Bristol’s food scene, it should bear repeating, has a lot going for it. Named as only the UK’s second gold sustainable food city back in 2021 and as the world’s number one vegan city a year earlier, this south west culinary powerhouse also boasts a healthy, stacked Michelin Guide and plenty more acclaimed eateries besides.
Narrowing those restaurants down into a singular, definitive list, then, is something of a thankless task. But we’ve taken on that task, begrudgingly eating the finest food from across Bristol, from Korean grilled chicken to bowls of pasta that reached triple figures, to bring you this; our guide on where to eat in Bristol. Here are the IDEAL 22 restaurants in Bristol.
Bokman, Cotham
Ideal for a reviving, exciting Korean spread centred around grilled chicken…
Tucked away at the end of a steep cul-de-sac off Bristol’s loose and lively Stokes Croft neighbourhood, you’ll find Bokman, a small Korean restaurant with a big reputation.
The work of Duncan Robertson and Kyu Jeon, who met at Paris’s L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon and have since got married, this is a unique dining experience that is both intimate and exhilarating, the tightly spaced dining room on the ground floor a buzzing, belying centrepiece to the grill work going on out back.
On that upright, rotating charcoal spit you’ll find the star of Bokman’s blistered show; the Tongdak. Featuring crisp-skinned rotisserie chicken stuffed with sticky rice and slow-cooked until tender, it’s served with ssam style, with lettuce leaves for wrapping and a selection of dipping sauces and pickles. A bowl of the house kimchi is, of course, obligatory. It’s got to be the most celebratory, all-in sharing plate in the city.
Bokman’s menu doesn’t stop at the Tongdak, though. Seasonal vegetable bibimbap makes the ideal dinner for one, the famous stone bowl rice dish given lift-off with gratings of cured pollock roe and an oozing egg yolk, whilst the seolleongtang – a wibbly, wobbly beef stew topped with spring onions and spicy dadaegi condiment – is one winter warmer and a half, and could be peddled as a health food were it not so damn indulgent tasting. Whole bream bathing happily under a rusty gochujang-heavy sauce is yet another knockout. Yep, you’ll want to bring friends for this one.
All you need alongside is a bottle of room temperature soju and consider your cockles thoroughly warmed (can you tell we’re writing this on a particularly chilly day?).
Cool things right back down with Bokman’s signature soft-serve, perfect even in winter, and you’ve got yourself one of the most peerless, joyful dining experiences in Bristol.
Excitingly, as of late 2024, the team behind Bokman have recently opened a new restaurant over on Chandos Road. Named Dongnae, we can’t wait to check it out soon.
Instagram: @bokmanbristol
Address: 3 Nine Tree Hill, Cotham, Bristol BS1 3SB
Gullu’s Kitchen, Fishponds
Ideal for some of Bristol’s most celebrated Jamaican food…
You can’t come to Bristol and not have some Jamaican food, the city having a large Jamaican population stemming from the UK’s efforts to rebuild after World War II. The British Nationality Act of 1948 gave citizens of the Commonwealth the right to settle in the UK, leading to the arrival of the Windrush generation, many of whom were Jamaican and made Bristol their home.
As more Jamaicans settled in Bristol, they formed communities and support networks which, in turn, attracted further migration from Jamaica. Over time, the Jamaican community in Bristol has made significant cultural contributions to the city, particularly in music, food, and festivals like the annual St Pauls Carnival, which celebrates African-Caribbean culture.
And so we wind up at Gullu’s Kitchen in Bristol’s Fishponds suburb, getting thoroughly seasoned with jerk smoke as we await arguably the city’s finest dose of grilled chicken, Caribbean or otherwise. A takeaway only joint (pedants, look away from the ‘best restaurants’ part of the title), you’ll see the jerk pan – an oil drum that’s blackened from years of expert barbecuing – standing proudly outside Gullu’s, with several blistered legs being thoroughly doted on by a be-gloved, sometimes be-goggled cook.
God this is good chicken – nicely piquant from the house jerk sauce and charred beautifully. But don’t stop there; the brown stew chicken is phenomenal and arguably the most popular dish here. We’re also fans of the tender oxtail stew with butter beans. Loaded with big, bold Caribbean flavours, this rich, aromatic stew is meltingly tender and heady in its spicing. Have it over both chips and rice, and take your haul over to Coombe Brook Nature Reserve (a five minute walk) for a seriously elite picnic.
Website: gulluskitchen.co.uk
Address: 282 Lodge Causeway, Fishponds, Bristol BS16 3RD
The Harbour House, Floating Harbour
On the edge of Bristol’s Floating Harbour, it feels like the Harbour House has carved out a very specific niche for itself in this part of town, not just through its prime location in the Old City (and just a ten minute walk from Temple Meads) but also through its commitment to showcasing the best of what the Southwest has to offer on an all-things-to-all-men kind of menu that somehow manages to do just about everything really well.
