Restaurant Review – Marinades Caribbean Restaurant, Cheltenham

We were out in Cheltenham and decided that we fancied some caribbean food, we had previously eaten at Turtle Bay Restaurant which we had enjoyed, however, a friend had recommended that we try Marinades Caribbean Restaurant. On their website it stated that they were the first and only West Indian family owned Caribbean Restaurant in Cheltenham, so we decided to give it a try.

The Welcome at the Marinades Caribbean Restaurant

We hadn’t made a reservation, and just turned up at 6pm when they opened. We were made very welcome by happy smiling staff, and shown to our table for two. The tables were really well spaced, as one of our pet hates is being crammed into a restaurant. There was a lovely chilled atmosphere with a selection of Caribbean tunes playing in the background.

The restaurant was already getting busy and the staff in the kitchen were already working away, which we were able to watch through a large serving hatch just behind our table.

Menu at the Marinades Caribbean Restaurant

As it was a Thursday we had some options on the menus. A 2 course Caribbean Menu is available, Tuesday to Thursday between 6-8pm, Friday 6-730 and Saturday and Sunday lunchtimes for £8.95 per person or the main menu which is their a la carte menu. We decided to order from the main a la carte menu.

Food at the Marinades Caribbean Restaurant

We shared a starter which consisted of fried plantain, fried dumpling and jerk chicken. We thought it was all delicious and in hindsight should of ordered one each.

For one of our mains we had Curry Goat with rice and peas. This was our first experience of goat and found the meat very strong, however the flavours in the curry were excellent. The side of rice and peas was moist and tasty.

The other main we ordered was a Seafood Jambalaya with side salad. As you can see from the photo it was a generous portion, loaded with seafood and full of flavour.

For pudding we shared Treacle tart and Ice cream. the warm treacle tart was delicious and it was complimented perfectly by the cold vanilla ice cream.

Drinks at Marinades Caribbean Restaurant

We ordered a glass of white wine and a bottle of Dragon Stout. This was our first experience of Dragon Stout and can best be described as a sweeter version of Guinness. They both went down very well.

Service at Marinades Caribbean Restaurant

Service was excellent throughout, our waitress Wendy was great fun and had a good knowledge of the menu, she was very attentive but not invasive. All the staff had a smile on their face, which made for a nice atmosphere.

Cost

Total cost for the two of us with drinks was £47.

Location

Very easy to find on the Cheltenham high street opposite the Restoration Pub. See map below.

Verdict

We thoroughly enjoyed our evening at Marinades Caribbean Restaurant, great food, service and atmosphere and we will definitely be returning.

See our other restaurant reviews –

Turtle Bay Restaurant, Cheltenham

Sunday Lunch at the Edgemore Inn, Gloucestershire

Connolly’s Tapas Bar, Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire

Koskinou Restaurant, Rhodes, Greece