Our Favorite Restaurants in Bristol, England

Bristol is a haven for foodies, with a vast array of tasty culinary options.

We spent a week in Bristol. We weren’t sure what to expect in the dining arena, but the diversity and quality of options we found delighted us.

My husband and I travel full-time as nomads and we recently landed in Bristol, England for a week when we had to pop out of the EU so as not to exceed our visa limit. We’d heard it was a nice place and it presented itself as a direct flight from Faro, where we were, and to Nice, where we were going next. It didn’t disappoint!

St Nicholas Markets

Located inside the historic Corn Exchange Building in the Old City area of Bristol, the St Nicholas Markets (also known as the St Nicks Market) is Bristol’s largest collection of independent shops. Included are two dozen restaurants offering a wide range of food options, many ensconced in the iconic Glass Arcade. Most get great ratings on Google, so we were intrigued. Here are the ones we recommend highly:

Pieminister

Specializing in meat pies, Pieminister is a Bristol company with around 14 locations around England and Wales. They offer classic meat pies, plus lighter Mediterranean-inspired pies made from filo dough. They also have veggie, plant-based and gluten free options, and their pies can even be found in local groceries like Tesco and Sainsbury’s.

Low and Slow Barbecue

This place caught our eye right away. Being from Austin, we understand that “low and slow” is a crucial step to truly great brisket. A 4.6 rating on Google – and a massive line – convinced us to give it a try. (Plus, we were jonesing for barbecue after three months on the road.) We each ordered the Combo Box – brisket, pulled pork, and burnt ends, plus two sides and the sauces of our choice – and it was delicious. Founded in 2016 as a pop-up, this wildly popular ‘cue joint (one of two locations in Bristol) smokes its meat daily and regularly sells out before they close at 3 pm.

Eat a Pitta

Another popular local franchise, Eat a Pitta has a location in Bath, plus five in Bristol, including the Glass Arcade. They offer classic pitas with falafel, and you can get that with aubergine, feta and red pepper, halloumi cheese or sun-blushed tomatoes, plus a ridiculous number of toppings. I chose the classic falafel pita with aubergine, plus all the toppings, and it was CRAZY to watch how she was able to make all that fit within a single pita. Even crazier was trying to get it all in my mouth, but I did it. I am a professional, after all.

Eatchu

Located just outside the market on Exchange Avenue, Eatchu has been serving Bristol’s best gyoza since 2016. We love gyoza and it was all we could think of on a cold, rainy June day. They were amazing! I ordered the Free Range Pork Gyoza (6 dumplings with mayo, tonkatsu sauce, and nori seaweed) atop spicy noodles and it was sensational. Such great flavor – I could’ve eaten two orders.

Other Great Lunch Options

Three Brothers Burgers

Sometimes you have a hankering for a great burger. Their photos looked amazing and the reviews were really good so we dipped in. This restaurant is located in the center of Bristol aboard the Spyglass Beer Boat – yes, the atmosphere was lively and really fun. The burgers were very good – we got ours with Applewood Cheddar – plus fries. While the patty was a bit denser than we like and the brioche bun could have been warmer, overall they were very enjoyable.

Chido Way Cali-Mexican Kitchen and Bar

Being from Austin, we know our way around a taco. The prospect of finding good Mexican food during our travels was too tempting to pass up, so we made a reservation at this popular Bristol restaurant. We were impressed! The margarita and mezcalita were tasty with no hint of the fake flavors of a mix. We started with elote, a perfectly grilled juicy ear of corn covered in spiced cream and feta and it was delicious. They put salsa (don’t be put off by chipotle “ketchup”) on the tortilla chips rather than serving it with a bowl of salsa like we’re used to, but it was fresh and flavorful. Mark had the ropa vieja tacos – flank steak with chimichurri and jalapeño aioli – and I ordered the Cauli-Amerous, cauliflower in orange and pibil with apple and jalapeño salsa, with spiced cream and feta.

Our Favorite Dinner Restaurants

Cow & Sow

England is famous for Sunday Roast and we were eager to try it out. This highly-rated local steakhouse with two locations got great reviews so we wandered in on a chilly rainy Sunday. Packed full, our only option was to sit outside, but it was totally worth it. We started with mixed olives and warm pain de campagne with whipped butter. I had a spicy Bloody Mary (it was cold out y’all) and it was rich, spicy and delicious. Mark ordered the Roast Sirloin of Beef and I got The Cure (they ARE English after all), which was “for those with an appetite, beef sirloin, porchetta, and castlemead chicken.” They served all of this with spiced red cabbage, maple-glazed carrots and parsnips, Yorkshire Pudding (which is magical, like a delicious popover) and gravy, roasted potatoes, butternut squash puree, and seasonal greens. We were in heaven.

