Thornbury Restaurant Guide

If it was good enough for Henry VIII’s honeymoon with Anne Boleyn… – wood panelling, mullioned windows, oil paintings and plush furnishings abound at this luxurious Relais & Chateaux property (built in the 1520s). It’s maintaining its standards despite a recent change of personnel: “it saw several key changes earlier this year with the departure of the hotel manager, sommelier and notably chef, Carl Cleghorn. A recent visit, however, showed the new chef very much rising to the occasion, with two dinners showing very good cooking continuing the high standards. Service was friendly and staff personable throughout. A very enjoyable experience in an astounding setting”.

This “very busy Italian neighbourhood bistro” in Westbury Park was set up by floorlayers Olly Gallery and Julian Faiello – and what a success their professional volte-face has proved, with a successive wave of talented local chefs passing through its doors over the past decade. The crowd-pleasing menu – spanning arancini, pasta dishes and sourdough pizzas – features some “very good” food which you can now enjoy on the heated, fairy-lit terrace: a Covid-era addition.

“The neighbourhood restaurant we all wish was around the corner” – Freddy & Nessa Bird opened this “tiny, rather cramped, off-the-beaten-track bistro” in Westbury Park in 2019 and ever since it’s gone from strength to strength (and “they now have a deli down the road too”, as well as opening 1 York Place this year, see also). “It continues to provide attractive, typically French dishes with enthusiastic service” and despite its peripheral location and modest size is the most commented-on spot in Brizzle in our annual diners’ poll (“vying for the top slot in the city, it’s always difficult to get a reservation which says much about its popularity with the well-heeled crowd”). On the downside, bills can seem nothing short of “extortionate for a ‘local’ bistro” (“the food is lovely, but my gosh it works out high on price”).

2021 Review: Taking over the Montpelier premises that for over 40 years housed the much-loved Bell’s Diner (RIP), this summer-2019 Italian yearling is from the team behind local hits Pasta Loco, Pasta Ripiena, and La Sorella. Top Tip – very competitively priced lunch deal.

2022 Review: “Recently opened of all places in a retirement village” – a modern development of 64 apartments in Redland – “but open to the public”: this September 2020 newcomer is run by local caterers CleverChefs and occupies a light-filled space with open kitchen overlooking an arboretum garden. Open from breakfast and throughout the day, it wins strong early feedback for “assured cooking at reasonable prices”.

“Standards remain consistently high” at this Redland boozer – “part of the Pony and Trap Group” and offering “a step above pub food” (though not straying from the classics and laying on proper Sunday roasts). Top Tip – “there are two rooms upstairs you can have for exclusive use of groups”.

Jan Ostle & Mary Wilson have established their “truly exceptional” if apparently modest Redland outfit as “one of Bristol’s best” in the past nine years, offering “superb clarity of tastes and textures throughout a perfectly judged no-choice menu in a laid-back setting”. Much of the produce is home-grown on their two-acre plot, then transformed by “fine, imaginative and superbly executed cooking”. It is also “a relative bargain”.

2022 Review: A restaurant of two halves partly inspired by Kiwi chef Stephen Gilchrist's home country of New Zealand, and also featuring an adjoining Argentinian tapas bar with counter-style seating – both highly regarded for their unusual combinations and accent on foraging. Only the latter, Chandos Social @ Otira, was open as of October 2021 – and offering tapas menus to share per couple – so do check ahead before you visit.

“Lovely neighbourhood restaurant worth travelling for” from Craig Summers & Giles Coram (ex-Wallfish Bistro) – “producing superb food with intense and complementary flavours”, backed up by a “wide range of wine available by the glass and carafe”. There’s “lovely relaxed service”, although “more soft furniture is needed – it’s very noisy when full”. All in all, “not cheap, but excellent value given the quality of the cooking”.

“Unquestionably the best fish restaurant in Bristol and its surrounds” – Mitch Tonks’s “lovely and romantic” old-school venue (which also doubles as a fishmonger) has graced “the heart of stunning Clifton” for almost two decades now. The “menu changes daily depending on the fresh catch” from Brixham and Cornwall, which is then cooked on the Josper grill to “consistently good” results.

2023 Review: “Some of the most exciting food I have eaten in ages” has made this two-year-old Korean with a “short but tasty menu” a big hit in Bristol and beyond. Chef Duncan Roberts, who has worked for Joel Robuchon in Paris, and his wife Kyu Jeong Jeon moved to Stokes Croft from South Korea, and their fans include Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall. Top Tip – tongdak – whole chicken stuffed with sticky rice and grilled over charcoal.

This “fun and quirky” Stokes Croft three-year-old from the team behind Clifton’s Nutmeg – chef Saravanan Nambirajan and restaurateur Raja Munuswamy – specialises in the Tamil cooking of southern India and Sri Lanka ‘with a modern twist’, washed down by rum and arrack-based cocktails. Top Menu Tip – the signature ‘share and tear’ dosa made with 48-hour fermented rice.

2023 Review: Well known down Brizzle way, this small (16 seats) tapas haunt has an outsized reputation for its authentic approach. Our feedback is limited, but it’s a favourite for one or two of our reporters who award it very high marks. It’s part of a local group, and its siblings include Cargo Cantina and Gambas.

“As quirky as ever” – this “imaginative tapas” restaurant occupies the upper floor of a restored and operational mid-Victorian swimming baths in Clifton, so diners have “unique views of the swimmers below, making an interesting change from the standard restaurant experience” – “in summer, life here feels a little Mediterranean”. Top Tip – the £50 all-in swim, spa and eat packages.