Welcome to March – let’s hope that it’s a drier month than February, or January! I’m still very much in the hearty food and cosy corners vibe, but more than ready to enjoy some blue skies
Read on to get tempted by special dinners, wine festivals, Mother’s Day events and more…
Continue reading Bristol Food & Drink: MarchFinally plucked up the courage to ask the object of your affection out for a drink? Or want to spoil your significant other?
Here are a few suggestions for your next date night, whether it’s a casual coffee, a slap-up dinner or a late night cocktail – all a bit special, not too noisy and with a nice atmosphere to allow you to have the perfect time with your beau. Happy smooching!
Continue reading Bristol’s Best Date LocationsWeekends are special for all sorts of reasons, and not just the fact that you’re out of the office for a blissful 48 hours.
The two greatest reasons must be the fact that you have the opportunity for a lie-in and also that you get to take as long as you want over your breakfast, without having to try and eat your toast whilst simultaneously putting on your coat and shoving your packed lunch in your bag.
Continue reading The Best Brunches in BristolIf you’re looking to try somewhere new or stuck for ideas for where to eat and drink, hopefully some of these brilliant deals will tempt you in.
Make sure you follow your favourite bars and restaurants on social media (or sign up to their newsletter) for the most up to date promotions and events, and remember that it’s a tough time for hospitality businesses, so your support is more valuable than ever. Get out there – eat, drink, be merry and support your local indies!
Continue reading Food & Drink Offers in BristolAs the cold, dark nights draw in and the rain gets more frequent, I figured it was time to round up some of the best places to get comfy until the sun reappears!
Here are the best places to snuggle up with a mulled beverage whenever it gets nippy…
Not only is Bristol packed to the gills with amazing restaurants, bars and cafes, but there are also plenty of opportunities to learn from the experts or have a go at making something yourself!
Whether you want to learn how to make sushi or tell a Merlot from a Malbec, here are plenty of tasty experiences across the city…
Continue reading Bristol’s Best Food & Drink ExperiencesWe all love novelty socks and comedy DVDs, but surely the best present of all to receive is the gift of food (or money, money is also very good).
I usually try to top up the stockings of my nearest and dearest with a few local Bristol treats (inevitably a few find their way into my cupboard, but I see it as commission for my thoughtfulness), so should you be wondering what food & drink gifts to get for friends and family, allow me to show you some of your options…
Continue reading The Bristol Foodie Gift guideSummer in Bristol means eating and drinking by the Harbourside, right?
Personally, my ultimate sign that the sunshine has arrived is when I see legs dangling over the quayside outside Arnolfini, or people jostling for space along the jetties nearby.
This guide is mainly focused on nabbing some a bite to eat in the harbour – if you’re more focused on waterfront boozing, take a look at my Harbourside Pub Crawl guide.
Continue reading Bristol’s Best Harbourside Restaurants
It’s easy to get caught up with the latest openings and new exciting places (and there is plenty to be excited about at the moment), but I thought it was time to give some appreciation to the places that have kept me fed and watered with consistently brilliant fare since I moved to Bristol sixteen (bloody hell) years ago.
Let me know your favourite places on Twitter or Facebook, and I’ll add them in later!
Continue reading Oldies but goodies: Bristol institutionsI’ve lost count of the amont of times I’ve been asked “What food stalls are there in St Nick’s Market?” or what the newest additions are to Bristol’s food haven, so I figured that it was time to write this guide.
I’ll strive to keep this blog as up to date as possible, which means of course making sure I go there for lunch as much as I can. It’s a tough job, but someone’s gotta do it!
Continue reading Food stalls at St Nicholas MarketAs we stumble through the season of Christmas parties and Bratwurst-laden markets, there’s still plenty of other tastiness to keep you busy.
I’m also having January off from the blog so have added some extra treats in for you to start off 2023 (ffs) in the best possible way.
Oh and if you’re still looking for last minute presents, take a look at my Bristol Foodie Gift Guide – it’s got tons of local stuff on there!
Continue reading Bristol Food & Drink: December 2022We all know that any meal or drinks can be enhanced by a fantastic view. Luckily, with most of Bristol resting on a ridiculous gradient, impressive views over the city and beyond are not hard to come by. Sometimes though, it’s just nice to sit in a good pub garden and take in your surroundings, whether it be on a river bank, on a busy high street or up a behemoth hill. Continue reading Bristol’s Best Pub Gardens
Food doesn’t come much simpler and comforting than a pizza, and yet some places have managed to take the basics of dough, tomato sauce and cheese and make something quite spectacular.
Whether you like your pizza straight from a wood-fired oven, made from sourdough, served alongside a flight of cider or made with vegan cheese, Bristol has something for every preference and persuasion.
So without further ado, here are Bristol’s most perfect purveyors of all thing pizza….
Continue reading Bristol’s Best Pizza Joints
Bristol now has more than its fair share of vegan and veggie places to eat, earning it a place as the most popular vegan city in the world.
