Bristol Restaurant Guide

2021 Review: “Better food than expected” is to be discovered in this striking, light-filled (perhaps “noisy”) space – part of the recent £25m renovation of the UK’s oldest theatre, dating back to, er, see if you can guess. Open all day until an hour after the last evening performance, it aims to be a community hub, serving a menu devised by head chef Coco Barone (ex-Glassboat and Rosemarino). There are also pre-theatre deals, obvs.

2021 Review: It’s not fancy (wood banquettes and orange school chairs), but this small new Redcliffe Italian turns out “wonderful” fresh stuffed pasta – a USP in this country – that’s full of “interesting seasonal flavours”. The owners, behind Pasta Loco, are fast building a local empire, having opened a deli/café, La Sorella, two doors down from the premises in May 2019, followed by trattoria Bianchi in the old Bell’s Diner (RIP).

St John and Brawn alum Cosmo Sterck and FOH wife Lily “serve up exceptional wine” at their stylish debut solo venture (est. 2019), in the city-centre – “an interesting, predominantly French wine list featuring some very unusual options”. It’s accompanied by a “short” and “delicious” seasonal menu that’s consistently highly rated in a good number of reports (including a well-priced weekday lunch).

“Surprisingly good food” that is “a significant cut above that of a typical Italian chain” – and which is “in the current climate reasonable value for money” – ensures that this long-established venue in Carlo Distefano’s national chain is “always busy”. Some even rate it the “best Italian in Bristol”, and it has “excellent fish, too”.

2022 Review: In the unusual and attractive setting of a former river-police station, “this long-established dockside restaurant still continues to offer value and quality, despite the change in ownership a few years ago (to Youngs)”, although nowadays in a much less foodie vein than in its heyday over 20 years ago. As of a 2018 refit, diners can opt for the Pontoon Bar, a popular brunch/lunch haunt, while upstairs “pre-theatre meals are also popular”.

Olivia Barry and Jamie Randall opened this straightforward-looking but ambitious venue in Queen’s Quay in 2015, building on their experience in top London restaurants such as Odette’s and Murano. A nine-course tasting menu is £70 per person (with matching wine flight for £60). Too limited feedback this year for a rating, but such as we have applauds “a great treat with welcoming service, lovely food and some interesting wines”.

This “lively place on Wapping Wharf does what it does very well” – namely tasty tapas (as per its sister Bravas), with a focus on seafood, especially the headline prawns. There’s no denying the “cool location” – an “intimate shipping container on the harbour with a nice terrace” – though for one hipster-averse reporter “less focus on the ‘cool’ and more on the food would be welcome”.

“Small restaurant – great food”; that’s still the deal at Elliott Lidstone’s 14-seaters in two shipping containers at Bristol harbour’s Cargo development. There’s an à la carte menu of affordable modern bistro cooking, or you can go the whole hog and opt for their seven-course unwritten tasting menu, which costs £55 per person (with optional wine flight at £40 a head).

“A container with a terrace” on the docks which, despite not being strictly veggie, “elevates even the humblest of veg to mouth-watering delights”. In December 2022, chef Rob Howell and partner Megan Oakley (ex-of the Pony & Trap) launched a sister restaurant, Root Wells, in Wells, Somerset, following the same ‘more veg, less meat’ ethos.

“Yes, it comes at a cost, but it’s worth it…” – The Sanchez Group’s harbourside HQ (next to relaunched Casa) is a highlight of the city, combining “impeccable” Hispanic dishes and tapas with a thoughtful list of Spanish wines and sherries and “has an air of self-confidence (just the right side of arrogance) that sets it apart in Bristol”. The “really helpful front of house team” also wins consistent praise. That it’s “not cheap” features in practically all reports, but the value stacks up, although it is “a bit noisy”.

2022 Review: This “wonderful steakhouse (which also does an exceptional Sunday lunch)” was opened by former Jamie Oliver chef-director Sam Elliott three years ago in a spruced-up Victorian warehouse, opposite St Mary Redcliffe church, and serves impressive cuts of West Country beef displayed in chiller cabinets, alongside vegetables and fruit from is own farm. It’s already made a big impact on the local dining scene, and has spawned a spinoff in Cardiff.

It’s “slightly surreal watching swimmers while eating a selection of Mediterranean/Middle Eastern tapas” at this restored Grade II-listed mid-Victorian swimming pool in Clifton, which offers a “warm welcome and some very accommodating touches”. “Great breakfasts and small plates” are available poolside and fuller meals served upstairs, with windows overlooking the pool. “Overall it’s pleasant but not perhaps memorable”.

This “delightful genuine neighbourhood restaurant” on a quiet street corner in Southville is “almost perfect – unpretentious, effortless and with sublime food and drinks”. Launched after lockdown, it serves a “delicious Italian-inspired menu” from chef-owner Pegs Quinn, who spent four years at the famous River Café, while his wife Mary Glynn ensures a “friendly and welcoming service, so it’s like being a guest in someone’s home”. “The room is nothing to speak of but that doesn’t matter as it’s about the conviviality and the awesome cooking”.

2021 Review: “Proper jamon, a good selection of small plates, and an excellent Spanish wine list with a wide range of good sherries” – “a great drinks list with something for everyone” – help inspire positive reviews on this Hispanic yearling – “a great new addition to Bristol” and the first English branch of a small minichain originating near Cardiff.

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.

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.