Bristol's food scene has been praised by the Good Food Guide 2023, which signposts what its team of experts consider the best culinary experiences. The Good Food Guide was founded by Raymond Postgate in 1951 and today it remains the longest-standing and best-selling guide to dining out in the UK.
There are 13 Bristol entries listed in the Good Food Guide 2023, with two considered to be "very good" by the guide's reporters. Below is an explainer of how they rate the restaurants around the UK.
- Good - A hub of the local food economy. Reliable, warm and worth seeking out.
- Very Good - Among the best in the region with attention paid to the smallest details.
- Exceptional - Operating at the highest level; faultless at every service.
- World Class - A restaurant with a seismic impact on British dining, redefining the profession.
Read more: Michelin Guide announces best Bristol restaurants for 2023
The Good Food Guide ratings reflect the uniqueness, deliciousness and warmth of service and atmosphere of an establishment, as well as how enthusiastically it can be recommended to others. Below are all the entries that the guide recognises in Bristol, starting with the highest rated restaurants.
Very Good
Bulrush
The guide praises chef George Livesey’s skill and ingenuity in creating an ambitious tasting menu that features some "seriously ambitious cooking". Tucked away in the neighbourhood of Cotham - which is fast becoming a food hub in its own right - the menu focuses on locally-sourced and foraged ingredients and classic Anglo-French cuisine combined with Japanese and Scandinavian influences.
21 Cotham Road South, Bristol, BS6 5TZ
Wilson's
Good Food Guide praises the staff's enthusiasm for the dishes, which is either the lunchtime menu du jour or a six-course tasting menu. Wilson's offers a 'farm-to-table' experience, with all vegetables grown on Jan Ostle's and partner Mary Wilson's nearby smallholding with everything from bread and charcuterie made in-house.
24 Chandos Road, , Bristol, BS6 6PF
Good
Adelina Yard
The guide's reporters were delighted with the eight-course taster menu they were presented with, offering fine dining in a relaxed setting in the city centre. The restaurant is owned by chefs Liv Barry and Jamie Randall create an imaginative menu that includes modern techniques using seasonal produce.
3 Queen Quay, Welsh Back, Bristol, BS1 4SL
Bokman
Duncan Robertson and Kyu Jeon's Korean restaurant may be small but has garnered a big reputation. It's often praised for its imaginative dishes and bold flavours, with the guide mentioning the kimchi fried rice topped with chunks of fatty roast pork and the tofu in a mildly spicy red broth.
3 Nine Tree Hill, Stokes Croft, Bristol, BS1 3SB
BOX-E
This is modern British cooking served from a shipping container in Wapping Wharf described as a "very warm and unpretentious" experience. A visit in spring time saw the guide's reporter enjoy "wonderfully composed' main dishes of duck breast with Puy lentils and roasted hake with chard and little explosions of preserved lemon".
Unit 10, Cargo 1, Wapping Wharf, Bristol, BS1 6WP
Hart's Bakery
The bakery's recently celebrated ten years at its home below Bristol Temple Meads Railway Station, cementing itself as a culinary institution in the city's food scene. It doesn't just serve commuters, however, and is extremely popular with residents who line up to get their hands on beautifully crafted pastries, pies and the famous Saturday bread.
Arch 35, Lower Approach Road, Bristol, BS1 6QS
Marmo
Marmo is an owner-run restaurant and wine bar serving a concise menu, guided by seasonal and locally-sourced ingredients, and a wine list that is just as strong featuring low or no intervention wines from European producers. Good Food Guide highlighted the three-course lunch menu's excellent value at £21 per person.
31 Baldwin Street, Bristol, BS1 1RG
Paco Tapas
Housed in the Grade II-listed former hospital, the restaurant is one of Bristol's most exciting tapas bars, with dishes cooked in full view on a wood fire grill. Peter Sánchez-Iglesias’s high-class harbourside tapas bar neighbours his new venture Casa, formerly Casamia.
3a The General, Lower Guinea Street, Bristol, BS1 6FU
littlefrench
"Former Bristol Lido head chef Freddy Bird’s Westbury Park brasserie offers carefully-sourced, self-assured French cooking in a relaxed atmosphere," it said. The guide praised the friendly service and the long menu that offered something for every occasion alongside an impressive wine list.
2b North View, Westbury Park, Bristol, BS6 7QB
Pony Bistro
This buzzy restaurant is housed in an old warehouse offers an expertly cooked seasonal and locally sourced menu. The North Street pop-up is set to close in December to allow brother and sister team Josh and Holly Eggleton to focus on reviving their popular gastropub the Pony and Trap.
291 North Street, Bristol, BS3 1JP
Root
Also co-owned by Josh Eggleton, this small plates restaurant offers a vegetable-focused menu with one or two meat and fish dishes led by chef Rob Howell. Root will soon be opening a second site in Wells.
Cargo, Gaol Ferry Steps, Wapping Wharf, , Bristol BS1 6WP
Sonny Stores
This exciting neighbourhood restaurant focuses on Italian flavours created by chef-patron Pegs Quinn and partner Mary Glynn, including pizettes, fresh pasta, salads and an exciting range of specials. The restaurant has a clean look with modern interiors, with limited covers in a laid back setting.
47 Raleigh Road, Bristol, BS3 1QS
Tare
As one of Bristol's smallest restaurants, Tare seats just 20 diners but has a punchy tasting menu created by Matt Hampshire. The menu makes ingredients sourced from the West Country truly sing, with Brixham crab and mushrooms grown in Somerset, the guide says.
Unit 14, Museum Street, Wapping Wharf, Bristol, BS1 6ZA
You can sign up for the Good Food Guide here, available digitally, for just £4.99 per month
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