Bendula Bar & Restaurant in Isle of Wight

Really impressed with this place, great deal on cocktails from 4 to 7pm 2 for 1 cocktails, I had jungle juice and long island ice tea both were lovley. I ordered the jerk chicken with rice & beans, the chicken was two big leg's and it was juicy and tender, the sauce had a mild kick not to spicy and really flavourful, decent portion size filled my boots. Great service too very friendly. Would definitely recommend on an evening out!

This little gem makes amazing food , chicken wings and a goat curry like no other - the best dining in ryde I have been here many times and keep coming back for more.

Ordered our meal in advance for 8pm collection, the place was all up to date with covid regulations We had curried goat and jerk chicken both were amazing, side of sweet potato fries, salad, flat bread, rice and slaw,honestly couldn't fault any of it. Not sure in they do delivery but we were happy to collect! 5/5 for me, just to say they guy was really nice too, we will definitely be coming for a meal when we allowed to!

My first and last visit to Bendula. I ordered takeaway and I found a long black hair in the chicken dish. I was so disgusted and I felt quite sickened as I had eaten a quarter of the meal. I emailed several times and telephoned. I never got a reply or a refund.

Visited with friends last night, staff not wearing masks, test and trace paper sitting on side, staff didn't ask us to fill in form, I noticed a bit of paper on side and filled it in. Ordered some cocktails found them to be weak and watery. Didn't find the waiter very friendly. Ordered our food, went to the ladies toilets (YUK) bin overflowing with toilet paper, toilet didn't look clean, didn't want to touch anything. No hand sanitiser in toilet, had a bottle on a table in dark corridor. Wish I cancelled order then didn't feel hygiene was good at all anywhere. Food arrived we were all so disappointed, vegetarian domanda, rice, curry etc very bland, prawns not the best, felt a little uncooked to my liking??, coleslaw tasted like the cheap tesco brand not home made, left all my prawns, should of complained and mentioned hygiene especially in these covid times but just wanted the bill quickly and to leave.

This is our favourite restaurant/takeaway in Ryde. We’ve enjoyed everything we’ve tried here, but the lamb domada and curry goat are amazing!

Popped in here for a drink with our young son. Wasn't sure if we would be allowed in but was made welcome. Delicious cocktails and the food sounded tastey too. Pop in if you fancy something a bit different.

On our moni family trip to the Isle of Wight and happened to walk past this place tbay caught our eye. Now we had never tried Caribbean food before so we thought why not?!we felt adventurous having had such an amazing day over here so far. So the guy was totally accommodating and really friendly, made us a table up and made us feel welcome. We didn’t know what to order fromThe menu so we just ordered everything! I think I had a Domada or something?! When it finally came (it took a while so trusted that it was being cooked fresh) and oh my when it came I didn’t waste a single bit! It was quite possibly the most tastiest meal I’ve ever had! My partner likes it hot and he was totally satisfied with his two meals! My teenage son ate everything on his plate and my less adventurous 12 year old loved his kids meal! Great service. Great meal. Go try it!!

We have had several takeaways from here, including one this month, and we are never disappointed.It has been our favourite takeaway over lockdown, hands down!The food is delicious, homecooked, tasty flavours, generous portions. The kids menu is also great and this is our 6 year olds favourite takeaway! She loves the fish bites, which we love her eating too. They are always freshly prepared and are filled with some really great fish, and for the same price that you'd get cheap fish fingers from other places.The staff are friendly too. :)(We wouldn't always eat in with a child, as sometimes there are a lot of people drinking at the bar, but that's a personal choice)

Decided to come in to get a takeaway - we were served by the very lovely (I think) owner, who offered to make us some extra food not on the menu and was genuinely really sorry when they'd ran out of one of the dishes we'd ordered, but whipped up something off the menu instead. The atmosphere inside showed real potential (empty due to COVID), and I'm sure is usually a really great place to eat. Plenty to eat as a GF and Vegan and Vegetarian family. The food was incredible: some of the nicest Jamaican and African takeout we've ever had. Look forward to coming again soon :)

Lovely fun atmosphere and food to die for happy hour from 4 till 7 I think where I had 2 gorgeous rum punches for price of one I ordered lots sides for kids to try and curried goat for me and Jamaican pattiesfor my hubby all gorgeous, I've had curried goat a few time including Jamaica and I promise was the best I've ever had. my kids loved sweet potatoes fries and plantain also rice and peas and gorgeous dumplings. If you fancy something different and very reasonable definately give it ago I intend to go back.

