Bristol Restaurant Guide

“No flock wallpaper here”, but a “classy” and “tastefully decorated” spot in Clifton. The food is also “like a work of art” and “tastes as good as it looks” – “spicy, interesting and not too hot”. (It also has a branch in Bath).

“Vibrant stuff!” – the Lovells’ “buzzy” Middle Eastern venue (there’s also a sibling in Clifton) turns out an impeccable array of shakshuka, mezze and hummus and is particularly of note for its “very enjoyable brunch”; a location opposite the Tobacco Factory makes it ideal for pre-theatre dining.

“WOW!” – “every mouthful is wonderful and foodgasmic” at the Sanchez-Iglesias family’s “sensational” HQ: a “flawless experience” that has regularly won a place at the top of our list of the UK’s top 100 restaurants. It marries a “stunning, stone-walled venue” on the ground floor of the city-centre’s former General Hospital with “sublime” dishes from a twelve-course tasting menu, with the option of “perfectly matched wine flights”. Getting a reservation is no mean feat though: availability is released on the first Tuesday of each month at noon (UK time) for the period four months in advance! And even fans “dislike being required to pay (non-refundable) in advance at the time of booking”.

Near the docks, Peter Sanchez-Iglesias’s aim is to ‘transport you to Andalusia’ (well that’s what the website says) at his casual tapas haunt (named after his dad). As a concept, it’s “absolutely spot on” and “tapas of the highest quality, with every dish a delight”, alongside a decent list of wines and sherries. “Try to get a seat at the counter for top banter with the chefs and great views as they toss stuff into the open fire”.

Chef-owner George Livesey’s “very adventurous tasting menus” – full of “unusual ingredients and foraged items” – have made this modest-looking, former greengrocers a top star of the Bristol dining scene. Some reporters reckon it’s “a bit of a Marmite restaurant – love it or hate it”, but all are converted by the time they leave, and if some dishes “don’t look appealing on the menu or on the black plates, they certainly taste good”. Service is “friendly and well-informed”, and there’s an “interesting, mainly organic wine list”.

2019 Review: 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.

“The most innovative, original and seasonal food in Bristol at the moment” is the claim made by fans of Jan Ostle and Mary Wilson’s Redlands bistro – “a very small place” offering a “reassuringly limited choice of very well-sourced dishes (magnolia blossom and mackerel a surprise and a success) with service that’s charming, enthusiastic and helpful”. At the end of October 2019, the couple announced a further step towards hyper-locality, with new menus incorporating ever-more produce from their own expanding farm.

2018 Review: A favourite Bristol breakfast haunt enjoying a “super dockside location, with outdoor seating as well as a cosy interior” featuring “great cycling-themed decor” and adventure sports goods to buy; by day you can enjoy “fabulous brunch food”, and there’s “lovely tapas” Thursday to Saturday night.