The 8 best places to eat, drink and shop in Bristol

EatDrink24/7 2019 is out now, with the third annual guide once again being full of recommendations from experts across Bristol.

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Read EatDrink24/7 2019 online here

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Bristol’s only truly independent food and drink guide features 234 pages of recommendations divided into restaurants, pubs and bars, cafes, shops, street food and market stalls, takeaways, and out of town.

This year for the first time, the businesses with the most recommendations from our panelists have been given double-page spreads in the guide.

In alphabetical order, here they are:

Box-E
Cargo 1, Gaol Ferry Steps, Wapping Wharf, BS1 6WP
www.boxebristol.com

“Run by Tess and Elliott, just the loveliest couple who make every visit such a treat. Gaze in wonder at the chef’s table as Elliot works his delicious wizardry.”
Danielle Coombs, Bishopston Preserves

“What a cool place! So small and doing incredible things. It reminds me of how we started our restaurant.”
Iain Pennington, The Ethicurean

“Tessa and Elliot are amazing. During Our Belly Laughs festival this year at Wapping Wharf, I was running from venue to venue sorting and compering and setting up equipment, and I had a five-minute break before my next gig. I went up to Box-E to check all was okay and when Elliot realised I hadn’t eaten he chucked some cabbage in a frying pan, did something magical with things and stuff and little prawns and three minutes later I ate one of the best things I have ever eaten. A genius.”
Mark Olver, Belly Laughs

“Small but packing the biggest of food punches. Just shear brilliance by Elliot and first class front of house from Tess and team. The perfect experience and try to ask for the chef’s table for the added experience.”
Steve Ashworth, amateur chef

“Amazing food and impeccable service. These guys are up there with the best in the Bristol dining scene and they deserve all the praise they get. Tess and Elliott were super helpful with advice when we started Tare. They have shown what can be achieved in such a small and intimate environment.”
Matt Hampshire, Tare

“Tess and Elliot are the perfect team. Their hospitality is top-notch and the food is fresh, exciting and modern. I love sitting at the chef’s table and watching Elliot work. He is organised, meticulous, a true artist. Each visit to Box-E is a pleasure. The team have perfected their craft, they speak of the food and wine with such passion, knowledge and excitement. I will always recommend here to anyone looking for a special meal in Bristol.”
Monica Patel, Naasto Baasto

“I am so fortunate to have Tess, Elliot and the team as Wapping Wharf neighbours. One of Bristol’s finest, offering a delicious, seasonal and diverse menu.”
Rosie Morgan, Bristol Cheesemonger

The Bristol Cheesemonger
Cargo 2, Museum Street, Wapping Wharf, BS1 6ZA
www.bristol-cheese.co.uk

“A great selection of cheese and a real advocate for all the good curds and whey in the local area. Rosie has created something special which seems to go from strength to strength.”
Sam Leach, Wildings Cider

“We are so lucky to have Rosie and the team in the unit below us in Wapping Wharf. They really fly the flag for top quality local cheese makers and you couldn’t wish for a more caring and knowledgeable team. It’s like an Aladdin’s cave of delights for anyone that loves cheese. A dream come true!”
Matt Hampshire, Tare

“I have bought cheese from Rosie ever since she started delivering to restaurants on her bike. Her shop is great and such care is taken in sourcing the best local cheese and then selling it at its very best.”
Sam Sohn-Rethel, food consultant

“Heaven in a shipping container! Unparalleled knowledge and hospitality from Rosie and the best selection of cheese to be found in town.”
Shona Graham, Emmeline

“Amazing cheese and well-informed team of cheesemongers. I recently got a delicious aged Cornish gouda, great to replace parmesan, especially in a Carbonaro made with short pasta.”
Josh Eggleton, Pony & Trap

“Rosie Morgan is THE person to visit when you need the best cheese that the UK has to offer. She’s truly lovely, totally passionate about what she does and knows everything there is to know about cheese.”
Ben Pryor, Poco

“Impeccably kept and impeccably sourced cheese. Rosie is also so knowledgeable and passionate.”
Iain Pennington, The Ethicurean

Bulrush
21 Cotham Road South, Cotham, BS6 5TZ
0117 329 0990
www.bulrushrestaurant.co.uk

“I think that Bulrush getting its Michelin star just goes to show what can happen when you have somebody like George working so hard trying to achieve his dream. He deserves every bit of recognition.”
Peter Sanchez Iglesias, Casamia

“A tiny restaurant with a knockout menu. Bulrush’s tasting menu is undoubtedly a food experience worth having. On my visit I stayed for four hours, although quite unaware of doing so, completely absorbed by the food and experience. Definitely one for the bucket list.”
Lily Grist, At The Well

“What George does, he does very well. It’s great to have someone like him do that Scandi-style. He has used classical training to go his own way and do his own style of food. I was so happy when he got the Michelin star.”
James Wilkins, Wilks

