Carumbar in Bedford

Amazing doing yet another birthday dinner at Carumbar. It didn't disappoint. As usual the service was friendly and efficient. The owner remembered us and we had a lovely chat before the food came out and OMG portion size and taste amazing!!!

It was my first time at a carribean restaurant and I had an amazing time with my family. The restaurant owner was super nice and friendly and the food was more than amazing. Service was impeccable and the music? amazing! I highly recommend if you are looking for value for money and a lover of good food and vibes.

Delicious food and friendly service. Vegan combo was very tasty. My partner had the meat combo which he loved. We will definitely be back to try the other delicious looking dishes!

I love this place. The food is sooooo good. You think you won't finish your plate but you will. I recommend the pit-stop jerk chicken or any pit-stop combo, really; my friend said the vegetarian combo was amazing. On top of that, the decor is lovely, the vibe is warm and friendly, the staff are super nice, the music and background TV is good (the Muppets were on? loved that) and the rum punch makes everything better. I promise. Also kid-friendly, but I think it would be coolest just going with a group of friends.

I took wifey out for dinner here today and the owner, food, ambience, and vibe is awesome 👌. Thank you Sofia and Blake for a lovely afternoon.

Not only is the food amazing but the vibes and the people are so lovely as well and you feel taken care of when you’re in there! Can’t wait to dine there again 😍

Brilliant evening , made to feel really welcome, food was amazing will really recommend the ox tail the rum punch was really tasty and export red stripe is heaven in a stubby. Thank you for the complimentary birthday shots Evening made special

Absolutely love here. I'm not sure I need to write a review, I think the fact that this venue is fully booked every time it open is testament enough.

Food came hot,fresh and flavorful. Portion sizes amazing. brilliant customer service and atmosphere!

food was great staff was friendly will be going back soon

Amazing food and amazing service! Came from Milton Keynes as I fancied some oxtail, my usual place was closed which is how I come across this gem! I will definitely be coming back with friends/family. Honestly so glad my usual place was closed otherwise I wouldn’t know about carumbar! Incredible- the smell from the jerk chicken grilling too was unrealllll! Can’t wait to try it on my next visit! 10/10

We booked for a group of six at late notice for 9.00 on a Friday evening. The guys at the restaurant made us feel welcome straight away and as always the food was great. Never felt like we were rushed despite being one of the last tables there. A few of the group hadn’t been before but said they’d definitely be back

Nice place. Good food. Friendly staff. I recommend it.

Staff were friendly and fun, cocktails great and food was impeccable

First time eating in and all I can say is what an amazing service. The girls serving us were so friendly and serviced us with a smile. Great food!Great atmosphere and would highly recommend.

Hi guys. My fiance and I booked to try this Caribbean restaurant that we walked past a few times in Bedford. We got there early and was welcomed to a table straight away. Decor was good, bar looked great and open view to the kitchen was good. The menu was exactly what I would want from a Caribbean restaurant. But FYI, if you want seafood, you do have to order 24 hours before arrival. We straight away got stuck into a jug of rum punch, which I loved as it had the lovely taste of Wray and Nephew. Unfortunately my fiance is not so keen on that rum. We got another jug of cherry rum cocktail with fizzy pineapple which was lush also. I was chatting to the bar staff about overproof rum and had a shot of rum that was very strong, tasted like fireball gobstoppers (if you are old enough to remember them?) To the staffs surprise I thought it was OK compared to a overproof rum one of my best mates mum brought back from St Lucia. I ordered the curried goat with rice, peas, and slaw. It was yum. Velvety sauce, tender goat, nicely cooked rice. Went down lovely with some of the plantain side we had. My fiance had the chickpea curry with rice and peas. I love to try a veg dish and was pleasantly surprised, considering I'm not fond of chickpea, that it was just as tasty as my meat dish. There was people coming in without bookings and seated which showed the restaurant will always try to fit everyone in. They also have a delivery service on delivery apps and takeaway service for walk ins. Really chuffed, really stuffed, and after the rum punch, a little bit merry 😁🍹

Great night and atmosphere, with 7 of us attending.Great tasting food, polite and friendly service and staff, reasonably priced. Will go back again and again.

great music, great food, friendliest servers as well. their salt fish fritters r my favourite and their meat falls straight off the bone

I recommend it, great atmosphere, service and food 😍😍😍😍😍😍

Mi and mi gyal went to dis Caribbean restaurant, and we ordered di vegan platter, mi nah lie, it was amazing! Di vibes deh yah, deh service top-notch. Everyting was irie, mon. We haffi give it 5 stars, no doubt. If yuh lookin' fi some good Caribbean food, dis spot da one.

