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42°F / 5°C
(Passing Clouds. Nippy.)
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For a small city, Bristol has an astounding amount of restaurants, pubs and bars. It's not just the sheer number that will surprise you but also the rich diversity on offer. The whole scene has exploded over the last few years, and the healthy competition between venues has seen places become slicker, more high-profile (reviews of Bristol restaurants are not uncommon in the national papers these days) and generally more discerning—which can only be good news for you, the visitor. So, go out there and consume!
Restaurants:
Let's start at the top. For those times when only the best will do, take your pick from a number of posh eateries. Very highly regarded are Harvey's Restaurant, housed in ancient wine cellars, and the superb Lord's, situated in the unlikely but impressive surroundings of a former bank vault. Then there's the old fashioned elegance of The Glass Boat, yes, an actual boat moored on the floating harbour and in contrast, the startling modernity of the super-hip River Station. After a night of dining in one of these places your stomach will feel suitably self-indulged, even if your bank account is suffering!
If your budget doesn't quite stretch to this, there are plenty of places where you can get a fabulous meal for less expense in the city centre: Pan Asian fast food in trendy settings at Budokan, cosy informality at Portuguese A Cozinha, French cuisine(and belly dancing!) at Byzantium, or a tasty curry at
Village Tandoori—the list is endless. If you don't fancy the formality of a restaurant, try somwhere that doubles up as a pub/bar—good examples being All Bar One, the infamous Renato's on King Street and the very trendy Severnshed.
If it's a quick and cheap lunch you're after, explore the area around St Nicholas Market, which has some great stalls selling anything from curry to crepes. And of course you can't move far in the centre without coming across a cafe. Some of the more outstanding ones include—former cafe of the year the Mud Dock and at the other end of the scale (in formality terms) the south west's first veggie cafe, Royce Rolls.
Don't just confine yourself to the city centre however. Many of Bristol's best restaurants are situated in the nearby suburbs. Go to Redland to sample the best fish in town at Red Snapper, or travel to the other side of the city to Totterdown to discover one of Bristol's best kept secrets at Glasnost - the place that looks like an austere Russian vodka bar but is in fact a model of Mediterranean warmth and classy cuisine inside. Montpelier is home to the acclaimed splendour of Bell's Diner and the hippie-chic of One Stop Thali. Then there's picture-postcard-perfect Clifton where you can dine in decadence and luxury at the
Albion Public House and Dining Rooms (The), try a curry at Bombay Spice or a pizza at trendy Pizza Express.
If you're not quite sure what you want, take a stroll along lively Whiteladies Road, which is lined with all manner of places to eat, including Thai Classic, Quartier Vert and Planet Pizza. You can't fail to find somewhere that takes your fancy.
Pubs and Bars:
Bristol's nightlife has really begun to make a name for itself in recent years - places such as Oceana and Thekla have become increasingly popular for a wild night out on the town, as well as a number of other dance clubs that cater to the eager night owl. But leave it to Bristol to not stray too far from the English tradition. Most of the city's drinking is still done in the various pubs and bars peppered throughout the city. Generally speaking, head to the city centre if you want a full-on, noisy night-out drinking. But be warned, at weekends it's heaving and for those uninitiated in the ways of English drinking culture (think screeching girls, macho boys and uninhibited behaviour), it can be slightly intimidating, even if it is mostly good-natured.
There are a few main areas for those on a drinking mission:
Around the harbour you'll find plenty of large pubs, such as E-Shed, and Brannigans. These cater for dressed-up youngsters and can suffer from the "meat-market" syndrome. Some notable exceptions around here are The Arnolfini and The Watershed and and Apple (The) -they will be equally packed but more trendy and arty and certainly less boisterous.
But if boisterous is your bag, you'll be in heaven at nearby King Street, a cobbled street whose ancient pubs are steeped in nautical history, although if you want to appreciate these finer aspects, come only at daytime or early in the week Bar Med at the far end of the street remains the focus point for what seems like all of Bristol's youth.
Corn Street is very popular, thanks to the wall-to-wall bars and pubs, such as The Slug and Lettuce and All Bar One, both catering for the city's smart, youngish drinkers. And Park Street and Whiteladies Road also see a lot of drinking action—there are plenty of bars along here, all willing to cash in on the student dollar, so to speak. All are packed and offer various degrees of sophistication, from the basic pack-em-in of The Rat and Parrot to the funky chic of Bar Humbug. The possibilities are endless, as long as you're young, pretty and have plenty of money in your pockets that is.
If it's a quiet boozer you're after, you may be better off heading to the outer edges of the city centre. Try the Hope and Anchor (complete with wonderful beer garden), just ten minutes walk from the centre; Bedminster in South Bristol is home to the acclaimed Albert, where you can catch live folk and jazz; the Stokes Croft area is home to the low-key and impossibly trendy The Bell; St Michael's Hill boasts some classic little boozers such as The Highbury Vaults and a walk around Clifton will reveal great hideaways. Don't neglect to try The Coronation Tap, if only because it's famous for selling the west country's favourite tipple - that's right, cider. A few glasses of their premium strength Exhibition Cider (only sold in half pints because it's so potent) and all those curious drinking rituals mentioned before, will suddenly become like second nature to you! It's even rumored that in his day the infamous pirate Blackbeard used to frequent this hot spot. So go and taste the cider that has tested the strengths of many men—but don't say you haven't been warned!
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