Beautifully authentic flavours. Amazing palate broadening, just go for it! Service and delivery perfect. Great food don't miss out!

Ordered a takeaway from this place during our recent stay in Ryde. Friendly and quick service, and our dinner was absolutely delicious. I ordered the ackee and saltfish and my husband had the vegetable curry - both were very tasty, well priced and generously sized!Seems like it would be a really fun place to eat out - hope you get to open up again soon!

Lovely food great atmosphere and staff and very good value for money.If your looking for something diferent and fancy authentic Carribean and African food would definitely recommend.

A Sunday Buffet was on with a really good choice of flavours to suit all tastes, host was brilliant, fantastic cocktails and no time pressure to eat and be gone, relaxed informal surroundings and a lot of soul has gone into making this food, it's amazing!

Went on a Thursday night and was surprised that we were the only ones there as we had heard a lot of of good things.The food was absolutely fantastic. All 4 of us were blown away. I went for one of the 'alternative' meals as I cannot handle spice, baked sweet potato with cheese, herbs and a fried egg- who knew something so simple could be that good!The interior was really relaxed, had some funky tables and they had some reggae on which was great. Would definitely recommend and will definitely go back next time I visit the island.

Okay it’s different, and arguably the best Caribbean Restaurant by the simple fact that there probably isn’t another one on the Island. However I didn’t really care for the jerk chicken (2 legs) and rice, which was hot but not that flavoursome, and the Red Stripe beer wasn’t that good either. My Wife's Vegetable Pattie was equally disappointing. It’s no doubt probably great for anyone over on a day trip who wants something different, but not really to my taste at all.

We visited during the very busy scooter bank holiday weekend, calling in for drinks and maybe a cocktail! Our children (10 & 13) were welcomed. We enjoyed the music and saw food being delivered to a table, it looked and smelled great. Once a table became free we ordered- 3 mains between the 4 of us, all were delicious. The kids tucked in and tried some new flavours for them. Clean plates were returned! One of the best meals we have had in a long time, just wish we were hungrier and lived closer to be able to try more from the menu!

I was advised to go here by the staff at the hotel i was staying at, he described it as hot but 'you can still taste the spice' He was not wrong!

We ate here about 2 years ago thinking we were going to get authentic Caribbean cuisine What we got was a load of salty slop masquerading as a goat curry..For a laugh we decided to try it again whilst staying this weekend,We’ll we were not disappointed the foods still awful,the lager still awful and service still awful...The funniest thing is if you read the real reviews of how bad it is the staff then bombard the site with how great the food is Honestly avoid this place at all costs it’s awful,I can’t believe its still open

What a hidden gem on the Isle of Wight! The atmosphere in this place is just perfect, reggae music and friendly staff. My family and I loved the food and the cocktails were also very yummy! Highly recommended.

The third time I've visited with family,and we enjoyed every single bite. The music was upbeat and the atmosphere was very friendly and welcoming. It's just the best.

Food and service was top quality! Love this place! Definitely coming again, for the 6th time! . Probably the best place to eat in ryde

So impressed with the food here ! My new fave food ! Staff are so friendly and such a good vibe in this place

Went to this little gem last night with work colleagues,we are doing some contract work on the island,the food was delicious,even got some to take away with us,the Rum cocktails,also delicious,and probably had one too many,as woke up in the morning and couldn't find my phone,I panicked,the lovely lady in the hotel we were staying in saw my concern,asked my issue,then,said not to worry as it was left in the restaurant,and they had dropped it into the hotel after they had closed.I can't thank you enough,I really respect you,and when I next work on your beautiful island,I'll come and thank you personally,and eat lots of the best wings I've ever had x

I returned to this restaurant after 2 years to give it another try after a poor visit before.

Excellent menu choices and really delicious food, we visited for a drink and grabbed a takeaway. We had three different starters, all very good particularly the fish cakes and then jerk chicken and curried goat mains - I have to say both were exceptional. Only few minor criticisms 1)felt the main emphasis was on the bar rather than the restaurant 2) Customer serviced lacking slightly, when we have been in for a drink previously it has always been really welcoming so probably just on off night. For these reasons we grabbed a takeaway and I would have liked to have given 4.5 stars but that isn't possible and that food was definitely not 4 out of 5!

We ate at Bendula at the weekend for the first time. We arrived in time for happy hour, we ordered cocktails but the guy serving was sooooo slow!!! We'd order a drink which would take about 10/15 mins to make! They were nice cocktails but definitely need a faster barman, at one point we were all waiting for drinks.

