We spent the weekend in Bristol to visit friends. I’ve been to Bristol a couple times but I never did serious sightseeing. This time we decided to have a closer look around. While we did some sightseeing in Bath- an absolutely amazing old English town, just 30 minutes from Bristol away- we spend most of our time… eating.

Next to beautiful architecture and world famous cider, Bristol is an absolute foodie paradise.
Here are some of the bakeries, cafes and restaurants I came to adore.

 

Hart’s Bakery HB

 

 

 

Hart’s Bakery is probably the favorite bakery of a lot of locals. When our friends told us they would take us to a bakery I was not too excited. I love bakeries in France or Germany but I haven’t really been too many overly exciting ones in the UK (no offense, if you know of great UK bakeries let me know and I will check them out!).

Hart’s Bakery on the other hand is a lot more than just a simple bakery.
With a giant open kitchen in the back, all their baked goods are freshly prepared each day. There are cakes and savory options that change daily or weekly and they also got some of the best vegan muffins and cakes I ever tried.
Their cheese toasties are really good and extremely popular from what I have heard. Unfortunately they where already sold out by the time we got there.

We tried various other things though. From sausage rolls (some of the best I ever had) to cauliflower pasty (Could eat that every day!) to muffins and cakes. There wasn’t anything that I didn’t thoroughly enjoy.
The decoration is also quite nice- a bit on the hipster side but with a good portion of rustic English charm.
It’s usually very busy so you’re lucky if you snatch a table straight away.

 

 

Where? Bakery Arch 35

 

 

After stuffing ourselves with so much pastry we just had to go for a little walk. We opted for a walk to the St Nicholas Indoor Market.

Dubbed as St Nicks, Bristols most historic market, it’s a must visit when you’re in town. Apart from old books and vinyl stores, there are little food stalls with locals goods and world foods around every corner. If you like handcrafted things and want to support local independent stores or just find a unique souvenir to take home, this is the place to go to. It’s a lot of fun strolling through all the different isles and admire the interesting architecture.

 

 

 

Beehive and the Freakshakes

 

 

 

After an hour long walk we were ready for more sweetness.
Beehive is a cute little cafe on the outskirts of Bristol. We took a bus there from the city center and got there within 25 minutes.
Dubbed as the best cafe in Bristol in 2017, it’s worth a visit if you’re into sweet things and freakshakes. It’s probably also one of the most Instagramable cafes in town!
It actually quite reminded me of the Corner Cafe in Amsterdam- also an Instagram favourite.
If you want to snatch a table without a long wait I would recommend getting there rather early on the weekend or just to visit during the week.
Unfortunately I have yet to master the skill of beautiful food photography so I don’t think my photos really do it justice.

We tried the Unicorn freakshake (because of course!) and the Jaffa Cake milkshake. The taste was honestly nothing out of the ordinary. I mostly loved the looks. I think the donuts and muffins that come with them are also freshly made there every day which is a big plus.

Where? The Beehive

 

Burger Theory

 

 

Believe it or not but our food explorations then continued to Burger Theory for dinner.
Burger Theory is well known for their “Bottomless Burger days” which take place every first Sunday of the month. We did visit on the first weekend of the month but the all the “tickets” for the all you can eat buffet were completely sold out already. It’s probably best to book at least a month or two in advance.
The burgers at Burger Theory are absolutely amazing though. They got some unique flavors which are worth trying. Good American style burgers with Koreans influences that make for an interesting foodie experience. We tried their flagship Cheese Theory (which was my favorite) the Kimcheeee (also yummy!) and a few others and there wasn’t one we didn’t wholeheartedly enjoy.
We actually started eating before I took photos so excuse the lack of delicious burger shots.

 

 

Where? Burger Theory

 

 

Also worth visiting: Five brothers.

Three brothers is an amazing burger place. Not just because the restaurant is located on a boat but also because the burgers are really really good. I visited it a couple times before and if you’re a burger fan you shouldn’t miss it!

 

Where? Three Brothers Burgers

 

Her Majesty’s Secret Service most amazing novelty bar in Bristol

 

 

Since Bristol is a university town you can be sure to find all sorts of clubs and bars. The nightlife there is generally quite good. Our friend likes to explore the “secret cocktail bar scene” in Bristol so he brought us to his newest find “Her Majesty’s Secret Service” Cocktail Bar. The decor is quite unique and reminds a bit of old James Bond movies. It is themed in remembrance of the old days of espionage with walls full of old english maps and, knives and other weapons. They have their own little quirky booklets which serve as menu.
The best thing, apart from the decor and lovely service, are the booklets they got which describe their drinks, that are designed after English towns all around Great Britain, in detail with a pinch of humor. Their signature cocktails are a must try.

Although a hidden gem, it is well loved by locals and it can be hard to get a seat. The atmosphere is great though and wort a small wait.

 

 

Where? Her Majesty’s Secret Service

 

 

There are so many more great restaurants, cafes and bars but unfortunately I didn’t have the time (or the stomach) to explore more.
I will visit Bristol and Bath again this summer and hopefully get to see more of both towns then.

If you have any suggestions on where to go or what else to try there let me know and I’ll make sure to explore it next time!