Wilsons

London may dominate the food headlines, but trundle over the Clifton Suspension Bridge and you’ll find Bristol has quietly amassed a collection of fantastic restaurants - mostly the sort of friendly, local spots that have you looking at house prices as you wait for dessert. Wilsons is something of an old stager among that group, but this brilliant neighbourhood spot encapsulates so much of what makes this city great - thoughtful, inventive cooking without ego, and warm, generous service.

There’s a wonderful utilitarian thread that runs through the whole Wilsons operation from front to back. The dining room is chic and uncomplicated - smart wooden furniture, a single blackboard menu on the wall and natural light streaming through the front windows. There are no frills on the menu either - every element has a crystal clear purpose. Case in point, an aged Longhorn tartare, which comes with all the funk and fire of turnip kimchi, packed into an impossibly thin buckwheat tart. This morsel disappears far too quickly, delivering layers of flavour with just a few ingredients.

Another standout dish combines stunning, pearlescent pollock with sweet, spicy mushroom XO and featherlight parsnip puree - a combo taken to another level by the tangerine and apricot notes in a delightful orange wine from Chateau Mercian in Japan. These things aren’t the be all and end all, but it’s perhaps no surprise that chef patron Jan Ostle has cooked in heavyweight kitchens like The Square and The Hand and Flowers, and head chef Henry Wadsworth arrived in Bristol after five years at Le Manoir - Wilsons may appear effortless, but there’s real precision and flair behind the scenes.

All the way through to an ingenious dessert of chocolate mousse and potato crisp, Wilsons charms and amazes. Aside from being excellently curated, the wine pairing is also very good value, and includes brilliant in-house creations like a parsnip vermouth and a house-made limoncello. On all fronts, Wilsons is the little local we all wish we had within walking distance.

Wilsons in Bristol is the picture of a perfect neighbourhood restaurant, serving up impressive modern British food made almost entirely from produce grown on its own allotment. Charmingly petite, it is one of just a handful of restaurants in the UK with a green Michelin star. However, despite its sustainability gravitas it retains a friendly local vibe with its chalked-up menu and warm service.

It was set-up back in 2016 by partners Jan Ostle and Mary Wilson whose combined energy and enthusiasm for hospitality is clear. The kitchen is run by Ostle, while Wilson’s experience in the biodynamic agriculture sphere helps to spur on the restaurant’s USP as somewhere which puts high-end produce front and centre. Alongside this, Wilson grew up in her family restaurant, which this iteration of Wilson’s is now named in honour of.

The menu changes regularly, and there’s a short, sharp billing that flexes with the seasons. Much of what makes its way to diner’s plates has been grown in the restaurant’s own small holding, and the restaurant also dry ages its own meat and fish, and makes much of its own charcuterie. Example dishes might include farm tacos, hoggit with aubergine and ewe’s curd, or a plate of dry aged trout with beetroot.

Come the evening, the six-course tasting menu offers you the very best of the kitchen’s inventions, while you can bag the same feast for less earlier in the day. Come at lunchtime and you’ll have the pick of six courses for £60 or a simple menu du jour with a glass of wine for just £25 per person. While some tasting menu restaurants can prove restrictive for guests with allergies, Wilson’s is able to cater to all dietary requirements as long as the team is given 48 hours’ notice.

Aside from the food, the drinks at Wilsons are particularly special. They’re interestingly sourced from a range of producers, with wine focused on organic and biodynamic bottles, and there are also some clever bottles made in-house too, such as the restaurant's parsnip vermouth. 

The combination of sleek interiors, a charming team and robustly honest cookery keeps Wilsons busy all week. If you fancy trying the team’s fare, we’d suggest booking well in advance.