“SAVVA BEER AND A PIZZA!”

Which is how you say “Let’s have a beer and a pizza” in the distinctive local dialect, and since Zerodegrees joined the ranks of restaurants in Bristol this has become easier than ever before! But don’t worry about getting to grips with “Brizzle” speak in order to find something delicious to eat, the food culture and history of this remarkable city speaks for itself.

As one of the UK’s major port cities, restaurants in Bristol have benefited from the supply and trade of food for more than a thousand years. And while this passion for eating and drinking may have been established by merchants back in the day, some 50,000 students call modern Bristol home and they now play a significant part in keeping the culinary scene vibrant. Bristolians old and new flock to festivals such as Bristol Food Connections and Eat Drink Bristol Fashion, where pillars of the dining scene annually showcase their locally-sourced dishes.

Restaurants in Bristol – Zerodegrees

The area surrounding Bristol is an embarrassment of riches when it comes to produce, with the region famous for its cider, meat and fresh fruit and vegetables. Recent reports have estimated that the South West of England is responsible for producing 23% of the country’s cattle and sheep, while 38% of organic farmers call it home. But Bristol has always enjoyed the best of both worlds, with its status as a maritime powerhouse meaning that wine first found its way into the city as early as the 1300s. Later, restaurants in Bristol began shipping in freeze-dried cod from Iceland and by the 1600s sugar was also a major import, helping to make the city the sweet place it is today!

That’s the cider and wine covered… Now, what about the beer? Well, it should hardly come as any surprise that with all those sailors swaggering around, Bristol has long been home to a vast number of watering holes. In fact, the pub that served as the model for the notorious Admiral Benbow tavern in Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island is said to have been located in Bristol. But these days you can kick back and have a traditionally brewed beer in the city without having to worry about any cutthroat pirates. Zerodegrees can serve you such a beverage on one of their three sunny balconies with a view overlooking Bristol’s historic Christmas Steps.

Bars and restaurants in Bristol certainly are gurt lush!*

*Brizzle for “rather nice”.