40 cheap eats places in Bristol, editor-picked. the best low-budget spots in Bristol: the places editors actually return to. All Bristol food.
Hart's Bakery ★ 4.6
Temple Meads · Arch 35, Lower Approach Road, Temple Meads, Bristol BS1 6QS
Hart's Bakery laminates and bakes everything inside a Victorian railway arch under Bristol Temple Meads, the send-off pastry stop before any train.
Tip: It is under the station approach ramp, not on the concourse; allow ten minutes before your train for the queue.
Hart's Bakery ★ 4.6
Temple Meads · Arch 35, Lower Approach Road, Temple Meads, Bristol BS1 6QS
Hart's Bakery laminates and bakes everything inside a Victorian railway arch under Bristol Temple Meads, the send-off pastry stop before any train.
Tip: It is under the station approach ramp, not on the concourse; allow ten minutes before your train for the queue.
Small Street Espresso ★ 4.5
Old City · 23 Small Street, Bristol BS1 1DW
Small Street Espresso has poured Bristol's benchmark flat whites in a slim Old City room since 2012, rotating guest roasters past its house Clifton beans.
Tip: It shuts at 15:00 and all weekend; sister bar Little Victories at Wapping Wharf covers the days this room is dark.
The Apple ★ 4.5
Old City · Welsh Back, Bristol BS1 4SB
The Apple pours dozens of farmhouse ciders from a converted Dutch barge on Welsh Back, the floating heart of Bristol's cider drinking culture.
Tip: Start with a half of something still and cloudy rather than a fizzy pint; deck seats go first on sunny evenings.
Bristol Sweet Mart ★ 4.5
Easton · 71-82 St Marks Road, Easton, Bristol BS5 6JH
Bristol Sweet Mart has anchored St Marks Road since 1978, a family-run Easton institution stocking over 9,000 products, spices and a curry deli.
Tip: Come hungry: the deli counter's daily curries and Indian sweets turn a grocery run into lunch.
Full Court Press ★ 4.4
Old City · 59 Broad Street, Bristol BS1 2EJ
Full Court Press rotates a weekly-changing line-up of small-lot coffees through its Broad Street bar, Bristol's most studious cup of filter since 2014.
Tip: The menu changes weekly and the roastery coffee bar on Oxford Street pours weekday mornings if Broad Street is full.
Full Court Press ★ 4.4
Old City · 59 Broad Street, Bristol BS1 2EJ
Full Court Press rotates a weekly-changing line-up of small-lot coffees through its Broad Street bar, Bristol's most studious cup of filter since 2014.
Tip: The menu changes weekly and the roastery coffee bar on Oxford Street pours weekday mornings if Broad Street is full.
The Coronation Tap ★ 4.4
Clifton Village · 8 Sion Place, Clifton, Bristol BS8 4AX
The Coronation Tap is Clifton's centuries-old cider house near the Suspension Bridge, pouring its exclusive Exhibition cider by the half in Bristol.
Tip: Exhibition is strong enough that the house serves it only in halves; treat that as a warning, not a challenge.
The Old Duke ★ 4.4
Old City · 45 King Street, Bristol BS1 4ER
The Old Duke runs free live jazz and blues every night of the week on King Street, a Bristol institution in a cobbled-street pub dating from around 1775.
Tip: Music is free every night; get in before 21:00 on weekends or listen from the cobbles with the overspill crowd.
Matina ★ 4.4
Old City · Saint Nicholas Street, Bristol BS1 1LJ
Matina bakes naan to order and stuffs it with chargrilled lamb, chicken or halloumi, the queue that defines lunch at Bristol's St Nicholas Market.
Tip: Watch for the naan coming off the dome oven; the mixed grill wrap is the order the queue is for.
The Old Duke ★ 4.4
Old City · 45 King Street, Bristol BS1 4ER
The Old Duke runs free live jazz and blues every night of the week on King Street, a Bristol institution in a cobbled-street pub dating from around 1775.
Tip: Music is free every night; get in before 21:00 on weekends or listen from the cobbles with the overspill crowd.
Matina ★ 4.4
Old City · Saint Nicholas Street, Bristol BS1 1LJ
Matina bakes naan to order and stuffs it with chargrilled lamb, chicken or halloumi, the queue that defines lunch at Bristol's St Nicholas Market.
Tip: Watch for the naan coming off the dome oven; the mixed grill wrap is the order the queue is for.
Little Victories ★ 4.3
Wapping Wharf · 7 Gaol Ferry Steps, Wapping Wharf, Bristol BS1 6WE
Little Victories is the Small Street Espresso team's harbourside bar at Wapping Wharf, Bristol, pouring espresso, cakes and toasties beside Cargo's cranes.
Tip: It keeps weekend hours its Old City sibling does not, which makes it the Saturday home for Bristol coffee people.
Little Victories ★ 4.3
Wapping Wharf · 7 Gaol Ferry Steps, Wapping Wharf, Bristol BS1 6WE
Little Victories is the Small Street Espresso team's harbourside bar at Wapping Wharf, Bristol, pouring espresso, cakes and toasties beside Cargo's cranes.
