Bristol is a great city for food lovers. It has a great range of restaurants for all budgets, and food from all over the world. Bristol is a great city for solo travellers. Here are my top 12 affordable restaurants in Bristol for solo diners.
1. Izakaya
The first of my top 12 affordable restaurants in Bristol for solo diners is the Japanese restaurant called Izakaya. This restaurant is my favourite in Bristol. It’s a small restaurant, but the food is amazing. The service is quick, so you can get an amazing meal in a short amount of time. And the staff are really friendly to solo diners – there are usually plenty of people dining alone here. The sushi is amazing, with different flavours including salmon, avocado and prawn. The teriyaki salmon with rice is my favourite dish. And the chicken katsu curry is great – but the vegetarian version with deep fried pumpkin is even better. There are gyoza as well. There’s just so much good food, and I’d eat here every week if I could!
2. Dhamaka
Another of my favourite restaurants in Bristol is Dhamaka. This Indian restaurant is one of the best I’ve been to. There’s a great selection of Indian street food here. You can get a ‘sharing platter’ of the best street food options – and if you’re dining solo, this can be a main meal. There are traditional curries as well. The butter chicken was one of the best curries I’ve ever had – and it goes amazingly with garlic naan and onion bhajis. This restaurant is definitely one of the top 12 affordable restaurants in Bristol for solo diners.
3. Honest Burgers
For a great, indulgent burger, I recommend Honest Burgers. The burgers here are huge, and there’s a great choice of different burger toppings and sauce. The chips are really good as well. Just make sure you’re hungry when you go here, as the portion sizes are big. It’s a really friendly restaurant for solo diners as well.
4. Pieminister
For a quick meal, I recommend Pieminister. This restaurant has a great selection of pies. There are vegetarian and vegan options as well as meat, and it’s reasonably priced. I recommend getting the deal of a pie, two sides and gravy. The mash and mushy peas are my favourite sides, and the beef and stilton pie is my favourite. Or, if you’re looking for something a bit healthier, you can choose from their selection of filo pastry pies – my favourite is the filo pastry pie filled with feta and served with warm vegetables.
5. Hippy Chippy
If you’re looking for a quick meal when you’re out shopping in Bristol, the Hippy Chippy is a great, affordable option. It’s a stall in the main shopping area of Bristol, with some outdoor seating around it. You can choose from a selection of different flavours and sauces on your chips – including some great garlic-y ones. It’s not a sit-down restaurant meal, but if you’re dining solo in Bristol and just want something quick, this place is great.
6. Pasta Ripiena
Another of my favourite restaurants in Bristol is Pasta Ripiena. This is a really nice Italian restaurant, with unique and inventive pasta dishes. You’ll need to book this restaurant quite far in advance, as it gets booked up quite quickly. But it’s definitely worth booking, and you can easily book a table for one. The friendly staff can help give recommendations from the menu. It’s a great restaurant, and not too expensive for the quality of food that you get.
7. Pho
The restaurant Pho serves Vietnammese food, and it’s definitely one of my top 12 affordable restaurants in Bristol for solo diners. You can choose from a range of traditional Pho dishes, which are big bowls of soup with noodles and meat inside. Alternatively, there are wok-fried noodle options as well. And the crispy spring rolls are great. This restaurant is really reasonably priced, and it’s friendly and welcoming to solo diners.
8. Franco Manca
For some of the best pizza in Bristol, head to Franco Manca. This pizza restaurant serves sourdough pizza, cooked in a wood fired oven. There’s a great vegetarian pizza that includes mushrooms and truffle. Or, for bolder flavours, you can try the pizza with anchovies and olives. There’s a good range of pizza toppings to choose from and I’ve enjoyed all of the ones I’ve tried so far.
9. Prezzo
For great pasta dishes, head to Prezzo. This chain Italian restaurant often has some good deals and discount codes, which help make it an affordable choice for a meal. It feels really comfortable to dine solo here. I wasn’t so impressed with the pizzas as Prezzo – they were ok, but I think you can get better pizza in other restaurants in Bristol. But I really like the pasta dishes here.
10. Creams Cafe
For an indulgent dessert, head to Creams Cafe on Baldwin Street in Bristol. This dessert parlour has a range of amazing desserts. My favourite are the waffles, and there’s a variety of different toppings you can choose from including chocolate, biscoff, ice cream, banana, and more. They also do cookies, brownies, ice cream sundaes, and more. The portions are big and the price is reasonable. It’s a great place to go for a sweet treat.
11. Eat A Pitta
Another great option in Bristol for a quick meal on-the-go is Eat A Pitta. This stall in the shopping area of Bristol sells amazing, huge, filled pittas. I chose one with falafel and haloumi, and it was great. You can take your food to eat as a picnic in nearby Castle Park by the river. It’s not the easiest food to eat (I made a lot of mess!) but the flavours are great.
12. Itsu
The last of my top 12 affordable restaurants in Bristol for solo diners is Itsu. Itsu is another great option for a quicker meal, and it feels really comfortable to sit here as a solo diner. The teriyaki salmon is my favourite, but they’re got a great selection of sushi. You can also choose from the menu of hot noodle options as well. It’s a great place in Bristol to enjoy a quick, healthy meal and a relaxing place to sit for a while.
Hope you enjoy the top 12 affordable restaurants in Bristol for solo diners! Bristol is a great city to explore, so make sure you also check out my guide to spending a day in Bristol, or spending 3 days in and around Bristol. You can also take day trips from Bristol to nearby Cheddar Gorge, or the beautiful beaches of Brean and Weston-Super-Mare. If you’re looking for more restaurant recommendations, check out my top restaurants in Oxford for solo diners.
