was so good, I came back four hours later for dinner to try their curried goat. First, the oxtail stew. It’s a thick stew full of flavor and chunks of braised oxtail. It tastes so good, it feels like it’s healing your soul as your eating it. The best part for me is picking up the pieces of oxtail on the bone and sucking out the meat. Not the best table manners but it’s worth it! Rice and beans were also very tasty. When I returned for dinner, the cook recognized me and said ‘You’re here for the curried goat, right?’ Right on! This was also full of flavor both curry and all spice (I think). It was just a bit spicy but soooo tasty.
The staff here is low key but very friendly and quick to smile. Half orders of most entrees are about $ 9 or $ 10 but half orders fill an entire plate. Not sure how big the full orders are. Maybe two plates? Give them a try! If you like spicy food, you’ll love them. Next time, I’m trying the curried chicken and jerk chicken!

Amazing food. Jerk salad was so good and such big portions for the price. EXCELLENT food and service

Wonderful food! My friend and I got the curried chicken and the curried goat. I had never had goat before and I’m surprised it was so good. Both were sooo amazing, but so spicy they were hard to eat. Killing your mouth good and you just can’t stop shoveling it in. Lol.

From their veggie sandwiches to the curried tofu goodness and the ever so savory rasta pasta, this restaurant is delicious and amazing. With its Jamaican and Rastafarian themed décor and the dishes offered reflecting its theme, they have eon me over. It is fantastic for vegetarians and non — vegetarians, the staff, especially the manager, Sepoy, are welcoming, friendly, and approachable. Whether you buy half or full, I guarantee that you will be stuffed for a reasonable price. It may not be near the campus or downtown, but I recommend you try Sipho’s out.

THE JERK CHICKEN IS AMAZING!
Cooked over almond wood, authentically seasoned so be prepared for a little kick. if your not ready for some amazing flavors, pass on this dish.
the chef is passionate about the food, he prepares it with pride. it shows.
cant speak for service, got this at farmer market. However, being the impatient person I am, would gladly wait for food of this caliber.

Jerk chicken is great if you are in the mood for some spicy, home cooked chicken.
Don’t forget to try the desserts, the festivals and homemade rum cake are things to rave about.

The jerk chicken was pretty good! The homemade fries are served sweet with cinnamon sugar. But the service sucked. Slow. We asked for salt and lemons, and never got either! The waitress forgot. We also had to get up and ask twice for water refills. And almost half of the entrée plate is their red beans and rice, which isn’t like the menu describes, and not that great. I couldn’t swallow the green curry chicken.
Not going back.