Scrumptiously authentic Lebanese food, all homemade, served with a generous side of Middle Eastern…read morehospitality. This little gem does not look like much from the outside. But do not let the neon signage and fading photos deter you. Once inside we were given a warm welcome by the head chef/waiter/proud proprietor of the establishment himself. We had a groupon deal for a three course set meal and he diligently explained what we got with our deal. A mezze platter and anything we wanted for main & dessert. I mention this detail, because I have often felt like persona non grata when I have used a groupon at a restaurant, receiving substandard food and service and I think this open-armed attitude should be applauded. The mezze platter arrived to a round of oohs and ahhs from the table. It was pretty epic. The lovely owner enthusiastically explained all the dishes: homemade hummus, stuffed vine leaves, chicken wings, warm potato salad, falafel, flat bread and fattoush (a traditional salad of green leaves with soumak and fried bread). Each individual morsel was delightful, but for me the crisp coriander falafel and the zingy lemony fattoush were the stars of the show! For main I went for lamb toushrana, a sumptuous tagine with heart-achingly succulent lamb, apricots, dates & sultanas accompanied by (possibly the most perfectly cooked I have ever eaten) rice...heaven! Dave had lamb shawarma with (possibly slightly to his shame) chips. Which looked much less exciting to me, but he loved it. Thinking it could not get better. Dessert arrived. Crunchy gooey homemade baklava and Mahalabi (a panna cotta type dish made with rose water topped with pistachios). Stunning!

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!

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.

Recommended if you like authentic Moroccan / Middle Eastern food…read more Excellent and authentic Moroccan kitchen. chicken Tagine was delicious and served on sizzling plate. Nasra was super friendly / helpful service.

I will be honest and say that I had little hope for this place when I stepped in (or shall I say…read morestep down) into their underground themed restaurant. Yes, underground sounds pretty cool, huh? What did not appeal to me were the tiles which did not look clean but it may be because it's an old place-who knows ! The room is dim and quiet, just a few tables occupied on a Saturday afternoon. The waitress was nice but seemed to keep forgetting that she had asked the same question twice in 30 seconds. I have to say that when the food came, my friend and I had nothing to complain about. Yes, it wasn't like our mums food but it was good enough for a restaurant away from home. I really enjoyed the Babaganoush, Hummos and grilled fish. The Tabouleh seemed to satisfy the taste buds too! After a good three course meal, walking seemed extremely difficult! Would I go back? Yes, because it was the only decent Lebanese food restaurant in Bristol.

Lunchtime Special Menu review only…read more This may well be the best value lunch in Bristol. I've lived here 33 years and cant think of another! £4.95 includes: 6 little dishes consisting of a well seasoned salad, Hummus,aubergine puree,stuffed vine leaves and a stuffed pastry all served with flat bread....mmmm you may think, but that's pretty normal fayre. THEN they serve a plate of mixed meat and beautiful flavoured rice. I chose the spicy and it was a medium pokey, very flavoursome. The atmosphere is, well, cave-like, because you're in a cave-like cellar! Its low ceilings lend itself to intimacy and you really feel like you're dining alone, even if the room is packed. Soft drinks are all £1.50 and the evening menu is reasonably priced (around £10 a main) but incomparable value wise to the lunch time menu. Caters well for Gluten-Free I cant give it a 5* because I haven't had the evening menus (but I doubt the food would quite be 5*) and the steps are incredibly steep, making it difficult for children, and, id imagine, disabled access is difficult if not non-existent. Id go for lunch, id go for a fun date, id go with a bunch of mates, but probably not a 'trying to impress' meal or with Grandma. Enjoy!

Amazing food!!!! Super nice people!! Definitely worth the visit! Been here twice in a week!read more

Many a time has the aroma of cooking meat drawn me to this corner restaurant. This is genuine…read moremiddle eastern (Lebanese, to be precise) fare, but done at take-away prices. If you're trying to find the place look out for the guys smoking hookers and drinking Turkish coffee (which I highly recommend.) The food is just wonderful. This is a kebab shop, but about as far away as the row of greasy kebab selling places at the bottom of Park Street (Bristol's number one location for a fight on a Saturday night, incidentaly). Good quality meat, not horribly greasy, and excellently seasoned. This is somewhere to go for a meal, not just for a end of the night. Although, whilst the food's restaurant quality, there isn't really anywhere to sit, so it's probably best to order out. Go to the Cedar Express to get a proper kebab rather than something that'll clog your arteries.

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.

They have this stamp cards where everytime that you go there they stamp with the logo and every…read moretime you get 6, you supposed to get a free drink and a wrap. That's a scam! At the end they don't want to give you anything for free! I will never be back there again . The management should learn to make costumers happy and not to send them away instead.