What a find. We thoroughly recommend this restaurant. The food is lovely, full of flavours and really tender meat. We went on a Sunday and had the 'all you can eat' buffet and my husband had Curried Goat, which he said was amazing. And to make it even better it was 2 4 1 cocktails!

We were recommended this restaurant by people in our guest house. The starters of spicy fish cakes were amazing as was the jerk chicken. The place has a great vibe and I would highly recommend it if you like spicy food.

Wow - what an amazing place. A fabulous warm welcome,so friendly and utterly delicious home cooked food and very authentic. Loved the Sunday buffet and so reasonable - Jerk chicken, wings, goat curry, rice and peas, vegetables in peanut sauce, salad etc. Fantastic family run restaurant and will visit again soon and bring friends xxxx

What a super place. Even though it might not look much from the outside- the food and staff are superb. Great atmosphere Warning that food might take a while but that only proves that it’s freshly cooked

Never disappoints. Warm welcome every time, friendly and delicious, authentic, honest, fresh, home cooked food. Fantastic family run restaurant, visited many times. Hope to return xxxx

We'd been out all day and fell asleep in our hotel room until later than we should've done!

Outstanding food, lovely staff, and superb atmosphere with my beloved reggae music in the background. Cannot wait to visit again.

Just love the quirky characters you meet in this place, it is always a pleasure and more often than not great fun. Food is yum and unusual - recomend the cocktails - Hic!

Perfekt ställe att gå på med familjen. Trevlig miljö o kul personal. Åt deras söndagsbuffe. Härligt kryddstark mat. Funkade även perfekt för barnen 13 och 14 år gamla.

I passed this restaurant one evening and the smells of spices and fruitiness come from it were amazing. I had to try it next day. The menu has a variety of authentic dishes. I went for Ackee and Salt fish and we also ordered some Jerk chicken. Everything was delicious and the sides were really good also. Well recommended!

Laid back, as you'd expect Really good food. Red Stripe beer for the full experience. You do have to wait a while for the food to be cooked but better than 10mins in the microwave and worth waiting for.

Poped in for lunch and a cocktail my Marley Mojito was amazing!! Food was fantastic was a little wait however was worth it! If I could recommend 1 dish it would be the fishcakes they were unreal!!! 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

We ate here at the start and end of our walking holiday. We've never had caribbean food before and really enjoyed it. Our particular favourite was the goat curry but all the food was freshly cooked, plentiful and delicious. Not too spicy and very reasonably priced.

I loved it here. I stumbled across this bar in Ryde as i was exploring the IOW all day. Im not usually big on spicy food but here the flavours worked perfectly and it was just the right amount of heat. I ate way too much as you do when its all you can eat. The whole place was friendly and chilled, a great atmosphere.

The food was great with a wide selection of Caribbean and African cuisine. The food tasted really authentic and the curry goat was amazing. You do wait a little while for your food but we sat at the table near the kitchen and we could hear them preparing it and could smell them combining all the spices to make the curry paste. The curried goat is lovely - not too hot just zingy so you can taste all the lovely spices coming through. The décor and the reggae music made as feel as if we had just stepped into a Caribbean beach bar on holiday and we will be back of an evening so we can try some of the lovely cocktails they make or on a Sunday when they do an all you can eat buffet between 6-9pm. The guy who served us was really lovely and so laid back and welcoming we felt as if we could have lingered there for hours. Only down side was that is could have been warmer inside but we did turn up just as they opened.

The food is top notch the setting is bright and cheery and the service was a little slow but the food was outstanding in fact the best Jerk chicken rice and peas that I've ever had .

It wasn't bad, and it wasn't good. The curry goat was tasty, but more a mutton stew than anything more exotic. I enjoyed the 'wake me up fish cakes' for their spice. This was what was needed for the curry. The peanut sauce dish was bland. The rice and sweet potato mash lacked seasoning. The cocktails were flat and diluted. While we were there loads of people from the night before popped their head in to say hi to the staff. It is clearly somewhere with a following. The staff were lovely, friendly and helpful. I wish they'd just got the food to be as exotic as we had hoped.

Auf der Suche nach einem durchgehend geöffneten Lokal sind wir hier gelandet - zum Glück. Nette Leute und schmackhafte Küche zu angemessenen Preisen. Gerne wieder.

Welcoming front of house. The food was very good. We had the chicken options. Both well cooked and presented. Cutlery was clean and so were the drinking glasses. Good selection of gluten free food.

