Old favourite: Lockside

The site of the famous Sid’s Café in Only Fools and Horses may have had a fair old makeover since its days as a classic greasy café, but it still serves a fry up Del Boy would be proud of.

Lockside has been something of a Bristol institution since the early 1960s under various different guises and while the waterfront café now offers a far more polished dining experience, the friendly ease of a genuine local haunt has not been lost.

Tucked away under the flyover on Brunel Lock Road, a rather nondescript exterior belies the charm of the café within, which is bright, modern and lined with windows to make the most of its waterside location – albeit with a road in the way – and views over the Clifton Suspension Bridge.

It is not yet 8am on a rainy Wednesday morning and the warm, welcoming café presented a beacon of hope amidst the grey. A waitress called a cheery greeting and promptly presented a menu as extensive as it was unpretentious.

The early bird offer of a £6.95 traditional breakfast, complete with unlimited mugs of tea or filter coffee was too good to resist – although the option of simple eggs and soldiers, or the Legendary Lockside sausage butty were strong contenders.

In a world where coffee has become an institution in its own right and punters regularly fork out upwards of £2 for a cup, the joys of unlimited refills are much underrated.

Hot, delicious and served promptly in a glass mug, it is easy to see, based on the coffee alone, why this is the café of choice for savvy local business people to conduct their morning meetings.

The vibe was friendly and the two members of staff working the room did an admirable job of apparently effortlessly juggling serving and keeping up banter with locals at several tables.

A large plate arrived promptly, but this was not the veggie breakfast I was so anticipating. No, this was just the first course of toast. A good thick couple of slices served with a generous slab of butter and a choice of jam or marmalade (or both) – all included in the £6.95 price.

The main event followed soon after, presented in an almost comically cylindrical format, and certainly a sizeable offering. The egg yolks were runny, mushrooms pan-fried to perfection, tomatoes fresh and lightly griddled.

The only let down was the bubble and squeak, usually a firm fry up favourite, but in this case lacking in taste, making me relieved that I had avoided the meal options that featured it as the main component.

Overall, this did not detract from what was a delicious breakfast which, washed down with three mugs of coffee, left me more than satisfied.

Lingering over said cups of coffee in a cosy corner of the café is a wonderful spot to watch people come and go – rushed business meetings, leisurely catch-ups, parents with pushchairs – while traffic splashes by on the road outside. Alas, being Wednesday morning it was all too soon time to face the rain and reality outside.

The early bird option is undoubtedly a great way to get value for money, but with plenty of hearty lunch and takeaway dishes available, I can’t imagine there are many that walk out disappointed.

The Lockside might have shed the garish greasy café trappings that were a familiar site on TV screens throughout the 80s, but a solid local treasure it surely remains.

Lockside
No.1 Brunel Lock Road, Cumberland Basin, BS1 6XS
0117 914 4434
www.lockside.net

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