Hot Roostah on Foxon Road: The Montego Bay family behind East Haven’s Jamaican jerk spot, and what to order

Drive Foxon Road toward the North Branford line and look for the sign with a cartoon rooster singing into a microphone. Under it, at No. 912, a Jamaican flag hangs on the brick next to the window. That is Hot Roostah Restaurant, which calls itself a “Jamaican Jerk Spot” and opens early six days a week.

In about two and a half years, the family-run takeout spot has built a 4.6-star rating across 177 Google reviews, a vegan menu that regulars go out of their way for, and a dish people keep mentioning by name: Rasta Pasta. It also came back from a morning this spring when a car went through its wall. Here is who runs it, what customers say, and what to order on your first visit.

A Montego Bay family on Foxon Road

State business records list Hot Roostah LLC as an active Connecticut company registered in September 2023 at 912 Foxon Rd., with Basil Waite as its principal. Waite runs the restaurant with his wife and co-owner, Annastassia Scott.

When the restaurant was proposed in 2023, The Hour reported that Waite was a Montego Bay native, that the space was the former Peaches Juices bistro in a small plaza on Foxon Road, and that Hot Roostah would be the only Jamaican eatery in town. The plan then was jerk chicken, fish and shrimp, vegan options and something called Rasta Pasta. All of it made the menu.

The morning a car came through the wall

At 5:24 a.m. on Friday, April 17, 2026, a white SUV crashed into the side of the building. Police said the driver had just finished an overnight shift and fell asleep at the wheel, hit a street sign and a telephone pole, and was “catapulted” into the empty restaurant. Firefighters used the Jaws of Life to free him, and he was taken to Yale New Haven Hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries, NBC Connecticut reported. Police said they did not believe he was intoxicated.

Waite and Scott were on vacation in Ireland when it happened. They came home and went straight to work. “We spoke to the building inspectors and the city health department and said, ‘What do we need to do to get this open?’” Scott told NBC Connecticut. The hole was covered with plywood, a new interior wall went up, and part of the dining area was closed off, the New Haven Register reported. Waite and his father built the wall. Hot Roostah reopened on Wednesday, April 22, five days after the crash.

“The loss of life would’ve been tragic,” Waite told NBC Connecticut. “We all work hard.” “We’re grateful for our customers and the community for showing us whatever love they can,” he said. “We’re just appreciative.”

What customers say

Google’s review summary shows what people talk about most: Rasta Pasta comes up in 22 reviews, the vegan options in 18, a clean atmosphere in 16, the patties in 11 and the stew chicken in 10.

April came for the classics. “We got jerk chicken, was so good only got pictures of the bones,” she wrote. The jerk salmon was “made fresh to order with steamed cabbage and rice and beans” and “definitely didn’t disappoint,” and the oxtails were “fall off the bone, melt in your mouth delicious.”

The vegan side of the menu wins converts. Sal ordered delivery when a favorite vegan restaurant wasn’t open yet: “Hot Roostah came through with the vegan/vegetarian options. Hot, fresh, comforting, authentic flavor. I’m never going back!” She also thanked the staff member who called about her order “and not assuming.” Elai stopped in for the fried cauliflower: “So crunchy and delicious I can’t wait to come back,” adding, “plus it’s vegan and this place has a whole vegan menu!!” Pauline wrote, “I had an amazing experience!” after ordering the vegan jerk sandwich with cassava fries.

Hot Roostah also caters. Alecia hired the restaurant for her son’s wedding and called the service “truly TOP TIER.” “We were pretty last-minute when it came to deciding which dishes we wanted and finalizing the number of guests,” she wrote, “but Hot Roostah accommodated us with such grace, flexibility, and professionalism.” Her verdict: “Every single one of our guests raved about how tasty everything was.”

What to order

Prices below are from Hot Roostah’s online ordering menu this week and can change. Dinners come with rice (rice and peas or white rice) and a side such as steamed cabbage or plantain.

Oxtail dinner

The menu marks it popular, and it is the priciest plate at $19.99. The oxtail is braised in a dark gravy with butter beans and served with rice and peas and sweet plantain. April’s review sums it up: fall off the bone.

Rotisserie jerk chicken

This is the namesake. A jerk chicken dinner is $11.99, and the chicken by itself is $8.99. Jerk sauce on the side is 75 cents if you want more heat.

Curry chicken, stew chicken and curry goat

The comfort plates. Curry chicken, stew chicken and fried chicken dinners are $10.99 each, and curry goat is $13.99. The restaurant has been pushing the curry chicken dinner this fall as a way to warm up.

Rasta Pasta

The dish customers mention most is penne in a creamy, peppery sauce with bell peppers. Plain is $9.99, and you can top it with jerk mushroom ($11.99), jerk chicken ($12.99), jerk shrimp ($14.99), or jerk salmon or oxtail ($16.99 each). There are vegan versions too.

Seafood

Jerk salmon is $19.99, and curry shrimp and jerk shrimp dinners are $13.99 each.

The vegan menu

Every vegan dinner is $11.99: curry tofu, “Roostofu,” curry chick’n, stew chick’n, jerk chick’n and the fried cauliflower Elai liked. Fried cauliflower is also $6.99 on its own. There are vegan milkshakes and a vegan jerk chick’n sandwich as well.

Jerk chicken sandwich and cassava fries

A jerk chicken sandwich is $9.99, or $13.99 with cassava fries. Cassava fries alone are $5.99.

Patties, coco bread and a shake

Patties are $3.75: mild beef, spicy beef, jerk chicken, veggie or spinach. Coco bread is $3. The milkshakes are $4.99 and very Jamaican: the Island (coconut), the Drunk’n (rum and raisin ice cream) and the Happy (Grapenut ice cream and banana). Sides include Rooslaw and macaroni salad for $1 each, steamed cabbage for $2.99 and rice and peas for $4.99. The restaurant’s website also lists ackee and saltfish.

Feeding a crowd

Hot Roostah caters, and its own photos show full pans of jerk chicken and fried chicken. Call ahead for a quote.

Before you go

Where: 912 Foxon Rd., East Haven.
Phone: (475) 331-6103.
Hours: The restaurant’s posted hours are 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Wednesday and 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday through Saturday. It is closed Sunday. Online takeout orders close a little earlier. The lunch menu runs 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Order ahead: hotroostahrestaurantct.com for pickup or delivery. See the Google listing for directions and reviews.
Good to know: There is a full vegan menu, breakfast, and catering for parties and events.

Have a favorite Hot Roostah order? Tell us, and we may add it to this story.