Popped into Bendula on Friday on the recommendation of a friend and had a fabulous meal. Staff are very laid back and friendly and service can seem slow but it is worth the wait for the food. My partner was pleased to be able to have red stripe beer and I had rum cocktails which were delicious. My fish cake starter was perfectly cooked and had just the right amount of spice. The ackee and salt fish main with sweet potato mash was also delightful. My partner often cooks jerk chicken at home and said this one was even better than his.

This is the first time I've eaten at Bendula it won't be the last ! I went for the vegetarian domada - it was delicious! A good night night in a great atmosphere!

We had a meal here at the weekend and think it is one of the best meals we have had this year. Friendly staff and 2 for 1 cocktails, followed by amazing food (we had the Jerk chicken), in a place with a lovely atmosphere and great music (if you like reggae), made this an all round pleasant experience. We can't wait to go back and try a different dish, and probably a few more cocktails.

Popped in on recommendation from friends and so glad we did, Fantastic atmosphere family friendly, very welcoming we didnt eat on this occasion but will definitely return for food as it looked and smelt amazing! Music was great too!

Regularly come here and each time the food is great. Seasoned well and lovely cocktails to wash it down with,...

We waited and waited for the place to open and I'm really glad we did. The food was lovely, staff were well mannered happy and very polite. I went here with my family of 4 and we walked out with a bigger smile on our face then when we walked in. We went to ryde for a day trip and I recommend this place to anyone x

Visited here on a Saturday evening. We had previously booked a table for 7.30 but there were a few empty tables for us to choose from. Cocktails were good, two for one before 7pm Had Jamaican saltfish patties and wake me up fishcakes to start and fish in foil Gambian style and jerk chicken all delicious. We found service to be adequate. Would definitely visit here again

Dropped in here for early dinner while scouting out the eateries on our new home island. Very impressed so far.

We went to watch the water slide in Ryde. We decided to get a drink and check out the menu. We were planning to book a table for the following weekend for us and some friends.The place was empty. We bought the first round and sat down. The guy behind the bar really was not interested in us.We thought maybe he would be a little more "chatty" when we bought our second drinks.He did not make any effort to make us feel welcome. Such a shame as we have spent a fantastic holiday in Barbados and are used to some of the friendliest people in the world.My girlfriend lived for many years in Bristol next to St Pauls and loves her "curry goat". Unfortunately the table was not booked. It's a shame as the place looks very authentic.

Fresh, tasty food but the wait times are always so long - you definitely couldn't go here if you were in a rush, set aside a good hour just for your food to arrive! The decor is a bit peculiar and dated (beachy Caribbean theme with a couple of random 50's style diner tables at the back and fans that had obviously been there since the 70s). The cocktails are good and quite strong, and the general ambience is pleasant although for some reason you end up getting quite a lot of rowdy drunk people in there (this has happened on a couple of occasions when I've gone there for dinner or even lunch and it made me want to leave)

Went to this restaurant as a family of 6. The food was ok from the prospectus of a family who is used to West Indian foods. The environment is lovely, but what truly let it down was a young lady who served us and called herself the Manager. She clearly has a sensitive nature and took great offence when my mum pointed out that she had forgotten to put lemon in the jug of water. My mum is a senior West Indian who speaks as it is to which the Manager felt she was rude. From there on the experience went wrong and the service failed in every possible way: reduced menu choice due to "chef not left enough food", 3 meals were not hot _ 2 requested to be re-heated, side dish forgotten, sweet potato ordered forgotten, Manager didn't return to our table after that, another person came (new on job first day) and cleared 2 of plates only from off the table and didn't return to clear the remaining. We asked for the bill but again no one came after waiting for half hour. We then got fed up and went to the bar were the Manager was stood. When questioned about the shocking service she was able to recognise the failures but again was clearly hung up on how my mum asked her for lemons!! After identifying all the errors I declined to pay and asked to see the owner. The owner listened and understood that we were treated unfairly by being ignored. As we were talking The Manager then turned up the music to drown us out and stormed off! Need I really say anything more?? We came to an agreement in the end to pay half the bill, which money wasn't the issue as we had already prepared to dine out. If the young lass who calls herself The Manager is reading this, then all I can advise is to 100% focus on your customers and if something isn't going your way, take charge and put it right. You can't afford to have attitude in your line of business. People just won't recommend or return. ALL cultures are important. I end with wishing the owner well under the circumstance of his staff.

fascinating restaurant and lovely atmosphere and furniture ,food was delicious and seemed freshly cooked to order ,shots were great the bob marley

Popped in with my wife and our 7month old baby. Nice vibe and good for happy hours apparently. I ordered the Salt fish and acke with rice and peas and dumpling. Dumpling was fresh, salt fish and acke was good. The rice and pea were terrible this time.. felt like reheated/microwaved rice and 4-5 kidney beans. Need to go back and try it again, hope it's one time mess up in the kitchen?

