There's one pub in Bristol that has the longest wait for a table for Sunday lunch than any other restaurant in the country. That's right - even longer than Heston Blumthetal's The Fat Duck in Bray or The Cove Club in London.
Restaurant booking management experts at Dojo have found the hardest UK restaurants to get into, using insight from TikTok, online reviews and waitlists from restaurants themselves. Bank Tavern in Bristol has a four-year backlog for Sunday bookings due to forced nationwide closures during the pandemic.
Tucked away from the hustle and bustle of the Bristol city centre, The Bank Tavern has stood in the same spot since the 19th century. The pub says that it’s survived "an alarming number of riots, two world wars, Bristol City Council town planners and Thatcher".
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Under one of the pub's FAQs that reads "Do I need to book a table for Sunday lunch?" the answer simply reads "Yes...". The Bank Tavern is most famous for its award-winning Sunday Roasts, winning both awards for Best Sunday Lunch and Good Food Awards.
However, due to the huge popularity of the Sunday roasts, it has had to shut off Sunday bookings for the foreseeable future, and according to recent reports, you could be waiting for their four-year waiting list to clear up. The roast menu includes dry-aged rare beef and slow-cooked pork belly served with a giant Yorkshire pudding and all of the trimmings.
Fortunately, you can still visit The Bank Tavern for their lunch menu. The pub blends traditional pub classics combined with an eclectic mix of contemporary dishes and flavours, such as homemade burgers, kimchi steak tartare and salted caramel panna cotta. The kitchen times are 12pm to 4pm seven days a week.
An independent free house, it also professes that it prides itself on stocking a strong selection of local and national award-winning ales, ciders and lagers to accompany its excellent food.
8 John St, Bristol BS1 2HR. https://www.banktavern.com/