“They are doing something very different from everyone else I think. It’s the only place that has ever reminded me of Mugaritz, a three-star restaurant near San Sebastian in Spain where we went on our honeymoon.”
Anita Atkins, Boston Tea Party

“Never failing to provide creative, thoughtful and beautifully presented meals. Bulrush makes you feel like you have stepped into a different world which you do not want to leave.”
Arushi Patel, Vela

“Their tasting menu takes you on a journey from the sublime, through the ridiculous and out the other side in to a heavenly and euphoric world of pleasure. A dining experience that will undoubtedly be filed alongside the most special of life’s experiences in the old memory bank.”
Ben Pryor, Poco

“I think George cooks delicious, progressive cuisine, hugely inspired by Japan. Each plate is really interesting. He just won a Michelin star this year and he deserves it.”
Josh Eggleton, Pony & Trap

“You can tell that George is constantly inspired and absolutely in love with what he is doing, and front of house offers a wonderfully warm welcome with service that you don’t notice because it’s so good. Just sit back and put your trust in them.”
Liz Haughton, Bowl of Plenty

Dela
Mivart Studios, Mivart Street, Easton, BS5 6JF
0117 951 1499
www.delabristol.com

“This Scandi-inspired cafe and restaurant is one of the most exciting additions to Bristol’s food and drink scene in the past few years. Dela really covers all bases, whether you’re wanting somewhere to perch with a laptop midweek, gather friends for a really memorable brunch or take that special someone somewhere intimate and romantic for dinner. I can’t recommend it highly enough.”
Ben Pryor, Poco

“For their focus on seasonality, sustainability and supporting local producers.”
Claire Peeters, Food Connections

“It’s absolutely delicious and a great project. The space is beautiful. I have never had a questionable mouthful there.”
Jan Ostle, Wilson’s

“Everything here is delicious: coffee, brunch, dinner, everything. It’s all incredibly good, the surroundings are great and the vibe is really nice.”
Anita Atkins, Boston Tea Party

“I love the focus on sharing and eating together here, using seasonal, local and sustainable ingredients which are always presented so perfectly. Their eggs and greens is the breakfast of my dreams! It’s a beautifully designed space too; you really feel like you can relax and breathe.”
Shona Graham, Emmeline

“This place is ace. Super accessible and unbelievably good value for money, with a real care for sourcing and quality of ingredients, and good cooking.”
Iain Pennington, co-owner of The Ethicurean

“The dedication to quality doesn’t stop at the interior design. Lara and Mike’s focus on quality local ingredients goes above and beyond. The food is healthy, fresh and delicious with a varied offering throughout the day.”
Dan Briggs, Billings & Briggs

“Lovely, bright, excellent, very modern menu. Shortish, but to the point. Their sharing boards and their cocktails are lush.”
Liz Haughton, Bowl of Plenty

Farro
1 Brunswick Square, Bond Street, St Paul’s, BS2 8PE
www.farro.co.uk

“Never has there been so much hype about a croissant! Perfect pastries from Bradley, an amazingly talented, hardworking and lovely chap. if you can get your hands on one! I’m so excited to hear he will have his own shop soon.”
Shona Graham, Emmeline

“Humans are creatures of habit. I’m human and my habit is a Sunday morning pastry from Farro. For a long time I felt like I was cheating on Hart’s by trumpeting about Farro but I’m now comfortable with the fact that polyamory is fine when it comes to bakeries. Cinnamon buns as big as your head? Yes please.”
Tessa Lidstone, Box-E

“For anyone living in Bedminster, Ashton Gate or Southville it’s such a treat to have Bradley on our doorsteps on a Sunday morning. World class baking and a family atmosphere.”
Kieran Waite, Season & Taste

“One of our team went there recently and brought some back. It’s next-level pastries. Just enhancing the Bristol dining scene.”
Peter Sanchez Iglesias, Casamia and Paco Tapas

“Bristol’s best bread, and best pastries I’d say. We are very fortunate to have fantastic bakeries more or less all across the city, but Farro edges it for me. Their bread is everything I want bread to be: well baked and crusty, with a tender crumb and packed with flavour; the pastries are basically butter and space dust, just amazing.”
Sam Leach, Wildings Cider

“I would travel for days to eat one of their kouign-amanns. They are just the absolute best.”
Anita Atkins, Boston Tea Party

“Farro’s first site is going to be epic. Bradley and his team are renowned for their baked goods and offer food which is truly delicious. To be able to visit them at their bakery and cafe is a huge treat and something which I cannot wait for!”
Rosie Morgan, Bristol Cheesemonger

“Everyone loves Farro and you will know why when you join the queue at the Whiteladies Farmers Market and Tobacco Factory Sunday Market.”
Fency Feng, KaFei

Hart’s Bakery
Arch 35 Lower Approach Road, Bristol Temple Meads, BS1 6QS
0117 992 4488
www.hartsbakery.co.uk

“It’s like they’re not capable of making anything less than delicious! Hart’s Bakery is a place you can always trust and can’t let leave your heart after the first, even 100th visit.”
Arushi Patel, Vela

