A new full-service Caribbean restaurant has quietly opened its doors in The Colony, bringing Haitian and Jamaican cooking to a stretch of State Highway 121 better known for national chain openings than home-style island food. Coco's Caribbean Haus began serving diners in September at 4940 State Highway 121, Suite 135, and will hold a grand opening party this Saturday, October 17.
The restaurant occupies a strip center alongside The Yard Milkshake Bar, Tabla Indian, and Pepper Thai, according to CultureMap Dallas. Per a press release cited by the outlet, Coco's plans to bring an experience inspired by Jamaican, Haitian, and Latin Caribbean culinary traditions, with the full menu set to be revealed at Saturday's event.
A Second Venture for the Telfer Family
Coco's Caribbean Haus marks the second North Texas restaurant from founder Marsha Telfer, a Haitian-born entrepreneur who, per CultureMap Dallas, moved to Texas from New York City roughly six years before the outlet's report. Telfer draws on both Haitian and Jamaican family heritage and has said she intends to bring Haitian, Jamaican, and soul food flavors to North Texas diners, the station's report notes.
Before launching Coco's, Telfer — described elsewhere as a real estate investor and legal professional — co-founded Reggae Jerk Hut in south McKinney in June 2023 alongside her husband, Adrian Telfer, a U.S. Army infantry veteran and Jamaican-born chef, according to Community Impact. In January 2025, the couple expanded that original McKinney spot with a daily breakfast menu featuring island-inspired takes on Southern classics like Oxtail and Grits and Jerk Chicken and Waffles, as reported by The Hype Magazine.
At Coco's, Adrian Telfer serves as head chef and intends to draw from Jamaican recipes passed down through his family, per the same account from CultureMap Dallas. Chef Marie Exalus is responsible for most of the menu's Haitian influences, the outlet reports. A press release describes the restaurant as embodying cultural heritage and contemporary hospitality.
Haitian Food in North Texas
Sophia's Haitian Cuisine is a Haitian food truck.
Coco's has held a soft opening.
Traditional Haitian gastronomy features signature staples like griot, a citrus-marinated, slow-braised fried pork, alongside pikliz, a spicy pickled cabbage, carrot, and scotch bonnet pepper relish that serves as an essential table condiment, and diri ak djon djon, rice cooked with native Haitian black mushrooms, according to the Houston Chronicle. Ahead of the full reveal, Instagram posts have shown early menu items including rasta pasta, jerk chicken, rice and peas, sweet plantains, plantain cups with spicy shrimp, snapping cabbage, and a mac-stuffed spicy beef patty.
Growth Along a Booming Corridor
Coco's arrival fits into The Colony's rapid growth. The suburban Denton County municipality has swelled to roughly 42,000 residents, driven by commercial expansion along SH-121 and the neighboring 433-acre Grandscape development, according to the City of The Colony. SH-121 runs through The Colony.
That visibility has drawn major national investment to the area, including Midwest chain White Castle, which broke ground at Grandscape in June on its first Texas location, according to QSR Web. The Telfers told Shoutout DFW they wanted to increase diversity in the suburbs and share Jamaican and Haitian culture through food.
Inside, the restaurant's décor leans into its island theme, with mirrored walls, forest green booths, leather chairs, coconut trees, and greenery on every table, per CultureMap Dallas's description. Diners curious about the full lineup of dishes will have to wait until Saturday, when Coco's Caribbean Haus reveals its complete menu at the grand opening celebration.
