My first events round-up of 2024, and it’s already a packed one!
It’s the first proper month of the year when we can start venturing out and making fun plans again, so read on for dinners, Valentine’s Day events, new openings and lots more.
News
A lot of awards and accolades this month. Firstly, mega congratulations to the local restaurants & pubs mentioned in Square Meal’s Top 100 Restaurants list, with Wilsons at #20, Paco Tapas #25, Casa #44, BANK #82 and COR at #92. Other local places that got mentioned were Olive Tree Bath (#71), Upstairs at Landrace (#76), and Beckford Canteen in Bath (#95).
Two local restaurants received a Bib Gourmand from the Michelin Guide, which celebrates great quality food at a great value price – The Clifton in err, Clifton, and Wilks in Bath. The Longs Arms near Bradford on Avon also made it into the list of Top 50 Gastropubs in the UK.
In town for Bristol Light Festival (2 – 11 February)? Lots of city centre bars and restaurants are getting in on the action and running special events and offers while the festival is on. Find out more here.
Several places are running Lunar New Year dinners and celebrations, including Wai Yee Hong in Eastville, Wongs in the city centre and Bristol Museum & Art Gallery.
James Stuart, the founder and owner of Tomo No Ramen, has launched a ramen cookery class at Little Kitchen Cookery School in Totterdown. Tomodachi Ramen School will teach participants about each of the five core components of ramen, and how to make each one.
Apparently it’s National Pizza Day on Friday 9th Feb, so Pizzarova are doing bottomless pizza from their North Street and Whiteladies Road restaurants on lunchtime that day for £15 per person. Flour & Ash on Whiteladies Road are also starting up Bottomless Pizza Night every Tuesday from 4 – 10pm for £15 per person.
Espensen Spirit are popping up at a couple of fun events over the next few weeks with themed cocktails, including the Valentine’s Day after hours event at Bristol Aquarium and a special screening of Barbie at the former Bristol IMAX on 10th March.
Upcoming festivals include Free From Festival at Document in St Jude’s on Sat 24th. Tickets are also now on sale for The Great Bristol Wine Fest in April and Bristol Craft Beer Festival in June.
Dinners and Pop-ups
There are plenty of delicious dining events coming up over the next few weeks:
- Dining in the Dark: Bristol Light Festival Edition (Wed 7th, £44.95)
- Fish & Shellfish Night at The Pony Chew Valley (Thu 8th, £65)
- Bottomless Evening Brunch with Karaoke at Toto’s by the River (Fri 9th, £29.95)
- Yoga Brunch Club x Artist Residence (Sun 11th, £45)
- Ah-Ma’s Dumplings Lunar New Year dinner at The Scrandit (Tue 13th, £28 for veggie menu, £30 for meat menu)
- Left Handed Giant x Bulrush (Thu 22nd)
- Yoga Brunch Club x Eatchu at Wiper and True Taproom (Sun 25th, £35)
- Losow Kitchen at The Scrandit (Tue 27th, £38)
- Wine & Raclette Night at Le Vignoble (Wed 28th, £30)
The Scrandit also have several short residencies this month – Filipino fusion from Kring Kringz (8th – 11th), Malaysian comfort food from Fat Rice (15th – 18th) and plantbased ramen from Ikiko (22nd -25th)
Valentine’s Day
If you’re looking for something to do with your date, there are tons of set menus and special events taking place (I’m updating this highlight on Instagram most days), or you can check out my guide to Bristol’s Best Date Locations. Here are some picks though if you can’t be bothered to browse:
- Five-course tasting menu at BANK, £59 per person
- Three-course dinner at Clifton Observatory, £55 per person
- Valentine’s sharing mezze feast at Souk Kitchen, £95 between two
- Eleven-course Valentine’s tasting menu at Bulrush, £115 each
- Blasé x Native Vine five-course meal at The Friary Building (formerly Klosterhaus), £68pp
- Sharing menu at The Mint Room, £60 per person, optional wine flight
- Bottomless pizza and bubbles at Pizza on the Park, £30
- Three-course set men at Palomar with different drinks options, from £65 each
- Italian supper club at Starling, £52.50
- Three courses with fizz & wine at No.1 Harbourside, £45 per person
- Four-course set sharing menu at Lucky Strike, £40 per person
- Valentine’s Movie Night at Bambalan
Classes & Tastings
Try something new this month…
- Tue 6th – She Drinks Beer at The Kings Head
- Tue 6th – The Wines of Valpolicella tasting at Cave, £35
- Wed 7th – Red You’ve Probs Never Heard Of at KASK, £35
- Wed 7th – Introduction to European Wines, £110
- Wed 7th – Grand Tour de France wine tasting, £40
- Fri 9th – Chinese street food class at Little Kitchen, £73