Me not too adventurous! Had the curry goat an rice&peas. Nice too. Not many bones and good bitesize...(not big chunks)

Delicious food, amazing people and great atmosphere. Thank you for the hospitality and great experience.

Probably one of the worst things I’ve ever eaten. Strange atmosphere and seating arrangements when we arrived, should’ve left at that point. Kitchen mainly full of young staff members. Waiting times ridiculously long. Ordered “jerk chicken and rice and peas”, if you can call it that. The chicken had merely been roasted and some sauce drizzled over it at the end, it was horrific, I couldn’t believe I paid for that when I can cook a million times better and at least bother seasoning the meat at home myself. Didn’t bother taking another spoonful of the rice and peas. Would never come back here again.

Vegan platter was excellent but big enough for 2 at lunchtime, very friendly staff, good vibes. Plantain and fried dumpling on the side was good too.

Visited Carumbar as part of a large group for a birthday meal. Some of the guests arrived a little late and the staff were very accommodating and friendly. The restaurant had a lovely vibe to it and was clean and tidy from the tables to the toilet. I had the Carumbar Style filleted snapper which was delicious. Full of flavour and great level of spice. Good portion size, would definitely recommend. Thank you Carumbar!

I imagine the food would be similar if you were serving an eight to ten stretch!

Three of us ate here on a midweek evening and had a delicious meal. We shared pit stop for 2 which included a chicken curry, stew and grilled bass + jerk wings and crispy pork belly accompanied with rice and peas. Super friendly service from Sophia and team and also the chance to try some unique (and strong) rums. Pay Carumbar a visit , you won't regret it!

Lovely food and staff, very tender goat 👌🏻

Well impressed. Highly recommended. Food on point 👌

I went to Carumbar for the first time yesterday and had the vegan combo - honestly one of the best meals I've ever had at a restaurant! Each dish was incredible (especially the ackee and sweet pepper, divine!) and the staff were so lovely. I'm amazed at how they get their corn cob so flavoursome too!

I had a lovely time. The food was very tasty and service was excellent. Our waitress was very friendly and attentive and even went out of her way to give us directions to an event we were attending.

So rude!! The waitress who answers the phone is very impolite. They messed up the order and her response was - ‘well I don’t know what you want me to do’. Was totally short and difficult to speak to. Gave up. Trashed the food.

Food was delicious. Staff was friendly Definitely will come back

Food amazing as always- took my son for his first taste of Caribbean food and he loved everything. Our waitress was an absolute delight as well- cheerful, friendly and attentive

Love this restaurant, had my partner birthday celebration here and sister Sophia treated us like family ♥️ food is always amazing, the curried goat, yam, meat was falling off the bone, had a few punch to drink too😉. Highly recommend it. We will be back ♥️

We've eat here a few times now. It's almost home from home cooking. You've got to try!

Amazing food. Try the curry goat, very good indeed (if you like lamb you will like this). Owner is lovely. All the staff are Very friendly.

This weekend I just happened to be doing some errands in town centre and as I was walking by this restaurant I could not help but notice the lovely smell coming from it's kitchen. So out of the blue we decided to give it a go to this caribian food restaurant, it looked interesting as it was going to be out first time to try the food from that side of the world. I have to say that we have enjoyed the experience pretty much, everything has been top notch. The atmosphere in this restaurant is really relaxing, with the background music that is there if you want to listen to it but it does not interfere in your conversations, that's really nice. The service was fantastic and they have made a really pleasurable experience. Food was really tasty and me and my wife had generous plates. There are a few beers to choose from, but it is the rum menu what rally makes a difference, we'll try next time. Overall very nice eatery. I like it and recommend it, please give it a go yourself.

I just want to say how amazing the food is!! Not only is there food, one of the best in Bedford, but the staff are some of the nicest people to speak to. Very friendly and welcoming, as well as belly filling😍😍

Delicious food and great service.

Incredible meal, been a couple tines now and both times i was super full and the food was INCREDDDDDIBLE

Food was really good! Had the jerk chicken and super crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. Service wasn't great but still totally worth it.

Food is delicious, customer service is always 10/10 and the atmosphere is super 👌 would 110% recommend this place to dine in or takeaway 😀

Excellent meals ..Lovely staff ..Banter and sense of humour ..So nice...Curry goat perfect and filling ... THANKS ....

