Kokomo is a great reason to make the trip to Williamsburg, Brooklyn. The vibe is ten out of ten, the food is spectacular, and the service is ten out of ten — full stop. If you’ve spent most of your life in Brooklyn and you’re hovering around 40, you remember when this stretch of Williamsburg was untouched by gentrification. Sigh with me. I had to do a double blink. This was not — I repeat, not — the Williamsburg I remember. And yet I fell head over heels in love, love, with Kokomo, a brand-new reason to come back to this corner of the city.
Where do I begin? This is an African American — and Jamaican-owned restaurant, truly a family affair. It is owned by Ria and Kevol (Kev) Graham, a husband-and-wife restaurateur team and co-founders of Kokomo, the nucleus of their growing Kokomo Hospitality Group. The Grahams live in Brooklyn, are parents of two, and describe their business as an extension of their family and Caribbean heritage, designed to “transport” guests to the Caribbean through food, cocktails, music, and visual design. Kokomo opened in July 2020, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, and quickly became both a destination and a community gathering space. That alone tells you how the neighborhood showed up for them.
Just before Thanksgiving, my colleague Davi Estrada and I had the chance to taste a few curated dishes and get a small peek into how Kokomo was born during a chat with the charismatic Kev Graham. His story is fascinating and so very New York, and that conversation deserves its own time. For now, what you need to know is that this is a true family business: Kev, his father-in-law, and assorted relatives literally built the restaurant. They come from a construction background with several city contracts under their belt, so you know the quality is superior.
Then there’s the food, which is where Kokomo really starts talking. The cuisine is Caribbean-inspired, and that word “inspired” matters because it’s the inspired part that makes this menu a ten out of ten. Kokomo is a sensory trip. The menu comes at you from every direction, and if you love food, you’re about to get lost. They open with Scotch Bonnet Lobster Bisque, with boiled dumplings and cho cho floating in a rich, peppery broth, or ackee & saltfish shumai, escovitch-style with mango chutney and Scotch bonnet sauce for the right amount of heat. Curry crab gyoza, ceviche negro — fluke with pineapple Scotch bonnet sauce, pepino, and pickled pearl onion — and vadouvan curry tempura shrimp all headline the small plates, pushing every familiar ingredient into new territory.
There are Rasta Balls — lentil meatballs in red Thai curry, ringed with roasted pearl onion and black sesame sauce — for the vegans at the table, and sautéed callaloo with fried plantain chips and coconut breadcrumbs for anyone who’s ever missed home and tried to find it on a plate. Flatbreads get their own spotlight: Koko Pasta, Yardie Shrimp, Wah Gwan, Oxtail — each loaded with flavor. The oxtail flatbread stands out, rich with slow-braised oxtail, tomato confit, fried onions, and an Italian cheese blend. If you want something piled with shrimp or jerk chicken or kept vegan with roasted mushroom and truffle, they have that too.
The menu centers on rich, island-inspired entrées like Braised Oxtail with cassareep pumpkin purée and oxtail gravy; Scotch Bonnet Lobster Bisque served with boiled dumplings and cho cho; Sofrito Roast Chicken topped with cranberry–sorrel sauce and coco bread stuffing; and Curry Lamb Shank with breadfruit mash and curry sauce. There’s coconut curry lentil stew with roti and butter beans, and snapper fried or roasted — escovitch-style or with ginger tamarind chutney. Open-fire jerk chicken is glazed with spiced rum cashew. If noodles are your thing, there’s XO udon with calamari and shrimp in spicy XO sauce, and Biang Biang Rasta Noodles that you can top with roasted chicken, grilled shrimp, or braised oxtail.
The entrées are backed by sides that are hard to turn down: Haitian Diri Djon Djon (black mushroom rice), creamy and lightly smoked breadfruit mash, savory coco bread stuffing, four-cheese baked mac & cheese, thyme-and-butter braised cabbage, and roasted brussels sprouts with caramelized red onions and herb vinaigrette. Classic fried sweet plantains drizzled with Scotch bonnet mango sauce and pickled peppers, herbed fries, and black truffle parmesan fries make it almost impossible to “eat light” here. For brunch, Pumpkin Pancakes with guava butter, warm syrup, and eggnog whipped cream, and Guinness cornbread french toast with Baileys cream and crispy fried chicken are the dishes you’ll think about the next day.
Their menu is all about connection — honoring the roots of Caribbean food and the way it brings people together. The Grahams have said they blend their island roots in everything they do, along with French and Asian techniques, to create dishes that feel both familiar and new, perfect for sharing with loved ones. The taste of Africa is there. The taste of the Caribbean is there. There are touches from Asia and Europe. Rather than sticking to a single island’s cuisine, Kokomo layers influences and lets them talk to each other on the plate.
It’s deeply inspiring that Kokomo Hospitality Group was born from the experience of opening Kokomo during the pandemic, using the lessons from that time to guide future projects and emphasizing experience-driven dining, generational wealth, and representation for African American–Caribbean owners in New York’s hospitality world. Kokomo is a standout among Brooklyn’s African American-owned restaurants, with profiles in outlets like Business Insider, Forbes, Essence, Time Out New York, and more. The Grahams emphasize inclusive hiring and women-led management, and they see Kokomo as a way to uplift their neighborhood while centering Caribbean culture in a historically white part of Williamsburg. You can feel that intention in the room.
Recognized in Time Out New York’s 50 Best Restaurants, Kokomo has established itself as a true culinary destination, pushing Caribbean cuisine forward with its inventive menu and immersive atmosphere. The space is versatile enough for private dinners, corporate lunches, cocktail receptions, and family celebrations — and it still feels personal, like stepping into a family’s living room with better lighting and louder joy.
To make a reservation, you can book through OpenTable or head straight to their website at kokomonyc.com, and follow @KokomoNYC on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok for those behind-the-scenes moments that will make you hungry all over again.
Hours of Operation
Monday: 4 -10:30 p.m.
Thursday: 4 -11 p.m.
Friday -Saturday: Brunch: 11 a.m.-4 p.m.; Dinner: 5-11 p.m.
Saturday: Late night programming: begins at 11 p.m.
Sunday: 11 a.m. – 11 p.m. (All-day Brunch & Dinner)