We love it when a place ‘does exactly what it says on the tin’. Few restaurants fulfil this notion more than Rice & Things in Stokes Croft, which serves, well, rice and things. Specifically authentic Jamaican things. With the Bristol restaurant heralded as one of the best Caribbean spots in the city, if not the country.
But Rice & Things has humble beginnings. After arriving in Bristol in 2000 (with only eight US dollars in his pocket), Chef Neufville got to work cooking for family and friends before establishing a “hole in the wall” takeaway. Since then, Rice and Things has grown into an award-winning and nationally acclaimed Jamaican restaurant with some very famous fans.
Back in 2011, Jamie Oliver reached out to Rice & Things to feature it on a TV show, Jamie’s Great Britain. Dropping by to see Chef Neufville cook up a variety of traditional Jamaican dishes, Jamie hailed the traditional Caribbean food as a ‘new British Classic’. (Rice & Things is also featured in the accompanying book of the same name, which you probably have on a bookshelf somewhere.)
He’s not the only celebrity chef to be a fan either, as Ainsley Harriott was also once spotted popping in. So what’s got some of the best in the biz clamouring over this tiny 12-table takeaway in Stokes Croft? Well, obviously it’s the food. Rice & Things is far from fine dining, but for authentic and heartwarming Carribean cuisine you’ll find nowhere better.
Using only authentic, fresh and organic ingredients – and traditional Jamaican techniques handed down generations – this is a true taste of Jamaica. Dishes like jerk chicken, curry goat, and ackee and saltfish (all full of heat and flavour) are items most people with a passing interest in Jamaican food have tried. But what about stew oxtail and butter beans, peppered steak (a Jamaican-style stir-fry), or hominy porridge? You won’t be able to get enough after you try!
Whether you’re missing the flavours of Jamaica (and proper Jamaican hospitality) or just want to discover a new cuisine, Rice & Things can satisfy your cravings. Serving both takeaway and sit-down dining in the evening and at lunchtime, you can learn more about Rice & Things here.