The Best Restaurants in Bristol

Alright me babber, there are a few things you should know about Bristol before reading this article. One, that the people who live there use words like “babber”. Two, that it’s a city that isn’t afraid of tearing down racist statues and chucking them in the harbour. And three, that it’s a brilliant place full of lots of excellent restaurants. Which meant narrowing down the best restaurants in Bristol for this article wasn't easy.

I’m as guilty of anyone of being stuck in a little London bubble but I went to university in Bristol, spent a good portion of time there eating all the city had to offer, and it’s a place that I still think of fondly. And often. The buzzing food scene there is also something that I think of just as fondly and probably twice as often. With international travel still looking like a no-go to most countries, there's no better time than now to explore the bounty of diverse cities the UK has to offer. That's why I thought it best to revisit Banksy's old stomping ground and write up this guide on the best restaurants in Bristol.

Now, before you get up in arms about all the spots I’ve missed out on, I’d like to add the caveat that I’m a huge fan of the city’s various cafés and bakeries like Hart’s Bakery, Pinkmans, and Bakers & Co. But we've limited this list to the best restaurants in the city for now and a rundown of the top bakeries in Bristol would likely need its very own dedicated guide. Watch this space.

Regardless, I’ve tried my hardest to give you a fair representation of the best places to eat in Bristol – a city that’s got a surprising amount of high-quality tapas joints and a genuine claim to being one of the more underrated food cities in the UK. Bristol has got some of the best restaurants in the entire country, no word of a lie. Here are – in my opinion, and in no particular order – some of the best restaurants in Bristol.

If there are any gems that I’ve missed out on or forgotten, just get in touch with me directly. I’ll either check it out and add it to this list or write you a snarky response about how I wouldn’t go to that terrible hellhole (yes, Za Za Bazaar I'm looking at you) if you paid me. It’s pretty much a 50/50 shot.

Chicken is one of those meats that all too often gets misclassified as bland and dry by those who’ve only ever eaten badly cooked chicken. If you ever encounter one of those chicken haters in real life, here’s what you need to do: tell them to “get a bloody grip” and take them to Bokman at the bottom of Nine Tree Hill. This small, independent Korean joint does the goods on a range of different Korean specialities, all worth ordering when you’re looking for a top bite to eat, but the standout dish on the menu is the tongdak – a whole rotisserie chicken stuffed with raw sticky rice. It’s big, it’s bold, and it’s the sort of dish that will change the way you look at poultry for good.

3 Nine Tree Hill, Cotham, BS1 3SB

It’s hard to put your finger on what makes a neighbourhood restaurant a neighbourhood restaurant and not just, y’know, a normal restaurant. Whatever that secret something-something is that can make a space feel intimate, familiar, and special all at once, Sonny Stores has got it in spades. This small, laidback spot in Southville is firing out perfectly cooked pasta and a daily changing menu of Italian-inspired eats. It’s hard to do it justice, really. The best way to describe eating a meal at Sonny Stores is that it feels just right. Come down on a sunny day and you’ll never want to leave. The £25 set lunch is, hands down, the best value for money meal in Bristol.

47 Raleigh Road, Southville, BS3 1QS

Wilsons is a bijou bistro in Redland that’s run by partners Jan Ostle and Mary Wilson. Jan is the head chef and responsible for the daily changing menu. Wilsons offers a £60 per head set menu as well as a £25 per head set lunch menu; one of the best bargains in Bristol when you consider the glut of prime ingredients you’ll find strewn on every plate of food. Sustainability is at the heart of everything they do at Wilsons and the dishes – which, just to clarify, taste sublime – are designed to showcase the best of local produce. Wilsons even has its own market garden where they grow much of the fruits and vegetables that you’ll find incorporated into the menu. If you’re looking for somewhere to eat an unforgettable meal in Bristol, there’s no better place than Wilsons.

