Coco's Caribbean Haus Opens in The Colony With Haitian, Jamaican and Latin Flavors

Marsha Telfer, the restaurateur behind McKinney's first Caribbean restaurant, has returned to the restaurant business with Coco's Caribbean Haus, now open in The Colony.

Telfer opened Reggae Jerk Hut in McKinney in 2022. After closing that chapter and moving into real estate, she wondered whether she would ever cook professionally again. An unexpected opportunity to open another restaurant this year settled the question. "I wasn't looking to open another restaurant, but people never stopped asking for the food," Telfer told the Observer.

Even while working in a different field, Telfer stayed connected to food through community service, including preparing meals for neighbors experiencing homelessness through the Walter Bruce Foundation. She said the lessons from Reggae Jerk Hut helped shape a clearer vision for her new venture, and that customers who kept asking when she would cook again played a big part in bringing her back.

Coco's is family owned and operated, and its menu draws on Haitian, Jamaican and Latin Caribbean flavors through family recipes and cultural heritage. Telfer's husband, Adrian Telfer, contributes Jamaican recipes handed down by his late father, while her mother, Marie Exalus, adds Haitian influences from her family.

Telfer, who is Haitian with Jamaican influences in her family, said the restaurant is a chance to celebrate both cultures while introducing North Texas to a wider Caribbean dining experience. "Our goal is for guests to experience different parts of the Caribbean through the food," she said.

The restaurant describes its signature dishes as the oxtail mac and cheese, conch fritters, jerk chicken and curry goat. The menu also includes oxtail birria tacos, Haitian stewed chicken, and bottled Haitian and Jamaican beverages. Telfer said classics such as griot, jerk chicken, and rice and peas honor traditional flavors, while oxtail eggrolls, Rasta pasta and oxtail mac pot pie give the kitchen room to be more creative.

The family hopes diners will try something new and leave feeling they have experienced a bit of the islands. Telfer said guests can expect bold flavors, fragrant spices and fresh ingredients, noting that some dishes bring heat while others are rich, savory or comforting.

Keeping recipes true to their roots is a core pillar of the restaurant. As Coco's serves more guests, the team has had to be deliberate about consistency and preparation, with the aim that every dish tastes like something from a Caribbean home kitchen. "We never want convenience to come at the expense of authenticity," Telfer said.

Coco's Caribbean Haus is located at 4940 State Highway 121 in The Colony, down the road from Grandscape. It is open Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. The restaurant is closed on Monday.