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.
17. Little French, Westbury Park - Rating: Good
“Former Bristol Lido head chef Freddy Bird’s Westbury Park brasserie offers carefully sourced, self-assured French cooking in a relaxed atmosphere. The busy, welcoming dining room with petrol-blue banquettes, marble tables and a cornucopia of objects d’art adorning the bare brick walls is smart but fun. Service is efficient and friendly, and the long menu has something for all occasions, be it a casual bar snack of lamb chops with Dijon mustard or a special-occasion dinner for two of whole roast monkfish tail with Jersey Royals, spinach and petits pois à la française” | Little French
18. Bianchis, 13 York Road - Rating: Good
“With a warm welcome and classy cooking, this neighbourhood Italian honours the family behind Bristol’s successful and ever-growing Bianchis restaurant group. The unpretentious and relaxed dining room has a laid-back, lived-in look with a scuffed floor, low lighting, a 60s soul soundtrack and bottles of wine stacked on all available shelves. Comfy seating and damasked tables add to the sense that you are here to enjoy yourself and eat well.” | Dominic Borel
19. Paco Tapas, Guinea Street - Rating: Good
“Housed on the ground floor of the Grade II-listed former Bristol General Hospital (now an upmarket apartment complex), Peter Sánchez-Iglesias’s high-class harbourside tapas bar aims to transport you to Spain. The thick stone arch entranceway has now been softened by an outdoor seating area that’s perfect for summer. Inside, there’s a buzzy atmosphere with pop music playing, high stool seating (even at the restaurant tables) and no-nonsense paper menus and napkins. “ | .