Burgers£Wapping WharfTue-Sat 12:00-15:00, 17:00-21:00; Sun 12:00-16:00
Squeezed flips national-award-winning burgers and homemade lemonades from two shipping containers at Cargo 1 on Wapping Wharf in central Bristol.
Signature: Smashed burgers, Homemade lemonade
Order: The cheeseburger with fries and whichever lemonade is fresh that day.
Tip: It moved from Cargo 2 into a bigger Cargo 1 unit; lunch sells through on football and market weekends.
Falafel£Old CityMon-Fri 11:00-16:15; Sat 11:00-17:00; closed Sun
Eat a Pitta's Glass Arcade counter at St Nicholas Market is Bristol's falafel institution, piling boxes with salads, hummus and pomegranate seeds.
Signature: Falafel box
Order: The falafel box with everything on, halloumi added if you are hungry.
Tip: The market queue moves fast but peaks 12:30 to 13:30; four other branches cover Clifton, Broadmead, Queens Road and Gloucester Road.
British£HarboursideSun-Thu 12:00-21:00; Fri-Sat 12:00-22:00
Pieminister began in Bristol in 2003 and its Broad Quay restaurant plates the Mothership: pie, mash, gravy and minted peas facing the harbour.
Signature: Mothership pie
Order: The Mothership with the Moo pie, or Sunday Best when it is running.
Tip: Serious vegan and gluten-free pie options make this the group-friendly cheap dinner in the centre.
American diner£SouthvilleMon-Wed 11:30-22:00; Thu 11:30-22:30; Fri 11:30-23:00; Sat 09:00-23:00; Sun 09:00-22:30
Oowee Diner's North Street original has stacked Bristol's messiest burgers and loaded fries since 2017, spawning a vegan spin-off across town.
Signature: Dirty burgers, Loaded fries
Order: A double cheeseburger with dirty fries; weekend breakfast runs from 09:00.
Tip: The vegan arm, Oowee Vegan, runs separate sites; this North Street diner is the 60-seat original with table service.
Vegetarian£Stokes CroftMon 11:45-23:00; Tue-Sat 11:45-00:00; Sun 11:00-00:00
The Canteen serves cheap seasonal vegetarian plates under Hamilton House's murals in Stokes Croft, Bristol, with free live music most evenings.
Signature: Seasonal vegetarian plates
Order: The daily changing plate with whatever band is setting up on stage.
Tip: It closed in 2024 and reopened in autumn 2025; Friday and Saturday carry a £6 door charge after 21:30 for the music.
Caribbean££Stokes CroftMon-Thu 16:00-23:00, food to 21:00; Fri-Sat 12:00-23:00, food to 21:30; Sun 12:00-21:00, food to 19:00
Caribbean Croft cooks Ms Cat's family recipes on Stokes Croft in Bristol, matching jerk and curry goat with one of the city's longest rum lists.
Signature: Curry goat, Jerk chicken
Order: Curry goat with rice and peas, and a rum punch from the long list.
Tip: The kitchen closes well before the bar every night, so order food early and stay on for the rum.