Tip: It keeps weekend hours its Old City sibling does not, which makes it the Saturday home for Bristol coffee people.
Mark's Bread ★ 4.2
Southville · Tobacco Factory, Raleigh Road, Bristol BS3 1TF
Mark's Bread bakes slow-fermented loaves at the Tobacco Factory on Raleigh Road, the real-bread anchor of Bristol's North Street food strip.
Tip: It now bakes from the Tobacco Factory building itself; pair a loaf with the Sunday market downstairs.
The Drapers Arms ★ 4.2
Gloucester Road · 447 Gloucester Road, Horfield, Bristol BS7 8TZ
The Drapers Arms is Bristol's first micropub, a one-room former draper's shop on Gloucester Road serving cask ale and conversation, nothing else.
Tip: No music, no phones encouraged, no lager: order a cask third and talk to a stranger, that is the point.
The Orchard Inn ★ 4.2
Harbourside · 12 Hanover Place, Bristol BS1 6XT
The Orchard Inn pours a wall of boxed farmhouse ciders in a Spike Island backstreet local, a few minutes from Bristol's SS Great Britain and its crowds.
Tip: Order a filled roll and a cloudy half, then drink it on the pavement bench with the shipyard crowd.
Eatchu ★ 4.2
Old City · Exchange Avenue, St Nicholas Market, Bristol BS1 1JQ
Eatchu fries and steams handmade gyoza on Exchange Avenue at St Nicholas Market, Bristol's Great Taste-winning dumpling counter since its stall days.
Tip: The chicken and nori butter gyoza is the signature; the Clifton Triangle shop seats you down if the market is heaving.
Chilli Daddy ★ 4.2
Old City · 45-47 Baldwin Street, Bristol BS1 1RA
Chilli Daddy numbs Bristol with Sichuan pepper at its Baldwin Street restaurant, noodle boxes and dandan noodles built on family recipes from Sichuan.
Tip: Order the dandan noodles at the heat level below your pride; Uber Eats delivery covers the nights you cannot face the walk.
Swoon ★ 4.2
Wapping Wharf · Unit 7, Cargo 2, Museum Street, Bristol BS1 6ZA
Swoon churns Italian-schooled gelato at Wapping Wharf in Bristol with over 100 Great Taste awards, including a Supreme Champion nod for its hazelnut.
Tip: The hazelnut won the Supreme Champion award; order it in a tub so harbour gulls cannot negotiate.
The Orchard Inn ★ 4.2
Harbourside · 12 Hanover Place, Bristol BS1 6XT
The Orchard Inn pours a wall of boxed farmhouse ciders in a Spike Island backstreet local, a few minutes from Bristol's SS Great Britain and its crowds.
Tip: Order a filled roll and a cloudy half, then drink it on the pavement bench with the shipyard crowd.
The Drapers Arms ★ 4.2
Gloucester Road · 447 Gloucester Road, Horfield, Bristol BS7 8TZ
The Drapers Arms is Bristol's first micropub, a one-room former draper's shop on Gloucester Road serving cask ale and conversation, nothing else.
Tip: No music, no phones encouraged, no lager: order a cask third and talk to a stranger, that is the point.
Eatchu ★ 4.2
Old City · Exchange Avenue, St Nicholas Market, Bristol BS1 1JQ
Eatchu fries and steams handmade gyoza on Exchange Avenue at St Nicholas Market, Bristol's Great Taste-winning dumpling counter since its stall days.
Tip: The chicken and nori butter gyoza is the signature; the Clifton Triangle shop seats you down if the market is heaving.
Sandwich Sandwich ★ 4.2
Old City · Baldwin Street, Bristol BS1 1QB
Sandwich Sandwich stacks Bristol's most argued-over lunch on Baldwin Street, a family deli founded in 2012 that won Time Out's national Sammie Slam.
Tip: Queue before noon or after 14:00; the Queens Road shop runs the same boards for the university end of town.
Eat a Pitta ★ 4.1
Old City · 1-3 Glass Arcade, St Nicholas Market, Bristol BS1 1LJ
Eat a Pitta's Glass Arcade counter at St Nicholas Market is Bristol's falafel institution, piling boxes with salads, hummus and pomegranate seeds.
Tip: The market queue moves fast but peaks 12:30 to 13:30; four other branches cover Clifton, Broadmead, Queens Road and Gloucester Road.
Joe's Bakery ★ 4.1
Gloucester Road · 240-242 Gloucester Road, Bishopston, Bristol BS7 8NZ
Joe's Bakery has baked on Gloucester Road for generations, a Bristol shop tracing its site's history over 150 years from tin loaves to sourdough.
Tip: The smaller shop at 45 Gloucester Road covers the bottom of the hill; the carrot cake sells through by afternoon.
Cafe Kino ★ 4.1
Stokes Croft · 108 Stokes Croft, Bristol BS1 3RU
Cafe Kino is Stokes Croft's worker-owned vegan co-op, feeding Bristol burgers, fry-ups and coffee in a room that doubles as a community events space.
Tip: Everything on the menu is vegan including the big breakfast; evening events sometimes take over the basement.
