24 Carat Bistro & Deli Bar

This place has been on my radar for years… I have heard fantastic things from the Unilocalers about the jerk chicken and I was intrigued by what it would look like inside the venue. Situated down an alleyway in-​between two jewellery shops, you literally have no idea what it’s going to be like on the inside. Well, my curiosity was answered when arranging to meet up with Simone for a well needed catch up over some lunch…
The first thing you’ll spot with this venue is the signage outside. Sometimes there will also be someone in the front of the alley handing out flyers, but it’s easy enough to catch the orange signage and follow it through until you hit the cute stone exterior around the back of the shops.
The interior looks more like a french bistro, rather and a Caribbean restaurant — but that has no bearing on the food. We took a table in the corner and perused the menu… As I had heard some many good things, I ordered the Jerk Chicken (which is served with salad and white rice — rice and peas are extra) and a soft drink. The Jerk Chicken is £6.75 and is a very generous portion. It was quite heavy on the sauce, but totally delicious (and very filling).
I really liked the relaxed vibe, friendly staff and non-​fussy décor of this venue. They hold Caribbean nights (where the food is themed and served in candlelight), which I am hoping to get a chance to check out in the future.
If, like me, this is somewhere you have walked past and not tried yet — definitely give it a go. The food, service and décor were perfect for a chilled out catch up lunch (or might make a nice place for a date).

I have been to 24 Carat Bistro for the first time nearly two year ago. So I think this place deserves a review of review. If it makes sense. This charismatic bistro couldn’t be located in a better place than charming Jewellery Quarter.
it’s really the coziest restaurant in the area and it’ still surprises me that a French Bistro look alike is actually a modern Caribbean restaurant where homemade food is taken seriously.
I have invited my friend Melissa for a special meal (well, mostly to catching up with her) one of the Fridays after work and we had so much fun there. We were welcomed by a lady which I believe in a owner of he place. She was so attentive and friendly that it was really easy to feel comfortable in the restaurant.
Firstly, it’s almost hidden between some fine jewellery shops at Warstone Lane. You have to be a bit «nose» to spot the place. As soon as walk through the aisle, there is a beautiful bistro: 24 Carat Bistro.
The place is tiny so you can pay attention to all details in its décor. 24 Carat Bistro is a unique place in JQ, for sure I would describe it pretty much as a French style bistro with a Caribbean soul. There are colours, good music and the food smells pretty good!
It is almost like paying a visit to that relative with amazing cook skills and it’s nearly lunch time. Result: you have to stay and try the food!
On previous occasions I barely could find a free table. And sometimes I have had to give up eating in this restaurant without even waiting in a queue. My fault! It’s always packed, which is a sign of success, anyway. So it’s better to think about booking a table before tracking down to the place.
Luckily, this time we have plenty of tables available, unusual for a Friday afternoon. Or maybe we were a bit early for a lunch time.
The staff are very receptive and a lady that I imagine being the owner of the restaurant welcomed us in a very warm way. She has passion about her business and that is what I expect to see anywhere I go for food.
And as soon as we get the menu, I knew I would have quality food.
It’s all about delicious home cooked Jamaican food with a bit of a twist. I was quite happy to go for some Mushroom Stroganoff and had no regrets about it. It was tasty and I could have eaten more, in a very generous Caribbean kind of portion.
My friend got the authentic Caribbean Jerk chicken and I think she seemed to enjoy it.
24 Carat is an ideal place to take a friend for a quick bite or your husband/​boyfriend for a romantic dinner. There is an inviting fire that makes the place a bit warmer and it can be a good deal now when the temperatures start dropping here.
Another great deal is trying their option of locally produced wines. It was my friend’s idea to try two different types of wines. And I embraced it without hesitation, of course. First one: a generous glass of Black beer and raisin wine; a rich and malted wine perfect for cold days and I could go with a bottle to myself.
Second one: a spiced ginger. I don’t remember the exact name of the producers but both tasted delicious and I will give them a try again soon. Definitely!
Puds time: and because it was a Friday aka «the international treating yourself day» we chose two delicious options on the menu to share. A chocolate cake and a pineapple and rum one from heaven! I have no idea which dessert was the best but I pretty much like the idea of sharing it.
Friends, family and husband, you’ re all more than welcome to go back to 24 Carat Bistro to share some gorgeous food with me.