I’m always happy to go to vegetarian restaurants, and tend to eat out a lot at Japanese, Korean and Indian restaurants, which by their nature offer extensive vegetarian choices (check out Tuk Tuck, Bento Boss and Nutmeg for particularly good examples of this), but even so it seems only fair to have a fully fledged vegetarian give their thoughts about the best of what’s on offer.
Read on to see what other plant-based treats you can get your hands on across the city!
We all have times when we’re in need of a night out to make us feel a bit special, or wanting to find a place that feels a bit more quiet and hidden away.
Bristol has become famous for its variety of speakeasies and secret bars, all of which offer something a bit different, without being pretentious or too exclusive. With that in mind, here are some places where you can imbibe the finest cocktail concoctions in Bristol…
Continue reading Bristol’s Classiest Cocktail BarsPhew, what a few months ey? It’s been a tumultuous time to say the least, but it’s been amazing to watch how many of Bristol’s food & drink businesses have risen to the challenge with their own delivery services, meal packs, online events and gift vouchers systems.
Here are some of my picks for how you can still enjoy the best of the city’s food scene while staying safe – let me know if you have any others you think I should I add in.
Continue reading Bristol’s Food & drink lockdown essentialsMy favourite types of food are those where you can order plenty of dishes and share – tapas, mezze, tagine, and of course curry.
I love all curries the same, whether they’re traditional dals or English-born Baltis, Keralan or Bangladeshi, spicy or creamy.
Speaking of which – some of the places below are region-specific, some are more ‘classic’ English curry house.
Here is a list of some of the finer curry establishments I can recommend in Bristol – feel free to add your thoughts or own recommendations in the comments below! Continue reading Bristol’s Best Curry Restaurants
Well 2019. It’s been a mixed bag on all fronts, hasn’t it? Some amazing new food & drink places arrived in the city, the city & its restaurants won even more accolades, we welcomed another new eating district to the city (hi, Finzel’s Reach!), but we also had to bid farewell to some really great businesses.
Alongside the celebration of all the brilliant businesses & events below, it’s a good time to remember that things have never been tougher for independents, so make sure you shop, dine & drink local as much as you can in the new year – we really are spoilt for choice in Bristol, let’s keep it that way!
One of the best things about the weather getting colder is huddling in cosy corners in your thickest jumper, sipping a warm cider and snacking on festive treats.
It can sometimes be a mission to find the sort of comfort drink you’re after though, so on the suggestion of a friend I’ve put together a rudimentary list of places that will fulfill all of your winter boozing needs.
Want to celebrate a birthday, have a family meal or spoil that special someone?
As you’d expect, Bristol is brimming with excellent food options to suit every budget and taste; in fact you can eat well at many of the places below for a little over £10 – be sure to check their early bird deals or see if you can find them on the Wriggle app.
I’ve split the selections below by type, from serious sophistication down to the quirkier venues in town, so whether you’re on a date or a work do, you can work out the sort of mood & location that suits you best.
Break out your best shoes, smooth down your hair and straighten your bow tie – here are my tips for where to go when you’re in need of a serious treat in Bristol…
Having experienced a bit of a MeatWave™ a few years ago with an influx of burger restaurants, I’ve rounded up some of the better offerings out there. I hasten to add that most of these places also offer some excellent veggie options, and I’ll point out the best options as I go, but do check their menus for specific vegetarian/dairy free/GF options.
Grab a pen, it’s about to get tasty…
Credit: Simple Lampoon
Many of my friends wonder how I can afford to go out so much in Bristol, but I’m always quick to respond that Bristol, for a city, is not expensive to eat in, or at least has a wide variety of food options to suit any budget.
Considering my tastes lean towards craft beer, steak and tapas, all traditionally expensive choices, I have never struggled to find places in Bristol that I can afford to visit again and again.
So I thought I’d share a few with you here, because in these frugal times, as much as it’s sensible to tighten our belts, it’s also important to keep supporting local businesses, and get outside to try something new with friends too!
We all love a sweet treat to perk up our day, reward ourselves or just because we can’t resist the temptation of a tasty-looking brownie on a cafe counter (I am the ultimate impulse cake purchaser – stop putting them so close to the till!)
Bristol has no shortage of places that will happily send you into a euphoric sugar daze – here are my recommendations, helpfully split out by craving type; you’re welcome.
Here are the places I have to give a double thumbs up to, should you find yourself uninspired by your packed lunch or office canteen. I’ve tried to keep the suggestions to the centre, otherwise this post would be even longer!
Let me know where else you rate for lunchtime munching in the comments below!
The new year is nigh! We’ve been through another busy few months, where Bristol has firmly cemented itself as a food destination to rival even London.
There have been many gushing reviews from esteemed critics, awards and new places. There have also been the inevitable closures – but more on that later.
I’ve tried to round up some of the key Bristol food & drink moments of 2017, as well as asking some locals for their munching highlights of the year. Strap in, here are the best bits of what we ate in the year 2017…
A Life Less Organised 