“The smell and buzz come in equal abundance as you laminate like croissant dough into Hart’s. Maybe you came for a coffee, for a sausage roll or for any of the decadent cakes on the counter. It doesn’t matter, because Hart’s gets everything right every single time.”
Alex Hayes, Squeezed

“Faultless as always. Laura, Pete and their team have been consistently producing Bristol’s best baked goods for the past few years. Hart’s is one of Bristol’s best food and drink businesses and an inspiration to businesses like mine.”
Rosie Morgan, Bristol Cheesemonger

“I spend so much time going from Bristol to London or Cardiff and back that Hart’s is my utopia. If it’s the morning I tend to go for the cheese toastie, afternoon sausage roll or pasty, and if I’m lucky to be travelling at midday I will go for one of their ever changing lunchtime specials.”
Mark Olver, Belly Laughs

“Their breads are perfection, cakes a siren song of irresistible pleasure and their savoury snacks categorically refuse to be bought in singular quantities.”
Ben Pryor, Poco

“Their cinnamon buns make me weep with joy.”
Danielle Coombs, Bishopston Preserves

“A Bristol diamond. Laura Hart’s bakery is pastry heaven. There’s always a buzz, perfect flat whites, exceptional bread and sausage rolls.”
Miriam Delogu, The Circle

“Just a delight. Heaven must look like this.”
Steve Ashworth, amateur chef

Root
Cargo 1, Gaol Ferry Steps, Wapping Wharf, BS1 6WP
0117 930 0260
www.eatdrinkbristolfashion.co.uk/root

“I love Root for their delicious food, unpretentious vibe and creativity with vegetables. The kind of thing we should probably be eating more of and I love the fact that the whole team seem to be enjoying themselves as well as making sure the customers are too.”
Sam Leach, Wildings Cider

“A celebration of vegetables which is wonderful. Every dish is a well thought-out and balanced collection of flavours.”
Danielle Coombs, Bishopston Preserves

“A lot of restaurants seem to want to copy what they have started. Whenever I go there, I know that I’m going to get a great experience. And you feel great. Go there and you feel cleaner afterwards. It’s a refreshing approach to how food can be done.”
Peter Sanchez Iglesias, Casamia and Paco Tapas

“Root exemplifies using the best of ingredients at their peak, and the knowledge of how to prepare and combine them. Take your friends; you’ll only feel guilty if you don’t try the lot.”
Alex Hayes, Squeezed

“Every dish looks stunning and manages to taste just as good. I also guarantee you’ll have some flavours and combinations you’ve never tried before. Prepare to come away impressed.”
Shonette Laffy, food blogger

“You can eat vegan, vegetarian, or with meat and fish, the choice is yours. And it’s all uniquely delicious.”
Andy Clarke, TV food series producer

“I have got a lot of love for Rob. His cooking is just on-point, with some really interesting dishes. They are doing a similar thing as us as to what they think is sustainable, and the fact that the food is proudly vegetable-led.”
Iain Pennington, The Ethicurean

“I really love what these guys are doing. I’ve been here to eat a few times since they joined the Wapping Wharf family and their enthusiasm and passion really shines through.”
Matt Hampshire, Tare

Wilson’s
24 Chandos Road, Redland, BS6 6PF
0117 973 4157
www.wilsonsrestaurant.co.uk

“I was blown away last time I ate here with the things that Jan is doing. It’s becoming a real gastronomic experience, and continuing to put Bristol on the food map.”
Peter Sanchez Iglesias, Casamia and Paco Tapas

“Jan and his team have put together ones of Bristol’s best restaurants offering a truly incredible menu.”
Rosie Morgan, Bristol Cheesemonger

“Wilson’s might be a great neighbourhood restaurant, but the food is also world class. It’s modern European cuisine and Jan is an amazing character who’s really talented in the art of growing, catching and showcasing his food.”
Josh Eggleton, The Pony & Trap

“This small and minimal space leads on to experiencing complex and sophisticated flavours; in well made, well considered and well good dishes.
Arushi Patel, Vela

“Interesting, well thought-out dishes. Really good food. I like the fact that Jan brings out your plates. You can just sense how focused and passionate he is.”
Iain Pennington, The Ethicurean

“If I could eat here every week, I would. Jan has been setting the standard of cooking in Bristol for a while now and I’m sure will continue to do so for a long time.”
Sam Sohn-Rethel, food consultant

“The food here is an absolute joy, from expertly executed classics to experimental madness. It’s obvious so much work has gone into every dish, including growing their own produce.”
Danielle Coombs, Bishopston Preserves

“Jan is an experienced chef cooking his own style of food. He is so passionate and hard-working, and his food is always very tasty.”
James Wilkins, Wilks

“Clever, different and a delight to eat. It doesn’t get more local or seasonal than here. Ever-changing and always delicious.”
Steve Ashworth, amateur chef

Read EatDrink24/7 2019 online here