Redland bistro Wilson’s has eclipsed Casamia as Bristol’s top restaurant in an influential national diners’ poll.
Run by chef Jan Ostle and his wife Mary Wilson, Wilson’s in Chandos Road is the city’s only entry in the Top 100 at number 80.
With a meal costing around £50 a head, the guide also says it offers possibly the best value in its national Top 100.
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At Casamia, you can expect to pay four times as much – £203, according to the guide.
In its 31st year, Harden’s Best UK Restaurants 2022, derives its ratings and reviews from Harden’s annual survey of 3,000 regular diners, who contribute 30,000 reports.
The guide is hailed as the most comprehensive print guide to UK restaurants with approaching 3,000 entries, and it’s also available as an online app.
The guide description for Wilson’s says: “Unbelievable value for the most sensational food produced in a minuscule kitchen, agree fans of Jan Ostle and Mary Wilson’s hyper-local Redland bistro.
"Three cheers for this welcoming local, with very friendly, efficient, knowledgable service in simple surroundings. The kitchen relies on home-grown veg and local suppliers to produce the most brilliant mixture of innovative dishes, textures and tastes.”
Jan Ostle said: “We’re delighted because the team has had an incredibly challenging time of late and this is a real boost to morale.
“It’s great that we are the only Bristol restaurant in the Top 100 but there are at least six others in the city that deserve to be in there.
“We weren’t on any lists for years and now we are, but it doesn’t mean we are suddenly better than we were.
“The people of Bristol don’t need to be told what’s good, they know what’s good and vote with their feet - if your restaurant is busy, your customers are happy and your staff are enjoying what they are doing, you are winning as a restaurant.”
Wilson’s is a new entry in the Top 100 and it replaces Casamia, which doesn’t appear at all in the list it topped four years ago.
In 2019, Casamia was rated number one in the list and then it fell to number 15 in 2020. There wasn’t a Top 100 last year due to the pandemic.
The Sanchez-Iglesias family’s Michelin-starred restaurant has dropped out of the ‘Harden’s 100’ this year following a reboot under new head chef Zak Hitchman.
The guide acknowledges Casamia’s status as “Bristol’s brightest foodie star”, but says its latest incarnation has received a “mixed reception” from Harden’s reporters.
Also mentioned in the new guide is Bulrush in Cotham, with chef-owner George Livesey praised for his “brilliantly original cooking”.
The guide’s editor, Peter Harden, says: “Bristol continues to provide a wide range of outstanding dining options at all price points.
“This year’s achievement of Wilson’s – and the success of places like Bulrush – show that high culinary achievement does not need to be hugely expensive: what is more important is the opportunity for talent to thrive in small, independent venues.”
Harden’s Best UK Restaurants 2022 is out now, priced £16.99.
