The best local food spots in Bristol

Bristol’s restaurant scene works as a resounding rebuke to those who think that London has a monopoly on all the best food in the south. No matter if your taste is for Michelin-starred country charmers, barnstorming burgers or utterly unique menu-free marvels, the city’s rapidly evolving eateries are sure to satisfy. Here are some of our favourite restaurants in Bristol.<o:p></o:p>

While not every dingy café in an unpromising location turns out to be a gem – some of them are genuinely just dingy cafés in unpromising locations – Sky Kong Kong tests your faith to the limit, right up until the door closes behind you. This organic Korean restaurant is in an ugly mall, under an ugly tower block, next to an ugly roundabout. In ordinary circumstances, you’d think mild stomach upset and MSG dreams would be the absolute best case scenario, but this is something else entirely. Not always purely Korean but always organic, SKK’s food changes weekly and the ‘menu’, as it were, isn’t a choice so much as a list of what you’re getting that night. There are only two sittings each evening, but get your name down for one and you won’t regret it. The food riffs on east Asian flavours from several complimentary cuisines and is always creative, engaging and delicious. It’s BYO, so don’t forget to bring a bottle.<o:p></o:p>

Our childhood lidos had maybe a hut selling overpriced Mars bars and Cokes. If you were lucky, they may have even had a poor excuse for a café. Clifton’s Lido has an acclaimed restaurant that offers a beautiful marriage of Mediterranean and Moorish cooking (it’s definitely moreish) in as lovely a spot as you can imagine. Situated in the lido’s old viewing gallery, there’s something hugely relaxing about watching the light dance on the water and listen to its gentle movement while waiting for the next excellent course. Of course, all that ambience is just empty promise without the food to match and Freddy Bird’s menu doesn’t disappoint, offering excellent pasta, stunning wood-roasted lamb and a selection of world-beating ice creams. You can even arrive early and work up your appetite, but that’s hardly necessary.

<o:p></o:p>

If London visitors to Birch feel that its stripped back décor looks a little St John Bread & Wine, they’d be very much on the right track. Co-owner and chef Sam Leach was pastry chef at the revered East London offal joint, while his partner Beccy Massey has a CV that includes Hawksmoor, Quality Chop House and Bubbledogs. Leach and Massey dedicated years of their lives to gaining experience in every aspect of the restaurant trade from hosting to wine, all in the service of creating something truly special. Their converted corner shop has earned rave reviews from the day it opened, proving they learned the right things from the right people. The cooking is simple, the flavours adventurous, and the ingredients grown by the couple on their own land. This restaurant is a labour of love and it shows in every detail.<o:p></o:p>

If there’s a food equivalent of being into a band before they made the big time (yes, we all bought Funeral and Hot Fuss), The Ethicurean is it. Get in sooner than later if you want bragging rights when it inevitably becomes the fourth member of Bristol’s Michelin star club. The name signals the mantra of this Wrington restaurant: an ethically minded pursuit of true sensory indulgence. Most of the ingredients are grown in the picturesque walled gardens behind this former orangery – you can take a wander pre- or post-meal if you fancy it – by gardener Mark Cox, the rest are sourced or foraged locally. Chef brothers Iain and Matthew Pennington take care of the sensory indulgence, turning Cox’s ingredients into wonders such as Cornish monkfish with wild garlic aioli, kimchi and yoghurt or beef neck with purple sprouting broccoli, carrots, sauerkraut and wild garlic.<o:p></o:p>

From a future Michelin star to an actual one. The Pony & Trap has held a star since 2011 and it’s not hard to see why. It’s about a half-an-hour drive out of Bristol, but one of the first things anyone who’s been will tell you is that it’s more than worth the trip. It’s a pub at heart – regularly voted one of the best in the country – but it’s also so much more than that. The bucolic drive through the Mendip Hills to get there only serves to up the anticipation, as there’s a definite feeling that only somewhere special could exist in the midst of all this natural beauty. The restaurant prides itself on its “field to fork” ethos and those very fields provide a stunning backdrop for your lunch or dinner. The menu is British in inspiration and not above including firm favourites such as ham, eggs and chips alongside more gastronomic fare.<o:p></o:p>