24 Chandos Road, Redland, BS6 6PF

With one restaurant situated on Whiteladies Road and the other nestled comfortably among the prams and pushchairs of Clifton Village, Bosco Pizzeria is where you should be visiting on an empty stomach to get your chops around some of the best pizza in Bristol. The Neapolitan-style pizza at Bosco’s is made with heaps of love as well as a rogue’s gallery of high-quality ingredients like mozzarella di bufala, san marzano tomatoes, and earthy salame finocchiona. Both the pizza rossa and pizza bianca are worth ordering – I’d personally recommend getting one of each. Y’know just to be sure.

96 Whiteladies Road, Clifton, BS8 2QX

Littlefrench’s head chef Freddy Bird was born in Bristol and, in the summer of 2019, he decided to give back to the city that raised him in rather spectacular fashion through this Westbury Park spot: a restaurant that’s arguably one of the best places to eat in the entirety of Bristol and undeniably the finest place in the city to tuck into simple, honest plates of French cuisine. Don’t go in expecting anything frou-frou or haughty from littlefrench – the vibe here is super friendly with the dishes on the pass being composed of quality British produce given a tres chic French makeover. Prices are sensible, the menu changes to reflect what’s fresh and seasonal, and you can taste the language of love in every bite. Littlefrench is the perfect place to come in the evening for a glass of wine and a few small plates at the bar or a full-on dinner featuring bangers like whole turbot and perfectly grilled pork chop.

2B North View, Westbury Park, BS6 7QB

Casa means ‘home’ in Italian, and a dinner at Casa is just like dining at home with your family. As long as your home is a high-end 66-cover Italian restaurant and your family are incredibly talented chefs, that is. While the food is as technical as it is delicious (think plates of maccheroncini with cuttlefish ragù and steak Florentine done divinely well) there’s no stuffiness to be found here. There’s no unnecessary garnishes or mundane molecular gastronomy. Every dish is made using high-quality ingredients from the very best Italian and British producers. Simple. Peter Sanchez-Iglesias knows how to run a restaurant. Save the room for the tiramisu.

8, The General, Lower Guinea Street, Redcliffe, BS1 6FU

Founded in 2016 by Raja Munuswamy and Arvind Pawar, Nutmeg specialises in regional Indian cooking and attempts to celebrate the diversity of the country’s food scene with a menu that spans across all of India's 29 states. From a Goan pork cheek vindaloo to a Punjabi chana pindi, the eclectic dishes you’ll find at Nutmeg are a step above your average butter chicken, and Nutmeg is very much a step above your average restaurant. Head on down to Clifton Village if you’re after Indian food that’s been made with immaculate attention to detail.

10, The Mall Clifton Village, The Mall, Clifton, BS8 4DR

The menu at this shipping container restaurant might change on the reg, but you know what doesn’t change? The outstanding quality of the food on offer. Yes, BOX-E might have a name like a Pixar film but it’s one of the best restaurants in Bristol. So show some respect, damn it. There are only 14 seats in the minimalist space, which means you’re going to have to fight tooth and nail for a booking if you’re looking to eat at prime time on a weekend. Nevertheless, it’s definitely worth persevering until you get yourself a spot at the table. A meal at BOX-E is one that it’s worth waiting weeks for.

10 Cargo 1, BS1 6WP

It’s no secret that there are some extremely good pasta restaurants in Bristol. You can hardly move for the stuff. Yet, despite the glut of places in the city serving serviceable bowls of al dente pasta, Little Hollows Pasta is safely near the top of the league table. The fresh artisan pasta at this Chandos Road local is made with care by a team of plucky self-taught pastaios and comes draped in killer sauces. The menu changes regularly but you can always find the kitchen throwing out groovy shapes. Tortelloni? Linguine? Mafalde? They’ve got it all.

26 Chandos Road, Redland, BS6 6PF

Sustainability is the focal point of this Poco Tapas Bar but don’t let that fool you into thinking this Stoke Croft joint isn’t a lot of fun, too. You can choose from either the ‘Fish and Game’ or ‘Vegetarian and Vegan’ set menu, both of which celebrate the seasonal bounty and the network of small-scale food producers that Poco works with. As for the food itself? It’s fantastic. A portion of carrot and split pea hummus might not sound all that exciting but trust me that dredging a hunk of sourdough through that sleppo-spiced ochre dip is one of the most delicious eating experiences you’ll find in Bristol.