Billed by the restaurant themselves as ‘a venue for every occasion’, that tagline both sums things up pretty aptly but also sells the Harbour House short somewhat, as the food here is genuinely excellent.
The menu is broadly divided into ‘butcher’, ‘fishmonger’, and ‘greengrocer’, with snacks, sides and sweet stuff also catered for, and with plenty of crowd pleasers in each section. Yep, even the most fussy members of the group will be satisfied here, whether that’s in the gently spiced but markedly smokey kedgeree arancini (served with pickled raisins and curry mayo), or the grilled pork chop with fries and a mixed leaf salad, which is blissfully barmarked from the grill, just a touch pink within, and possessing a handsome layer of sweet, crisp fat. It’s gorgeous, and shows off some sympathetic, respectful cooking from the kitchen. These guys definitely understand ingredients. At lunch, there’s salads and sandwiches too, for those leaning towards something lighter.
The buzzing, family-friendly atmosphere at Harbour House adds another layer to its charm. On a warm summer’s day, the dining room sparkles with sunlight reflecting off the harbour waters, and the deck is alive with the relaxed chatter of satisfied customers. On a pissing-down spring day – when we visited, incidentally – things feel no less inviting, the thoroughly animated dining room offering respite from Bristol’s very gloomiest tendencies. A childlike nostalgia for the comfort of being inside a caravan when a proper storm was kicking up was very much evoked. Just with loads more wine; the Arête Piquepoul-Terret, with a distinctive briny minerality and lively acidity, is available by the glass for under a tenner.
Website: hhbristol.com
Address: The Grove, Bristol BS1 4RB
Cotto Wine Bar & Kitchen, Old City
Ideal for Italian small plates and interesting wines…
This wine bar and kitchen, part of the esteemed Bianchis Group whose growing presence in the city can only be a good thing, only emerged in early 2022 but has already firmly found its feet in Bristol’s Old City.
Transforming from its previous incarnations as La Sorella, a deli and aperitivo bar, and then Bar Ripiena, the pandemic thwarted plans to reimagine the space as a lasagne bar (how good does that sound?), leading to the birth of Cotto, a cosy bolthole known for its chilled out vibe and homestyle Italian cooking.
During the day, the tight room exudes a serene atmosphere with its muted, tactile terracotta walls and framed cartoons, while in the evenings, it transforms into a lively space with a convivial glow that you notice from the road. Trust us; it beckons you in.
Patrons can choose to sit up at the bar, overlooking St Stephen’s Street, enjoying a glass of wine and a small plate, though the enticing menu might make settling for just that feel like a missed opportunity. From that menu, the beef shin lasagne is superb; cakey and upright, just as it should be, and positively humming from its rich, pastoral ragu and aged parmesan-spiked bechamel. For good measure, it sits atop a little pool of tomato compote, which brings a welcome jolt of acidity.
Before that (because it will finish you off), make sure you order the artichoke fritti, a beautiful big pile of the bastards that have been drizzled with hot honey and showered with a few cooling leaves of mint. Popping in for just a plate of these and a glass of something cloudy and funky is very much the vibe of the place.
Or, go larger from the ever changing lineup of pasta; a bowl of fregola with clams and datterini or bucatini alla nerano, if you like.
With a generous selection of wines (many biodynamic) available by the glass, Cotto is a thoroughly agreeable place to spend an evening, or even an hour.
Website: cottowinebarandkitchen.co.uk
Address: 29-31 St Stephen’s St, Bristol BS1 1JX
The Blaise Inn, Henbury
Ideal for a country pub escape close to the city…
Not all of Bristol’s very best dining goes down in the centre of town. Indeed, venture just a little further afield, and you’ll be rewarded with some truly excellent options for your supper.
Perhaps our favourite slightly out-of-town spot sits in the peaceful residential suburb of Henbury, around a half hour’s drive from the city centre. It’s the kind of mission you need to make to enjoy a truly ‘country pub’ experience so close to a major urban centre. And the Blaise Inn offers just that, with a side of order of culinary excellence thrown in for good measure.
This Michelin Bib Gourmand-awarded gastropub has quickly become a beloved fixture in the local dining scene since its opening in 2021, the work of Louise McCrimmon, a celebrated chef with previous as executive chef at Harvey Nichols back in central Bristol. Alongside her husband Ian and their neighbours Nicola and Peter Gilbert, McCrimmon has crafted a dining experience that feels like a glorious break from the hustle and bustle of the UK’s sixth largest city, even if it’s just for an afternoon.
