It’s no secret that Bristol is a haven for foodies, and a dream destination for many a restaurant, cafe, or other foodie establishment. Over the past 12 months BristolLive has reported on a vast array of eateries that have been awarded coveted titles and gongs for their food offerings, and we even boast a Michelin-starred restaurant as well as many a venue visited by celebrities, and even royalty.
Fellow chefs have dubbed Bristol one of their favourites for food, while chefs based here in the city have continued to push boundaries to create some of the quirkiest, coolest and even most sustainable places around. But no two areas of Bristol are the same when it comes to dining – one moment you could be tucking into a decadent multi-course fine dining offering, the next you could be sampling a world famous roast dinner, trying your hand at a daring chicken wing eating competition at a renowned festival, or enjoying a spot of street food at one of the best markets in the country.
Whether you’re looking for food with a view, classic dishes in comfort, or something you couldn’t have ever dreamed up yourself, Bristol has it all. Here’s a look into some of the best foodie spots Bristol has to offer, and why you need to make it your mission over the next 12 months to visit as many of them as you can…
Roasts with waiting lists
It’s hard to know where to begin when fully delving into the wonderful world of Bristol’s foodie scene, but one starting point comes at the very beginning of the year when bookings for Bristol’s most sought after dish open up – and quickly book up fast. The Bank Tavern’s roast dinners are so popular – not just for locals but for visitors from far and wide – that there’s somewhat of a waiting list for a table.
The team at The Bank Tavern, which is located on John Street in the centre of the city, have won awards for their ‘legendary’ roasts in the past. One recent famed diner was none other than Bristol Bears Women’s signing, Ilona Maher – a huge social media star, Olympian and rugby player from America.
But while The Bank Tavern’s roasts are the Sunday lunch equivalent of Glastonbury Festival, there are still plenty of phenomenal roast dinners being served up in venues all across Bristol – vegan, veggie and quirky alternative versions included.
A foodie village in shipping containers by the water
Eateries in shipping containers may not be the weirdest thing in the world nowadays – sites like this can be found in cities and tourist spots far and wide. But here in Bristol, our version of this trend has been around since 2016 and has acted as a home for many a local independent and, for some, has been a way of opening a small venue as a base for its customers to eat in, take out and/or simply enjoy.
Wapping Wharf and its Cargo and Cargo 2 have been home to the likes of vegan burgers from VeBurger, coffee from Little Victories, Spanish tapas from Gambas, a celebration of veg from Root, bagels from Bagelry Box, baking from ANNA Cake Couture, fish and chips from Salt & Malt, Sushi from Seven Lucky Gods, top notch cuisine at the Tare Bistro and Bar, the Jolly Hog’s ‘Pigsty‘, Greek food at The Athenian, award-winning noodles from Daily Noodles, and more.
It provides plentiful choice for food and drink, is situated near to some of the city’s best loved landmarks, and overlooks the water to a certain degree, making it a fabulous place for foodies. What’s more, there are also independent shops, and other businesses to enjoy here, too.
Cotham and its Michelin Star
BS6 has an abundance of award winning and highly commended restaurants and eateries that are often mentioned by fellow chefs and foodies alike. From the likes of Bravas and Little Hollows Pasta, to the Achari Indian Kitchen and Wilsons, there’s an entire foodie community here to explore. It’s also home to the only restaurant in Bristol with a Michelin Star – Bulrush on Cotham Road.
Bristol’s only Michelin-starred restaurant retained its star for a fifth year back in March this year, receiving its brand new 2024 plaque. Bulrush was first awarded the accolade in 2019 and, despite others in the city losing their stars recently, it has retained its high standards to become the last one standing in the city.
A viral curry house that creates curries and covers alike
If you’re sensing a theme around Bristol making itself known for its food, chefs, restaurant staff and the like, then you can probably guess where we’re going with this one. Urban Tandoor, a beloved Indian restaurant on Whiteladies Road, is known not only for its delicious menu, but also the daring nature of its staff, who have amassed thousands upon thousands of followers and millions of views on social media through their parodies and covers of popular songs.
