Eat & drink in Bristol
Restaurants, pubs, cafés, bakeries, Sunday roasts and date-night picks.
Lagman, Cathedral Walk: ‘Resplendent with masterful spice and seasoning, dripping in umami and gloriously chewy’
It’s been a whole four days since I announced The Bristol Sauce app* to the world, and feedback so far has been overwhelmingly positive. One user even described it as ‘magic’, which made us very happy. Become a paying Saucer today to support our work and gain access to the app,…
Bristol Food & Drink: September
As ease ourselves out of a sweaty summer, I’m sure most of you are looking forward to cosy season, although I’m hoping we have a few more beer garden evenings left! Read on to see what delicious things you could be doing this month… If you find this or any of the other guides…
Bristol’s 79 best restaurants, mapped
Hello Saucers, Remember the Google map I put together earlier this year with The Bristol Sauce’s recommended restaurants? We’ve turned it into a proper site — a real, interactive map of Bristol where you can browse pins, filter by price and cuisine, see a quick summary of each…
Briar, Bruton: ‘A more beautiful, precise, pristine plate of food would unlikely be found even if we traversed the globe’
On Monday I’m launching a new tool just for paying Saucers. It’s an advancement on our Google map that I’ve been working on since January. I’m hoping it will be a useful tool for helping our paying subscribers filter and find great independent restaurants in Bristol while on the…
August Digest: Bristol food and drink news
I write to you today from the foyer of a fancy hotel in Edinburgh, where I am pretending to be waiting for someone while I type this up. The Edinburgh Fringe is glorious, but not conducive to getting much work done. So, here I am, illegally loitering and stealing wifi. The news…
Pinto Thai Street Food, Nelson Street: 'For authenticity, ineffable charm and a five-pound BYO policy — this is the place'
We’ve had some new subscribers recently, so I’ll take this opportunity to quickly reiterate what The Bristol Sauce is all about. We’re a collective of writers, led by me (Meg) and we’re trying to do things a bit differently. There’s no advertising anywhere on our site, we don’t…
A Bone To Pick: The Pen is Mightier than the Plate
Happy Monday Saucers, I hope your week has started swimmingly. One of the most amazing things to hear is when someone has come across The Bristol Sauce because someone else recommended it. This is a relatively common occurrence — a large part of our growth as a publication has…
Bánh-Mì Càphê, North Street: 'A sucker punch of pork, and moreish in the extreme'
We don’t often review grab-and-go style lunch spots like this, but a good banh-mi is such a joy that I couldn’t resist commissioning this. I’d like to offer a warm welcome to Ben, our newest writer, who responded to my call out for pitches last month with this idea. It’s a great…
Secret Service: There's something so inherently sexy about a chef
The person who wrote this has clearly been reading , and who can blame them — Slutty’s writing is most entertaining. Our Secret Service column is designed to give chefs, front of house, suppliers and indeed anyone working in hospitality the chance to vent — or in this case,…
The Pharmacy, Bruton: 'You better hope it’s here to stay'
The Pharmacy represents exceptional value, even after you’ve factored in the hour drive from Bristol. If you’re over that way, perhaps for a nosey around the Hauser & Wirth gallery or a stomp around the Dovecote, then I’d enthusiastically recommend popping in. The Pharmacy…
The Totterdown Pub Crawl
Despite being just a 20minute walk from town and Temple Meads, Totterdown has always seemed further away than it actually is. I blame the hills and busy Bath Road for making the area feel so separate. You can do this pub crawl in reverse order if you’d prefer to start at the top…
Where to eat in August
For those new to The Bristol Sauce — welcome. We have 2,500 regular readers and the population of Bristol is around 500,000, so you’re now in the top 0.5 per cent of the most informed eaters in the city. Every month, we send a short, curated round-up of our top picks for…
Bristol Food & Drink: August
I’m back after a brief summer hiatus, to tell you about all the delicious things happening this month and distract you from week #485 of this heatwave. It’s a very cider-y month with Bristol Cider Week and a few festivals, News Let’s start with a sweet treat – there’s an ice…
La Cubana, Easton: 'Simple, wholesome, and designed to fill bellies'
If you enjoy reading The Bristol Sauce, please consider recommending it to a friend. One of the main ways people find out about our publication is through word of mouth, and every new reader is a big win for us — partly because we want to grow, and partly because we know that…
