Day-by-day eating plans for Bristol. weekend classics, family routes, vegan plans, on-a-budget editions.

Day-by-day plans

Bristol weekend: harbour, market and a hidden bar ★ 4.6

First-time visitor, two days2 days

A weekend built around the things only Bristol does: a bakery in a railway arch, lunch in a 1743 market, pasta in a banking hall, cider on a barge and a speakeasy behind an unmarked door.

  1. Day 1: Saturday: arches, arcades and an unmarked door

    Morning
    Start at Hart's Bakery in its Victorian arch under Temple Meads from 09:00. Coffee, a custard tart, then walk the harbour path into the Old City.
    Afternoon
    Lunch at St Nicholas Market: join the Eat a Pitta queue in the Glass Arcade around 12:30, then browse the covered halls and Corn Street's traders.
    Evening
    Dinner at Marmo on Baldwin Street at 19:30, then ring the doorbell at The Milk Thistle on Colston Avenue for a nightcap in the hidden rooms.

  2. Day 2: Sunday: Park Street brunch, Cargo lunch, cider to finish

    Morning
    Brunch at Boston Tea Party's Park Street original from 09:30, the cafe where the Bristol chain began, then drop downhill to the water.
    Afternoon
    Cross to Cargo at Wapping Wharf and take Sunday lunch at Root, the Bib Gourmand container kitchen; sittings run 12:00 to 15:30.
    Evening
    Finish on the top deck of The Apple, the cider barge on Welsh Back, working through halves of still farmhouse cider until the light goes.

The Bristol cider trail ★ 4.4

Cider-curious drinkers, one Saturday1 day

One Saturday, four very different cider rooms: a harbourside bakery start, a backstreet cider pub, a railway-arch taproom that ferments its own, and Clifton's centuries-old cider house.

  1. Day 1: Saturday: from Spike Island to Clifton by cider

    Morning
    Line your stomach at Mokoko on Gaol Ferry Steps from 09:30: pastries from the open bench, coffee for the walk along the New Cut.
    Afternoon
    A half at The Orchard Inn on Spike Island from 12:30, chips-and-fish lunch at Salt & Malt, then across town to The Cider Box's arch on Silverthorne Lane, open from 13:00, for a tasting flight.
    Evening
    Bus or cab up to Clifton for 19:00 when The Coronation Tap opens its doors; Exhibition cider comes in halves only, and that is the correct amount.

Independent streets on a budget ★ 4.2

Budget travellers, two days2 days

Two days on Bristol's independent miles, Gloucester Road and North Street, where the best eating costs bakery and market prices and the drinking happens in micropubs and bottle-shop bars.

  1. Day 1: Friday: the length of Gloucester Road

    Morning
    Breakfast the Gloucester Road way: a bake from fifth-generation Hobbs House Bakery at 09:00, then walk ten minutes up the road to Joe's Bakery for a carrot-cake chaser.
    Afternoon
    Lunch at The Gallimaufry from 12:30, whatever pop-up holds the kitchen, then browse the shelves and tasting notes at Grape & Grind.
    Evening
    End at The Drapers Arms, Bristol's first micropub, from 17:00: cask ale in thirds, cheese on the counter, and conversation instead of music.

  2. Day 2: Saturday: North Street, Southville

    Morning
    Coffee at Sweven's rarefied brew bar from 09:30, then watch the real-bread ovens at Mark's Bread in the Tobacco Factory.
    Afternoon
    Small plates and the cannellini beans at COR from 12:30 sit under £20; walk it off with a truffle stop at Zara's Chocolates.
    Evening
    A glass of natural wine at Kask from 17:00, then dinner up Raleigh Road at Sonny Stores if the budget stretches, pasta and porchetta done properly.
← Back to Bristol food guide