- Sat 10th – Wapping Wharf Gourmet Food Tour, £60
- Sat 10th – Cheese Making Masterclass at Coexist Community Kitchen, £106
- Wed 14th – Syrian cookery class at Coexist Community Kitchen, £45
- Wed 14th – Discover Italy wine tasting, £40
- Thu 15th – Vietnamese street food class at Little Kitchen, £73
- Thu 15th – Whisky Lover’s Masterclass, £30
- Thu 15th – Cider vs Vegan Cheese at The Cider Box, £23 + bf
- Fri 16th – Foraging walk and cookery class, £95
- Sat 17th – Bristol Street Food Tour, £25
- Sat 17th – Be a Barista with Odd Kin Coffee Roasters, £60
- Mon 19th – The CWR Rum Club feat. El Dorado, £25
- Tue 20th – Mastering the brew workshop at Wiper and True Taproom, £50
- Tue 20th – The Wines of Valpolicella tasting at Cave, £35
- Wed 21st – A history of Averys and wine tasting with Mimi Avery, £35
- Wed 21st – Explore Spain and Portugal wine tasting, £40
- Wed 21st – Whisky Tasting with Milk and Honey at Spirited, £25
- Wed 21st – Sudanese cookery class at Coexist Community Kitchen, £45
- Wed 21st – Orange Wednesday at KASK, £35
- Thu 22nd – Mexican street food class at Little Kitchen, £73
- Thu 22nd – Cider vs Cheese at The Cider Box, £22
- Thu 22nd – What on Earth is Orange wine? at The Pony Chew Valley, £50
- Fri 23rd – Bangladeshi cuisine cookery class at Cooking It, £65
- Fri 23rd – Gin Lover’s Masterclass, £30
- Sat 24th – Wines of Central & Eastern Europe at Native Vine, £25
- Sat 24th – Blues & Wine at Averys, £35
- Sun 25th – Fermented Foods Workshop, £125
- Tue 27th – Impeccable Pinots wine tasting at Snobby’s, £90 (includes meal)
- Wed 28th – Pour Decisions at KASK, £5
- Wed 28th – Vegan cookery class at Cooking It, £65
- Wed 28th – Discover Chile and Argentina wine tasting, £40
- Wed 28th – Wine tasting along the Camino de Santiago at Corks, £35
- Thu 29th – Scotch egg masterclass at Little Kitchen, £65
- Thu 29th – Whisky Lover’s Masterclass, £30
- Thu 29th – New Zealand Wine Tasting at The Clifton Sausage, £45 (includes 25% discount on food afterwards). Call 0117 973 1192 to book.
New Places
There are a bunch of newly-opened bars and restaurants for you to visit – already open are basement cocktail bar The Granary Club, Colonnade restaurant in Bristol Beacon, MØD coffee on Gloucester Road and 1a York Place in Clifton. Eat a Pitta have also opened in Bath!
Pinkmans and ANNA Cake Couture have a new collaboration just off Old Market, Apostrophe Coffee has opened on Bedminster Parade, Kasundi Indian takeaway is open in Redfield, Athugala Ceylon is bring Sri Lankan food to Kingswood and Bake-A-Licious Greek bakery has opened in Clifton.
Dao Chao is now open in the centre, serving traditional Chinese cuisine and merged with Western fusion (they’ll also be doing bottomless brunch), with a special 50% discount running until 9th February.
One of the oddest openings so far this year has to be Alcotraz, a prison-themed cocktail bar on All Saints Street in the city centre. Sneak in your bottle of booze and get the team to make you some cocktails, which you’ll then enjoy in the comfort(?) of your cell, comeplete with jumpsuits to complete the look. Odd!
Opening in February is the new-look Colosseum in Redcliffe from the same team behind Mother’s Ruin and The Crown in St Nick’s, Thai tapas & cocktails joint Mangosteen off Park Street, plus a new restaurant for Eatchu on Clifton Triangle in what was Pizza Bianchi.
168 Kitchen will soon be serving dim sum and Cantonese dishes on Park Street, with the same owners also redeveloping the Little Chinatown site on Nelson Street into a Chinese butchers and fishmongers.
A little further along the line you can expect Mexican restaurant Condesa from the team behind Bravas and Cargo Cantina, Uncle Wah Dim Sum Parlour on North Street, a new branch of Coyote Ugly saloon on the waterside in what was Revolucion de Cuba, and Fluffy Fluffy souffle pancakes in the centre.
Also keep a lookout for the resurrection of Goldbrick House on Park Street and a revamp for The Crown Tavern in St Jude’s, which has been taken over by The Bank Tavern team. Left Handed Giant are also due to start work on their latest bar inside the Carriageworks building on Stokes Croft.
New kitchen residencies include Eat the Bird at King Street Brew House and Chicken Shack at The Pipe & Slippers.
That’s it for this month, let me know what you’re planning on booking over on Twitter or Threads, see what I’m eating on Instagram or see the latest local food news by following A Life Less Organised on Facebook.
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