Pasture

We were in nearby Cardiff, Wales, dining at our favorite UK restaurant, Six by Nico, and we got to chatting with the Welsh couple at the next table. They told us about a fantastic local restaurant called Pasture. Unfortunately, we were about to catch a train back to Bristol but then we discovered that they had a location there as well! Immediately Mark made us a resy.

Pasture is an upscale steakhouse offering dry-aged and sustainably sourced beef. It reminded us of the really nice steakhouses back in Austin, with its elegant furnishings, flagstone floors and large windows overlooking a leafy avenue. Also, fancy cocktails 🙂 Mark had the Chimichurri Margarita (I mean, how could you not) and I started with the frothy Clover Club Cocktail – Ramsbury gin, lemon, dry vermouth, raspberry shrub and egg white. It was as tasty as it was gorgeous. Fresh sourdough bread and whipped butter gave us something to nibble on while we waited for our Short Rib Croquettes with gochujang aioli.

For our mains, Mark had the 45 Day Dry-Aged Burger with bacon jam, secret sauce, buttermilk bun, house cheese, pickles, and chips. I had the Cauli on the Coals, tempura cauliflower, brined, smoked and roasted, with romesco sauce and saffron aioli. We shared each one so I can say with authority that they were both sensational.

Favorite Local Bakery

Farro

This small but relentlessly popular bakery near our hotel offers a delicious assortment of pastries and breads, plus some pretty good Portuguese pastéis de nata. We sampled the cinnamon bun, a pastel de nata and the chocolate babka.

Things to Do in Bristol (When You’re Not Eating)

Besides being one of the best places to live in England and one of the “happiest places in Europe,” Bristol has several claims to fame.

Wallace and Gromit

Wallace and Gromit, the British stop-motion animated comedy franchise by Aardman Animation, was created here. Its many films have been voiced by the likes of Helena Bonham Carter and Ralph Fiennes, and the franchise received an Oscar for Best Animated Feature. Look for a Gromit Unleashed Sculpture Trail event in Bristol in 2025. Aardman also created the Shaun the Sheep franchise.

The Concorde

The Concorde, the famous supersonic passenger jet, was built at Filton, north of Bristol. The last Concorde to ever fly, known as “Alpha Foxtrot,” can still be seen at Aerospace Bristol. Twenty of these legendary aircraft were produced, although only fourteen ever saw service. Flown exclusively by British Airways and Air France, it could fly from London to New York in 3 hours and 20 minutes. It was the first production aircraft with a “fly by wire” system (computer-controlled rather than mechanical), and it flew at an altitude of 60,000 feet. The staff at Aerospace Bristol includes lots of folks who worked on some aspect of this project and it was fascinating to chat with them.

Banksy

Perhaps most famously, Banksy, the renegade street artist, hails from here. You can see many of his works here – for free. Notable ones include Cat and Dog, The Mild Mild West, Well-Hung Lover, Paint Pot Angel, The Grim Reaper, and The Girl with the Pierced Ear Drum.

Clifton Suspension Bridge

This iconic bridge, which opened in 1864, was designed by the magnificently named Victorian engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel – when he was just 24 years old. Quite the overachiever, he was also the Chief Engineer of the Great Western Railway, overseeing every aspect of its design.

Bristol Cathedral

Founded as an abbey in 1140, Bristol Cathedral now stands as one of England’s great medieval cathedrals. Heavily remodeled in the 1800s, it’s one of the best examples of a “hall church” (where the nave, chapels and choir are the same height) in the U.K. Perhaps most impressively, it is free to enter and is open every day of the year.

Bristol, England: Great Food and So Much More

We thoroughly enjoyed our brief stay in Bristol. We found the people here to be very friendly (except for the ones on the bikes) and the food was way better than we expected. There was a great variety of culinary offerings, nurtured by a local culture that appreciates fresh ingredients and a broad spectrum of flavor profiles. We found lots of vegetarian and vegan choices as well.