We tried the hidden gem new Bristol restaurant that’s already attracting 5-star reviews

La Bella just maybe the best Bristol restaurant you’ve not heard of - that’s unless you live nearby and it’s your local, of course.

Sandwiched between a convenience store and a Chinese takeaway in a corner of BS4 that could be St Anne’s, Brislington or even, at a push, Broomhill, La Bella opened nine months ago in what had previously been a greasy spoon cafe.

In that short time, and despite all the usual challenges faced by small family-run restaurants during a cost of living crisis, it has thrived and gained a loyal local following.

A quick look at online reviews and contented diners have given it high praise. It currently has 4/5 on Tripadvisor and 5 stars on Google, with comments such as ‘lovely local gem’.

But that’s no surprise once you step inside and settle down for dinner. With its bare brick walls, soft lighting and wood-panelled ceiling, it’s a lovely looking room - the owners did all the work themselves - and the Italian food is authentic and sensibly priced.

On the evening we visited, there were only a couple of empty tables. The rest were taken by locals, mostly families with kids.

At lunchtime, there is also an excellent value set menu - two courses for £13.95 or £18.95 for three courses.

The menu includes around a dozen starters, ten pasta dishes, salads, steaks, fresh fish and eight pizzas (from £10.50). The kids’ menu is £8.50 for a main course, drink and ice cream.

A starter of caprese (£6.95) was a generous plate of overlapping slices of cold and creamy mozzarella and ripe tomatoes drizzled with fruity olive oil and sticky balsamic vinegar.

For main course, linguine gamberoni (£13.95) was a seemingly never-ending bowl of pasta in a thick tomato and garlic sauce enriched with white wine, spicy chilli butter and more king prawns than I could count. Talk about a generous portion.

But, of course, I located an extra stomach for the homemade tiramisu (£5.95) which was light, springy with the correct amount of coffee, cream and booze, finished with dark chocolate sauce.

Enhanced by friendly service and a genuine local neighbourhood restaurant buzz, it was a meal hard to fault.

As I paid the bill, I asked how things were going and the waitress said they were well supported by the locals as there isn’t another restaurant in the area. Now, she said, they just need to attract customers from further afield but that’s sure to happen soon.

Based on the quality of this meal, it won’t be long before the best-kept secret of BS4 is out and it becomes a destination restaurant. It deserves to be.

La Bella, 3 Birchwood Road, Bristol, BS4 4QH. Tel: 07535 777644.