Bristol, British, Modern Restaurant Guide

“By far the best that Bristol has to offer” and still one of the country’s most sought-after dining destinations; the Sanchez-Iglesias family’s “beacon of creative cuisine” nowadays occupies the ground floor of the city-centre’s redeveloped old General Hospital (below 200 luxury flats). The tasting menu shows “an attention to detail you don’t see in other fine dining restaurants” and “watching the teamwork in the open kitchen is amazing”. The cooking is intricate, with “lots of flavours on the plate”. But, perhaps “it’s the theatre and introduction by the chefs that really rounds off the experience”. Even the establishment’s most ardent fans, though, can “object to FULL payment at the time of booking”. To reserve you buy a ticket: tickets are released four months in advance [!], on the first Tuesday of each month at ‘noon UK time’. Drinks and other extras are then paid-for after the meal.

“From the unassuming shop-front style entrance, one passes into an attractive, well laid-out dining room with stylish artworks lining the walls” at James Wilkins’s Redland HQ, where the “welcoming service” and “outstanding” cuisine (with a five-course tasting menu as the top option, but usually with à la carte or prix fixe alternatives) have placed it near the pinnacle of the city’s culinary pecking order. “After a decor makeover, the styling now matches the brilliant food and service” according to its most ardent fans (but overall the ambience is still the least highly rated element of the operation).

A “Bristol classic” – founded in 1976 and forerunner of the city’s booming small independents gastro scene – this charmingly boho Montpelier spot is back on top form under the ownership of local mover-and-shaker Connie Coombes. It’s “the absolute epitome of a neighbourhood bistro – Alice Waters (of iconic Chez Panisse in California) would feel immensely at home”.

This “fantastic little restaurant in a shipping container overlooking the waterfront” seats 14 diners plus four at the bar, treating them to food that is “simply wonderful, deeply flavoursome and succulent”. Chef Elliott Lidstone returned to his native West Country after successful stints at The Empress in Hackney and L’Ortolan in Reading.

“Remarkably original, with wonderful fresh ingredients” – Jan & Mary Ostle’s Redlands bistro is yet another stellar independent on the Bristol gastro scene. “The food produced here in the tiny little kitchen is a revelation” – there’s a “short menu of three starters, three mains, three desserts that seem to change on a daily basis”, based around “taking something simple and giving it a twist, to create some exquisite dishes”.

“Stunning by night when lights twinkle on the water and swimmers glide by” – this “unique” Clifton venue occupies a Victorian Egyptian-style swimming pool whose viewing gallery is now an accomplished Spanish-North African restaurant run by ex-Moro chef Freddie Bird, with a “great tapas menu served downstairs” in the poolside bar. The outdoor heated pool is members-only, but diners can book a swim-and-eat package to work up an appetite before their meal.

“Ssssh... don’t tell anyone!”. George Livesey and Katherine Craughwell’s “real Bristolian gem” occupies a “simple and unpretentious setting” (formerly a greengrocers) which “belies the sophistication of its cooking”: “exquisitely beautiful dishes” – a “clever, tasty blend of familiar ingredients mixed with foraged products” – at “astonishing value” prices; “super helpful staff” too, “all with no pretension”.

“A tiny restaurant close to Bristol Docks and Old Town”, offering “really smart and imaginative cooking, which gets the best from top-quality ingredients”, and which wins consistent high praise for this three-year-old from chefs Jamie Randall & Olivia Barry, who paid their dues in some of London’s sharpest kitchens (Galvin Bistro Deluxe; Corrigan’s). Top Tip: “if their fermented kale dish is on the menu, go for it!”.

“What a lovely place” – this Victorian pumping station in Hotwells that once powered Bristol harbour’s hydraulic bridges was converted into a gastropub twelve years ago by Toby Gritten, formerly of local landmark Bell’s Diner. A perfect spot for a meal, a drink – or “just a cup of tea”. “Downstairs is a great bar, but it can be noisy, so if you want to eat, try the upstairs restaurant”.