That perception of escape certainly isn’t harmed by the Blaise Inn’s enviable vantage point just a mere stone’s throw from the picturesque Blaise Castle Estate, a sprawling 650-acre park owned by Bristol City Council. This proximity not only provides diners with a scenic backdrop but also imbues the inn with a sense of historical significance, as the estate itself was laid out by the renowned landscape designer Humphry Repton in the early 19th century.
The scene is well and truly set for a proper pub lunch, then, and the Blaise Inn duly delivers, with chef McCrimmon drawing on her classic French training and a steadfast commitment to seasonality to breathe new life into traditional pub dishes. So, that’s a half pint of gorgeously sweet, juicy prawns, served with a bracing but beautifully judged lemon aioli. Or, a perfect puck of ham hock terrine given lift off with a celeriac remoulade which was fresh and nutty, rather than cloying. A main course of slow cooked pork belly with radicchio and a nectarine and fennel dressing recently felt so succinct for a season just about to turn colder, and an on-point creme caramel with honey roast figs sealed the deal.
It pretty much goes without saying that the Sunday roast here is one of Bristol’s most celebrated. In the kegs, local favourite Fortitude, beautifully amber and supremely drinkable, flows with gusto. What’s not to love about the Blaise Inn?
Website: theblaiseinn.co.uk
Address: 260 Henbury Rd, Henbury, Bristol BS10 7QR
Read: The best Sunday roasts in Bristol
Paco Tapas, Redcliffe
Ideal for star-worthy tapas with a focus on the wood-fired grill…
Paco Tapas was one of only three Spanish restaurants in the UK to hold a Michelin star, the other two being London powerhouses Sabor and Barrafina. Though Paco has now inexplicably lost that star, (as has, even more strangely, Barrafina), the tapas bar still shines just as brightly as ever for us.
Part of an acclaimed set of restaurants overseen by chef Peter Sanchez-Iglesias that also includes the excellent Casa next door and London’s Decimo, Paco is arguably the shining star in that roster, its confident, unfussy rendition of Spanish tapas classics delivered with elegance and just a little sprinkling of stardust.
The daily changing menu, with ever-presents like paletilla Iberica and patatas bravas rubbing shoulders with items scrawled on the menu last-minute according to what’s just arrived fresh and destined for the applewood fired grill, is a delight. Highlights include whole quail stuffed with sobrasada and dates, its salty, sweet interplay judged perfectly, and baby leeks, grilled until blackened and collapsing and served alongside a beautifully constructed, gently smoked romesco sauce.
The restaurant’s recently introduced menu del dia is a joy, too. Clocking in at £35 a head for several rounds of tapas, it’s great value for the quality on show. On a recent visit, a fish of the day featured in this line-up, here hake poached in a white wine and prawn stock and enriched with aioli. Plump mussels swam alongside it happily.
A plate of chorizo a la sidra (spicy sausages cooked in cider) was divine, its sticky reduction crying out for bread, for mopping. Bread was provided and mop we did.
A sherry, delivered from barrel to clipper without any intermediary, sees you on your way. Yep, this is without doubt one of Bristol’s eminent dining experiences. It’s a whole lot of fun, too.
Website: pacotapas.co.uk
Address: 3, The General, Lower Guinea St, Redcliffe, Bristol BS1 6FU
Lido, Clifton
Ideal for Middle Eastern sharing plates with the most singular of dinner views…
Lido is one of Bristol’s most unique venues for a meal, combining the charm of a restored Victorian swimming pool with the culinary delights of a top-tier restaurant. It’s a match made in heaven.
Sitting pretty in the heart of Clifton, one of Bristol’s most picturesque quarters, Lido offers more than just a place to swim; it’s an urban oasis where you can indulge in a spa treatment, relax in the sauna or hot tub, and then treat your taste buds to an exquisite meal. Or, do it the other way round, of course, leaving a little time for your food to go down before diving in.
Indigestion be damned; Lido’s history dates back to 1850 when it first opened its doors as a public swimming bath. After changing hands several times and even facing the threat of redevelopment into flats, it was finally purchased by Arne Ringer in 2004. Since then, it has been transformed into a place for Bristolians to relax and to gorge, equally.
The poolside menu at Lido takes on a Middle Eastern inflection – light, fresh and lively, and kinda perfect if you’re taking a dip after – with wood-fired flatbreads forming the anchor around which the seasonal small plates revolve.
Though not strictly vegetarian by any means, this is without doubt one of the best restaurants in the city for veggies, with some truly superlative vegetable-led cooking on show. Don’t pass over the beetroot and ajo blanco dish, the root vegetable ember roasted until close to collapse, propped up by a rich, tart emulsion of almonds and garlic. Just incredible. Some of that superb flatbread for dredging seals the deal.
