Chris & Jo’s Kitchen
We were arriving on a Sunday afternoon, and I love a good Sunday Roast, so I researched a few options. Chris & Jo’s came recommended, but only took reservations by phone, so I asked our Airbnb host book us here for 3pm. It was a warm day, and it is up a hill, so we arrived a bit sweaty! I started with a large glass of the Primitivo red and Eric got a non-alcoholic ale (Below Brew wild juice chase – light IPA with passion fruit and mango). I chose the beef and Eric got the roasted chicken. Everything on our plates from the carrots to the broccolini to the gravy and crisp kale was delicious. Highly recommended.
Dirty Martini
Located right around the corner from our apartment, this place had £7 cocktails all day on Sundays and from 4-8pm during the week. On our first visit, I got an Old Fashioned and Eric had a riff on a Cosmo, then we split a delicious chocolate martini. The second time, Eric tried the Love Affair (with edible glitter!) and I got the coconut lychee martini – both, again, were delicious. We sat outside and people watched, enjoying the cooler air. Recommended!
The Apple
Bristol is known for ciders, and The Apple was recommended as a good spot to try some. We liked that the half pours were exactly half the price of the large pours so we each tried two ciders, two from the Farmhouse section (rather funky) and two from the sparkling section (our preference). With the nice summer weather everyone was sitting on picnic benches overlooking the canal, which allowed for some bonus people watching.
Beirut Mezze
A last minute choice due to really high reviews on google, our Lebanese dinner here was great. They are located in a basement with a rough brick vaulted ceiling, so the ambience is already charming, plus the service was friendly and the food was delicious. We ordered the chicken cubes (marinated grilled chicken with a spicy flavorful sauce), spicy potatoes (fine but the least memorable dish) and bread filled with minced lamb and spices (very tasty). Eric stuck with water and I got the house red which tasted like an Italian Primitivo.
St. Nicholas Market
We grabbed takeaway lunch from two different places in the market, Eatchu Dumplings and Eat a Pitta. At Eatchu, we split an order of the pork and chive dumplings, a small curry rice and the cucumber salad. Plenty of food for both of us and tasty to boot. Eat a Pitta was a backup option when our first choice Squeezed (on the wharf) was mysteriously closed on Wednesday afternoon. I got Eric a sandwich (messy, impossible to hold and eat, but quite tasty once he got a fork) and I got the hummus and falafel bowl, tons of food for less than £13.
The Albion
A 17th-century village pub in the Clifton area, we stopped in on our way to the suspension bridge. We found space outside at a shared picnic table to enjoy our half pints of cider and brown cask ale. Unfortunately, this was the only place that charged us in USD (instead of pounds) without asking.
Moltobuono!
One of the top recommendations on Reddit for pizza in the area, and well-deserved. Reservations were only available by phone and we didn’t know our ETA on a Tuesday evening, but they managed to find us a seat upstairs in the busy restaurant. We each ordered a glass of wine (Rosé and Montepulciano) and got two pizzas, the Margherita and Nozza. The crust was great, charred and flavorful. We left full and happy, thankful for the robust air con upstairs.
Felsons
We spotted a “2-4-1 cocktails” sign outside during one of our evening strolls, so we popped inside to take a look. £8.95 for two espresso martinis! They were a bit on the sweet side but still tasty. We sat inside and casually watched the women’s cricket on TV.
Bristol Beer Factory Taproom
Located at the end of North Street, we stopped in for a half pint of their cider and stout to rest our feet while exploring the murals in the Southville and Bedminster areas. The bartender was super friendly and we managed to grab a table outside to people watch.