In these renditions, which have spanned everything from Aqua’s Barbie Girl to Sophie Ellis Bextor’s Murder On The Dancefloor, and The Killers’ Mr Brightside (and staying relevant to the pop culture of the time) the Urban Tandoor team change lyrics to reflect the food on offer, and create music videos from right inside their restaurant. They’ve had famous visitors aplenty through their doors, and have even been interviewed on the radio by the likes of Greg James and Chris Moyles, who gave their tracks some airtime much to their delight.
The sandwiches that people journey miles for
Like Urban Tandoor, Sandwich Sandwich’s marketing is second to none, showcasing just how creative our Bristol foodies and entrepreneurs can be. And their sandwiches are so well known, people flock from miles around just to get a look at one.
Like sandwich-shaped masterpieces, Sandwich Sandwich regularly sees queues out of the door of its Baldwin Street store in particular, has won awards for its creations, is completely family owned, recently branched out to London, and even collaborated with Sony for a special movie inspired sarnie creation.
Food from one of the coolest neighbourhoods in the world
Back in October, Bristol Live reported that Stokes Croft has been named one of the coolest places in the world – the sixth coolest in fact. In an article published on Time Out, just three UK areas made the list of the coolest neighbourhoods in the coolest cities in the world – Bristol, Glasgow and London.
The article described Stokes Croft & St Paul’s as ‘ever-changing and ever-vibrant’ with the publication highlighting the area’s history as the ‘centre of the city’s African-Caribbean communities who have become instrumental in developing its unique culture over the past 50 years’.
It added: “The area has been an up-and-comer for a good while, but as more and more of the city’s best new eateries and venues have begun to pop up along its brightly painted streets, we think it’s safe to say that its time has officially up-and-come.” And it’s not wrong, in this area of the city, you can find much loved foodie venues like Pieminister, Nadu, The Crafty Egg, Caper & Cure, The Spaghetti Incident and many more.
A Bristol institution
One of Bristol’s biggest foodie success stories is The Loungers Group, who now boast Lounges venues up and down the country. You can find a number of them in Bristol, including the original Lounge on North Street, and others – Tinto on Gloucester Road, Porto on Fishponds Road, Grupo in Westbury-on-Trym, Barranco in Filton and Tesoro in Thornbury.
This year, The Loungers Group opened its 228th Lounge, Ritorno Lounge, in the former home of Pitcher & Piano on Bristol’s Harbourside. Shortly after, it opened number 230 in an iconic Nailsea building.
Loved by celebs
While nobody’s opinion matters more to the restaurateurs, chefs and foodie business owners of Bristol than its customers, the calibre of dining spots has enticed quite the crowd of big names and celebrities to sample some of what they have to offer.
Take Westbury Park’s French restaurant, Littlefrench, for example. It’s starred in a BBC2 TV show and saw a visit from Michel Roux Jr and Fred Sirieix no less. Then you have 1 York Place in Clifton, also from Littlefrench chef Freddy Bird, which has not only been recognised by the Michelin Guide, but has also been commended by top food critic Jay Rayner (who didn’t want to leave), and gained a fan when it was visited by Tom Parker Bowles, food critic and the son of Queen Camilla.
Meanwhile, if you want a bit of Hollywood glamour without the need for dressing up, Cary Grant’s chippie is still open. It celebrated its 60th birthday this year, when it would have been Cary Grant’s 120th.
Farms and markets
While being a bustling city, Bristol’s foodie scene spans into the market landscape, as well as the rural. From the historic and award-winning St Nicholas (St Nicks) Market on Corn Street – where you can find some of the tastiest street food around – to the city-based farms linked to local restaurants, manned by talented staff and supplying fresh and sustainable ingredients all year round.
Two such farms/locations belong to Redcliffe restaurant Pasture, and its Radius dining experience, and also Josh Eggleton‘s Pony Chew Valley, which boasts a ‘destination cookery school‘ and is looking to run an ‘interactive farm bus‘ in the coming months.
What makes each area of Bristol different
There are so many big names, hidden gems and more to explore in Bristol, but if you’re a true foodie, it certainly won’t take you long to find them.
To help you on your way, you’re bound to love Gloucester Road’s vast array of local neighbourhood pubs, bars, restaurants and coffee shops, Clifton’s classic cuisine and quirkier offerings, Baldwin Street’s up-and-coming foodie corner catering to all tastebuds, and the treasures and treats that lay waiting for you, South of the river.