Where to eat on Bristol Harbourside
A shortlist of the best harbourside eating in Bristol: Wapping Wharf containers, the Pump House, Severnshed, Riverstation and the two best coffee stops too.
The Bristol harbourside runs about 3km from the Cumberland Basin in the west to Castle Park in the east, and has more food options than any one person can sensibly try. Here is the shortlist.
Lunch
- Wapping Wharf container village (south bank, near the ss Great Britain). A cluster of shipping-container food businesses with generous outdoor seating. Best picks: Gopal’s Curry Shack, Pinkmans Sourdough, Bertha’s Pizza. Lunch for two around £25-30.
- St Nicholas Market (ten minutes inland, a bit of a cheat). The food hall inside the Corn Exchange. The Portuguese café and the Indian vegetarian stall are both very good. £8-12 per person.
- Spike Island gallery café (south bank). Arguably the best coffee on the water; solid sandwiches and cakes; very quiet. £7-10.
- The Pump House (western end, Hotwell Road). Converted hydraulic pump station, proper pub lunch, £15-20 a head.
Dinner
- Severnshed (south bank, Harbourside). Converted boathouse with windows facing the water. Ambitious seasonal menu, £35-50 a head with wine.
- The River Grille (inside the Bristol Hotel, central harbourside). Steaks, whites by the glass, views. £40-60 a head.
- Riverstation (south bank, near Wapping Wharf). Long-running Bristol favourite, modern European, £35-50 with wine.
Coffee
- Playground Coffee (Millennium Square, near We The Curious). Consistent, friendly, £3 for an excellent flat white.
- Full Court Press (Broad Street, three minutes inland). Not strictly harbourside but the best coffee in central Bristol; worth the detour.
A note on chains
The big restaurant chains (Pizza Express, Zizzi, Wahaca, Côte Brasserie) cluster near the Watershed. Some are fine; none are better than the independents ten minutes away. Skip unless queueing for a table elsewhere is a problem.
Imogen Pearce
Editor
Imogen Pearce is a Bristol-based travel writer who has lived in the city for over fifteen years. She edits Bristol Insight and contributes to regional lifestyle and travel publications.
She writes most often on neighbourhoods, walks, food and the slow architecture of the city. Her day involves more long coffees on Boyce's Avenue than is strictly professional.