EDIT: since I first reviewed this place I’ve probably been in 15 – 20 times for lunch or meetings over a cuppa. Consistently nice place. Very warm welcome and good service.
I work in the huge Big Peg building in the Jewellery Quarter and venture out most lunch-​times to one or other of the many food establishments nearby. Most are average at best, usually way over-​priced for the care and quality on offer. There’s almost a local agreement that all must seek to achieve mere mediocrity.
Somehow I’d missed this gem of a place — not hard as they are nestled down a little alley between shops and the street board advertising it is rubbish. It was almost an accident that I found it, but I felt in the mood for something new and so I sneaked in.
Well, I love a place with character first and foremost and this has it. It’s like popping into someones lounge where they’ve installed a corny bar in the corner. It’s higgledy-​piggledy in the best way — is it a junk shop or a bar or a diner or a restaurant or a café? I dunno. Just look around and pretend you’ve found a best kept locals-​only secret kinda place on your hollibobs! Just settle in and enjoy the mildly haphazard service.
I did my usual anti-​social read the football pages and scoff lunch-​time routine. No fuss, no people to hassle me, and relax. The menu was long so it took a while to find something lunch-​style … way too long probably to be practical if a large group came in as there were only two staff.
Ordered the veg burger eventually, which was so obviously ‘home-​made’, and it came in a nice bun with onion rings and cheese on top, plus chips and salad. It was tasty and a decent portion; too big for me at lunch-​time so I took half home for later! I also ordered a piña colada milkshake (non-​alcohol) and man, that was good too. I’ve since had the bread and butter pudding with ice-​cream — homemade and fantastically authentic. The tea was rubbish tho’!
So, a great place to chill with lots of options. It’s probably just a tad too much for me to spend regularly at lunch-​time (I tend to stick to a fiver or so) but I will be back now and again because the lovely folks here deserve support … and I’d rather lounge here than many of the other places that get more business nearby!

This bistro has fabulous friendly staff, a gem (!) of a place in the jewellery quarter with simple and delicious affordable food. A must for a weekend break from shoppibg.

I only ever seem to visit this place when it’s really raining. Tucked away down an old alley you really do wonder where you are heading. Perhaps the rain effects my perceptions of this place.
My biggest problem is that I reflect on this place through nostalgia glasses knowing that they offer faggots and peas, cheese and potato pie and big yorkshires. It’s the place to visit for hearty food options but I always feel like its slightly pricey for what it is but you do get waitress service. Most of the options I could eat had sold out which left me with my standard issue fall back of a jacket spud. Whilst the hot chocolate I’d ordered was super frothy it was also very options instant with their over compensating sweetness instead of a chocolate taste. The jacket spud arrived with a hearty salad and coleslaw but my request for butter on my jacket got way laid somewhere.
If you want traditional Bristish, hearty food then give them a go. They have a range of home made deserts and they even gave us a little plate of chocolate biscuit fingers, alas I couldn’t eat these treats.

I absolutely love this tiny hidden gem of a café — its quirky homely décor and the friendliness of the staff. The main downside for me is the menu. As a vegetarian, I get SO BORED of only having a jacket and beans as my one lunch option. And whilst these guys do home cooked food with daily specials — the cheese and potato pie had just sold out and I don’t eat cheese anyway!
My friend wanted that, so instead askedif they did tuna she could have witha jacket (she’s coeliac) but they don’t do tuna. She ordered the soup instead only to find that had sold out too but SURPRISE! A can of tuna had been found in the kitchen so all was saved. Phew!
Sweet potato fries make a surprising addition to an otherwise Black Country style menu — if you want faggots in the JQ, you need to come here!