Bristol Food & Drink: April

The guide is a bit late this month due to Easter frivolities and illness, but that means I can also extend it to include early May bank holiday events, happy days!

Bristol Food & Drink: March

Welcome to March – let’s hope that it’s a drier month than February, or January! I’m still very much in the hearty food and cosy corners vibe, but more than ready to enjoy some blue skies

Read on to get tempted by special dinners, wine festivals, Mother’s Day events and more…

Bristol Food & Drink: February

My first events round-up of 2024, and it’s already a packed one!

It’s the first proper month of the year when we can start venturing out and making fun plans again, so read on for dinners, Valentine’s Day events, new openings and lots more.

20 Underrated Pubs in Bristol

What makes a pub great? And what makes it underappreciated? Of course, both are heavily subjective, which is fine because this is a blog and not a newspaper or the BBC, so I get to be as partisan as I want.

Rather than be a list of ‘hidden gems’, I’ve instead decided to big up some pubs that I think don’t get the attention they derserve.

Bristol’s Best Date Locations

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Finally plucked up the courage to ask the object of your affection out for a drink? Or want to spoil your significant other?

Here are a few suggestions for your next date night, whether it’s a casual coffee, a slap-up dinner or a late night cocktail – all a bit special, not too noisy and with a nice atmosphere to allow you to have the perfect time with your beau. Happy smooching!

The Best Brunches in Bristol

Weekends are special for all sorts of reasons, and not just the fact that you’re out of the office for a blissful 48 hours.

The two greatest reasons must be the fact that you have the opportunity for a lie-in and also that you get to take as long as you want over your breakfast, without having to try and eat your toast whilst simultaneously putting on your coat and shoving your packed lunch in your bag.

Food & Drink Offers in Bristol

If you’re looking to try somewhere new or stuck for ideas for where to eat and drink, hopefully some of these brilliant deals will tempt you in.

Make sure you follow your favourite bars and restaurants on social media (or sign up to their newsletter) for the most up to date promotions and events, and remember that it’s a tough time for hospitality businesses, so your support is more valuable than ever. Get out there – eat, drink, be merry and support your local indies!

Bristol’s Cosiest Pubs

As the cold, dark nights draw in and the rain gets more frequent, I figured it was time to round up some of the best places to get comfy until the sun reappears!

Here are the best places to snuggle up with a mulled beverage whenever it gets nippy…

Bristol’s Best Food & Drink Experiences

Not only is Bristol packed to the gills with amazing restaurants, bars and cafes, but there are also plenty of opportunities to learn from the experts or have a go at making something yourself!

Whether you want to learn how to make sushi or tell a Merlot from a Malbec, here are plenty of tasty experiences across the city…

Bristol Food & Drink: December

Hello from a misty and frosty corner of Bristol – it feels like the right time to say that I’m feeling suitably festive and excited by the prospect of lots of cheese, stodge, stouts and mulled beverages over the coming weeks.

There’s plenty going on across the city to get you in the party spirit, take a look below and let me know over on the socials (tweets or Insta) what you’re booking – or take a look at my Bristol Foodie Gift Guide for some present-buying inspiration.

There won’t be a guide in January as I always take that month off, but you can keep up to date with more food news from me on Twitter, Instagram or follow this blog on Facebook – I’ve also added some January events in below if you want to be get some stuff booked for 2024 (or buy as a gift).

The Bristol Foodie Gift guide

We all love novelty socks and comedy DVDs, but surely the best present of all to receive is the gift of food (or money, money is also very good).

I usually try to top up the stockings of my nearest and dearest with a few local Bristol treats (inevitably a few find their way into my cupboard, but I see it as commission for my thoughtfulness), so should you be wondering what food & drink gifts to get for friends and family, allow me to show you some of your options…

Bristol Food & Drink: November

Never mind the wind and rain, we’ve got a jam-packed month of brilliant food and drink events lined up, and they’re almost all indoors!

From a retro ski lodge to wine festivals and a meal themed around the last night of the Titanic (!), there are plenty of weird and wonderful ways to spend your month. Let me know what you get up to!

Bristol’s Best Harbourside Restaurants

Summer in Bristol means eating and drinking by the Harbourside, right?

Personally, my ultimate sign that the sunshine has arrived is when I see legs dangling over the quayside outside Arnolfini, or people jostling for space along the jetties nearby.

This guide is mainly focused on nabbing some a bite to eat in the harbour – if you’re more focused on waterfront boozing, take a look at my Harbourside Pub Crawl guide.