45 Jamaica Street, BS2 8JP

If you want to get your gob around some good Sri Lankan food in Stokes Croft, then Nadu is the name you should be bashing out into your Google Maps. It’s also a name that should be coming up if you Google ‘what are the best restaurants in Bristol?’. Created by the same crew behind Clifton’s iconic Nutmeg, Nadu specialises in using local produce and championing the traditional Tamil cooking techniques of head chef and co-owner Saravanan Nambirajan. Dishes like lamb perattal, black pork curry, and Ceylon kothu show off the depth and breadth of Sri Lankan cuisine. Whatever you order, expect an ample balance of spices and aromatics to make their presence felt.

77-79 Stokes Croft, BS1 3RD

If carbonara on Cotham Hill sounds like your bag then booking yourself a table at Pasta Loco is a must the next time you’re in Bristol. The menu at this pasta palace shifts with the seasons but, at the time of writing, it’s stocked with slammers like an oceanic spaghetti nero with mussels and braised octopus or rich lamb ragù gnocchi with cavolo nero and chimichurri. Those are all words that I really, really like and Pasta Loco is a restaurant that I really, really like. Please come here and fill yourself with gloriously good pasta – you won’t regret it one bit. Or bite.

37A Cotham Hill, Redland, BS6 6JY

Despite what its name might suggest, Jean’s Bistro isn’t really a bistro at all. It’s a family-owned Thai restaurant where the food – which comes liberally doused in an assortment of oyster sauce, shrimp paste, fish sauce, and tamarind – is about as far from the arrondissements of Paris as you’re going to get. And I mean that in the best way possible. The flavours at Jean’s Bistro will set off Catherine wheels in your head while the family feel of the place will cement it as a restaurant you’re going to yearn to become a regular at. It’s hard not to fall in love with Jean’s Bistro and their top tier tom yum. I know that I, for one, am certainly smitten.

441 Gloucester Road, BS7 8TZ

Nestled in what used to be a tanning salon on Gloucester Road, Pizzuci is the little sister of Bosco Pizzeria. While the latter takes its notes from Naples, this pizza bar has set its sights on delivering Bristol with big and beautiful New York-style pizza pies. And it’s done a damn fine job of it. Pop in for a slice and a swift mascarpone custard soft serve if you’re in a rush or settle down for the night with a 16” pepperoni pizza that’s straight out of Home Alone 2. Oh, between Monday to Friday from 12pm to 5pm and you can get any 11” pizza and a beer for £11. Bargain.

Taking up residency on a cute corner of Montpelier – which real heads will recognise as the former home of the sublime Bells Diner – Bianchis is one of the newer members of the Bianchis Group family. The Bianchis Group is currently comprised of Pasta Loco, Pasta Repiena, Bianchis Restaurant, Pizza Bianchi, Cotto, and Centrale. Yes, they’re sort of like the Italian mafia of the Bristol food scene. But they’re mafia whose sole purpose is to feed you as much delicious food as possible. Styled after an old school Italian trattoria, Bianchis serves the kind of food you imagine Artie Bucco would have been firing out at Nuovo Vesuvio for Tony Soprano and co. It’s dead good.

1-3 York Read, Montpelier, BS6 5QB

COR is the kind of restaurant where you’ll walk in and say “corr” like you’re the bleedin’ Artful Dodger. That’s my way of saying it’s a very nice joint and one of the best restaurants in Bristol if you want to eat lots of tidy little small plates topped with lots of delicious things. The food is refined and impressive, highlighting all that’s great and good about local produce. Don’t miss out on the specials. They’re nearly always guaranteed to knock your socks off.

81 North Street, Bedminster, BS3 1ES

Bad stuffed pasta is easy to come by. Crap tortellini can be found lurking in the fridge section of just about every British supermarket. Excellent stuffed pasta, however, is hard to come by. Pasta Ripiena is one of the best restaurants in Bristol for stuffed pasta. It’s a niche which the team have stuck to with a razorlight obsession and you’ll be extremely glad they have once you’ve got down and dirty with their ravioli, casoncelli, and cappelletti for yourself. An impressive example of committing to the bit in style.

