Bristol
Bravas Bristol

Bravas Bristol

Al Laziz, 9 Cotham Hill,BS6 6LD, United Kingdom, Bristol

Steak • Tapas • European • Mediterranean


"I cannot even describe how disappointed and upset I am by the treatment my family received by Bravas this evening (17/10/23). We have been coming to Bravas loyally for years, supported the business during covid and have always recommended this restaurant to all our family and friends. I booked dinner at Bravas for my dad for his 60th Birthday celebration. I originally booked for 3 people, but needed to amend the booking as my sister had come home from university to surprise him. I received 2 text messages to confirm the booking for 7:15 pm on the 17/10/23 and called at midday when Bravas opened to amend the booking as instructed by the confirmation text. The woman I spoke to on the phone confirmed that she was going to ‘put a note’ on our booking saying that it was now for 4 people. We arrived on time, excited for our meal and I told one of the waiting staff that we had a reservation for 4 at 7:15. She asked for my name and then told me that my name wasn’t on the list of bookings, so she would speak to the manager. He came and spoke to us in a very dismissive tone saying that the booking was cancelled at 5pm. I was so confused as I had not cancelled the booking at any point during my phone correspondence with the restaurant. I showed him the confirmation text messages I had received and explained I had called up earlier. He totally disregarded everything I said, shrugged and rudely said there was nothing he could do and reiterated that the booking was cancelled. He also mentioned that he didn’t come on shift until 5pm so it was nothing to do with him. He did offer us seats at the bar which I appreciated, however this was not what I had asked for and I mentioned that it was ‘not ideal’. We decided to leave the restaurant at that point as we felt massively dejected and frustrated at the whole experience. I don’t understand what on earth happened to my booking? I understand that Bravas is a small, very popular restaurant but when you make a reservation it should definitely not be cancelled with no warning. Usually our experience dining here is excellent and I have never had any complaints, however this was totally out of line. I really feel like the treatment from your management staff put a huge dampener on our family celebration and this could have easily been avoided by better communication from the restaurant and much nicer treatment in a difficult situation. I would like to know how you would suggest this situation is remedied?"

Flow

Flow

9a, The Haymarket Walk, Bristol, England, BS1 3LN, United Kingdom

Vegan • Western • British • European


"This was booked for at 30th birthday in October for a table in December. They emailed back explaining they may need to cancel because of a Christmas party but would let us know and they didn’t so we chased twice and got a response saying booking was fine to remain. Then two days before we received another email saying they were shutting the night we booked due to needing to move house which they apologised for then booked us in for the next night promising complimentary Prosecco for doing this. Although it would no longer be my 30th we didn’t mind because we had read such good things about the restaurant. We got there atmosphere was nice and it is always lovely to see veggie vegan restaurants which are full! We sat down ordered our drinks which we had to wait 30 mins for. The table next to us who arrived after were apologised to for the rebooking and got Prosecco pretty much when they sat down. No Prosecco was given to us and I felt too awkward to ask. I was disappointed with the menu. Being vegan they recommended 5 plates for a table of two so we order one of every vegan item on the menu as that is all there was. Portions were small and not particularly well seasoned but it was nice to experience vegan food which was a bit more upmarket than your typical vegan burger. I didn’t feel it was enough food so we ended up eating churros from oowee vegan after! Although staff were friendly when they came to the table. Staff didn’t appear to be particularly hurry for things to be taken to the tables. What I think happened is that 3 tables were booked in at 8, one of them being us and 2 other tables, one which was late and they then waiting on all orders to be in from us to then make all the food together. This appeared to be the case as we all seemed to get the same dishes at the same time and I suppose this makes it easier for the chef as the dishes in some cases appeared to be quite fiddly dishes to make. I felt if staff had just communicated this with us I wouldn’t have minded so much but there was such a long wait between dishes it really felt very dragged out and very underwhelming when one small plate of food finally did arrive. I would not go here again. We ate in some lovely cheaper and more satisfying fully vegan places in Bristol including an all vegan Chinese which was delicious. Really sad I couldn’t give this restaurant more but I wouldn’t give 5 anyway unless they changed fully vegan."

The Ethicurean

The Ethicurean

United Kingdom, BS40 5QF, Bristol

Tea • Meat • Coffee • British


"What a great location! What a great experience! First you are greeted at the entrance to the Walled Garden with a drink created from products from the garden, then drink in hand you can wander through the gardens. We arrived just after sunset and experienced...the afterglow in the sky. At the restaurant you are treated to another delicacy which you can also consume outside. Once inside you get another two hors d'oeuvres with an optional cocktail before being seated. In all you, including the food served outside (finishing after the main meal around a fire pit), you get 10 or 11 novel items to try. Included in the meal are drinks, either alcoholic or non-alcoholic, selected to go with the food being served. To be honest, i didn't like the dessert wine and was fifty fifty about the first wine. However, that's not too say somebody else wouldn't like them. For most people they will be new as well the food. All the food and wine is ethically produced and served with a smile and explanation about what is offered. I didn't pay for this, but seems it is pricey, so can't comment about this. However, they pay their staff a decent wage and the service charge is included in the price. Everything is done in an ethical and sustainable way, even in the toilets, which is really good to see. Big meat eaters may be disappointed as there isn't a huge amount of it, but it comes from nearby. Equally disappointed may be vegans, as there doesn't seem to be an option for them, though much of the food on the face of it did seem vegan. I thoroughly enjoyed the evening though which lasted several hours. The only niggle i had was that they charged extra for tea and coffee. I would definitely recommend this to anybody who is adventurous and ways to try something new."