My wife and I had dinner here on a friends recommendation, he chanced across the restaurant when on the IOW a few months earlier. I made a reservation for Sunday evening was informed they have a buffet but you could order from the a la carte menu also, this was ideal as my wife is not keen on buffets. On arrival we were greeted warmly by the owner, who showed us to our table. The restaurant/ bar has a Caribbean shack decor but was clean and light. On looking over the menu we could not decide what to have so ended up ordering 3 starters and 3 mains between us so as to sample every thing. They offer two different portion sizes which means you can order multiple dishes. The starters all clearly home made, fresh, spicy, full of flavour. Happily return for the fish cakes alone. The mains authentic Afro-Caribbean food done beautifully. The curried goat super tender, melt in the mouth. The chicken yassa I've not had before but was excellent, just the right blend of spices finished with a hit of citrus. Ended the meal with the pineapple crumble. Great Caribbean twist on a British classic. Both the owner and the chef made us feel really welcome, wonderful hospitality backed up with a delightful meal. Must visit if on the Isle of Wight.

Good service. Friendly and welcoming staff, with a wonderfully laid back atmosphere Plenty of food options for children, would recommend to all. Will definately be eating here again

Steak and sweet potatoe fries are a real treat with a desperado, served up by friendly staff, I've had this three times on various visits, except on Sunday night when they serve up a buffet all you can eat for £13! which usually consists of a couple of Caribbean curries, spicy chicken , crab cakes, salad, that sort of thing. The food is tasty, good and a great venue for parties. My friend rented a dj for a party upstairs and the food and atmosphere was great then too. So good we keep going back. Recommended.

Terrible food chicken was small bad quality badly seasoned too spicey and no other flavours cooked badly and not Caribbean at all rice and peas microwaved and salad so greasy with olive oil service was none.existence im not a fussy eater at all but will never return!

We had a quick visit to Ryde, really just to check out the Hovercraft, as we love various sailing vessels and had never been on one before. However, we took the chance to have a quick look around the town; we were pleasantly surprised at the number of interesting independent shops, but a bit worried about eating, as all the cafés and such in the town centre seemed either full to bursting, or not really to our taste.So, we headed back towards the seafront, to see what we could find there. We were very surprised to notice a Caribbean bar just before the front and, as we enjoy this type of food both in the house and out and about, we thought we'd give it a go.Very, very quiet during the day. However, a lovely, cheerful welcome from the owners, and a prime position to people watch in the window put us at ease. There are two sizes of main meal; the smaller deli serving or a main serving. I found the deli serving good for lunch, while my husband stuck with the main meal size.I chose a vegetarian dish from the African selection. Basically a peanut sauce curry. I regularly make something similar myself. I would have been happier with a little more spice heat, but other than that, very good! I appreciate heat is subjective, and in a restaurant it's often better to go for the middle ground. All good. The rice and peas were a little hard, but perfectly edible with the curry. It was after the lunchtime rush after all. They were more than surpassed by my order of plantains! These were the best I've had for a long, long time. Couldn't have been fresher.My husband had the ackee and saltfish. I didn't get to try it, which is probably a measure of his contentment. He liked the sweet potato fries and dumplings too. No time for dessert; will have to re-visit in the evening to check them out.Very reasonable prices. We spent less than £25 for our meals and side with soft drinks.We'd definitely go again. Also good to know is that they do delivery, so, if you live or stay on the IoW and want food to your door, here's a good option.

Leuk Jamaicaans/Afrikaans kroegje/restaurantje.Gastheer is zelf Afrikaans, maar heeft er een Afrikaans/Jamaicaanse tint aan gegeven.Vrouw en dochter (echt een plaatje!!) staan in de keuken.Heb er niet gegeten, wel gedronken.Ambians en sfeer is goed.Zeker voor herhaling vatbaar.

Tried it for an early supper one evening, there's quite a choice on the menu. Service was slow considering there was just 2 other guys in there drinking at the time. I've been several times to different caribbean islands and like the cuisine but can't claim to know that much about it. So stuff that I knew was on there, but for mains I had an african curry I'd never heard of that was quite korma-like, not bad but not earth-shattering. By now it was filling up and getting lively, with mostly well-known reggae being played, not too loud.I was intrigued when I went to the bar to order a final drink and pay, the barman was staring at his phone and ignoring me, then walked past me out the door to get a better signal and make a call. Oh..OK. Perfectly friendly when he came back though, and overall I liked the place. I'd go back to try some of the other interesting stuff on the menu....

