Ralph did an excellent job with everything. He was so welcoming and explained the menu in detail…read more My group was visiting from the states to Bristol for our first time and the food was amazing and it was freshly served to us! We definitely had a blast trying new things and experiencing the harbor views along with our food. 10/10 would recommend to others to try! The croquettes were so crispy and warm and melted in your mouth with every bite. It was well worth the trip. The tappas portions were worth the price. The view was really worth seeing too. We were the first table to ever order 20 individual croquettes and the server was quite surprised and told us we were the only people he knew over a year to have ordered that quantity. I challenge you all to beat our 20 croquettes order, it's a world record really! Cheers!

Rip off! 1 coffee, 1 tea, 2 measly portions of cheesecake - £22! Won't be going back.read more

This is one of my favourite places for a weekend breakfast/brunch. The breakfast menu changes…read moreoccasionally but "the local" full English is always on the menu for when you are not feeling adventurous. The other options include cured salmon, and a veggie breakfast - I'm not a vegetarian but decided to go for the veggie breakfast on this visit and it was exquisite, a mix of seasonal wild mushrooms including hedgehog mushrooms & ceps with poached eggs on sourdough toast with harrisa. Just hope it's still on next time I visit. My only complaint about this place is that they don't open until 10am at the weekend

The Soul Kitchen is a busy little place on North Street, opposite the Taobacco Factory. I'm not too…read morekeen on the slightly antiseptic, utilitarian appearances, but the staff and food are great. I used to call in quite regularly when I lived on Coronation Road, slipping out slyly in the mornings for a coffee and a snack, to get some air into my lungs before returning to a nicotine fug and rabid writing sessions later on. I'd been commissioned to write an incredibly challenging book, and sought some sanity at Souk. I would dolefully leave after about an hour, chanting, 'writing, writing, writing, raw eyed', all the way home. The gentile serving staff always made me feel welcome, and were always willing to accommodate my every whim, happily making my coffee just how I like it. Nevertheless, I'm not sure if I would have visited so regularly if it weren't for the fact that the Tobacco Factory doesn't open till twelve noon. Perhaps I would. I've grown rather fond of everyone who works there, and their sweet snacks are delicious.

Away from the city centre in run-of-the-mill Southville, the Tobacco Factory Theatre is unlikely to…read morebe found out straight away by a visitor to the city. The building, in red brick, is understated, and this isn't a fancy place like the Hippodrome or the Old Vic. It's theatre in the round, with seating on all sides of the stage. Apparently the theatre started life the result of ripping out the Imperial Tobacco offices that were here and they've managed to keep a clean, sparse feel that actors and directors love. I won't venture too many opinions on what sort of performances this makes for. I will say, though, that when I went to see Richard III, things felt very intense. They put on a range of performances here, a highlight being the dedicated Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory theatre company. Don't let the culture on offer scare you off. With tickets often less than a tenner, there doesn't have to a big to-do about going out here though. It's got a fairly relaxed and informal feel to it too. The Tobacco Factory is a smart addition to Bristol's arts scene.

Named after the original use of the building, (I have actually met people drinking in here that…read moreused to work for the cigarette company), The Tobacco Factory has got that kind of industrial kudos thing going on. The steel front doors are as easy to access as the vault doors at Fort Knox, but everything gets a whole lot easier once you've grappled your way in. The lay out is simple in this cavernous space, and the bar, with its dedicated food severing area, practically stretches the full length of the room. Amply staffed to cope with the numbers that often descend on the place, the team work well together, and so there's never too long to wait at the bar. I like to call in to make use of the free wi-fi and to plug in whenever I'm in South Bristol. I always order myself some tapas, usually manchego (which comes with a selection of delicious bread) along with some olives - the servings are incredibly generous, and so this is more than enough for one person. Up Fest will take place at the Tobacco Factory on 5 and 6 June, and promises to be a blast. with live music, dj's and 250 artists exhibiting their work. Tobacco Factory has a huge beer garden with a covered section for smokers if the weather turns nasty.

Describing itself as a 'perfect blend of east-meets-west dining', Caffe Sazz's charm most…read moredefinitely lies in its diverse menu. Specialising in Turkish cuisine, you can purchase a number of speciality Turkish dishes, or alternatively, you can indulge in a traditional English breakfast. And if you're stopping for a beverage, this place serves the usual range of teas (including a yummy authentic Turkish blend), coffees and soft drinks, in addition to a full bar. Although it is rather small, Caffe Sazz looks the part with its authentic Turkish decor, deep red walls and all round rustic vibe. And pertaining to its exotic theme, the caffe employs professional belly dancers every Saturday night for some fruity entertainment.

