Bristol Together: Why Bristol is such a great city for beer & food
There’s no doubt about it, Bristol has both an amazing beer and food scene. It’s home to some of the UK’s best breweries and has a food scene that caters for all, from vegan to meat lovers and everything that falls in between, with a nuance for the local and independent that is unrivalled.
But what makes Bristol such a great city for beer and food?
We asked some of our friends of the festival to tell us in their words why Bristol rocks…
FOZIA ISMAIL, ARAWELO EATS
What makes Bristol a great food city is the huge range of food you get here.
From the street food markets on the harbourside (highly recommend Omar’s Kitchen – absolutely delicious Samosa’s and snacks) to fine dining, to lovely neighbourhood food places like Jean’s on Gloucester road which does best Thai food homestyle to Harbersha Ethiopian restaurant on Stapleton road, I love the ceremony of the Frankincense being lit, it’s such familiar quality that reminds me of home. Bombolini on Gloucester road is great for family celebrations- my kids love it there.
I think Bristol strength is in the diversity of its population and sense of community – it’s reflected in the city’s food in wonderful ways. Obviously it’s a difficult time for the hospitality sector but one thing that has come out of it are wonderful food initiatives like Bristol Food Union and National Food Service- both based in Bristol.
I obviously love the craft beer scene in Bristol and all the independent events that come from this like the tap takeovers at places like Small Bar on Kings Street to the wonderful atmosphere of taprooms such as Wiper & True which is conveniently located for some tasty pizza from Cafe Napolita!
SAM BURROWS: BRISTOL BEER FACTORY
Bristol incorporates a wealth of Independent breweries and restaurants, offering a vast array of quality choices. Dynamic small breweries, incredible lager producers and established regionals keep the city well-watered!
The food scene reflects this too, multiple street food markets, speciality vegan restaurants all the way to multiple Michelin starred venues. If you want independent beer and food Bristol is the city.
DAN IZZARD: WRIGGLE
There are so many aspects that make Bristol a fantastic city for food and beer. Collaboration between businesses absolutely thrives and has created a community that isn’t afraid to try new things.
The quality of food and beer in the city is also genuinely world-class and it’s amazing to sit in a restaurant and see a new beer on the menu that’s been brewed just around the corner.
BRUCE GRAY: SMALL BAR & LEFT HANDED GIANT
We travel to beer festivals all over the world but its such a wonderful thing that there’s so many great breweries, so many great people that travel to Bristol and get to see what we do and on our doorstep in the middle of Bristol, it’s a lovely thing and I’m really proud of Bristol as a city for the beer scene it has.
DAN WILLIAMS: COFFEE + BEER
Bristol is a great city for food and beer because of passion. Passion to create, make or serve top quality products and do this with a style that is chilled but accomplished.
Our independent scene is huge and has recently had to show its versatility in order to deal with the pandemic. Businesses have had to adapt to survive and this has created some fantastic unique experiences where food and beer are at the centre and of the highest quality.
Behind the passion are people and it’s their spirit, endeavour and outside-of-the-box thinking that I feel really makes Bristol a great city for food and beer.
MICHAEL WIPER: WIPER & TRUE
The local scene here is incredible, people really want to support independent small businesses in the city.
It’s a really amazing thing coming to [Bristol Craft Beer Festival], lots of people queue up for bars of Bristol Beer Factory, Wiper & True, and Arbor Ales and you’re chatting them saying “Hey, there’s breweries from all over the world here and it’s very cool you’ve come to try our beer but you know you can get this in town any night” and they say “yeah, we want to support the local team.” And it’s a very lovely thing.
DOM & LARA: TWO BELLY
Bristol has a close-knit food and drink community. People show a lot of loyalty to local producers and purveyors of great products. We’ve felt, from very early on, that there is a real collaborative spirit to Bristol’s food and drink scene.
During the tough and unprecedented times during lockdown, the levels of support and concern for others has been humbling. This is epitomised by the creation of the Bristol Food Union, helping support those less fortunate in the hospitality industry.
There is a sense of independence and creative drive that permeates and courses through the veins of Bristol as a whole and is an inspirational place to work in the food and drink world.
MARIA & NOEL, NEW BRISTOL BREWERY
What we adore most about Bristol is how fiercely independent the food and beer scene is and how much we all support each other, bringing the very best of Bristol to the dining table.
We have our beer pouring at many amazing, independent eateries – pairing their dishes with our award-winning beers. We’re spoilt for choice but here are a few of our most recent hangouts…
Harbourside Street Food Market: if you’re looking for Bristols best street eats in one of the city’s most scenic spots.
Asado: brings a new style of burger to Bristol. Cooked over a wood-fired asado grill and using the highest quality, locally sourced ingredients it’s safe to say Asado is our go-to burger.
Spitfire Barbeque: pride themselves on pouring only the best local craft and all their meats are served to you straight out the smokers for a true Authentic Texan style BBQ – its got a pretty mean view of the harbour too!
Under The Stars: If you’re looking for something a little different, they are set right in the heart of Bristol on a boat and pairs tasty tapas with cocktails and local beers.
…
So there you have it! Some great reasons why Bristol is such a great city for food and beer! We’re so happy to be able to showcase the amazing food vendors and breweries of Bristol at Bristol Craft Beer Festival and we can’t wait to see you in September!
If you haven’t got your tickets yet, head to Bristolcraftbeerfestival.co.uk/tickets
Your safety at our festival is our priority. You can read our Covid-19 policy on our website.