The makings of any good establishment are good food, good service and good atmosphere. The team at Carumbar exceeded all expectations. The service was top notch especially the attentive servers willing to explain the menu to us and recommend their favourite items. Special shout out to the drinks menu. It’s packed with options and they all sound amazing. We had the Ojs cheery rum and pineapple fizz with a few other delicious cocktails. The food was elegantly plated, the mixed wings we ordered was a flavourful delight of jerk, bbq and plain chicken. Tender yet crisp. The chilli sauce gave the fried chicken an excellent kick (though not for the faint of heart). We didn’t get a chance to get to dessert. But with bottomless brunch menu. You can bet I’ll be going back to sample more! Lastly massive attention to detail in the dressing of the restaurant, the decor is inviting when you step in and everywhere you look there are small details that shows Sophie really thought through the customer journey and experience through the restaurant. The classic Marshall Amp playing the excellent music was my favourite. All in all, this is a local female owned business that you would be missing out on if you didn’t visit.

Great customer service we had a great time and loved the food!

Happened to be walking past Carumbar, smell was lovely so went in. Was excellent- great service, delicious food, nice vibe and chilled music. Will definitely go back.

Caribbean vibe in the heart of Bedford. Very tasty food. Great service and good fun. An unexpected treat between the Lurkes Road car park and Lidl!!

Love this place. Feels very much like family restaurant, staff easy to get on with and food is very tasty and decent portions.

Very helpful waitress this cool vibed restaurant is great ! The food is gorgeous. Caribbean food us my favourite so for me this place was a must for lunch. I was not disappointed and will certainly return. Thank you all !

Excellent restaurant. Food, atmosphere, service all amazing. Went for the first time last night and we had the best time. Loved the singer, talented lady. Cant wait to bring other friends here

From the moment we arrived we where swept into an atmosphere of friendly family vibes, great staff and a great welcome. The restaurant runs a relaxed laid back atmosphere that goes perfectly with the dining experience. It’s really nice

Great food, fairly friendly staff but the restaurant was incredibly cold, We ate with our coats on.

I really enjoyed the food at this restaurant and so did my family. I had jerk pork belly for starters, curried goat with rice and peas and an avocado and tomato side salad. My family had a wing section, a burger which came with chips and salad. The flavours and smells of the food was amazing and the portions good, although I would have personally preferred a bigger portion of the avocado salad - it tasted great and complemented the dish i ordered. The staff were happy and welcomed us in and the atmosphere in the restaurant was nice. The manager came to our table and spoke to us and I noticed she spoke to other customers, it was good to see as she made eveyone feel welcomed. She also brought over a drink on the house as we were there to celebrate my birthday - very kind of her, thank you :) ... Overall an excellent experience and we would recommend this restaurant to others.

Carumbar is always aiming to please with their beautiful, tasty dishes. A lovely range of options on offer. I Ordered a takeaway (PitStop Sharer) for a work colleague, after singing their praises, they wanted to try it. The efficiency was just faultless with my order arriving pretty much 5mins prior to my selected time slot via justeat. What a strong team beyond those doors! Lovely food, lovely team, good vibes and top class efficiency. Thankyou so much 💓

A good evening out at a very atmospheric venue. Recommended

I have walked past Carumbar many times and wondered what it was like. My wife and I had just had a pleasant walk along the river side and were looking for somewhere to eat. We saw Carumbar and thought why not. You get a friendly welcome and we’re shown to our table, the place has a nice vibe and atmosphere. We ordered Curried Chicken, Stewed Chicken, Snapper and fried Dumplings. They have a nice selection of dishes available. My wife ordered Rum Punch and I had a Ginger Shandy. The service was really good and the food arrived very quickly. It looked and smelt delicious. The Waitress was very friendly and told which dish was which because I had no idea. I must say the food was delicious, the Curried Chicken was superb and I also loved the Dumplings too, all washed down with the shandy. So if your in Bedford one lunchtime and looking for somewhere nice to eat try Carumbar. It’s a lovely place to eat and has a nice atmosphere too to enjoy the delicious food.

Good size portions which is great, loved the option to pick trio of dishes with rice & peas. A lovely young girl served us she was so friendly and explained the dishes very well and told us the owner sings on a Saturday so we will be back on a weekend. Love the fact this is not a chain and an independent restaurant which is always good to support the local community. I will return to eat.

Food was absolutely delicious, great menu choices for both food and drinks. Lovely staff especially Sophia, made to feel right at home. Definitely will be coming again and bringing friends and family. Loved it! Jacklyn & Roy.

Excellent food with excellent service and suggestions by Leeyane.