33 St Stephen's Street, BS1 1JX

The Burger Joint opened up in 2009 and it has firmly cemented itself as one of the city’s best burgers over the last decade or so of service. The beauty of The Burger Joint is that it’s BYOB (Build Your Own Burger) and you can top your 6 oz prime beef patty with everything from halloumi and black pudding to apple and peanut butter. Yeah, the sky’s pretty much the limit at The Burger Joint. My only personal advice would be to stick to just three or four toppings, max. If you go too wild, you won’t be able to taste the actual burger. Which, trust me, you’re gonna want to do.

83 Whiteladies Road, Redland, BS8 2NT

There are only a few things in life I like better than a really good pub but a pub that serves really good food is one of them. I’ve been to some of London’s Best Food Pubs and The Kensington Arms in Redland is capable of matching up to most of those big hitters. The food is pleasantly adventurous – don’t be surprised to see Yeo Valley lamb chops joined by smoked aubergine, gochujang sauce and chimichurri, for instance – and the beers are always the perfect temperature. There’s not much more you can ask for from a pub, really. The Kenny is a Bristolian gem that you’re not going to want to leave.

35-37 Stanley Road, Redland, BS6 6NP

The main reason to eat at The Thai Restaurant in Easton is, unsurprisingly, the excellent thalis. “Thali” is the Indian word for “plate” and refers to the way that meals are eaten in India where a selection of dishes are served together on one plate and compartmentalised into separate stainless steel containers. The vibrant platters at The Thali Restaurant consist of mains like Keralan nandan chicken, spinach tarka dal, or chana masala and come served with an array of sides including subji, dahl, basmati rice, yoghurt, and crunchy salad. It’s fresh, filling, and simply fantastic eating.

64-66 St Marks Road, Easton, BS5 6JH

The Olive Shed is a lovely spot by the harbour where you can sit back and let out a very big sigh of relief. The sort of sigh of relief that helps free your body from any stress and goes great with a portion of crispy golden calamari or patatas bravas with tomato and a punchy aioli. Eating tapas-style is the way to go at The Olive Shed and the romantic ambience makes this a great restaurant to share some small plates with someone you’ve got the hots for.

Harbour, Floating, Princes Wharf, BS1 4RN

Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Give a man a bottle of natty wine and a concise menu of seasonally-focussed dishes, and you feed him for a lifetime. That’s how the saying goes, right? I’m a sucker for a restaurant that cares about using locally sourced ingredients and sourcing wine with minimal intervention, so you shouldn’t be surprised that I’m head over heels for Marmo. This Baldwin Street restaurant is run by husband and wife team Cosmo and Lily Sterck and it’s hard to find fault in anything that comes out of their neat kitchen. The plates lean Italian with fresh pasta and primi like gnocco fritto and mortadella knocking it out the park every time.

31 Baldwin Street, BS1 1RG

Chef Neuville is the man behind Rice & Things and it’s his inspirational story that has, in part, helped make this Caribbean restaurant on Cheltenham Road become a Bristol legend. The other reason it’s become the place in Bristol to get jerk chicken, curry goat, and oxtail stew is because of, well, the jerk chicken, curry goat, and oxtail stew. Heartwarming Jamaican food – packed with traditional herbs and spices like soursop leaves and fresh black mint – is what Rice & Things do best and you’d be wise to bring as many people as you can muster and order as much as humanly possible.

120 Cheltenham Road, Cotham, BS6 5RW

Falafel and sabiches are the name of the game at Falafel King. A game they play extremely competently. As someone who’s made it his mission to round up the Best Falafel in London, I’m fairly confident that I can tell a dud falafel from a delicious falafel and, with that in mind, I’m happy to tell you that the falafels at Falafel King are delicious. It doesn’t matter whether you coddle them in a soft laffa or pillowy pitta, those tahini-drenched balls are always crisp on the outside, fluffy on the inside and packed with flavour. Add some flash-fried halloumi in there for the ride and you’ve got a wrap that’ll give a meal at any of the other more refined restaurants on this list a run for their money.

