7 of the best organic restaurants and producers in Bristol from The Ethicurean to City Farm Cafe

With Bristol businesses championing fair working, sustainability and a better world">Fairtrade Fortnight underway across the UK, it’s got us thinking about ethical business standards, fair working, sustainability, but also the importance of organic produce alongside this. Although Fairtrade doesn’t always mean organic and organic doesn’t always mean Fairtrade, it’s inspired us to think about all the different elements of the Fairtrade campaign. So, we’ve taken the time to think about all the restaurants within Bristol that take their sourcing seriously.

And with Bristol being such a veg-centric destination and having been crowned the Vegan Capital of the World in 2019, it’s no surprise that there are so many organic vegetable-focused restaurants around. But, it’s not only the vegetables that are the organic focus here, luckily for the meat eaters amongst us, there are plenty of organic restaurants that pride themselves on ethically-sourced meat, too. Let’s take a look!

The Ethicurean

Everything about this wonderful responsible restaurant at Barley Wood Walled Garden is perfect in the way it champions organic produce. It’s important to them that their restaurant works for everyone; guests, planet, suppliers and team. Everything at The Ethicurean is responsibly sourced, thoughtfully presented, and living-wage registered. Their aim is to set the bar high and pave the way for the future of hospitality. Mark Cox, who heads up the Walled Garden, is committed to regenerative agriculture, ensuring the health of the soil is improved year on year. This directly impacts the nutrients and quality of the produce The Ethicurean cooks with and serves every day. The restaurant also forages the local wilderness, impeccably sources the little meat on their menu and sources their fish from the best sustainable producers in the UK. They also stock a mix of the best natural and biodynamic wines.

The Pony Bistro

Having opened last year to much acclaim, the Pony Bistro on North Street from Josh and Holly Eggleton in The Pony Restaurant Group serves up modern British bistro classics. Full of all the charm, passion and deliciousness from the original The Pony Chew Valley, but this time in Bristol, the Bistro focuses on everything being organic and sustainably sourced. You’ll find seafood from the South West coast, vegetables and herbs from their own Pony Garden and local growers, as well as quality reared meat, all put together in the Bistro to create a seasonally changing menu. You’ll also find that their wine list is full of a variety of low-intervention, organic, and bio-dynamic wines to ensure that the tipples enjoyed within the four walls are mirroring their food ethos, too.

Poco Tapas

When talking about sustainability and championing organic produce, it would be rude not to include Poco Tapas on Jamaica Street. They’ve long been raising awareness and pioneering an organic route forward for their restaurant and the hospitality world, and are on a mission to be not only be Bristol’s best restaurant, but also to be at the forefront of the sustainable movement. As a member of the Sustainable Restaurant Association each year the restaurant is objectively surveyed and accredited on a wide range of criteria from energy consumption and proportions of organic produce used, to water usage, treatment of staff and other community initiatives. Their chefs independently source food based on ethics and quality, food and ingredients are chosen for their traceability, buying direct from farms and producers wherever possible, and their fresh produce is all 100% seasonal, too. As a result of their hard work, more than 50% of their produce is organic and certified by the Soil Association.

Wilsons Restaurant

Since it arrived on the scene in Chandos Road, Wilsons Restaurant has always championed organic produce. Co-founder Mary Wilson has a background in biodynamic agriculture, so it’s no surprise that this is a priority for them. Sustainability is at the heart of Wilsons and they endeavour to work with and support producers, growers and traders that use ethical and low impact methods. Setting them apart from a lot of other bistros and restaurants, Wilsons even has its own market garden where they also grow much of the produce used in the restaurant. Not only is the produce itself organic, but the way in which the food is created, presented and the way in which the kitchen is run is an entirely organic process, all focused around showcasing their connection with nature through the food.

Root

The highly acclaimed veg-centric restaurant in Wapping Wharf promotes organic produce and traceability through its ethos and menu. The modern, veg-led, small plate restaurant was opened in 2017 by the well-known Josh Eggleton and Luke Hasell of The Pony Group and StoryButchers/Valleyfest. The forward-thinking restaurant is all about championing local suppliers and producers, and leading with a ‘more veg, less meat’ ethos. Headed up by chef Rob Howell, you’ll find a seasonal menu with a strong organic connection to the land around us.

City Farm Cafe

The City Farm Cafe sitting in the heart of Windmill Hill and the surrounding community is all about bringing homemade, locally sourced and organic food to the people of Bristol. Their menu is constantly changing alongside the seasons, but you can always find the best produce and carefully sourced food at the core of their dishes. They only serve meat when their own farm-reared meat is available, having taken the decision to reduce their own footprint as a business, and to start a conversation about how much meat should be part of a sustainable diet. In order to be as organic as possible in their approach, they ​​use all the fresh produce possible from the farm itself, and the money they made as a result of these lovely ingredients supports the farm’s charitable work, enabling them to offer volunteering opportunities to adults with support needs, who in turn help them to maintain the beautiful four-acres.

Better Food Cafe

Known for its brilliant work within Bristol to promote a more sustainable, ethical and fair way of eating and shopping, the Better Food Cafe is somewhere that really champions organic produce. In fact, in 2019 the cafe achieved four stars, for the third year running, demonstrating that over 75% of ingredients used within the premises are from certified organic sources. They state that it is, in fact, “nearer 93%. Those niggling last few ingredients comprise of things like some herbs, spices and hard-to-find products that are often not available organically, or are prohibitively expensive.” Using the best organic ingredients, you’ll find all sorts of dishes and treats from coconut curries to organic juices and pastries. They source all their coffee from Bristol Fairtrade business Wogan Coffee, which is made from beans grown across three organically certified farms. They also use organic milk and have a variety of non-dairy milks available on request. You can find their cafes in St. Werburghs, Whiteladies Road, Gloucester Road, and Wapping Wharf.