All that said, when protein hits the grill here, magic happens. On a visit in the summer, charcoal-grilled onglet dressed in an anchovy, garlic-and chilli butter was gnarly in all the right places and as tender as you like in others, proving once again that this type of cut is so much more satisfying than a clinical fillet. Sea ass, given a similar rough and ready treatment on the grill, ends up being just as good as that onglet.
Appropriate for dining next to a shimmering, summery body of water, Lido’s selection of ice creams and sorbets always hit the spot, too. The Pedro Ximenez and raisin affair is particularly indulgent, and moody enough to feel suitable even in the depths of winter.
Lido offers a range of packages that include swimming, eating and massages, the most popular being the ‘Swim and Lunch’ package that includes use of the pool and spa, followed by a two-course lunch. What a lovely way to spend a rest day.
Website: lidobristol.com
Address: Oakfield Pl, Clifton, Bristol BS8 2BJ
Littlefrench, Westbury Park
Ideal for indulgent escapism in butter, garlic and cream…
Bristol’s Westbury Park is the very definition of leafy, laid back suburb, all Victorian terraces, premium prams, and the chatter of folk who don’t have much place to be. If there’s not a GAIL’s somewhere, there should be.
It should come as no surprise, then, that Westbury Park boasts one of the most celebrated neighbourhood bistros in the city. Scrap that; the country. At chef Freddy Bird’s Littlefrench, the vibe is all about unpretentious, flavour-packed French country cooking and quality bottles of quaffable wine whose prices are similarly easy to swallow. Some are even sub £30, which, in today’s economy, is becoming increasingly unheard of.
Indeed, slipping into the banquette seating for a cosy, candlelit evening is one of our guiltiest midweek treats; escapism in its purest form. Lose yourself in the roast queen scallops, five of them served in the shell, anointed with an opulent sauternes butter sauce. A supplement of Sturia Oscietra caviar is an indulgence, sure, but that’s why you’re here, right?
From the mains, an indulgent and elegant bowl of hake, clams and monks beard, with a rich emulsion of cider and crème fraîche sauce swirling around them, pulls together a happy collection of briny ingredients. On a more recent visit (yep, we’ve been here a few times), the whole roast partridge with bone marrow bread sauce is all tied together with a mouth-coating, caramel-like armagnac jus. Yep, your cardiologist isn’t going to thank Freddy Bird, but who gives a fuck when the food is this good.
As you reel from the fat in every form and the casual swearing, don’t forget to save room for dessert. For another dependable dose of fat, Littlefrench’s extraordinarily elegant creme brulee is a sensuous, light and lovely dream. The chocolate mousse is dark and properly rich, sure, but it’s also almost cleansing in its simplicity. The fact it’s served in a puddle of cream does no harm. You might need stretching out at the end of all this, but as you stare at the chilly night sky from your prone position, you’ll feel very satisfied indeed.
Earlier this year, the team behind Little French opened a new restaurant; the enthusiastically reviewed second act 1 York Place, a restaurant that places a keener focus on pan-European dishes and seafood.
Website: littlefrench.co.uk
Address: 2 North View, Westbury Park, Bristol BS6 7QB
BOX-E, Wapping Wharf
Ideal for beautifully big-hearted plates in the most intimate of dining spaces…
Nabbing a booking in this compact, 14-cover shipping container restaurant in Bristol’s Wapping Wharf certainly isn’t easy. But spare a thought for the man behind the stoves; there’s even less room out back. How he manages to coax such flavour and finesse from such a small space is a wonder.
That man is Elliott Lidstone, a former head chef of L’Ortolan and The Empress pub in Hackney, BOX-E exudes a quiet ambition that feels quintessentially Bristolian – the minimalist, utilitarian interiors and sparse menu descriptors belying the complexity found on the plate. Sure, a dish of hake, butter beans and cauliflower may sound simple – beige, even – but really, was anything but. Decadent and lively, and with the fillet of hake cooked just under, as it should be, this was a sublime bit of fish cookery, bolstered by a caramelised cauliflower puree that brought depth to the plate.
Desserts at BOX-E are simple yet satisfying, with chef Lidstone’s panna cotta always a winner. So much so, in fact, that there are often two on the menu – right now, one is centred around vanilla, the other black treacle. Order one each and you’ve got yourself some ying and yang vibes right there. Indeed, while the restaurant may not have the capacity for intricate pastry work, the desserts are still crafted with care and attention, ensuring a delightful end to your meal.
