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I have lived in Bristol for over 20 years and I am still trying some of the best places to eat in Bristol city centre. One of the things I love about living in Bristol is we have so many tasty places to eat but there are also new places popping up all the time.
We have the wonderful St Nicholas Market that has great places to eat inside and also has a wonderful food market and famers market and there are food cart around the city centre that offer some great street food.
I cant include all of the best places to eat in Bristol as there are so many but here is my list of my favourite places to eat in my home town of Brizzle.
Wapping Wharf
Wapping Wharf is a cool development on the harbour where a lot of the eateries are in shipping containers. This does make them quite small but if the sun is shining and you can get a seat outside it is a great place to dine in Bristol.
Some of the eateries pop up and then go so its best checking the Wapping Wharf website for up to date information there is a great selection of restaurants bars and cafes in this area to meet everyone’s tastes.
The best things about Wapping Wharf is if you are in a group and you dont want the same food you could go to most of the containers and get takeout and eat along the waterfront.
Here are some of my favourite places to eat in Wapping Wharf.
Pigsty
I love pigs, so I am going to love Pigsty, everything is pork based and they have little piggy’s on their paper wraps which I just loved. The pork platter here is amazing if you like pork and cannot decide what to have share this with someone and you will be in porky heaven.
Wild Beer
My other favourite is Wild Beer, this is in an actual building and is larger so if you dont like being squashed in this is the best option.
If you are a beer lover then this is the place to go to try some beer. I could not decide which one to go for, so they let me try a couple and it was all so good. You can also get tasters or go to beer tasting nights which is so much fun, and the fish and chips are amazing.
Athenian
I love Athenian its Bristol’s Greek street food place to go and its delicious. My mouth waters thinking of their kebabs which you can customise and eat outside looking over the harbour.
Wapping Wharf is a great place to meet friends on sunny days and see what new cafes have popped up. I know I want to go and try the new ones asap.
Bristol Harbourside
The harbourside in Bristol, is a popular place for locals looking for a night out. It can get quite rowdy late at night with some of the bars opening late so if you are looking for a bustling night out this is the place to go in Bristol.
If the sun is shining and you can get a seat outside its lovely to watch the boats whilst having your meal.
Riverside Grill
If you want a bit of fine dining, then the Riverside Grill in the Harbourside Hotel is the place to go. It has floor to ceiling windows so you can look out at the harbour and do some people watching it also makes the restaurant really light, so it is great to go for lunch.
Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings they have live music.
The Stable
The Stable is the place to go for pizza in Bristol. I cannot believe pizza not from an Italian restaurant can taste so good. You can watch the pizzas being made and cooked in their huge ovens. They also have a great selection of ciders to try.
The Stable is a great place to eat in Bristol for a group of friends as there is always a great bustling atmosphere inside.
Welsh Back
I love Bristol’s Welsh Back in the evening. There are a good selection of restaurants and bars.
3 Brothers Burgers
My favourite is 3 brothers burgers if you like a mouthful of the best tasting burgers this is the place to go.
There are so many combinations of burgers here that I never get bored of having a juicy burger. As I have said in a few other blogs about Bristol, we definitely have some of the best tasting burgers in the UK and I have had many on my travels as Burgers and Fries is one of my favourite meals.
Read my 3 Brothers Review
Glass Boat Brasserie
Glass Boat Brasserie is as the name suggests, is a restaurant on a glass boat. It is weird eating here as it does rock and you feel as though it is moving when it is not. It is a little bit more on the pricy side so its great French cuisine in Bristol for a special occasion.
Aqua
Aqua is one of the best Italian restaurants in Bristol it does get busy so best booking, but it is worth it.
Cabot’s Circus
Cabot’s Circus is where to go for the popular chain restaurants at the time of writing this article there were Bella Italia which I love for a lunch bite as they often have good offers. They also do a particularly good afternoon tea which my friend treated me to for my birthday last year.
Casa Brazil
Casa Brazil is an all you can eat Brazilian restaurant in Bristol. I went to one of these in Marbella, Spain and if you like meat you will be in heaven at this Brazilian restaurant.
Five Guys Burgers
Five guys Burgers are delicious except it gets so busy and I dont like queuing. You must queue then stand waiting for your order if I am dining out, I much prefer table service but the burgers are amazing so I might compromise every now and then.
Wagamama
Wagamama is great for some Asian cuisine in Bristol, it is not the sort of place I would choose to dine but I went with friends and oh my god its bloody tasty.
