Welcome to March! How excited are we all about the slow approach of spring?

I’m particularly excited about this month as we have some really great new places finally opening their doors (read on for more info) plus a plethora (yes, a plethora) of great dining events and boozy frolics for you to choose from.

Put on your cosiest socks and make sure you have a cuppa at the ready – here’s what you can look forward to this month…

Dinner time

Oh man, if you like food you’ve got quite the selection this month – especially if you’re a craft beer fan too!

 

• The Bank Tavern are doing a  5 course 80s-inspired menu on 14th & 21st, £30
• Arbor beer dinner at The Adam & Eve – 5 vegan courses with beer, £30
• Purim Party at Aron’s Jewish Deli – 4 courses with Hungarian wine, £35
• Siren & Wild Beer dinner at Small Bar – 5 courses matched with beer, £42

Courses

Want to learn or try something new? Here are a few ideas to get you thinking!

• Taste a selection of 6 rums at Goldbrick House 
• Learn how to select, scale and fillet a fish at Source
• Get an Introduction to Wine over lunch at Clifton Wine School
• Learn how to make your own gin at Weber & Tring’s

Party time, excellent!

If you’re looking for a booze-tastic way to spend your Easter weekend you should head along to The Volunteer Tavern near Cabot Circus for their Easter Beer Fest -there’ll be excellent beers aplenty, plus live music, table tennis and the usual great food.

There’s also the very appetising Pie & Ale Festival at The Royal Oak on Gloucester Road on the 19th, and if you’ve got a sweet tooth you should check out the Taste Chocolate festival in the harbourside on the final weekend of the month.

I’m also very excited about a brand new pop-up in town – Sesame Kitchen will be based at The Old Bookshop throughout March, serving up a mixture of small plates, bar snacks and sturdy brunch options. Check out their menu, and let me know if you pay them a visit!

We’re also very excited to announce the return of our very own infamous event, Rumageddon – the third installment of this sophisticated (!) rum session will take place at The Rummer on 1st April. Tickets are already almost sold out, so be quick if you want one!

Finally, if you’re venturing north for the Cheltenham Festival, you’d do well to check out the special brunch they’re running (does that count as a pun?) at The Ox Cheltenham.

Newbies

New to town for you to pop in and say “Hello! Welcome! Good day!” to are Hanoi Coffee Company (at the time of writing I’m still hyped up from one of their Vietnamese coffees with condensed milk), Prince St Social (nice airy bar/restaurant with a downtown Manhattan brunch vibe) and Beerd Colston (top notch pizzas and tasty beer – hurrah!)

Still to come and eagerly awaited are mega restaurant Bangkok Joe’s in Redcliffe, The King St Brewhouse (which is looking amazing from the sneak peek photos), G Brothers Pizza (their unlimited pizza launch will be immense) and Brigstow Bar & Kitchen – which has one of the best views in the entire city across the harbour (you can sign up for their launch party here).

We’re also waiting on confirmed opening dates for the two new launches from the Casamia Sanchez Brothers crew – Paco Tapas and Neoplitan style pizza joint Pi Shop.

We’ve also heard rumours that Bambalan – the latest venture from the clever lot behind The Ox, Milk Thistle… et al – will be opening its doors very shortly, so keep an eye on social media (or my loudmouth Twitter account) for more info.

That’s it for this month – if you’re in need of some ideas for Mother’s Day take a look at this guide, or if want some additional tips you can check out…

• Bristol’s Best Brunches
• The Tastiest Tapas in Bristol
• Bristol’s Best Pub Crawls
• The Quest for Bristol’s Best Roast Dinner
• The Vegetarian Guide to Bristol & Bath

Dates for the Diary

• Thu 3rd – Whiskey Club at The Milk Thistle
• Thu 3rd – Fiona Beckett & Romy Gill at Hart’s Bakery
• Sat 5th – Victorian Breakfast at The Star & Dove
• Tue 8th – Arbor beer & vegan dinner at Adam & Eve
• Tue 8th-Sat 19th – Kansai Kitchen pop-up at Hare on the Hill
• Wed 9th – New Arrivals Wine Tasting at Avery’s Wine Merchants
• Wed 9th – Irish Whiskey tasting at Weber & Tring’s
• Wed 9th – Introduction to Wine at Clifton Wine School
• Thu 10th – Sherry & Tapas Tasting at Bristol Wine School
• Thu 10th – River Cottage Canteen 3rd birthday
• Fri 11th – Curry Club at Little Kitchen
• Fri 11th – G Brothers Pizza launch
• Fri 11th – Brigstow Bar & Kitchen launch
• Fri 11th – Chocolate & Wine Matching at Clifton Wine School
• Mon 14th – Adventurous Eats at The Bank Tavern
• Tue 15th – Ilkley Brewery tap takeover at Brewdog
• Fri 18th – Night market at St Nicks
• Fri 18th – Small plates & wine matching at Little Kitchen
• Sat 19th – Pie & Ale Festival at The Royal Oak
• Mon 21st – Adventurous Eats at The Bank Tavern
• Wed 23rd – Make Your Own Gin at Weber & Tring’s
• Wed 23rd – Purim party at Aron’s Jewish Deli
• Wed 23rd – Rum tasting at Goldbrick House
• Wed 23rd – Fish filleting course at Source
• Thu 24th-Sun 28th – Easter Beer Fest at The Volunteer Tavern
• Sat 26th-Sun 27th – Taste Chocolate Festival
• Sat 26th – Introduction to Wine lunch at Clifton Wine School
• Sun 27th  – Wild Beer and Siren dinner at Small Bar
• Thu 31st – DIY Tapas and Dine at Little Kitchen
• Fri 1st April – Rumageddon #3 at The Rummer