Restaurateurs and chefs up and down the country are patiently waiting to find out if they have earned a Michelin star for 2022.
The Michelin Guide will announce the latest awardees of the coveted accolade tomorrow (February 16), after announcing the winners of the Bib Gourmand last week.
While there were no new Bristol recipients of the Bib Gourmand - the second-highest honour in the guide - there are numerous quality restaurants in the city with national acclaim that could well earn a star.
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Bristol currently has three Michelin-starred restaurants - Casamia, Bulrush and Paco Tapas - whose owners will all be hoping they have managed to cling onto the glistening badge of honour despite the struggles of the Covid pandemic.
There are three tiers to the Michelin star award, and earning three stars is considered to be the pinnacle of a chef's career, only achieved by a handful of establishments.
But even being awarded one star, which is what the trio of restaurants above each have, is a highly commendable accomplishment.
Read more: All of Bristol's Michelin Guide 2021 winners
Only a handful of people know who is set to win, lose or gain another star until the Michelin Guide reveals the results at tomorrow's ceremony - and as always there's likely to be a few surprises in store.
With such an incredible food scene in Bristol, we think there could be a few more restaurants across the city celebrating a star come tomorrow, which we've listed below.
If there's a restaurant in Bristol that you think is deserving of a Michelin star that we've missed, let us know in the comments.
Wilson’s
Wilson's is regarded by many as one of the finest restaurants in Bristol and it even eclipsed Casamia as the city's top restaurant in an influential national diners’ poll earlier this year.
Run by chef Jan Ostle and his wife Mary Wilson, the Chandos Road bistro is the city’s only entry in the Top 100 of Harden’s Best UK Restaurants 2022 at number 80.
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, knowledgeable 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.”
Wilson's already has a Michelin Plate to its name, but many would surely agree it deserves more.
Box-E
Headed up by Elliott and Tess Lidstone, Box-E was the first restaurant to open at the harbourside Wapping Wharf development and is tiny in size, with only 14 covers.
Since opening it has received a wealth of glowing reviews from both top critics and day-to-day diners - the fact it has a rating of five out of five on Tripadvisor from 354 reviews tells you all you need to know.
Typical dishes on the changing menu include a starter of heritage beetroot, Cornish plaice and charred hispi cabbage, while main courses include guinea fowl, hake and roasted yellow courgette.
In 2019 the restaurant was awarded a Bib Gourmand, which is given to restaurants deemed to be both good quality and good value by Michelin's inspectors. Could a star be next?
Marmo
Marmo - meaning ‘marble’ in Italian - is run by husband and wife team Cosmo and Lily Sterck, who previously worked in a number of well-known London establishments.
It’s the debut restaurant from the couple who met eight years ago while studying at the University of Bristol.
Cosmo began his chef training in London at the highly influential St John restaurant then went on to work at Magdalen, Brawn and Rubedo, as well as Yard in Paris. It’s an impressive CV.
The restaurant, which replaced Bar Buvette on Baldwin Street, is very much ingredient-driven and the kitchen is sourcing only the best raw materials for its uncomplicated dishes.
In January 2021 the restaurant was awarded a Michelin Plate award, the third highest in the guide after stars and the Bib Gourmand, so it is clearly on Michelin's radar.
The Ethicurean
Since opening in 2010, The Ethicurean in Wrington has long been a favourite spot for local foodies - but its close proximity to Bristol Airport - only a five-minute drive - has meant it also attracts a discerning international clientele.
Formed from a cluster of potting sheds and glasshouses, it was set up by four friends who had started out selling preserves at local farmers’ markets.
It certainly has a ‘wow’ factor as soon as you set foot inside the restaurant, with its well-worn brick floor, lean-to glass roof and sweeping views of the garden and the Mendips beyond.
The menu at The Ethicurean changes most days and is entirely driven by the seasons and what the gardener brings up to the kitchen, with ingredients sourced from its gardens.
Serving beautiful food in an equally stunning setting, who's to say it's not deserving of Michelin's highest accolade?
Root
Wapping Wharf restaurant Root specialises in vegetable-focused small plates for casual and sociable dining.
It was opened in 2017 by esteemed chef Josh Eggleton and farmer Luke Hasell, who wanted to create a forward-thinking restaurant that champions local suppliers and producers with a "more veg, less meat" ethos - but despite this it has proved a hit with meat eaters as well as vegetarians.
It is one of the Bristol restaurants with a Plate accolade to its name, with the guide stating: "This busy, welcoming little restaurant occupies five first floor shipping containers on the old wharf.
"Produce from small local suppliers is used in simple yet flavour-packed small plates formed around vegetables. They have a modern, sometimes intriguing style and inventive touches."
Adelina Yard
Headed up by chef couple Olivia Barry - who appeared in series 13 of The Great British Menu in 2018 - and Jamie Randall, Adelina Yard prides itself on offering a fine dining experience in a relaxed setting.
Diners can expect the finest locally sourced produce served in imaginative dishes, which have impressed the most highly regarded food critics up and down the country including Tom Parker-Bowles and Bristol Live's very own Mark Taylor.
Surely everyone who has dined here will say it's an incredible culinary experience - so let's hope the Michelin judges agree.
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