Oldies but goodies: Bristol institutions

Empty plates at Poco (Credit: Alex Poulter)

It’s easy to get caught up with the latest openings and new exciting places (and there is plenty to be excited about at the moment), but I thought it was time to give some appreciation to the places that have kept me fed and watered with consistently brilliant fare since I moved to Bristol sixteen (bloody hell) years ago.

Let me know your favourite places on Twitter or Facebook, and I’ll add them in later!

Bristol Food & Drink: October

Get fully into the swing of autumn with these events, whether you fancy a warming wine or whisky tasting, a cosy cookery class or popping into a new bar or restaurant.

Let me know what takes your fancy over on Instagram or Twitter, I love being nosey!

Pub Crawl Bristol #2: St Michael’s Hill

I realise that what started as a genuine intention to get people to enjoy the sights and spectacles of Bristol has instead turned in to a series of rather irresponsible pub crawl posts. Oh well, if Bristol does one thing better than most places in the UK it’s provide an amazing variety of drinking establishments, whether your tipple of choice be a fine craft beer, a rich Bordeaux or a cloudy pint of scrumpy.

St Michael’s Hill in the centre is probably the highest concentration of great pubs in this fine town of ours, and therefore perfect for a pubcrawl. I’d advise starting from the top, mind. It’s a wee bit steep, so not the most appealing route if you’ve imbibed a few strong ales.

Bristol Food & Drink: September

There are some final festival flourishes this month, as well as some intriguing new openings, and more than enough other events to keep you well fed and watered. It’s going to be a good one, whatever the weather!

Pub Crawl Bristol #4 – Gloucester Road

There are many things that Bristol can be proud of, but one of the biggest is the overwhelming support for independent local businesses, along with the diversity of choice on offer. Nowhere in the city is this more apparent than on Gloucester Road; still one of the longest stretches in the country consisting mainly of thriving independent shops, bars and restaurants, which obviously makes it ripe for a good ol’ pub crawl.

I’ve started my list from the top end nearer to Horfield (although just beyond is The Inn on the Green, which is a fantastic pub), just because I think it makes sense to end your journey nearer to the centre of town, but the choice is yours! Here are my top tips for boozing in BS6.

Bristol Food & Drink: August

What a false start of a summer huh? All rain and wind – when am I supposed to start enjoying pub gardens and frozen Pina Coladas?

Whatever the weather decides this month. there’s plenty to get excited about, from grand feasts to wine tastings, night markets and brewery trails.

Pub Crawl Bristol #1: The Harbour

Bristol is a great city for so many reasons, but one of the big ones for me is that it’s such a lovely place to go for a scenic amble of a weekend afternoon. There are lots of routes I like to take through the city, but my favourite by far is around the harbour.

The richest part of Bristol’s history starts here – some of the oldest and most beautiful buildings in the city can be found by the water and there is always something exciting going on no matter what the hour or time of year. So the next time you’re stuck for something to do of a weekend, I suggest you gather some friends and go on a cider or ale quest around the water’s edge. I’ve even put together a suggested route, because I’m nice like that.

Bristol Food & Drink: July

Summer tiiiiime, here we go! We’re firmly into beer gardens and Harbourside drinks terrritory, and dare I say it, cider slushies if that’s your vibe (it very much is mine).

St Pauls Carnival was a hoot, and we still have Bristol Pride, Harbour Festival and the Balloon Fiesta to come!

Take a look at the tasty things happening this month, and let me know what takes your fancy over on Twitter or Instagram.

Bristol Food & Drink: June

The sunshine has arrived, along with lots of fun excuses to spend time outdoors, from beer festivals to food tours. As ever there are also a bunch of new places for you to visit, including a few vegan joints and a couple of exciting newbies at Wapping Wharf.

Start planning your month of munching now…

Bristol Food & Drink: May

It’s a bumper bank holiday month, so you’ve got even more time to spend on fun days out!

Here’s what I’ve managed to dig out from the the next few weeks, whether you want to go to a buzzing market, sample some wines in a local vineyard, have a cream tea on a boat or want to find a street party.

Bristol Food & Drink: April

Here we go – spring sun and showers, beer gardens, festivals and a bagful of bank holidays!

It’s time to rub your hands together excitedly and start planning your next few weeks of eating and drinking…

Food stalls at St Nicholas Market

I’ve lost count of the amont of times I’ve been asked “What food stalls are there in St Nick’s Market?” or what the newest additions are to Bristol’s food haven, so I figured that it was time to write this guide.

I’ll strive to keep this blog as up to date as possible, which means of course making sure I go there for lunch as much as I can. It’s a tough job, but someone’s gotta do it!