BOX-E is more than just a restaurant; it’s a testament to the spirit of Bristol – innovative, ambitious, and unafraid to do things differently.
Website: boxebristol.com
Address: Unit 10 Cargo 1, Bristol BS1 6WP
Root, Wapping Wharf
Ideal for superb vegetable-led – rather than solely vegetarian – cooking in a shipping container…
We’re sticking around in Wapping Wharf for a feast of vegetable-centric dishes next, at Root, one of the South West’s most celebrated restaurants. Root’s ethos revolves around promoting sustainable food and fostering direct trade between local producers, suppliers, and chefs. This commitment to sustainability and local sourcing is not just a marketing gimmick but a core principle that shapes the menu and wider operations, particularly their celebration of seasonal vegetables.
Here, prettily presented plates which vibrate with the colour of fresh produce and don’t sacrifice anything on flavour that just keep coming. We particularly love their wicked way with barbecued leaves and greens; right now, a charred hispi cabbage is served dressed Caesar salad-style, and the results are (predictably) magnificent. Perhaps even better, and singing with the season, is a mushroom and lentil kiev, giving new meaning to the Come Dine With Me favourite of garlic butter mushrooms. It sits on a pillowy cloud of celeriac puree, and sits under a tumble of piquant pickled shiitake. The balance of this one is perfect.
If the weather’s looking good (yep, we realise we’re feasting on late autumnal bits here), try to nab a seat out on the small terrace area; it boasts fantastic views of the harbourside.
Website: rootbristol.co.uk
Address: Unit 9 Cargo 1, Gaol Ferry Steps, Bristol BS1 6WP
Gambas, Wapping Wharf
Ideal shelling, sucking and slurping your way through Spanish prawns in a variety of preparations…
Please; just one more meal in a shipping container before we leave this shimmering corner of Bristol. And so it is to Gambas, another of Wapping Wharf’s heavy-hitters.
A tapas bar (well, shipping container) that puts all things prawn on a pedestal, there are a few better ways to spend an evening than here, with your sleeves rolled up and your inhibitions down, sucking the head juice out of some salty, blistered wild red prawns.
Keep that blistered, off-bitter vibe going with stunning Cornish sardines that are tossed on the plancha and served a simple dressing of with garlic, parsley and lemon.
For those not in thrall to the rusty flavours of the sea, there’s still plenty to enjoy from Gambas’ De La Tierra (‘of the earth’) section of the menu, which despite its rather lofty subheader, is essentially a catalogue of tapas bar classics. The fried aubergine with molasses is exceptional.
It’s also great to see Idiazabal – the smoky, gamy Basque soft cheese – on the menu here. It represents a fine way to finish a meal that’s been all about luxuriating in shellfish.
Website: gambasbristol.co.uk
Address : Unit 12, Cargo 2, Museum St, Bristol BS1 6ZA
Bulrush, Cotham
Ideal for trying Bristol’s last Michelin-star standing…
Weirdly for a city which, until recently, was decorated with several, the only Michelin-starred place on our roundup of Bristol’s best restaurants is here. Bulrush is the brainchild of chef George Livesey, whose natural talent and innovative approach to cooking have earned him widespread acclaim.
His classical training with the Roux brothers and stints at L’Enclume and St John is evident in the elegant nine-course menu here (clocking in at an eminently reasonable £90, incidentally), which showcases his mastery of precision technique and refined, defined flavour.
The restaurant’s name, Bulrush, is intriguingly derived from a type of marsh plant, Scirpus lacustris, traditionally used for making mats and chair seats. This reflects the restaurant’s ethos of simplicity, authenticity, and a reverence for nature, an outlook highlighted further still in the whitewashed brick dining room.
There’s no bells and whistles here, that’s for certain, with all eyes falling on the plate and its celebration of just one or two bang-in-season ingredients. That’s not to say that flavour combinations here aren’t innovative and, occasionally, thought-provoking; an amuse bouche of crab paired with chamomile-adjacent pineappleweed is a wonderful case in point. Ditto the current headliner course of duck breast cooked to a perfect blushing pink cuisson and sitting beside a fermented peach, giving the most beautiful balance is umami richness and complex acidity.
The wine flight is just as carefully composed, and well worth the £65 for a raft of interesting, intricate primarily new world offerings. For us, Bulrush is the best fine dining experience in Bristol, and one we keep going back to time and time again.
