In this post, we present you with our exclusive selection of 16 Bristol bars and restaurants for modern, elegant date nights. These places are all high quality on drinks and food front, but mainly, they’re selected for their style and atmospheres.
In the table below we present our 16 favourite date-night spots, with names, descriptions, price points and locations. Read the rest of the posts for descriptions and details on each one.
| Venue | Description | Price- point (£-£££) | Location | |
| 1 | Kask | Wine Bar | £ | Bedminster |
| 2 | Little french | French Restaurant | ££ | Redland |
| 3 | Under the stars | Wine bar and Tapas | £££ | City Centre |
| 4 | KIBOU (Clifton) | Japanese Bar and Kitchen | £££ | Clifton |
| 5 | Souk Kitchen | Middle Eastern Restaurant | ££ | Bedminster |
| 6 | Milk Thistle | Clandestine cocktail bar | ££ | City Centre |
| 7 | Gambas Tapas Bar | Tapas | ££ | Whapping Wharf |
| 8 | The New Moon tapas bars | Tapas | £££ | Clifton or Harbourside |
| 9 | Izakaya Japanese Restaurant & Sake Bar (Park street) | Japanese Street Food and Bar | ££ | Park Street |
| 10 | The Olive Shed | Tapas and Bar | ££ | Whapping Wharf |
| 11 | Moltobuono | Italian Pizza/Pasta | £ | Park Street |
| 12 | Hyde and co | Clandestine cocktail Bar | ££ | Clifton Triangle |
| 13 | Cargo Cantina | Mexican Restaurant and Bar | ££ | Whapping Wharf |
| 14 | The Raven Cocktail Bar | Mystical Cocktail Bar | ££ | City Centre |
| 15 | The Old Bookshop | Funk Bar with guest Kitchen | £ | Bedminster |
| 16 | Bianchi’s | Luxury Pasta Restaurant | ££ | Montpellier |
See the sections below to read about each place and see what might suit you for your next, high-style, relaxed atmosphere date night
Photos from Cargo Cantina Instagram page (https://www.instagram.com/cargocantina/)
Kask
This is a modern, warmly lit, and welcoming wine bar on North Street, Bristol. They specialise in organic and vegan wines. They are stylish but unpretentious, their fuss-free motto is: “We say no to shit wines” (See more details on their site here)
Little french
A gorgeous little french restaurant on Coldharbour Road in Redland. It is so beautifully curated and decorated with chic french furnishings and plants hanging from the ceiling. They pride themselves in unpretentious french food, and ‘engaging wines at sensible prices’. (See more details on their site here)
Under the stars
Under the Star is a boat that sits right on the harbourside. They have a lovely open-top deck and seating inside, down below. In the evening the deck and interior are lit up with fairy lights and the place itself has gorgeous views of all the harbourside lights reflecting on the river.
It is a wine and tapas Bar, with excellent selections and high-quality dishes. (See more details on their site here)
KIBOU (Clifton)
KIBOU is a contemporary, stylish day-to-night Japanese kitchen and bar, inspired by the colourful streets of Tokyo. Their focus on “opulent design” aims to add to their vision for “culinary escapism”.
They offer fresh, handmade sushi, sashimi, ramen, tempura and bao, and offer a selection of Japanese whiskey and sake and a good selection of beers, and Japanese-inspired cocktails. (See more details on their site here.)
Souk Kitchen
Souk Kitchen offers delicious, Middle Eastern Mezze in a gorgeous, modern dining space. ‘Prepared with passion and packed with flavour’. This was my birthday restaurant of choice. Mezze dishes around £7. See more details on their site here.
Delicious Mezze at Souk Kitchen
Milk Thistle
An award-winning prohibition cocktail bar in central bristol. Spaced over four floors it’s elegant and luxurious with a fabulous gin cocktail range. This place feels like the ultimate luxury and place of exclusivity. Milk thistle gin club runs special gin events every few months. See more details on their site here.
Gambas Tapas Bar
Gambas is a lively, chic restaurant in the container complex of whipping wharf. The food is exquisite. They have a nice outdoor terrace under heaters. Best book for weekends but they’re always open for walk-ins. See more details on their site here.
The restaurant makes charitable donations for every aubergine sold to male mental health-related charities (including Talk Club and Change Awareness).
The New Moon tapas bars
The New Moon tapas bars are mid-higher range pricing and well worth it for their excellent quality dishes. There are two branches, one in the charming Clifton Village area and one on the Riverfront (called New Moon Quay). Both have really stunningly curated interiors and atmospheres.
Booking is essential here for both places as they are extremely popular. They have the same menu and offer great vegetarian and pescatarian options. They also have lots of GF options. See more details on their site here.
Izakaya Japanese Restaurant & Sake Bar (Park street)
Bringing the spirit of a traditional, authentic Japanese Izakaya. Lovely street-style, relaxed decor. This is a really great restaurant and one of your best spots for ramen, katsu curry, poke bowls, sushi and street food. Enjoy these with wine, beer and sake, and delicious Japanese desserts. Link here.
The Olive Shed
The Olive Shed is a lovely tapas spot, on the riverfront near Whapping wharf. It has a lovely first-floor- glass-fronted dining space and outdoor tables under large umbrellas. It’s low-key but excellent quality.
They’re Bristol Good Food Awards “Best Alfresco Dining and Best Tapas Shortlist”. Book for indoors, outdoor tables are walk-in only. See more details on their site here.
The Olive Shed outside dining space. Photo from The Olive Shed Instagram page @oliveshed
Moltobuono
This is a gorgeous-looking Italian restaurant. There are plants hanging from the ceilings, and the shop is slit into two levels of seating, making it very cosy and intimate. Family-run, very well priced. This is a special find. See more details on their page here.
Hyde and co
Inspired by the cocktails bars of new york city, this is an ultimate prohibition cocktail bar experience. They create award-winning cocktails and have an excellent reputation on the Bristol cocktail scene.
This is Bristol’s original prohibition cocktail bar- a big sister bar to Milk Thistle and The Raven. See more details on the Hyde and co, site here.
Cargo Cantina
In the cool, container ship restaurant’s district, whipping wharf, Cargo Cantina is an extremely popular spot. It has a modern dark interior with lively bulb-strung lighting, chic bench tables with leather stools, and splashes of colour.
This is a lively, buzzing area, particularly at night. Worth pre-booking. A small, curated menu of tacos, tostadas and cocktails. See the website here.
Photo from the Cargo Cantina Instagram Page (https://www.instagram.com/cargocantina)
The Raven Cocktail Bar
Extreme elegance and extravagance. A mystical cocktail bar, with burlesque, tarot evenings, close-up magic, and regular jazz every Sunday for £10 with cocktails. Dark red velvets and rich leather seats. See more details on The Raven website here.
The Old Bookshop
The Old Bookshop is my favourite bar on North Street. Post-pandemic they’ve retained their street seating and with the large doors and windows, the day atmosphere is relaxed but still cool and quirky with their vibrant illustrations and fun selection of vegan European beers and exotic guest kitchen rotations. See more details on their site here.
Bianchi’s, Montpellier
Elegant and intimate, this place does fantastic food, pasta and a range of other deliciously curated fish dishes. They have an a la carte menu with excellently paired 5 courses and wine matches. Pasta is top quality. Book in advance- see more details to their website here.
We hope you like these ideas- we have curated lists for other, alternative date ideas that you might enjoy reading through too!