What a find! And on my doorstep too! Brilliant all round. Absolutely loved the jerk chicken. Nothing but praise for the food and welcoming staff. Empty plate says it all! :D

An amazing restaurant with tasty Caribbean food! Definitely gives me a sense of being home as a Caribbean person!

We booked Carumbar for our work Christmas party and they have been nothing but helpful during the whole process. The food was amazing and displayed in a buffet style which suited 18 people perfectly. The magician entertainment was amazing also! Although there were still other tables occupied, the staff were still so attentive of our large (and sometimes loud!) party! Thank you from all of us at Bedford Volkswagen!!

I took my friend here last night as she had never been before and she LOVED it. The atmosphere was amazing, the food was incredible (as always) and the staff were so friendly. There was also a magician going round whilst people were waiting for their meals and it was honestly mind blowing! Such a great idea and so much fun. I would 100% recommend to anyone!!

By far the best jamaican food in bedford. Jerk wings were amazing a lil bit too burnt, but still amazing. The curry goat is 10/10 I just wish for the price you pay you get coleslaw as well 👀

Incredible food. The snapper was one of the best things I've eaten in a long time! Will definitely be back

Don’t ever give my friend dry oxtail like that again bright

The food was ok. We went as a group but felt the portions were small for what we paid per head but apart from that I enjoyed it

Fantastic oxtail and curry goat, plus good stew chicken. A bit expensive but it is very good.

The best food, the best atmosphere, the best place to eat in Bedford. The first visit for our friends who absolutely loved it! A big thanks to Sophia and her staff.

All the food was amazing from the burger right up to the sea food platter. The hostess was one of the best making us feel like old friends kinda vibe, we were also very lucky and got to hear her sing..... Brilliant!! This is one of a few places I would be brave enough to recommend to people and i for one will definitely be going back!!

I booked a table of 15. I had very good communication with everyone at carumbar from the start. Its not easy to cater for so many people so we emailed orders ahead of time to assist the kitchen. I had the seafood platter to share. Amazing. Such a lovely welcoming vibe, the owner had her family there, she sang. Beautiful voice. Everyone was up and dancing. The staff were attentive, I over paid and the barman pointed it out. He didnt need to say anything but he did. Very cosy and personal feeling to this place. I have previously ordered take out through uber eats and the driver gave me the wrong order. I reported it through ubereats and i immediately got a call from the owner who replaced my order and sent it out in no time. I recommend carumbar. Food is amazing. The service, staff and owner are impressive. We all had an brilliant night for our Christmas party. Thank you all at carumbar x

Great tasty food hospitality & back ground music. Will return again.

Perfectly cooked meat and interesting selection of sides. I recommend the pork skewers, absolutely delicious! The music is also very nice and the service is quick.

Had an amazing evening with friends, food was amazing as usual , bonus was Sophia singing the night away , what a voice she has! Brilliant atmosphere

Great food and friendly atmosphere, would highly recommend.

We like this place as it has a good selection, only small gripe is the portions are very small

Just the best all round ! Food , atmosphere, service. Wow.the food is incredible, what flavours. Service is top! Fun atmosphere, great vibe will defo return

The most amazing curry goat I’ve ever tasted. Wish I could eat here every day ! Perfection x

Took our Foster son for a celebratory meal to Carumbar at his request. Fabulously tasty food, warm and friendly service, Will definitely return.

Fabulous little place. Great food and great service. If you like caribbean food you'll love it here.

amazing food especially the sea bass!

Had the salt fish starter and thecgoat curry. Both were excellent, but impressive as the food was the friendly atmosphere and warm reception we got from all the staff surpassed even that. Nothing was too much trouble and all done in a lovely relaxed manner....

Came out for a family meal and ordered the Jerk chicken... it isn't real Jerk chicken and isn't cooked on a drum. I gave my food back to the waiter and explained my reason for cancelling it. The waiter replied saying it was cooked on a drum pan. Lol Jerk chicken isn't cooked on a pan it is meant to be cooked on a drum! Second time coming here, won't be returning. I've also attached a photo of the chicken... Update: Thanks for your reply and thanks for your invite to view the kitchen. Unfortunately I don't live in the area so I won't be travelling back to view the kitchen. I'm entitled to my opinion and my opinion stands that I don't find the Jerk authentic. My issue is with the Jerk chicken! I've attached a photo and a honest review...People will read both my comment and your comment and make their own decision. There were so many other things that I could of touched upon but left out of my review. That being said, my other guests ordered the Oxtail and Stew Chicken. They all enjoyed their dishes. And they liked the saltfish fritters. Instead of being passive aggressive just take it on the chin and keep it moving. If your jerk is so great as you state and ppl come back for it... then you've nothing to worry about. Seeing as it just one person that doesn't like the Jerk or believe it authentic. I've updated my stars to 3* to reflect the other guests that enjoyed their meals. Stay blessed

I'll revise this review after I've had the food (I'm sure it's amazing like everyone says) but I've just received 5 star service from Jai. He saw we had been waiting a while for our food and he stopped eating his food to check up on our food. Fantastic service but is rare these days so a huge thank you to Jai! Edit - food is delicious!!! Highly recommended.