We love goat curry and this is certainly the place to find a great one! We had this with plantain and rice and really enjoyed every mouthful. The atmosphere and staff are great too. On Saturday night you can stay after the meal to dance to the sounds of reggae from the local DJ

We were not disappointed. Whoever put that the portion size was too small must be mad! Glad we never had a starter. I asked what was spicy because I like hot food. Even though I chose an African rice dish that wasn't spicy they served it with a little pot of chilli sauce to blow your head off. Thoroughly lovely evening

Great authentic Food and atmosphere. Wide variety to suit all tastes and of course a top rum punch to finish the meal . Highly recommended.

Went here for dinner on Saturday night! I had the curry goat which was amazing!!!!!! I have to say the rice and peas wasn't great, it just tasted like boiled rice with kidney beans in it and was very bland. My husband has the jerk chicken which again was really good but rice and peas let it down and also no gravy was offered which could be an easy thing to rectify!

First time trying carribean food, did not disappoint! Good atmosphere, great food and great service, The ackee and saltfish and curried goat are must try dishes, would go regularly if I lived on the island.

Who would have thought that Ryde would offer a chilled Caribbean bar and restaurant? The atmosphere is relaxed, there's nice reggae music and all the Caribbean classics on the menu. Especially recommended are the curry goat, awesome jerk chicken, with just the right level of spice, and fab sweet potato fries. It's a very enjoyable place.

Went here on the spur of the moment, relaxed place to sit and chat. We took the kids who dared each other to try the adults spicy, hot food. ( children's menu available). Looks like it would be a great place to enjoy cocktails with friends.

An all round great place to eat and drink, very nice and chilled with reggae in the background. The staff are friendly we were greeted as soon as we walked in. The food was amazing and the portion was good for the price and also served quickly, no complaints what so ever. Will definitely come back

Dropped in the off chance as the restaurant was not your typical pub style eaterie. It offers an extensive range of Caribbean and African food together with beers and spirits from both regions. Food appears to be cooked fresh to order which can lead to a delay, but it proved to be well worth the wait. Try the Caribbean burger washed down with a Jamaican beer or the Domada with rice and peas.

This was the first Carribean meal I have eaten and it was absolutely lovely. The staff were very pleasant and friendly and I would Highly Recommend giving it a try.Many ThanksSara & Guy 06/01/2017Would suit everyone, especially friends and couples

We booked out the second floor, cleared most of the tables and brought in a DJ. What a great place for a party for 40-60 people! Great buffet of Jerk Chicken, Vege curry and Caribbean rice - all dairy and gluten free. Everyone commented on how yummy the food was. Upstairs has its own little bar made in classic Caribbean style from bare planks, staffed by a really friendly bartender who looked the part! We were allowed in from 2:30pm to put up our own decorations. And very reasonable charges from the restaurant. Highly recommended.

this is my second visit here, the food is great, the staff are very welcoming, this time we arrived quite late, most restaurants had stopped serving food but these guys offered to re-open the kitchen to feed us! The jerk ribs come highly recommended!

If you order the sweet potato fries and the chicken you are good!!While the music was sometimes too loud, the food was soo good, to lick your fingers. I am a big fan of Caribbean cuisine and do not be put off by waiting for your food slightly longer, is worth the wait because these guys dont do fast food they do slow cooked, lots of flavour, bold and spicy grounding food that would warm you up or punch you in the face.Good upgrade would be chilled fresh juice rather than from a pack, I would pay extra. Lovely decor, thanks guys!

The people are very nice and the drinks are so good. We ordered Bahama Mama and another rum base cocktail, I can't remember the name, they both were super yummy! We were too full to try the food, but the food that women next to our table ordered looked super delicious and smelled really good. And they were eating very happily, it must have been delicious. Next time, we definitely will visit with empty stomachs! I totally recommend this restaurant.

We had a lovely meal here at Bendula bar and restaurant. The jerk chicken was delicious, beautifully spiced and well presented. My boyfriend enjoyed ackee and saltfish very much. I also really enjoyed the banana fritter. There were some nice reggae sounds going on as we had dinner. I'd definitely come here again although they could do with cleaning the ladies toilet more thoroughly. It was the only slight disappointment. That said, great Caribbean food and a lovely vibe.