I've been wanting to try Lona for a while and finally made it in for lunch today, and I wasn't…read moredisappointed. Lona is a huge lateness restaurant and juice bar on Gloucester Road. I'd say that it's probably one of the biggest restaurants in Bristol! From the outside it looks like something you'd sea on a beach front, with it's big terrace area and large sign. Step inside and you're greeted by a huge open kitchen and a circular juice bar in the middle of the room. The ceiling is covered by red drapes and set a really nice colorful tone for the restaurant and sets it apart from any other restaurant decor I've seen in Bristol. Then, all around the juice bar is lots of tables from 4-10 seaters. They have 2 menu's, one for food and another for juices. I was here for lunch and it was a shame that they didn't offer a cheaper lunch menu. The mains were all between £9-16, which was a little steep, especially when you add a £3.50 smoothy into the mix. So I opted for a Chicken Wrap which I was surprised when it came with chips. The chicken was devious, really nicely seasoned and spiced and really juicy. Unfortunately for me the salad in the wrap had cucumber in it, which I really don't like - but I still ate the lot! This is definitely one of those restaurant that you'll want to keep going back to try everything on the menu. It would be great as a large group so that you could share lots of stuff on the menu. I already can't wait to go back!

Friday night and this place was busy. The picnic tables were occupied by small groups. We were…read moreprobably the oldest (but coolest looking) customers here. Everyone was 20\30-somethings. The Lebanese style wraps using a laffe bread take a few minutes to be made but that's ok as this place is relaxed, if a bit cozy. (If sharing a table with with strangers isn't your thing come when it's quieter or do takeout.) my Bajun jerk chicken was spicy (I added chili, but no garlic mayo) and juicy. The wrap comes with a salad selection. What was on display at 9pm was limp and not very appetizing. I got it anyway and survived without any problems. I'd try this place again, especially as you can bring your own booze. There's none sold here. This time we got a jug of the water from the fridge to tame the spiciness.

You probably wont believe this, but it's (shamefully) true - I had my first Biblos yesterday. I…read moreknow, I know! Where have I been? The answer, unfortunately, is not far. Just up the road in fact! But I've just never made it in. But yesterday I did. And Im glad I did. It was great! I've had better wraps and from not very far away, but it was well worth the £4.50. I had the Jerk Chicken wrap with all the fillings. The fact I got all the fillings is one of my old gripes. I didn't want cucumber, but I didn't get a choice. The chicken was OK. It was tasty enough, but it wasn't the best quality I've had - or expected. The sauces they added we delicious. It had a really lovely chilli sauce that was quite sweet (it wasn't sweet chilli sauce) The restaurant was full of your typical Stokes Croft clientele - lots of big baggy trousers, dreadlocks and bags of golden virginia on the tables. All in all I enjoyed Biblos - but I didn't get the hype that surrounds it. Maybe my expectations were too high, who knows! I'll be back, just not in a rush!

You wouldn't know it from outside, but when you step into Falafel King on Cotham Hill, you're only…read more5 or 6 steps away from one of the most amazing dining experiences in Bristol. And it's not (just) the food that sets Falafel King apart. Walk down stairs and you'll find a hidden, middle eastern cavern of cushions, sequins and beautiful lighting that is like nothing else I've seen. The space is so nice and so well done you instantly forget that you're in Bristol. Just to the back of this room is a little Shisha Garden with pond and more cushions and bean bags. We came a couple of weeks ago and had some tea, then some food and then just chilled in the Shisha garden for an hour or so. It was so good! The food is incredibly fresh and the mint tea is so refreshing I could drink it all day. In fact, I found out that it wasn't actually tea, but a specific type of mint leaves, which makes me like it even more. I've eaten here a number of times and everything has been great. I particularly liked the mezze platter as it gives you the opportunity to sample lots of stuff. This would be such a great place for a different birthday or work party. It's definitely one of my favourite places in Bristol.

I was taken here on the recommendation of my girlfriend who suggested it for a quick bite to eat on…read moreSaturday lunchtime. To be honest I'm glad we did, I absolutely love middle eastern food and this place was perfect. Everything was freshly prepared, their falafels are absolutely amazing and the portion size was great, whilst being healthier than other restaurants. I went for a falafel laffa which costs roughly £4.50 but was absolutely huge, it comes with 6 falafel, hummus, all sorts of salad and then a choice of condiment on top (I went for garlic mayo) I would say I have a large appetite and this left me feeling full, not bad for £4.50! I took a photo of the same laffa with my girlfriend to give you an idea of size. Being slightly greedy I also bought some of the flapjack which is partially dipped in chocolate for £1. To my eyes it seems to be the chewy granola slices from Sainsbury's finest range dipped in some milk chocolate, a bit of a mark up but still a nice idea. Would definitely recommend the place, I'll be returning soon. If only I worked near it, I'd go there every lunch!

If you're looking for a taste of the Mediterranean, head over to Yia Mass on Park Street for a…read moretruly Greek experience. This split level restaurant has a bar on the bottom floor and seating on the upper level. It can get a little cramped, so it's not great if you're looking for an intimate romantic evening with a loved one. The atmosphere is fun, friendly and lively which makes it more than a meal, and more of an experience. Even though I hear their meat dishes are fantastic, so are their vegetable plates so it's bound to please the fussiest of eaters.

Yiamass is a bar that I have visited only at night time therefore I cannot comment/rate on the food…read moreor day time service. The interior is really interesting, with a bit of African jungle meets Grecian feel to it. There is a small dance floor and a couple of tables, so my best bet is to head upstairs to the low ceiling seating area. Here you can enjoy a drink with friends without the music deafening your ears. The prices are a tad expensive, however they do a mean Mojito (not for the faint hearted!!)