Website: bulrushrestaurant.co.uk
Address: 21 Cotham Rd S, Cotham, Bristol BS6 5TZ
Read: 8 IDEAL steps to the perfect steak
Noah’s, Spike Island
Ideal for some of the country’s best fish and chips, enjoyed next to a shimmering body of water…
This newly-opened, family-run establishment, sitting by the Cumberland Basin and enjoying fantastic views of the water, is the brainchild (not their actual child – he’s the eponymous Noah) of dynamic husband-and-wife duo Dan and Joie Rosser. Their passion for showcasing the best of British seafood is palpable in every dish they serve, whether it’s the exemplary fish and chips that is Noah’s signature or the Cornish lemon sole, grilled whole on the bone.
Either way, rest assured that this is as fresh as fish comes, sourced from day boats from Devon and Cornwall and cooked sympathetically and with maximum respect. All you need now is a bowl of fluffy, thick cut chips and a beer or two. Aaaah; I think we might just stay here awhile.
Website: noahsbristol.co.uk
Address: 1 Brunel Lock Rd, Bristol BS1 6XS
Sonny Stores, Southville
Ideal for an expertly conceived ‘Britalian’ dining experience…
Another family-run operation named after the co-owners’ son; Sonny Stores.
Here, River Cafe alumnus Pegs Quinn and his wife Mary Glynn run one of the city’s most cherished recent openings, with a broadly ‘Britalian’ menu showcasing fantastic local produce cooked with reverence in a tightly-packed, always busy dining room.
Though the building itself may be intimate, it houses a genuinely excellent dining experience. Not perhaps as pasta heavy as some of the other great Italian restaurants in Bristol, here the vibe is fresh, light and largely vegetable-led. All that said, perhaps our favourite dish in recent memory was an offal-based pasta dish; the superlative chicken liver ragu served over freshly made, perfectly al dente pappardelle and sitting under wafts of 24 month aged parmesan. What a gently funky, immensely satisfying dish.
Vegetarians will eat very well here, though, with the farinata (chickpea pancake) and charred friggitelli peppers particularly good, and the perfect accompaniment to a cold one, just as it’s done in Bel Paese.
The pizzettas are quite rightly the stuff of legend, too. If the taleggio with burnt onion, sage and hot honey, and a cheeky chilli bedded into the cheese, is on the menu, order it.
End with an affogato, just as we’re going to do (here the espresso is poured over creamy stracciatella ice cream), and you’ve got yourself one of the most gratifying meals in Bristol. So gratifying, in fact, that we might just need a minute…
Website: sonnystores.com
Address: 47 Raleigh Rd, Southville, Bristol BS3 1QS
Bravas, Redland
Ideal for late night tapas…
Authenticity is the name of the game at this Redland institution, where the owners cite regular staff trips to Spain as the inspiration for their steadfast takes on classic tapas dishes.
If you’re hoping to simply swan in off the street like you were on a merry bar crawl in Seville, be warned; Bravas is reliably packed like Ortiz sardines pretty much every evening, except on Sundays, when it’s closed to recover from the week’s hangover. Fortunately, the place opens at midday and runs until midnight without pause for the remaining six days, so there’s always room if you arrive at a traditionally ‘off peak’ hour (4:47pm, if you’re asking). You can, of course, book ahead, but that rather kills the romance, don’t you think?
Anyway, the wait is richly rewarded, with highlights like cod bronzed from the plancha and served with a properly bracing mojo verde, or a really lovely little cazuela of chorizo braised in cider, the juices, as always, the best part. The patatas bravas from which the restaurant takes its names are a faithful rendition of a classic, too. A signature sherry negroni or two seals the deal, and has us still propping up the bar at close (sorry guys!).
Website: bravas.co.uk
Address: 7 Cotham Hill, Redland, Bristol BS6 6LD
The Saigon Kitchen, Redland
Ideal for soul-nourishing plates of Northern Vietnamese food…
Vietnamese food feels criminally underrepresented in Bristol, with many lovers of pho, banh mi and the rest often heading out of town and to the acclaimed Noya’s Kitchen in Bath for their fix of the good stuff.
The Saigon Kitchen is changing all that. Chef Trung, originally from a small fishing village close to Halong Bay in Vietnam’s north, is the man at the stoves here, delivering time-honoured, broadly Northern Vietnamese recipes to the Redland faithful.
Indeed, despite the restaurant’s name, it’s Hanoi’s streetfood that is most well represented here, with a very welcome, very delicious appearance of the iconic cha ca la vong a menu highlight. Here, chunks of white fish are marinated in galangal and turmeric before being fried in a tangle of spring onions and dill, the marinade turning the oil a delicious shade of brass. Enjoy with fresh rice noodles and heaps of herbs for one of Hanoi’s most lauded bites. The version here is superb.