6 Cotham Hill, Redland, BS6 6LF

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day and Rosemarino is the most important restaurant in Bristol for some Italian-inspired early day eats. Whether you’re tucking into sautéed field mushrooms, parmesan cream, chopped sage, and truffle oil on a book-sized wedge of toasted focaccia or a lemon and ricotta pancake topped with home-cured salmon, pickled cucumber, soft cheese and fresh dill and mustard dressing, you’re guaranteed to roll out of Rosemarino feeling happy and content. Perhaps the best thing of all about eating a breakfast, brunch or lunch at this cosy Clifton classic is the fact that you get to eat somewhere equally glorious for dinner afterwards. Now, that’s what I call la dolce vita.

1 York Place, Clifton, BS8 1AH

Korean food made using organic, local and seasonal ingredients is what Sky Kong Kong specialises in and, boy, does chef Hwi “Wizzy” Shim put an emphasis on the ‘special’. You’ll never be served the same dish here twice and it’s that freshness and ingenuity which makes a meal at Sky Kong Kong one of the most individual dining experiences in Bristol. Just make sure to get a taste of Wizzy’s kimchi while you’re there – it’s out of this world good.

2 Haymarket Walk, BS1 3LN

Kitchen by KASK is the rough and tumble culinary offshoot of natural wine bar, KASK Wine. It’s also a whole lot of fun. The kitchen has been home to some seriously impressive pop-ups and guest chefs since it opened. A visit to dining hall rarely disappoints with plenty of Bristol’s finest chefs making appearances. Whether it’s Japanese soul food, craggly fried chicken or fiery Sichuan ramen, there’s always something delicious to eat at this lively event space. Expect whatever’s coming your way to be paired with wine from KASK’s sharp wine list. Win-win.

36 North Street, Southville, BS3 1HW

The Mint Room is a real classy establishment. It’s the sort of fine dining restaurant you’ll take your parents to after you’ve graduated from university and want to fool them into thinking you’ve got your life together. Nothing says “I’ve got this, dad” quite like a duck samosa and nothing will make your mum forget that you still come home to do big loads of washing like a luxe lobster biryani. Yes, The Mint Room is pricey but it’s worth every penny. And your parents deserve a treat every now and then, don’t they?

12-16 Clifton Road, Clifton, BS8 1AF

Bristol’s tapas scene is inordinately good for a city that’s objectively quite far from Spain and Bravas is one of the best spots for dishes of Salchichón Ibérico and red prawns. Anyone with a soft spot for Spanish small plates would be an idiot not to at least consider a lunch or dinner at Bravas and anyone clever enough to get a booking will be richly rewarded for doing so. The wine list is strong as an ox with an impressive array of sherries and bottles sourced from small Spanish producers; the gin and tonics are lovingly lethal. There’s nothing not to love about Bravas, folks.

7 Cotham Hill, Redland, BS6 6LD

Bristol’s Wapping Wharf is home to some top, top eateries and Bertha’s is the best of the bunch if you’re after sourdough pizzas and negronis that’ll knock your socks off. Bertha’s cook their pizzas at an eyebrow-singeing 500 degrees for 60 to 90 seconds. The result, for you, is a beautifully charred disc of dough topped with high-quality ingredients. My favourite pizza on the menu is the ‘Meat & Heat’, a sweet and spicy combination of tomato, mozzarella, and Cobble Lane pepperoni that’s drizzled in a liberal amount of hot honey. It’s the kind of pizza you’ll want to order two of – one to eat there while it’s ripping hot, and another to take home in a box for breakfast the next day.

The Old Gaol Stables, Cumberland Road, BS1 6WW

Plonked in south Bristol right opposite the stellar Tobacco Factory theatre, Souk Kitchen is a restaurant where the food is as warm and comforting as the ambience. Sample the flavours of the levant with orders of chargrilled halloumi, dolma, and juicy beef and pork keftedes. The best way to tackle Souk Kitchen is by tagging along with a group of mates willing to take on the entire mezze menu. Everything is more than reasonably priced and more than reasonably delicious. Just don’t forget to save room for some freshly fried tulumba. They’re like Turkish doughnuts and they’re, like, incredibly moreish.

277 North Street, Southville, BS3 1JP