May has to be one of the best months – not only are there two bank holidays, but festival season is getting in full swing, alfresco spots are opening up and there’s a proper buzz in the air.
As you can tell from the mega guide below (honestly, I’d get a cuppa before you start reading), Bristol is ready to party this month!
News
First up, congratulations to Circumstance Distillery for picking up a gold medal for their Single Grain Estate Whisky at the 2024 San Francisco World Spirits Competition – all of their grain spirits are something special so if you haven’t tried yet, I highly recommend, even as someone who isn’t usually that keen on whisky! They also run regular distillery tours if you want to learn more.
The dates have been announced for this year’s Bristol Cider Week (26th – 29th June) and Cider Salon (Sat 29th), with tickets now available for the latter priced at £30. If you can’t wait until then to get your cider fix, head to Wild West Cider’s open day on 12th May, do a cider tour or cider tasting at The Cider Box, or book on to a tour of Thatchers Cider, just outside Bristol.
Bristol Beer Factory have announced that they’re moving their brewery from the historic North Street site to a new state-of-the-art one just a short distance away. The taproom and Studio BBF will remain though, don’t worry!
The Old Market Assembly has announced some lush summer pairing menus for June, one in collaboration with Wiper and True and one with Stewart Wines, priced at £45 for five courses with paired drinks, which is exceptional value if you ask me!
‘Tis the season for refurbishments and menu refreshes, and some of the ones that have caught my eye recently include the new sharing menu at The Granary (available daily and priced at £45 between two for six sharing plates and a dessert), new sharing plates at The Baffled King, gorgeous spring dishes at Caper + Cure, a new all-day menu at 25a Old Market and a lush transformation and new spring dishes at No.4 Clifton Village.
Check out my mega list of set menus, lunch deals, kids offers, bottomless brunches and lots more on my Food & Drink Offers Guide.
If you’re already planning ahead for summer, Wiper and True are hosting a summer feast with Pasture at their Old Market taproom on 20th July, with platters of BBQ food and a welcome pint for £40.
Celebrate Estrella Galicia Gastronomy Month at Bar 44 throughout May with their ‘beer & a bite’ promotion: a plate of smoked cod roe, mojama & olive oil hash browns, along with a glass of classic Estrella Galicia for £9.50. They’ll also be hosting a ‘pour and carve’ event on Thu 16th where you can learn all about Iberian hams, get tutored carving practice, and drink some tasty beer!
The Sonny Stores pop-up at the beautiful Friary building in Quakers Friars (formerly Klosterhaus) continues until 2nd June, so get your bookings in while you still can!
Pizza on the Park are celebrating their 3rd birthday on Friday 17th May with £3 pizza slices and £3 spritzes, includig Aperol Spritz, Limoncello or peach & apricot. Should be good fun!
Early May Bank Holiday
Fill up your long weekend with some fun and tasty activities… and don’t forget there’s another long weekend just a few weeks later (the bank holidays this month are Monday 7th and Monday 27th).
Saturday:
Bristol Cider Tour (£34)
Sunday:
Cotto Street Festival
Bank Holiday BBQ at Racks
Indoor BBQ Bonanza at The Clifton
Saturday & Sunday:
East Bristol Brewery Trail
Inn on the Green Beer Festival
BBQ & Cider Festival at The Ostrich
Dinners & Festivals
Treat yourself to a special night out!
