[Review] On the Scene: Caribbean Restaurant Grand Opening in Old East Durham

Durham, NC – Setting the tone to fresh island breeze, warm sunlight, and all the smells of Haiti and Jamaica locally here in Old East Durham at the Grand Opening of Pierro ToGo at Joe’s Diner. Located at 2100 Angier Avenue, this one-of-a-kind Caribbean restaurant gives you authentic and exotic foods made with love rooted in the Haitian and Jamaican culture by co-owners Pierre and Cania, a brother and sister duo with roots in Haiti.

The Grand Opening had a mixture of all ethnicities and backgrounds enjoying entrees like Jerk, Curry, and Brown Stew Chicken, Oxtails, Poule ak sauce, Poisson (Fish – fried or baked) Griot (Pork) and Legume (Ratatouille) all served with rice and peas. Pierro has soups, a host of sides with their restaurant favorite being the Macaroni Gratin (Haitian casserole-style mac and cheese), Plantains, Haitian-style Patties & Jamaican-style Patties. The menu features a host of sweets from local bakers like Sucre sur bonbon (Haitian banana rum doughout) and homemade pies (coconut and sweet potato) brought in from Virginia. The restaurant is in the location of the old Joe’s Diner and still offers hot dogs and few other items from their menu.

All the food tasted during the Grand Opening was fresh, hot and on time. The service was friendly and fast, even with the large amount of customers waiting to be served. The Brown Stew Chicken with cabbage (like my grandma use to make) is worth the trip. Jerk Chicken was not exceedingly spicy which will suit the palette because more spice can always be added. Plantains were sweet and cooked to perfection. Do not expect southern-style mac-n-cheese when ordering the Macaroni Gratin. It includes onions, chicken and a few other ingredients making it uniquely Haitian, however still very tasty. And be sure to try the Pineapple soda.

Pierro ToGo, owned and operated by Pierre Foods, offers catering and culinary classes. Dedicated to the community, they purposely seek to help individuals with unconventional circumstances through their Second Chance Program. Pierre ToGo has a food truck and will be serving at the 15th Annual NC Juneteenth Celebration on June 15th downtown Durham. 

For more information about Pierre ToGo, visit https://pierrofoods.com/