You can check the full list of dining options in Cabot Circus here
Gloucester Road, Bristol
Gloucester Road is known for its independent shops and restaurants and it is a great place to go to support the local community.
It is a little walk from the city centre but there are plenty of buses to take you up the road or it is a nice leisurely walk.
Hob Goblin
I have two favourite restaurants on Gloucester Road the first being a pub the Hob Goblin and this is where to go for the best dirty fries in Bristol if you have never had dirty fries dont worry they haven’t been thrown on the floor but more favourable tossed in a secret spice recipe that just makes them taste so good.
They also have amazing burgers this is a great place for the best burgers in Bristol.
Omg im drooling right now. Make sure you have plenty of napkins as the burgers are so juicy it can be quite messy so maybe dont go there on a first date.
See the amazing Burgers at Hob Goblin
Pizzarova
A place that would be great for date night in Bristol is Pizzarova. Their pizzas are like nothing I have tasted before. They have a great selection of toppings and locally brewed beers.
Lona Restaurant
Lona restaurant grill and juice is a great Lebanese restaurant in Bristol, and they have lots of vegetarian options. This is a good place to go with friends and share a selection of mezze.
The Coconut Tree
The Coconut Tree is a Sri Lanka restaurant in Bristol, and it is got so many good reviews. I have not had chance to dine here yet but keep hearing amazing things about the restaurant and they also do takeaway. I cannot wait to go to see if it reminds me of the best meal I had in Sri Lanka.
Clifton
Clifton is known as the more up market area of Bristol, so this is where to go for some Bristol fine dining.
The Mint Room
My favourite restaurant in Clifton is The Mint Room. This is a fine dining Indian restaurant and it is not like your normal chicken tikka masala type Indian. It really brought back flavours of when I was travelling in India and makes me want to go back.
The staff here were so friendly, and the atmosphere was lovely. I had lamb cutlets to start and I dont normally like lamb, but I went on a recommendation from the waiter and it was so tasty.
Read about my Mint Room Experience
We also visited their sister restaurant Sholays Kitchen in Wapping Wharf that did street food, but it looks as though it changed its name to Bandook. I am not sure if it’s the same owners as the latest reviews are looking disappointing which is a shame as I loved the food at Sholay Kitchen and was hoping to return.
I dont venture up to Clifton that often but I will change that soon as there are so many good quality restaurants in this part of Bristol.
Saffron
I have had a drink in Saffron as they have outside seating and it is a great place to go when the sun is shining in Bristol which is rare. The menu looked great and people looked as though they were enjoying the food as all the plates were emptied. This is a Mediterranean restaurant.
Have you had a meal in Clifton if so let me know so I can give it a try.
Park Street
Park Street in Bristol has some of the best chain restaurants as well as independent restaurants.
The only problem I have with eating on Park Street is it’s on a steep incline so not the best for people with mobility problems like me however there is a bus that goes to the top of the hill or I get dropped off my car or taxi.
All in One
The first ever restaurant I went to in Bristol is on Park Street named All in One. This restaurant will always stick.in my mind as it was my first Bristol restaurant and it was good; I loved the atmosphere. They have excellent steaks and Greek dishes.
Yakinori
There is a Japanese restaurant called Yakinori, which is amazing. I had never had Japanese food until I tried this restaurant and now, I am hooked and want to try more.
Read my Yakinori Review
Mrs Potts Chocolate Shop
If you after a chocolate treat there is Mrs. Potts chocolate shop which is delicious and very naughty.
You can have a huge slab of chocolate cake with warm white, milk and dark chocolate sauce poured over which is just divine.
Stokes Croft
Stokes Croft has some independent cafes and restaurants and it has more of a hippy feel. It is also a great place to spot street art in Bristol.
The Canteen
I love The Canteen it serves locally sourced food. It is about like eating in a canteen as there quite a lot of noise going on especially when they have live music, but the food is amazing. It also has two great street art pieces outside one being from the famous Banksy.
Bar 51
Bar 51 has the best burgers in Stokes Croft and they also have music nights. It is a great place for a cheap pizza.
Caribbean Croft
Caribbean Croft is the place to go for the some of the best Caribbean food in Bristol my mouth waters just looking at their menu.
Pie Minister
And then you have Pie Minister which is home to the Bristol pie. These are famous around Bristol and are good hearty and filling.
Stokes Croft has many restaurants which I have yet to try but once I do I will update this list.
I also have many more Bristol restaurants to try as let’s face it the list is endless and I love food so it can’t be too much of a challenge.
Which is your favourite place to eat in Bristol city centre?