Caffe Sazz is a dreadful name for a mediocre mini restaurant. The owner and staff are nice enough,…read morebut there's a lot more places that I'd rather be in Bristol. I can't tell you whether the food is, as claimed, authentic Turkish fare, as I've never been to Turkey. I have only ever had coffee here and so cannot really comment... but it looks and smells pretty good when I've witnessed it being delivered to other tables. I'm really no fan of Turkish coffee, and ordered without realising this is what I'd get. But in its defence, it wasn't bad. It's the fact that Sazz is suffering from a bit of an identity crisis that I presumed I'd be getting a regular coffee. They serve Turkish, Mediterranean and English food, presumably applying a catch-all and cash in philosophy. I prefer places to stick to what they do best, but I suppose it's safer to hedge your bets in this area of South Bristol, which is still pretty trad despite an influx of 'the beautiful people' over the last couple of years. With belly dancers on a Saturday night, it may appeal to the culturally curious...?

This is certainly not the cheapest kebab shop in Bristol, but they're open at almost all hours,…read morewhich is an absolute essential for a nocturnal student. They also do really excellent kebabs; the lamb and chicken shish are wonderfully spicy, and you can mix and match whatever meat you want. There is the usual selection of salad, as well as garlic and plain mayonnaise, and the portions of everything are generous, so you end up with a really filling meal. The guys who run the shop speak pretty good English, so unless you're extremely drunk (always possible when opting for a kebab) you shouldn't have any communication problems. Fresh-cooking all the meat means you might have to wait a little while for a shish kebab, but if you're in a hurry there's always the good old doner to fall back on. There is also a selection of chilled drinks and various burgers and chips on offer.

Great food,music,service,ambience, location. I highly recommend this place for tapas and romantic…read moreeveening out.

It seems like Bristol folks really, really like tapas! I saw sooo many tapas and small plate…read morerestaurants on our visit! My friend even spotted "Greek tapas"(!?) (I'm not sure why they didn't just call it mezze!!) Anyway, I guess as there are so many tapas joints to choose from, they have to be decent to stay in business... and I really enjoyed lunch at the New Moon Cafe. They had a selection of tapas that were three plates for £12. We ordered 9 different dishes and shared them between 4, for a lovely (and filling) lunch. I really enjoyed everything, but in particular, I loved the potatoes with chorizo, the glazed shin of beef (oh my goodness this was good), the falafel, and the spinach, mint and feta frittata. I didn't take any photos of the food as I was pretty hungry...and it all looked so yummy that it was half eaten before I even thought of taking the lens cap off my camera. Oops.

From the outside, I was not so impressed. It was cold, starting to rain and Affendi's window…read morereminded me of so many disappointing late night takeaways. I'm not sure why. However, little was I to know that my mouth and belly were both in for such a treat. We had the Cardamom tea (not strong enough for my liking) and mixed mezze to share, which was mouth wateringly delicious. Even the salad dressing was taste bud tingling, absolutely loved it. Between us we then went for Lamb Shawarma and Tourshana. I couldn't fault the lamb. Succulent and tasty to the end. Then came dessert, oh sweet dessert. Mahalabi and Baklava between us. We were very satisfied customers. Lebanese food definitely agrees with my mouth and belly. The owner/waiter was courteous and easy to chat to, throughout. He used to be an engineer and when the recession hit he set up Afendi. If his engineering is as good as his cooking I'd like to see some of his feats of engineering! Loved the Afendi logo, unfortunately the mugs aren't for sale!

I LOVE Lebanese food, there used to be a wonderful restaurant in Bristol that did amazing Lebanese…read moreand unfortunately I'm always comparing others to them and they were amazing, unfortunately they shut down last year so now I am trying out others to see if I can find one as good. Unfortunately Afendi is not as good but is also not as bad as others I have tried. We got a take away from there, we got babaganoush (SP) which was very nice, lovely flat breads, chicken wings which were ok, I didn't like the spicy sausages, they were too "clovey" for me but the mixed grill was really nice, the meat was well cooked and not dry as so often it can be, the tabboleh (SP) was also good. In all I would say that it was a nice dinner and I will definitely be using them again but unfortunatley for this place I have had the don of lebanese and I wonder if I'll ever find a place to compare.

Moroccan & Mediterranean Cafe (St Nicholas Market)…read more St Nicholas Market is brilliantly transformed into a Moroccan side street when dining at Al Madina St Nicholas Market. We were there on at the weekend - people squeeze by, in the throws of various conversations - and you feel part of all the activity, watching it all go by either siting at the 'al fresco' wrought iron / mosaic table & chairs or lounging in the boudoir enclave. The staff are great and run around trying to sort out meals and seats for people as both are in Hot demand. The meat mains are from around £5 and veggie dishes around £2 - £4 - very, very delicious.