A real gem of a find in centre of Ryde ... I highly recommend the Goat curry and if your wondering what to accompany them with go for the sweet potato fries! Great food, reasonably prices..perfect!

Food very average. Not too expensive with rustic carribean atmosphere. Our starter was meant to be king prawns with ginger, lime & chilli but it was 5 defrosted king prawns in a bowl of sweet chilli thick sauce... My husbands goat curry was more like oxtail soup. Having a relative who lives in the carribean I do know what the food should of been like and this was poor but have to say the atmosphere/ music was ok and went with the theme.

We had initially planned to visit the #1 restaurant in Ryde, so glad we walked further down the high street and found this place.Caribbean restaurants are almost non existent where we live, this was a real treat. So much so that we ate there two nights running.I had a delicious vegetable curry first night, then a lip tingling jerk chicken on the next night. The jerk chicken was very hot, totally caught me out! A well known shop bought paste for making is positively mild!!Another big plus was the option to have the meals in smaller portions, I wish more places would do this.Top marks for food and atmosphere.

Staying in Ryde for a short break on the Isle of Wight, we worked our way through a few eateries on the main drag during the week, and being fans of spicy fare the Bendula caught our eye. To the accompaniment of a deep reggae soundtrack we ordered our food on a Wednesday evening when the place was sparsely populated, just us and another couple. We need not have have worried about the restaurant's popularity or lack of, as the food was more than adequate both in portion size and taste.I had the "main" size portion of an African chicken dish - two large pieces of chicken in a spicy but not hot onion-based sauce - lovely. The next day I wish I had ordered the smaller "deli" sized portion, but that's just my eyes being bigger than my stomach!My partner had baked sweet potato which she really enjoyed.The bill was modest considering the size of the servings, and although reading other reviews here gives the impression the place might be a bit hit and miss, we have no complaints at all. We would visit again, no question.

Wow - what a great place! Reggae music, rum punches and proper carribean food made us feel really chilled. We had patties for starters that were beautifully made and cooked. We then had jerk chicken and curried goat, each of which were reasonable size portions and carried a fiery kick. The service was surprisingly un-Caribbean - namely the food arrived in good time. The cost of both food and drink was modest. We look forward to going back again soon.

This is a small family run business which is ideal and perfect for the island. It contributes a difference to the island, and gives people a unique escape from the boring, same old stuff we are used to. The atmosphere of Bendula, especially on the weekend is just magnificent, the music allows you to fully relax and just enjoy yourself, you could be in a terrible mood but then as soon as you walk in there the music just takes you away. And of course to mention the food is wonderful, one of the very very few places that has true flavour to it, and the amount of food for the price is outstanding. For those that have contributed negative reviews to me haven't experienced the true nature of this Restraunt, and are extremely obnoxious and no fun! Definitely worth the visit :)

Absolutely first class. Gorgeous food and drink. Curry goat outstanding! No need to say more. Just go there.

After having read lots of positive and good reviews about this place my wife and I made this our first stop for dinner whilst staying on the isle for a 3 day break,neither of us had eaten Caribbean before and were expecting a treat....I have never written a negative review of a restaurant before but I feel I have to on this occasion.It was a Sunday and apparently buffet night,we asked the waitress could we still order from the main menu and she said yes as we didn't want the buffet meal.We both had a starter and main,my fish cakes were good but my wife had prawn pil pil which was shocking,about 4 prawns in what looked and tasted liked jar sweet chilli sauce,I'm no expert but after researching the dish on line it looked nothing like what she had.We both ordered a large goat curry each which I then worried about it being too big or too spicy....I needn't have,what we got was uncle bens rice with some kidney beans in,goat in a really salty ox tail type broth with no spice or heat at all,I washed this down with 2 pints of flat lifeless lager.We were desperately trying to find something good about the meal but just couldn't,I asked for the bill which came to £44.00! fortunately the card machine didn't ask if I wanted to leave a tip.The next night we had a pizza take out from dominoes up the top of the hill this put Bendula to shame.I truly hate to be so brutal but avoid this place.

Honestly have not written such a review before but this place was awful. Visited afternoon. The staff did not care, my rice dish had three pieces of tough lamb, the husbands Jamaican patties had obviously just been defrosted. It seemed as though we were eating food left over from the night before. No spice. No atmosphere. The first place on the island not to get a good review. The first place we did not leave a tip.