Of course, there’s pho too, here the savoury, sparse Northern version that has the miraculous ability of dusting off even the most brutal of Walking Whirlwind hangovers. Even better is the bun cha, the essential Hanoi lunch dish of beautifully sweet and caramelised barbecued pork patties and slices of belly, fresh rice noodles and herbs, all brought together with a sweet and sour fish sauce dressing. Banging.
If it’s a hair of the dog kind of situation (not sure why we’re suddenly assuming it is), then the Saigon Kitchen is open from midday on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, with bottles of Saigon and Hanoi beer (the former trumps the latter) available for £6.
Website: thesaigonkitchen.co.uk
Address: 25 Zetland Rd, Redland, Bristol BS6 7AH
The Clifton, Clifton
Ideal for Bristol’s newest (and best) gastropub experience…
Billed as an ‘ale and food house’ (when did ‘gastropub’ become a pejorative?), The Clifton, much like the Devonshire in Soho that opened at a similar time in 2023, just seems to understand pubs and the type of food people want to eat in those pubs.
Its instant success should come as no surprise; there’s serious pedigree behind the Clifton. Run by Sarah and Tom Watts-Jones, who are also behind two successful venues in Wales – the Heathcock in Cardiff and the Hare & Hounds in Aberthin – this place just exudes warmth and hospitality, with a dog-friendly front bar still encouraging drinkers to drop in for a plate of halved langoustines with thirds of lemon, and a spacious room out back for the finer dining elements.
One of the key changes since the Watts-Jones takeover was the introduction of a custom-made Ox Grill in the kitchen, with the majority of the meat and fish at the Clifton now cooked over an open fire. With an emphasis on seasonal British produce, woodfire cooking and sharing dishes, this is one amiable place to spend an afternoon, picking over crispy pig’s cheek or diving face first into one of the signature ox cheek and pickled walnut pies.
End it all (don’t; there’s so much still to live for) with the pub’s indulgent Guinness steamed pudding with milk ice cream, allowing the ice cream to melt enough to create a frothy head on top of the cake, of course, and think about how there are fewer better places in the world than a British pub with a kitchen on song.
Website: thecliftonbristol.com
Address: 16 Regent St, Clifton, Bristol BS8 4HG
Marmo, Old City
Ideal for Italian small plates and interesting wines (hang on, haven’t we already said that? Bristol is that kind of place)…
Back in the older part of the city, close to the Hippodrome Theatre, Marmo is a hip (do hip people say ‘hip’?) osteria-cum-wine-bar that has quickly become a favourite among locals and national restaurant reviewers alike.
The kitchen, led by Cosmo Sterck, focuses on a concise seasonal menu of Italian dishes that are both flavourful and beautifully presented. The wine selection, curated by Lily Sterck, has some interesting, sometimes exclusive drops, with several available by the glass.
Whilst Jay Rayner was certainly right to call Marmo ‘an absolute corker’ (not a comment on their inept opening of those interesting drops, we hope), you might need a second opinion. Find it in our roundup of Bristol’s best Italian restaurants, if the mood takes you.
Website: marmo.restaurant
Address: 31 Baldwin St, Bristol BS1 1RG
Blu-Fire Smoke n Grill, Brislington
Ideal for Bristol’s best Sunday Roast, Caribbean style…
Specialising in Jamaican Cuisine, Blu-Fire Smoke n Grill has made a name for itself as one of the elite culinary destinations for Bristol’s Caribbean food enthusiasts.
Originally a catering operation at music festivals across the south west, Blu-Fire has since evolved into a beloved bricks and mortar operation in the heart of buzzy Brislington Village. With a few tables inside and a small counter with stools in the window, there’s an easygoing, convivial vibe here, with regulars dropping in for a coffee and a chat with husband and wife team Juliette and Colin, daytrippers coming in hungry after a round of crazy golf or afternoon spent strolling in Arnos Vale Cemetery, and devoted peppered steak and oxtail stew fans pitching up for one of the UK’s best versions, served on Sundays, roast style. Deeply brown and brooding, glossy and fragrant, it’s served with roasties, yorkies, coleslaw and more.
During the week, Blu-Fire’s jerk chicken takes centre stage. For £16.95, you get two beautifully glazed chicken thighs, rice and peas, coleslaw and steamed veg, all expertly done. Bristol’s Caribbean food scene will certainly leave you spoilt for choice, but Blu-Fire is arguably the city’s very best.
Website: blufire.co.uk
Address: 31 Brislington Hill, Brislington, Bristol BS4 5BE
COR, Bedminster
Ideal for attentive service and plates of Mediterranean love and lightness…
We’re massive fans of Bristol’s premier prawn purveyors over at Gambas in Wapping Wharf, as we’ve made clear in this article already. So, when we heard that Mark Chapman, a man with a significant tenure as Gambas executive chef under his belt, and wife Karen had opened COR in Bemmy in late 2022, our interest wasn’t just piqued; it was aroused.