Wogan Coffee ★ 4.1
St Pauls · Bourbon House, 2-11 Clement Street, Bristol BS2 9EQ
Wogan Coffee has hand-roasted in Bristol since 1970, a third-generation family firm whose Clement Street brew bar fronts the working roastery.
Tip: The shop sells the full roast list by weight; Wogan also runs SCA barista courses for the trade.
TwoDay Coffee Roasters ★ 4.1
Kingsdown · 135 St Michael's Hill, Bristol BS2 8BS
TwoDay Coffee sells only beans roasted within the last two days from its St Michael's Hill shop, Bristol's strictest freshness rule in a cup.
Tip: Buy a week's worth at a time, as the name insists; the hill-top shop shuts at 16:00 sharp.
The Volunteer Tavern ★ 4.1
Old Market · 9 New Street, Bristol BS2 9DX
The Volunteer Tavern hides a 17th-century pub and walled beer garden off Old Market in Bristol, pouring small-brewery casks away from the traffic.
Tip: The garden is a genuine secret sun trap; it sits two minutes from Exchange for pre-gig pints.
Snuffy Jack's Ale House ★ 4.1
Fishponds · 800 Fishponds Road, Fishponds, Bristol BS16 3TE
Snuffy Jack's pours gravity-served casks in a Fishponds micropub named after a snuff-mill ghost, east Bristol's destination for proper quiet ale drinking.
Tip: It is a bus ride from the centre and worth it; card behind the bar, cheese board on the counter, no screens anywhere.
Eat a Pitta ★ 4.1
Old City · 1-3 Glass Arcade, St Nicholas Market, Bristol BS1 1LJ
Eat a Pitta's Glass Arcade counter at St Nicholas Market is Bristol's falafel institution, piling boxes with salads, hummus and pomegranate seeds.
Tip: The market queue moves fast but peaks 12:30 to 13:30; four other branches cover Clifton, Broadmead, Queens Road and Gloucester Road.
Snuffy Jack's Ale House ★ 4.1
Fishponds · 800 Fishponds Road, Fishponds, Bristol BS16 3TE
Snuffy Jack's pours gravity-served casks in a Fishponds micropub named after a snuff-mill ghost, east Bristol's destination for proper quiet ale drinking.
Tip: It is a bus ride from the centre and worth it; card behind the bar, cheese board on the counter, no screens anywhere.
The Volunteer Tavern ★ 4.1
Old Market · 9 New Street, Bristol BS2 9DX
The Volunteer Tavern hides a 17th-century pub and walled beer garden off Old Market in Bristol, pouring small-brewery casks away from the traffic.
Tip: The garden is a genuine secret sun trap; it sits two minutes from Exchange for pre-gig pints.
Eat a Pitta ★ 4.1
Old City · 1-3 Glass Arcade, St Nicholas Market, Bristol BS1 1LJ
Eat a Pitta's Glass Arcade counter at St Nicholas Market is Bristol's falafel institution, piling boxes with salads, hummus and pomegranate seeds.
Tip: The market queue moves fast but peaks 12:30 to 13:30; four other branches cover Clifton, Broadmead, Queens Road and Gloucester Road.
Squeezed ★ 4.0
Wapping Wharf · Unit 4, Cargo 1, Gaol Ferry Steps, Bristol BS1 6WE
Squeezed flips national-award-winning burgers and homemade lemonades from two shipping containers at Cargo 1 on Wapping Wharf in central Bristol.
Tip: It moved from Cargo 2 into a bigger Cargo 1 unit; lunch sells through on football and market weekends.
The Bristolian ★ 4.0
Montpelier · 2 Picton Street, Montpelier, Bristol BS6 5QA
The Bristolian is Montpelier's corner caff on Picton Street, an all-day Bristol breakfast room that swings from fry-ups to cocktails by late afternoon.
Tip: Card only and walk-in only; the pavement tables catch the morning sun before the Picton Street hill does.
The Highbury Vaults ★ 4.0
Kingsdown · 164 St Michael's Hill, Bristol BS2 8DE
The Highbury Vaults keeps a Victorian warren of snugs at the top of St Michael's Hill, the Kingsdown local where Bristol academics argue over ale.
Tip: Find the model train that runs above the garden; the tiny front snug is the seat worth waiting for.
Squeezed ★ 4.0
Wapping Wharf · Unit 4, Cargo 1, Gaol Ferry Steps, Bristol BS1 6WE
Squeezed flips national-award-winning burgers and homemade lemonades from two shipping containers at Cargo 1 on Wapping Wharf in central Bristol.
Tip: It moved from Cargo 2 into a bigger Cargo 1 unit; lunch sells through on football and market weekends.
Portuguese Taste ★ 4.0
Old City · Glass Arcade, St Nicholas Market, Bristol BS1 1LA
Portuguese Taste ladles feijoada and stacks pastel de nata in the Glass Arcade, St Nicholas Market's little corner of Lisbon in central Bristol.
Tip: Take the custard tarts to the harbour wall; the pork and bean stew sells out before the office crowd clears.