- MasterChef Finalist Kasae Fraser supper club at Bruhaha (Tue 7th, £70)
- Bottomless karaoke evening brunch at Toto’s by the River (Fri 10th, £23-30)
- Edible Histories 10-course dinner with Chef Liam Penn (Fri 10th/Sat 11th, £100)
- Murder Mystery Dinner at The Grand Pier (Sat 11th, £45)
- Cotham Street Party (Sun 12th)
- Brunello di Montalcino wine dinner at Bianchi’s (Thu 16th, £95)
- World Whisky Day Dinner at The Milk Thistle (Thu 16th, £120)
- Sri Lankan Dining at Beeses (Thu 16th)
- Good For The Gut Supper Club at Better Food St Werburghs (Fri 17th, £35)
- South Glos Spring Food & Drink Festival (Sat 18th & Sun 19th)
- Yoga Brunch Club at Artist Residence (Sun 19th, £45)
- The Talented Mr Ripley screening with wine tasting at Averys (Fri 24th, £27)
- La Panza Wine Fest (Sun 26th, free entry)
- Dinner in the Dark: Blindfolded Dinner (Tue 28th, £45)
- English Wine Festival at Avon Valley Railway (Fri 31st, £19)
- Beeses Gin Fest (Sat 1st June)
Tours, tastings & workshops
Learn or try something new this month…
- Tue 7th – She Drinks Beer at The Good Measure
- Tue 7th – Pickling & Fermenting Workshop at Coexist Community Kitchen (£55)
- Wed 8th – Somali Cookery Class at Coexist Community Kitchen (£45)
- Wed 8th – Women’s Whisky Night at Spirited (£25)
- Thu 9th – The ultimate rum experience: from barrel to bottle (£25)
- Fri 10th – Learn to cook the perfect steak at The Pony Cookery School (£75)
- Fri 10th – Vivaldi Four Seasons: Wine Tasting by Candlelight at The Red Lodge (£40)
- Fri 10th – Gin Lover’s Masterclass at Psychopomp (£30)
- Fri 10th – Burgundy’s Best Terroirs wine tasting at Averys (£45)
- Sat 11th – Buttercream cake masterclass at Little Kitchen (£75)
- Sat 11th – Tempering and bar moulding class at Zara’s Chocolates (£50)
- Sun 12th – Cheese making with The Bristol Cheesemonger (£140)
- Mon 13th – Learn to Cook Ramen at Cooking It! (£90)
- Tue 14th – Tapas & Pintxos cookery class & dinner at Cooking It! (£78)
- Tue 14th – Food for Mood at Better Food St Werburghs (£7)
- Tue 14th – Stewart Wines wine tasting at The Baffled King (£25)
- Wed 15th – Bubbles and dogs at Le Vignoble (£30)
- Wed 15th – Nigerian Cookery Class at Coexist Community Kitchen (£45)
- Wed 15th – World Whisky Tasting with The Heart Cut at Spirited (£25)
- Wed 15th – WTF is real wine? tasting at KASK (£35)
- Wed 16th – Scotch Egg Masterclass at Little Kitchen (£65)
- Thu 16th – Canape Masterclass at Neptune in Bath (£45)
- Sat 18th – Brandon Hill Park wild food foraging walk (£16)
- Sat 18th – Bristol Cider Tour (£34)
- Sun 19th – Spring Wild Food Forage Course at Stoke Park Estate (£40)
- Wed 22nd – Sri Lankan Cookery Class at Coexist Community Kitchen (£45)
- Wed 22nd – A Tribute to the ‘Judgement of Paris’ at Le Vignoble (£35)
- Wed 22nd – Sake and Sushi with Akashi-Tai and Niji Sushi at Spirited (£40)
- Thu 23rd – Whisky Lover’s Masterclass at Circumstance Distillery (£30)
- Thu 23rd – Chinese Street Food Class at Little Kitchen (£73)
- Thu 23rd – Thirsty Thursday cruise with Bristol Ferry (£10)
- Thu 23rd – Cheese & wine pairing at Averys (£35)
- Fri 24th – Gin Lover’s Masterclass at Psychopomp (£30)
- Fri 24th – Wapping Wharf Gourmet Food Tour (£60)
- Sat 25th – Food & Drink Tour: Hotspots & Hidden Treasures (£50)
- Sat 25th – Wapping Wharf Gourmet Food Tour (£60)
- Sun 26th – Speciality Coffee Brewing Masterclass (£50)
- Wed 29th – Syrian Cookery Class at Coexist Community Kitchen (£45)
- Wed 29th – Danish Whisky Tasting with Stauning at Spirited (£25)
- Wed 29th – Five New Friends cheese & wine tasting at KASK (£35)
- Thu 30th – Sauvignon Blanc wine tasting at The Clifton Sausage (£40, call to book)
New places to visit
Just opened include Turkish restaurant Cappadocia on Baldwin Street, and the Seven Lucky Gods sushi shop in Wapping Wharf.
Coffee on the Corner has opened inside a barbers on Temple Way, and popular Barcelona-based sandwich maestros The Dirty Vegans are hosting a pop-up at Chai Guy in Easton until the end of June.
Opening in May are Lonely Mouth on Gloucester Road and Uncle Wah’s Dim Sum on North Street.
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.
If you like this, you’ll also like:
A Life Less Organised 