Bordeaux Quay in Bristol
If you’re dating in Bristol or staying in the city for a long weekend, here’s our pick of the city’s romantic restaurants.
With its history, lively night life and brand new shopping centre, there’s plenty to do if you’re dating in Bristol or planning to spend a long weekend in the city and surrounding area. Here’s our pick of Bristol’s romantic restaurants.
Eco-Friendly Green Dining
Bordeaux Quay opened on Bristol’s harbourside less than three years ago and has stirred up a fantastic reputation for itself, mainly due to its superb food and admirable ethos of having minimal impact on the environment. It describes itself as “much more than a place to eat” and with a restaurant, brasserie, bar, cookery school, bakery and deli all under one roof it certainly lives up to this claim. It even produces its own water on site! To book telephone 0117 906 5550 or visit http://www.bordeaux-quay.co.uk/.
Brasserie Blanc
Housed in a beautiful historic building, parts of which date back to the 13th and 14th centuries, Raymond Blanc’s Bristol Brasserie is, in the word of the Michelin star chef; “a place for relaxed enjoyment where I can offer you simple, high quality food that comes as close as possible to the meals that my mother prepared for me at home in Besançon, and at a price that encourages you to visit us regularly”. And the pirce is very reasonable indeed with a two course lunch coming in at £11.90 and a two courses dinner at £15.40. To book telephone
01179 102 410 or visit http://www.brasserieblanc.com/locations/bristol.html
Fine Dining
The Hotel du Vin Bistro is a hotel and restaurant set in an 18th century restored Sugar House. It’s the place to go if you’re looking for fine dining, and with its ambient wood panelled dining room and fine food, the restaurant has been compared to one of the great dining rooms of London or Paris. To make a reservation telephone 0117 925 5577 or visit www.hotelduvin.com.
Harbourside Views & Fresh Produce
For views over the harbour and seasonal fare head to the River Grille Restaurant. This modern grill offers a range of dishes, simply prepared with an emphasis on quality and fresh produce. The menu has been developed by Executive Chef Mike Baigent and Michelin Star Chef John Wood. To book telephone 0117 923 0333.
Modern Dining With Riverside Views
Keeping to the waters edge is Riverstation, an award winning conversion of a former police station, where glass and steel jut out onto the river to make a strong visual statement. You can eat in the bar downstairs or upstairs for the full restaurant experience. Lunch time set menus start from £12.50, and set evening meal menus start from £24.50. The kitchen won ‘Menu of the Year’ in its first year of opening and booking is essential. Telephone 0117 914 4434 or visit http://www.riverstation.co.uk/.
Thornbury’s ‘Restaurant of the Year’
Ronnies, in the nearby market town of Thornbury won The Good Food Guide’s ‘Restaurant of the Year’, having already been voted the South West regional winner. The all-day restaurant was praised for fresh, local food and a genuinely welcoming service and was also recently featured in Which? magazine. To make a reservation telephone 01454 411137 or visit http://www.ronnies-restaurant.co.uk/.
St Nicholas Market
And if you want to rustle it up yourself, spend a lazy romantic morning together shopping for ingredients at Bristol’s historic St Nicholas Market. Recently voted the ‘UK’s Greenest Market’ it has also scooped an award for the title of ‘Speciality Market of the Year 2009’ for its regular weekly Farmers’ Market and monthly Slow Food Market.
The weekly Wednesday Farmers Market held on Corn Street in the Old City offers an extensive range of foods including cheese, fish, cakes, vegetables and meat, all produced locally within 40 miles of the city. Once a month on a Sunday, the Slow Food Market occupies the same space.
If you live in Bristol and have a restaurant you think we should know about, leave us a comment below!
Tags: Restaurants