To say that COR found its feet fast would be an understatement. It was recognised by the Michelin Guide with a Bib Gourmand only a few months after opening, the red book rightly remarking on the restaurant’s ‘contagious positivity’. This bright, breezy outlook is found both in the room and on the plate, with tender, perceptive service a hallmark here, and dishes that represent something of a love letter to the Mediterranean, seen through a British lens and delivered with flair and creativity.
The seasonal canelé is a signature, and a lovely, anchoring way of checking in with where Bristol produce is currently at. Right now, that burnished, striated pastry cylinder has been filled with whipped goat’s cheese and wild thyme. It sits in a pool of vivid magenta-hued beetroot, and it’s one perfectly poised mouthful.
You could order one of these, a plate of Wye Valley asparagus with lemon butter sauce, and some Roman-style artichokes, and be very happy indeed, luxuriating in just how perfectly Spring-like and seasonal your order is, but that would be to miss out on the show stopping larger plates.
The Iberico pork presa blushes pink in a way that would scare your ma but eats beautifully, with its accompanying panzanella salad of Isle of Wight tomatoes and marinated anchovies. A little quince jam sends everything on its way and into the arms of the waiting sourdough, no doubt smeared with COR’s amazing black garlic butter if you’ve got any sense.
Another firm favourite on a recent visit was the Hereford beef onglet with burnt shallot, hazelnut beurre noisette, gorgonzola and jus, the enjoyably chewy steak revealing its rich, brooding flavour more with every bite.
Pasta is done superbly here too, unsurprisingly. A dish of tagliolini with Dorset clams, bottarga with calabrian chilli had my dining partner positively cooing, its drifts of cured fish liver adding umami and funk in all the right places.
Yep, COR is a place where the finer details have been taken care of, where the cooking is truly out of the top drawer, but the vibe remains refreshingly laid back and casual, which is exactly what you want from a neighbourhood restaurant, don’t you think? Not just one of 22, COR is perhaps our very favourite restaurant in Bristol.
Website: correstaurant.com
Address: 81 North St, Bedminster, Bristol BS3 1ES
Souk Kitchen, Southville
Ideal for light, bright Middle Eastern food…
Souk Kitchen has established itself as a standout destination in Bristol’s dining scene, offering a menu that thoughtfully combines Middle Eastern and North African culinary traditions with high-quality local ingredients. It’s a match made in heaven.
Sitting pretty opposite the always-rammed Tobacco Factory Theatres in ever-buzzier Southville (Sonny Stores, also part of our IDEAL 22, is just two minutes down the road if you’re up for a tasty one-two punch), SOUK Kitchen is perhaps a restaurant best enjoyed in the daytime. During the lunch hours, the room feels light and bright, a vibe that feels in synergy with what’s on the plate.
The restaurant is renowned for its freshly flavoured, punchy but comforting dishes, such as the Anatolian lamb yahni and the chicken tagine with ginger and prune, which showcase the depth and diversity of the regions’ flavours. The ever-changing seasonal menu ensures a fresh and dynamic dining experience, with the mezze selection always a treat.
The popular weekend brunch features robust options like the Tunisian shakshuka, alongside a well-executed bloody Mary. SOUK Kitchen’s dedication to local sourcing is evident, with meats and breads procured from nearby suppliers, reflecting a commitment to community and quality.
Following its success, SOUK Kitchen expanded with a café and deli in Clifton, mirroring the original location’s menu and offering the added convenience of a retail space for their unique spice blends. The mothership is still the one we’re drawn to, however.
The drinks, including a wonderfully floral quince martini and very grown-up tasting blood orange margarita, complement the vivid, vibrant food with a similarly creative touch. What a lovely restaurant SOUK Kitchen is, and certainly of Bristol’s best.
Website: soukitchen.co.uk
Address: 277 North St, Southville, Bristol BS3 1JP
The Spiny Lobster, Whiteladies Road
Ideal for a grilled seafood feast…
As much as we’d love to keep eating around Bristol’s best restaurants until we actually die, we’re pretty stuffed, sleepy and ready to phone in this last entry to our IDEAL 22.
All you need to know about Spiny Lobster on Whiteladies Road is that it’s both a fishmongers and grill, with all the freshness and smoke that suggests. Indeed, the fish and shellfish here is sourced daily from Brixham in Devon, and the charcoal grill is always burning. It is, quite simply, a glorious place to dine for those who live all things seafood.
You can read more about it in our rundown of the best seafood restaurants in Bristol. You know what? We think we might be ready for bed…
Website: thespinylobster.co.uk