Features / Best of 2023
The best new food and drink openings of 2023
Best new cafe
Interlude, St Michael’s Hill, Kingsdown
The setting within the former Psychopomp distillery may be familiar but Interlude owner Laurence Lawes has stamped his personality on the space. Enjoy coffee from Dino’s roastery, pastries from Angel Bakery in Abergavenny and occasional food events cheffed by Interlude barista Chloe Fella.
Greytone, Dean Street, St Paul’s
Immediately leaping into the top echelons of Bristol’s speciality coffee scene, Greytone was opened by Charlotte Fong and Ernest Ho, who met while working at a cafe in Hong Kong. Their stylish cafe close to Portland Square focuses on filter coffee, with cakes baked by Charlotte.
Lucky Strike, East Street, Bedminster
Lucky Strike describes itself as a “modern take on a classic British cafe and bistro”, with its menus drawing on the nostalgia for food we ate growing up including rice pudding and strawberry jam, and egg and cress sandwiches. Look out for pop-ups including from Cave head chef Charlie Hearn.
Best new pub/bar
The Dame, Dean Lane, Bedminster
There was shock in March when four pubs in south Bristol closed on the same day. The Tap & Barrel was among those to close but a few months later reopened as the Dame, rebranded as a “friendly neighbourhood dive bar” for BS3’s skateboarders and the wider community.
A mural by Rich T is on one side of the Dame – photo Martin Booth
Junction, Gaol Ferry Steps, Wapping Wharf
It was always the dream of Wapping Wharf developer Stuart Hatton to have a pub within the area and now that dream has come true with Junction. In what used to be Wild Beer Bar, the new pub from Bristol Beer Factory promises great beer from local breweries, classic pub grub and roasts on Sundays.
Bruhaha, Wells Road, Totterdown
Moving from its original pop-up brewery at Windmill Hill City Farm, Bruhaha now has a place of its own. The Bruhaha team of Simone Dougall, Dave Partridge and Steve England have created “a chilled-out place where people can drink local pints and share interesting food”.
Best new restaurant
is needed now More than ever
Zara, Lawfords Gate, St Jude’s
Zara is a family-run restaurant serving Ethiopian and Eritrean cuisine. It’s “full to the brim with lovely things; lovely people, lovely tables and lovely food”, wrote Bristol24/7’s Meg Houghton-Gilmour. “I am telling everyone I know about Zara,” she added, so consider yourself told.
The combination injera at Zara is like having ten meals in one photo Meg Houghton Gilmour
Noah’s, Brunel Lock Road
Somewhat marooned underneath one of the elevated roads around the Cumberland Basin, Noah’s, a fish and chip and seafood restaurant from husband and wife team Daniel and Joie Rosser was named in October as one of the finalists in the National Fish and Chip Awards Restaurant of the Year 2023 award.
The Baffled King, Chelsea Road, Easton
Easton neighbours Campbell Craig, a university professor, and Howard Brewer, a builder and entrepreneur, named their new restaurant, the Baffled King, after a line from Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen. They have created a charming French bistro which offers modern small plates in a casual setting.
Best new food shop
Catley’s, King’s Road, Clifton Village
Former Chiltern Firehouse head pastry chef Hannah Catley opened her first premises, Lockdown Loaves, in Winterbourne during the pandemic after moving back to her hometown. Catley’s is an extension of that, now selling some of the best-baked goods in Bristol.
The counter at Catley’s in Clifton Village – photo: Martin Booth
Ruby Hue, East Tucker Street, Finzels Reach
If you thought you knew about chocolate, think again. Ruby Hue is a cafe-cum-shop from Ruth Scanlon and Tom Hughes. Watch each and every bar being made on the premises, take their delicious creations home or sit in and indulge in a hot chocolate with Bristol’s biggest marshmallow.
Dio’s, North Street, Bedminster
Okay, Dio’s opened at the end of 2022 but that was too late to get into last year’s best of round-ups so I have included it here. From the same team as Hugo’s next door, this deli and sandwich shop makes their juices in-house every day. I wholeheartedly recommend their lemon meringue pie.
Main photo: Martin Booth
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