The Swan Hotel

There is so much to enjoy, and so much to admire, when dining at Wilsons. It’s one of those appealing neighbourhood operations that works in pure harmony, with everyone from the chefs to the service team sharing the same ethos. Environmental awareness and careful sourcing of superb ingredients are at the forefront, with the restaurant’s own smallholding providing much of the produce on the tasting menu of expertly crafted dishes. Each one is exquisitely balanced and full of understated originality, like dry-aged trout with pickled mushrooms and sweet onion broth.

Bristol's pasta-lovers are really being spoilt with this rustic bistro run by a charming and knowledgeable team. The pasta itself is freshly made each morning beside the window, catching the eyes of passers-by before being fashioned into bright, flavour-packed dishes. The options are often vegetable-centric, such as agnolotti with a delicious mix of cherry tomatoes, garlic, mascarpone, fior di latte and parmesan. For dessert, you can end on a high with Italian classics including a generously portioned tiramisu. The set lunch menu is quite the bargain.

This is the kind of friendly neighbourhood bistro that warms your soul and widens your smile, where you will be warmly welcomed by a relaxed team who swiftly put you at ease. The menu wears its French heart on its sleeve, with the likes of soufflé Suissesse to start and prune and armagnac tart to finish; across the board, the well-executed dishes are fresh, rustic and pack in plenty of flavour. If you've come in a pair, go for one of the enticing sharing dishes, such as côte de boeuf with frites.

Bristol’s lovers of Korean food have found their haven in this charmingly run restaurant in the trendy Redland neighbourhood. The authentic cooking can be sampled as either a set menu or an à la carte of sharing plates, where each dish is cooked with care and precision using high-quality produce. The dishes from the charcoal grill – such as samgyeopsal (grilled pork belly) – are particularly enjoyable, thanks to the superb accompanying condiments that are expertly spiced and fermented to bring extra layers of flavour to the central ingredients.