Thousands of people have fled London for buzzy, creative Bristol in recent years. Among them: top chefs, bakers, brewers and baristas. ‘There’s a thriving community of young food entrepreneurs, many refugees from the viciously profit-driven London restaurant scene,’ says Xanthe Clay, chef, food writer and Bristolian. ‘They are taking advantage of lower rents and rates to cook what they want to cook – not what some venture capital backer demands.’
Those to watch include Jamie Randall and Olivia Barry – the chef team behind Adelina Yard, near Queen Square in the city centre – who bring experience working with the likes of Angela Hartnett. There’s also James Wilkins, an ex-pupil of Gordon Ramsay, who set up Wilks, which took Bristol by storm before sadly closing (keep an eye out for whatever he does next).
The city’s dining scene was always excellent, benefitting from a young, food-focused population and bountiful natural surroundings. But now it is truly booming. Two Bristol restaurants currently hold a Michelin star (Paco Tapas and Bulrush). Two more (Wilsons and The Ethicurean) hold the recently introduced Michelin green star, which commends chefs going above and beyond on sustainability.
And while Birmingham might have just pipped Bristol last year to be the most star-spangled English city after London, Bristol has more restaurants listed by the Michelin Guide (17 in total). Per capita, the city punches far above its weight – and at just over an hour and a half from London by train, it’s an ideal hop for foodies after a weekend getaway. Follow our guide to the four restaurants to book.
Paco Tapas
The vaulted black walls and low lighting inside Paco Tapas in Redcliffe make you feel as though you’re dining in a private wine cellar. The atmosphere is buzzy – like the best Basque bar de tapas – but at the same time intimate, from the way the chefs lovingly craft a coherent arrangement out of your whimsical choice of plates, to the waiter’s diligent attention to detail when selecting you a wine (for our table, a fruity, oaky Garnacha was a superb choice).
That same level of care comes through when the plates start appearing, seemingly by magic. Even the bread enjoyed a level of attention rarely seen: delicately griddled, with artfully placed twinkles of rock salt and a perfect soaking of olive oil.
An absolute showstopper was the cauliflower steak in melted manchego – aptly described by the waiter as ‘like the best cauliflower cheese you’ll ever eat’. The Presa Iberica (a rare cut of meat that deserves more love) was a sensation of textures, a succulent edge you want to get your teeth into that then melts away into a silken soft centre. The patatas bravas verged on roast potato territory (never a bad thing in this writer’s view), with crispy shells that release pillows of soft potato.
Dishes cost around £15-20 each and it’s recommended to order three per person, so in most cases it makes sense to opt for the chef’s menu where you’ll get a curated array of Paco’s best dishes (£140 between two sharing). The restaurant is owned by Peter Sanchez-Iglesias, widely considered to be the patron of Bristol’s food scene.
littlefrench
littlefrench, in Westbury Park, is an ideal spot to cosy up after a bracing walk on the Clifton and Durdham Downs. Fairy lights glint at you through the window, while the whiff of garlic and butter invites you in. The food menu is compact, with a few beautifully cooked French classics – from steak frites to a flakey halibut in a cider and mussel sauce. The chips are excellent – matchstick-thin and salted in a way that makes dips look superfluous. Expect to pay around £22 for a main.
The menu changes regularly but there are a few regulars – usually chubby queen scallops roasted in a boozy, buttery sauce and a good French soup. The Jerusalem artichoke soup was a creamy, warm hug for the stomach with a little tingle of truffle.
While the food menu may be compact, the drinks menu is far from it. Nine pages of artisan wines (not all French), pastis, eau de vie and nine types of Armagnac and cognac may feel overwhelming but life is quickly simplified by asking the littlefrench team for some advice. And very good advice it is. A fruity Californian Viognier made excellent bedfellows with the slightly acidic halibut sauce.
The restaurant is run by Bristolian Freddy Bird, a regular on television cooking shows alongside Michel Roux Jr, the Hairy Bikers and others.
Casa
Another big hitter from Sanchez-Iglesias, Casa is a city centre restaurant with good genes. It’s the sister of aforementioned Paco and the daughter of Casamia, another Italian restaurant that the family ran on the same site.
While Casamia was a lavish multi-course affair with excitable presentation that earned itself a Michelin star, Casa channels the spirit of Italian home cooking. You could almost imagine a gaggle of nonnas bustling round the kitchen/ Dishes are served on tableware that’s been in the Sanchez-Iglesias family for years.
Casa only opened in November but is fast becoming a destination restaurant for the city. The veal ossobuco has all the melting warmth of a long sunny evening in Tuscany, while the clementine sorbet beams like the charming Ssgnore at your favourite gelateria.
Make sure to eat Italian style and have a primi of pasta followed by a meat or fish secondi. Pasta dishes set you back around £14 while secondi typically cost £20+.
Wilsons
It’s always impressive when a restaurant can list where every single one of its ingredients comes from. It’s even more impressive when that list is just two or three names long. At Wilsons, every piece of fruit, every vegetable and every herb comes straight from the restaurant’s own (not so) small holding. Co-founders Mary Wilson and Jan Ostle’s seasonal produce is the star of the weekly set menu – with any surplus sold at the pair’s newly opened bread shop each Saturday. This commitment to true farm-to-table cooking is what earned Wilsons its Michelin green star last year.
It’s no place for picky diners, though. The set menu (£60) is curated weekly based on what’s ready to harvest and usually comprises four courses. From Tuesday to Saturday you can get a lighter lunch for £25 including a glass of natural wine.
Winter is an excellent time to visit, when you can enjoy Wilsons’ special celeriac ice cream with fermented honey, buckwheat and Wiltshire truffle. It’s a rich, umami dish that is a refreshing departure from the super sweet desserts of most restaurants. As we edge into spring, expect wild garlic soups – grassy seas of flavour with sunken treasures of gently cooked eggs hiding into their depths. The restaurant has just 24 covers and books up well in advance, so plan ahead.
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