Six Bristol restaurants have made it into the UK Top 100 released today. The list from independent restaurant guide SquareMeal is the only one of its kind to exclude London’s restaurants - allowing the UK’s regional dining scene to truly shine.
Using a combination of thousands of reader votes and SquareMeal’s own expert critics, the UK Top 100 Restaurants list is a true reflection of Britain’s beautifully varied dining scene. It features everything from fine dining experiences through to farm-to-table restaurants and gastropubs.
Bristol restaurants dominate the Top 100, with Michelin-starred Casamia in Redcliffe achieving the city’s highest placing at number 27 for its ‘exceptional cooking’. The restaurant in the old general hospital is joined in the Top 40 by sibling business Paco Tapas, which also has a Michelin star.
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The compact tapas bar run by the Sanchez-Iglesias family is described as ‘a leading-light of the UK’s Spanish food scene. SquareMeal’s Head of Content, Caroline Hendry, said: “Peter Sanchez-Iglesias’ Bristol-based tapas restaurant is perennially packed with diners who come for the jamón croquettes, patatas bravas, scallops with lardo and octopus from the Canary Islands.”
One of the biggest surprises in the UK Top 100 is the welcome appearance at number 89 of Bokman, the tiny Korean restaurant on Nine Tree Hill in Cotham. Run by chef Duncan Robertson, who used to work in Michelin-starred restaurants in France, Bokman is praised for its ‘exceptionally good value’ and ‘seriously creative dishes’ like oysters with kimchi ice or matcha tiramisu.
Other Bristol restaurants in the Top 100 include Little French in Westbury Park, which is number 92. Freddy Bird’s bistro is described as a ‘local gem’ serving ‘unpretentious’ French food in a ‘laid-back setting’.
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Box-E, the shipping container eatery at Cargo, Wapping Wharf, makes it into the list at 95 and Bulrush in Cotham is number 97. Bulrush is complimented for being ‘possibly the least-assuming Michelin-starred restaurant ever…expect unusual flavours like goat’s milk or rowanberry, crafted into elegant plates alongside biodynamic wines’.
SquareMeal’s Caroline Hendry said: “With an impressive six restaurants in SquareMeal's UK Top 100, it's clear to see that Bristol is a key destination when it comes to sampling some of the finest dishes Britain has to offer. With a host of fantastic restaurants and skilled chefs, Bristol has most definitely secured its place on the culinary map.”
And it’s not just Bristol flying the flag for the South West. Somerset restaurant Osip came out on top as the UK’s best restaurant in the Top 100.
This tiny farm-to-table gem is located in the village of Bruton and is owned by chef Merlin Labron-Johnson. It specialises in local produce and was awarded its first Michelin star last year.
Speaking about Osip’s win, Labron-Johnson said: “It’s a huge honour to be awarded No.1 in SquareMeal’s top 100 UK restaurants. I’m really proud that this has been voted for by genuine, passionate people who love what we’re doing at Osip, so it truly does mean a lot.”
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