The Good Food Guide was founded by Raymond Postgate in 1951 and today it remains the longest-standing and best-selling guide to dining out in the UK.
Inspections are conducted on an ongoing basis and anonymously with impartial recommendations then offered. Members of The Good Food Guide Club can access hundreds of reviews and pictures via their app.
Here are the 19 Bristol restaurants that are currently recommended by The Good Food Guide, with ratings ranging from Local Gems to Very Good.
1. Farro Bakery, 1 Brunswick Square - Rating: Local Gem
“In the most unlikely of locations, right by the city’s Bearpit roundabout, ‘probably my favourite bakery of all time’ puts the focus on ancient grains; the owners mill their own in-house and produce an einkorn wheat loaf with an incredible depth of flavour. Best pastries are probably the honey and almond croissant, the pastel de nata and the totally ‘unmissable’ canelé. So often, bakeries lose that element of quality by branching out into sandwiches and the like. Not here. All they do is bake bread and pastries to wonderful perfection. Takeaway only."
2. Sweven Coffee, 12 North Street - Rating: Local Gem
“Jimmy Dimitrov came second in the Coffee Masters Champion at The London Coffee Festival in 2019, so it’s no surprise that he and his wife Aga have opened a bare-bones, obsessed-with-coffee shop/roastery. In-the-know locals say that Sweven (from the archaic word for a vision or a dream) makes the best coffee in Bristol, with some really unique roasts on offer. The team operate so serenely and never rush you, providing ‘respite from the outside world’. There are home-baked cakes, too. Eat in or takeaway.”
3. Pasta Loco, 37a Cotham Hill - Rating: Good
“With its usual glazed front obscured by a screened post-COVID pavement extension, this much-loved Italian, on a recently pedestrianised stretch of Cotham Hill, now feels a little dingy and cramped inside. But the clean, modern vibe remains and the short, daily changing menu is still fresh, locally sourced, inventive and authentic. Antipasti such as bresaola with Roman artichoke, whipped ricotta, pickled shallots and rocket, or a black truffle and Gran Moravia (cheese) aranchino certainly set the taste buds alight.”
4. Wilsons, Chandos Road - Rating: Very Good
“Jan Ostle’s impressively ambitious restaurant offers the full ‘farm to table’ experience, with all vegetables grown on his (and partner Mary Wilson’s) nearby smallholding and everything from bread and charcuterie to a delightfully refreshing raspberry ginger beer made in house. This is not so much a restaurant as a cottage industry, and you can feel the enthusiasm buzzing off the staff, who are eager to explain every element of the beautifully crafted dishes.”