Bristol, Mediterranean Restaurant Guide

A “quirky”, even “crazy place for a meal” – a “Victorian lido where you sit and watch Bristolians swim lengths in the open air” while you eat behind glass in the former viewing gallery. This “unexpected venue has even more unexpected culinary standards”, serving “rather interesting food with distinctive Mediterranean elements” – a legacy of former Moro chef Freddy Bird, who ran the kitchen here for 10 years – “and service that is friendly rather than professional. The pool and the building are the real stars, though”.

Fans “love this place” – a softly-lit tapas joint, in Cotham Hill, which has made a name for its “small plates and Spanish sandwiches done right”; if there’s a caveat it’s that “too many covers squashed into a tiny space” can spell noise and a “rapid turnover”. Owners Kieran & Imogen Waite – also behind Bakers & Co (Gloucester Road) and Cargo Cantina/Gambas (Wapping Wharf) – launched new Mexican eatery, Masa + Mescal, in Stokes Croft, in March 2019.

Waterfront restaurant with lovely views of the harbour from the terrace.