Bristol: Things to Do and Places to See!
Part 2: Food & Drink
There is a huge choice of places to eat and drink in Bristol. From Vietnamese to Moroccan; Italian to Caribbean, it’s all available if you know where to go. In your English classes you’ll learn how to order food and drink, and how to express whether you enjoyed it. Here at Spen Languages, we love to sample new restaurants and eateries, and regularly hold social gatherings outside of normal lessons so that you can make friends and have fun, whilst all the time practicing your English.
Again, we have given you options depending on your budget. Find below some of our favourite recommendations.
Side note: We have looked at slang, and how it integrates into the English language and culture. We’ve included slang into our descriptions to give you a taste of how and why it’s used. Try looking up the slang you don’t understand, or ask us to explain it in your next lesson. To make things slightly easier, we’ve written the slang we use in bold.
Feeling Flush?
Try the Bistro du Vin on Narrow Lewins Mead. Set in the elegantly converted Sugar Barn and attached to the luxurious Hotel du Vin, this prestigious, old-world styled restaurant is the perfect spot to celebrate. The Gallic inspired, yet classically English cuisine boasts fresh, seasonal ingredients and slow cooked, top of the range meats. The opulent yet relaxed environment invites long, lazy lunches or informal suppers over spectacular food and many glasses of red wine, surrounded by soft furnishings, dark oak floors and splashes of renaissance décor.
On a Decent Budget?
The Volunteer Tavern is the only place to be for a the best in pub lunches, Sunday roasts or a few jars of something different for a jaunt out with friends. The ever-changing, seasonal menu boasts freshly prepared, locally sourced ingredients, and the selection of craft beers and real ales is one of the best in Bristol.
Add this to an excellent selection of fine wines and spirits, a quirky, alternative feel, a fun-loving, hard working team, a large, charmingly decorated heated garden and frequent live music, and you are guaranteed to leave with all the satisfaction a full belly, a few beers and a good catch up with friends can bring.
Spen Languages particularly recommends the pub’s famous ‘Holy Trinity’ roast. Providing pork, beef and chicken with all the seasonal trimmings, this is the only choice for the indecisive!
If you are living in Clifton or Hotwells, try the Volunteer’s sister pub, the Hope and Anchor on Jacob’s Wells Road. With a similarly beautiful garden, seasonal fresh ingredients and a good selection of guest ales, you can sample gorgeous food and get to know the friendly locals.
Feeling Thrifty?
Located slap-bang in the middle of Stokes Croft and just a five-minute walk our school, Biblos is one of our favourites. Providing all manner of healthy, delicious food at low prices, they are the perfect demonstration of everything the ‘cultural quarter’ of Bristol holds dear: ethically sourced, fresh, local and diverse. Apply this to their famous wraps (a pinch at only £3.50), and you have the recipe for a lunch or dinner that is a delectable as it is guilt-free. To enhance your dining experience, Biblos also play host to the work of an array of local artists, all of which is on sale at a reasonable price.
We’d love to hear your opinions on these places, and your recommendations of other eateries that you’ve been to. What floats your boat? Give us your reviews and we’ll put them on the website