If I could give this restaurant more than 5 stars, I absolutely would. My fiancée and I have tried hundreds of different cuisines and restaurants across the UK and without a doubt the delicious food, wonderful staff and easy location make Carumbar THE BEST. We simply could not fault this visit. I can’t pick a favourite part of my meal, so I’ll just recommend it all. Chickpea curry, sweetcorn frittas, snapper, chocolate rum cake, try as much as you can because this place is faultless. So much flavour and an incredible portion with a delicious side of Macpie. The food came out so speedily and the staff checked on our food and refreshments three times, and I have to say they were wonderfully helpful and suggested some great authentic dishes to us. The manager was present which was great because we wanted to thank her and her staff personally and she was clearly a passionate and very engaged member of the team. I just can’t wait to go back. You should all be so proud- thank you and good luck with the festival next week! We wish we could join but we will be away for the weekend so sending best wishes xxx

A wonderful place with very tasty food and kind service. Together with my partner, we spent a very nice afternoon there.

Great Caribbean food, great service. I went here for the first time and will definitely come back. Its nice to have authentic Caribbean food. The manager and staff were excellent. One of the bests I would say and definitely recommend.

After having ordered take away from carumbar a few times we finally had a meal in. As we expected the food was delish. The atmosphere was chilled and the staff were really friendly.

It's okay! Nothing to write home about. I has the oxtail and rice and peas, I cannot complain as it was tasty but I have had better oxtail as the houses of my friends and family so I'm not sure that the chef is actually Jamaican or carribean. Good vibes nonetheless!

Had a celebratory end of term meal here with my wife and two kids. No booking but found us a table, jerk chicken and curried goat all round.. Food was really tasty, my wife likes the Jerk to be more spicy than sweet but this is minor. Music was good, not too loud. Place is clean and tidy, not sure about all the local basketball team shirts hanging up? Why are they there? There appears to be a single unisex toilet just off the main restaurant. Staff were very helpful, friendly and efficient. This would be a great place to start a night out in town.

Saturday river festival Bedford. found this restaurant carumbar. the food was excellence. And rum punch was what the doctor ordered .

What I say... The food was divine, every item of food was delicious. The punch was on point. The Dj and atmosphere was welcoming. You made the start of my 50th Journey great. Thank you, you will see me again. 100% recommended

The service, size and quality of the food was top draw. I can't praise this place enough. The staff were very polite and friendly and tge food very tasty. I will definitely go back and I most definitely recommend it

Went on a Wednesday Night so it was quiet. Waiter sold me on a home made chilli sauce when I asked for hot food. Apparently made a grown man cry - he painted quite a picture. I had to remind them to bring it with the meal and it was the heat level of ketchup. Not sure if this was a troll as I'd asked for something hot/spicy or what. I'd have preferred just to be told the truth or not had the sales pitch and anecdote. Food was okay but for £20 I didn't think it was worth the price, I'd have got more for my money elsewhere. I left hungry. As we aren't monsters, when trying to pay a little over we were abrubtly told 'We don't accept overpayments' and the waiter walked off, so don't try to tip here! You'll be told not to. If this is a policy please make it clear when customers receive the bill to avoid confusion.

Food was amazing. First time of being there. Would recommend 👌 to anyone

You know that you’re not going to have a good experience when you walk through the door at 4pm into an empty restaurant and the first thing that’s said to you is “Do you have a reservation”. I looked around the place at all the...

I've been here a few times now. Excellent food! Flawless service! Marcel my waiter was BRILLIANT the last two times I visited. He went the extra mile, which always adds to the experience. The restaurant had an open mic night on my last visit. It...

we came with my wife to eat something, the service was very nice. we ordered the chicken that just melted in your mouth, it was just delicious. we will definitely be back

Dined here recently with my daughter. The food was fabulous. The staff are courteous and friendly. I would not hesitate to recommend this restaurant and will definitely dine here again. It’s the first time I’ve eaten curried goat and it was gorgeous.