We went to Bendula three times in short succession because the first time was so good we almost couldn't believe it. We went away and raved about it to everyone we knew. Best jerk chicken ever, and the rice and peas (fiery hot) were so good that they could have stood alone. My other half, who has spent time in West Africa, also approved of the lamb domada. Prawns pil pil, slightly watery for my taste, but other half liked the sauce so much that when we'd finished the prawns he drank the rest of it. 'Wake me up' fishcakes, outstanding -- as good as the chicken and rice. Second visit, jerk chicken again. I told the chef, who served us, that the first one I'd had was amazing and we both liked it really spicy -- but this time it came out much milder. It was still good, but no comparison to the first time. Third visit, let's not be boring by ordering the same thing again. They'd sold out of ackee and saltfish, so we both had goat curry. This was just bland, and mostly potatoes with not much meat. So disappointing, although the fishcakes were still excellent. Bendula was quiet each time we went, so the variability was not due to the kitchen working flat out. We'll try a fourth time, still hoping to hit the high note of our first visit. There is so much to like about this place. And we've never had slow service, in fact the opposite: we'd like them to slow it down a bit. Just because we turn up at unfashionable times doesn't mean we want to be in and out in one hour.

Having Read reviews we decided to try Bendula not knowing Sunday was a Buffet day.The waitress Informed us on arrival Buffet, but we wanted the normal menu which her launguage barrier was difficult to explain. The first course fishcake for hubby was fine but I had prawns pil pil. Rubbish it was a jar of sweet chilli sauce if that and barely warm. We both chose Goat curry large portion s. Well if that's large my children would be hungry. The curry arrived not at all spicy and tasted like beef in oxtail soup so salty my veins furred up on intake and again barely warm and the rice and peas tasted like Mr Bens packet rice.dreadful.the curry was served with COLESLAW why ? and a Sweet onion relish ?we sat by the stairs and watched the buffet one man tasting a side dish and putting spoon back in bowl, he also took the serving spoons and put them on the table now covered in rice. I should point out at this point only him and his wife had selected any food.because waiters had left spoons on heated dishes they were too hot to use waitress got a cloth from kitchen.my husbands beer was flat as squash. I cannot Justify the cost for portion size or quality the food was overall appalling KFC better value and as for the Buffet it should be better produced on two assorted home tables both hygiene and equipment wise Trading standards worth a visit

I happend to walk past this restaurant on the Sunday I arrived on the IOW and decided to go in due to my love of carribean food. There was a buffet on at that time which had numerous things on offer.The food I tasted was some of the most authentic and flavourful carribean food I have ever had... And I've had a lot! It puts places like turtle bay to shame. I'm deffinatly going back for more.

Considering it was a Monday evening the place was busy and buzzing. With only two members of staff seemingly working the service was typically Caribbean, slow and methodical but good. Menu is varied, the curried goat was truly delicious, good choice of cocktails and house red at £15 a bottle great value. Happy 'hour' is from 4 to 7 so another visit on the cards.

Despite being the largest place on the island, Ryde is not blessed with adventurous cuisine but this is a great exception. If you've never had this style of food before, the staff are friendly and helpful, the food excellent, great cocktails at reasonable prices. We had a great meal and this place deserves to be busy . Recommended

Lovely staff, good drinks. Great price, too. Looking forward to returning for food. The atmosphere is welcoming and so is the owner. Very genuine.

We were passing this restaurant and decided to try something different and we weren't disappointed. The vibe of the place is very laid back. The reggae music in the background adds to the overall experience. We tried Wake Me Up Fishcakes for starters. They were absolutely mouth-watering. For main we had Jerk Chicken which was cooked to perfection. There were two huge pieces of chicken and loads of rice so it is very filling. The sunshine baked sweet potatoes were also very tasty. The fried egg on top sounds a strange combination but it worked. Try the cocktail with the Guinness in it (sorry can't remember the name of it). The staff are friendly and although you have to wait a while for the food it is worth it. Would recommend this restaurant if you are looking for quality.

We ate here for lunch on a Monday, and were served directly by the chef. You can see the pride he takes in his cooking, and with good reason.We ate Curry Goat and Ackee and Saltfish, both dishes were absolutely delicious.

We visited Bendula's midweek and it was ticking over nicely with customers, including an apparently very well known TV personality (that we don't recognise!). The waitress was welcoming and friendly, the food was very tasty, spicy and hot, the portions were generous too. The goat curry was delicious, so too the jerk chicken. We shared banana fritters with ice cream for dessert, which were delicious and piping hot...altogether a very satisfying meal in what we would describe as a rustic restaurant i.e.tree slice table tops. Well worth visiting if you like some spice !