More than 30 years ago, I worked on a study-abroad program in a neighbor's home office in Boston's South End. Next door to her lived a family from Trinidad. The mother was a wonderful cook, and every Saturday she cooked up a kitchen full of roti, which she sold to neighbors. Roti is Indian flatbread, and the sandwiches you buy are flatbread filled with curried vegetables (potatoes, green beans, chickpeas) and a protein if you choose one (shrimp, chicken, beef or goat). You'd go in the front door, order in the kitchen, and go through to the sitting area and wait for your turn. The money they raised went into a fund to pay for school and college for the family's kids. Eventually the family moved to a house in Jamaica Plain, where they built a freestanding kitchen in the back yard. The business grew, and the clientele grew, but it was always Saturday morning only, until the roti ran out. A few years ago the business moved again, and now JP Roti sits at 482 Washington Street in Dorchester, right next to Dorchester District Court. It's takeout only, but while you wait for your order, you can watch them assemble it, or treat yourself to some fizzy drinks from the small market next door. Open Wednesday to Saturday only.
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Love their rotis I have been going there since they had the small trailer in the Jamaica Plain backyard
Posted by: Marybeth | December 26, 2023 at 08:50 AM
Marybeth, they are absolutely the best roti makers in Boston, aren't they? We love going there, especially on Saturdays.
Posted by: Lydia | December 26, 2023 at 09:02 AM
What a happy memory! Thank you!
Posted by: candy nartonis | December 26, 2023 at 11:58 AM