July Digest: Bristol food and drink news
Hello Saucers and happy Monday. This month’s news is a bumper issue; we’ve come across all sorts of salacious gossip. There’s new openings galore — 14 in total — including a high profile potential opening from the founders of COR and RAGU. Exciting times! To read the full news,…
Solina, Bath: 'The pasta rocked up so swaggeringly confident that nothing else mattered'
Hello Saucers and happy Thursday. We’ve got an exciting project in the works, which I’ll be revealing more details about in the coming weeks . It’s something we’ve been working on behind the scenes to help you find great, independent restaurants quickly. A second iteration of…
Bristol's best women-owned restaurants
If you haven’t already, I’d highly recommend reading ‘A Woman’s Place is in the Kitchen’ by Sally Abé. Sally is not a Bristolian sadly — I’d love to claim her as one of our own — but I do feel she has a bit of Bristol spirit in her. Sally is a wonderful writer, a phenomenal chef…
Noah's, Cumberland Basin: 'As good a piece of fish as I’ve had anywhere'
Good afternoon Saucers. Today’s review takes us to the site made famous by Only Fools and Horses, which now houses one of Bristol’s best fish restaurants. Philip Sweeney reports. A reminder that if you’ve ever had a good meal as a result of something you’ve read in these digital…
A Bone To Pick: Down with the Rule of Three
Attention obsessives, creatives, dreamers! The Bristol Sauce is looking for writers. As I posted on our Instagram a couple of days ago, I have opened up my inbox to pitches. If you consider yourself the next Anthony Bourdain or Grace Dent, please get in touch. BUT please be…
Mon Plaisir, Clevedon: 'A bite so perfect that, if it had been my last on earth, I’d have swanned smugly off to the afterlife'
I think this review will make you laugh — it’s very well written. It’s possibly PXandTarts’ best yet. If it does bring you entertainment, mirth, merriment and you think, ‘if I saw PXandTarts in the pub, I’d buy him a drink’, please consider supporting our work for £4.50 a month…
The 26 best gluten-free restaurants in Bristol
Unless you’re someone that can’t eat gluten, you probably don’t care about which restaurants in Bristol are suitable for coeliacs, in which case fine — this isn’t for you. I accidentally pissed off the coeliacs — a militant and vocal group — earlier this year when I published a…
Sam's Master Grill, Cheltenham Road: 'Maybe one to avoid on your birthday if you’re of a nervous disposition'
I’ll admit, I was a little saddened to see Sam’s Master Grill had moved and in the process lost its kitsch waterfalls and plastic garland decor, but Phil’s review has restored my faith. It seems the food is as good as ever, and now with more seats and more staff — a greater…
Country pubs near Bristol
Here it is, the most requested guide I’ve done so far! People have asked me to write a list of country pubs near Bristol for years, and after visiting a fair few of these and also getting a handful of extra recommendations, here are some of my top picks. Let me know if there are…
Where to eat in July
Recently a few people have fed back to me that they’ve booked and enjoyed events from the monthly Where to eat round-ups, which makes me beam from ear to ear. This month, we’ve got several big celebrations, a supper club and a tomato party, of course. Become a paying Saucer to…
Bristol's best beer gardens for a sun-soaked summer
Discover the best beer gardens in Bristol for a perfect summer experience. Unwind at these top outdoor venues with scenic views, great food and refreshing drinks. Make the most of the sunny days in Bristol's lively pub scene.
A guide to the best brunch in Bristol
A local's ultimate guide. Perfect spots for weekend gatherings, stylish treats, indulgent breakfasts and mid-morning cures.
Bristol's top shelf: a guide to the city's finest cocktail bars
Discover Bristol's vibrant cocktail scene as we explore hidden gems, unique concoctions and atmospheric lounges that elevate the city's nightlife to new heights.
Bristol's vegan delights: exploring the city's best plant-based eateries
Discover Bristol's best vegan restaurants and cafés, from mouth-watering plant-based burgers to delicious brunch spots. Uncover the city's thriving vegan food scene in our comprehensive guide.
The best burger in Bristol: a tasty tour of the city's top patties
Discover Bristol's best burgers, including National Burger Awards finalists Fattso and Squeezed, plus local favourites Asado, Milk Bun, and more. Satisfy your cravings with our ultimate guide.
Street food in Bristol: the ultimate guide
Handy info on a variety of food markets, their locations and opening hours, as well as an up-to-date look at some of the best food stalls.