North street is a community-vibe street of independent shops, cafes, bakeries, bars and restaurants in South Bristol. I have lived in the area for around 5 years, and it is simply one of my favourite high streets in the world to walk down.
Not only are there independent shops, cafes, delis comedy theaters, but there are some fantastic restaurants. From fine dining to authentic middle eastern tapas, farm shop kitchens, we hope you are inspired to try these out. You’re in for a treat.
The top restaurants on North Street are:
- The Malago (country-chic, elevated British classics)
- Souk Kitchen
- Pony Bistro
- Old Bookshop guest kitchens
- Yafo
- Tabaco factory farm kitchen
- Pizza workshop
- Spotted cow
In this post we will guide you through the top independent restaurants, the top burger restaurants, the top fine dining experiences, and the best gastropub meals.
We also have a related post about North Streets best cafes and day-bars.
Best quality restaurants on North street
The best quality, finer dining offering on North street are:
- Pony Bistro
- The Malago
- Souk Kitchen
The finest restaurant on North street is the Pony Bistro, the newest venue in the Pony Restaurant Group. Head chef Hugo Harvey focuses on seafood from the south east coast, fresh vegetables from the local producers and quality, seasonal meals. These tables need advance booking. Weekend evening 4 course meals from £43.
The Malago is a popular spot for brunch and dinners, a ‘rustic-chic locale’. They serve classic quality meats, and offer a vegan selection. Also with street front dining balcony. Mains come in at around £18, classics at £15.
Souk Kitchen offer 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.
Best independent restaurants of North Street
North street in known for its independent places- there are the best independent or Bristol-based restaurants:
- Yafo
- Tabacco factory
- Old bookshop guest Kitchen
- The clove Indian
- Pizza Workshop
- Souk Kitchen
Yafo is my favourite north street restaurant- its extremely unassuming, you can get falafel wraps by day but its is a classy place for fine cooked middle eastern mezze at night. The dining space is tiny- good to book before on weekends ‘although I never have and have always found a space), and its casual but with surprisingly indulgent and flavour-packed food. A thorough recommend!
The Tobacco Factory has a farm kitchen, with a range of British meals, nicely cooked and healthier, fresh options. Lots of vegetarian and vegan options (though not great on gluten free!). The venue itself is a large open space with great atmosphere. Its the restaurant/bar below the Tabacco factory theater. They hosts events during the week; taco Tuesdays, Wednesday pub quizzes and Sunday live music.
The Old Bookshop have really great quality guest kitchens. For a while it was a fantastic, vegan middle eastern mezze style food, now its Indian style tapas- whatever they choose is going to be delicious and the bonus is its a brilliant bar, lively atmosphere with great vegan drinks; European themed so great time to try something a bit different!
The Clove Indian is a great, classic local Indian restaurant. Elegant, and nice quality, offering good beers and wines to go with.
The pizza workshop is a tiny restaurant (though they do a lot of take-aways) with great wood-fired, sourdough pizzas. It’s a nice dining space and worth booking ahead on weekends. Pizzas are typically around £13 an they do gluten free bases for an extra £2.
The Spotted cow is a classically British gastro pub with an honest, quality British kitchen sourcing local meats and produce. The space has a big garden out back- a sun trap in the summer. In the winter- its boast real-cosy vibe with a country wood burner.
Best burgers on North Street
- Oowee Burgers
- North Street Standard
- Burger Joint
Oowee Burgers comes first as these ‘deliciously dirty’ diner style burgers are a bit of an institution in Bristol. This is their largest diner in the city!
North street standard is a cool, airy, industrial-chic looking pub and restaurant specializing in burgers. Great food, great drinks, fab social atmosphere! Book for Sunday Roasts, walk-in otherwise.
Burger joint– this is a chain- what you see is what you get. They’re famous for self customisable burgers where you can choose from a massive range of burger types, toppings and fillings. Fills up on weekends but usually walk-in.
Best gastro pubs on North Street
There are two great gastro-pubs on North street:
- Spotted Cow
- Steam Crane
These are two great options- not only are both great gastro kitchen but they pubs themselves are lively and offer a range of shows, quizzes, open mic nights and comedy.
The Spotted Cow has a large walled garden out the back, that is a perfect sun-trap. That and their cosy wood burner in winter, gives this a country pub vibe in a city, they share proudly on their website! The decor is nice, tradition mixed with elegant modern. The kitchen boasts solid British cooking. They also host events including Tuesday pub quizzes and bingo and Sunday DJ sets- see what’s on here. Mains £12-£17.
The Steam Crane is another great gastro-pub with a cosy interior. An independent ale house with draft beer and cider and classic British pub food. The steam crane hosts The Ministry of Hahas comedy shows on Tuesdays (see link here).
We hope you have enjoyed this post. We have a number of other great posts about life and food and drink in Bristol, including our guide to great Bristol wine bars, great Bristol gin bars or great classic cocktail bars.
We also have posts about great pasta in bristol, the greatest pizzas in bristol, great Bristol Japanese restaurants and best tapas in bristol.