Bell’s Diner & Bar Rooms

Really, really good. Go with a group of three of four and share as much as you can.
Neighbourhood bar/​restaurant feel with lovely mood lighting and a cosy atmosphere. Don’t think you can go too wrong with ordering and there is certainly no need for seasoning.
Food is, I guess, European/​Mediterranean influenced. The menu is printed daily so if you’re a regular I’m sure there’d be new things or variations on favourites. When I was there, I could order things like grilled prawns with romesco sauce, pork belly with celeriac, cauliflower baked in yoghurt and ricotta gnudi. Really fresh, colourful, delicious. There was also carrot and beetroot fritters and a goats curd, fennel and honey salad. If only I had more stomach space…
A big huge highlight for me was the wine list. You could taste 75ml of any ‘by the glass’ or get a 175. Or bottles! By the glass options were diverse, interesting and away from the norm but still considering conservative taste buds.
Understated, spot on flavours, awesome. Take the family or go on a date. Yum.

As I usually do in a new city, I checked out Unilocal for the place to eat. Bell’s Diner popped up on top when I did the search. I made my way there, and for a big city like Bristol, its on a small quiet street in what appears to be a residential area. It is very unassuming from the outside and I can imagine it being a local’s hidden gem. Inside it was very cozy and I was warmly greeted and picked a variety of foods. I started out with the pickles, the charcoal grilled squid and the charcoal grilled lamp chops with tzatziki and washed it down with a glass of Spanish white wine. Everything was mouth wateringly delicious and came out pretty quickly. I couldn’t move on without trying something else as it had all been so good. I then ordered the ricotta ravioli with sage and pumpkin and Ox tail with a glass «I Muri» red Spanish wine. It was heaven. I then contemplated my hunger to see if I kept going on tapas or moved onto desert. I threw in the towel and got the lemon meringue tarte, a scoop of toasted marshmallow ice cream and the recommended Orange Armagnac to accompany it. Seriously this was one of the best meals I’ve ever had in the UK and very reasonable at £60 including tip! Thanks Unilocal reviewers for helping find this place I never would have on my own.

We went to Bell’s for New Year’s Eve and I can’t wait to go back! Picton street is lovely and the outside of Bell’s looks cosy and inviting. Inside is the same, it’s classy a la carte atmosphere and cuisine but still warm and inviting.
There’s a full bar and some great drinks on the menu. The staff were all lovely; the nicest service I think I’ve ever had in Bristol. You’d think there’d be potential for a table of 14 and a packed out restaurant to be stressful but they handled all our requests with a smile, recommendations and grace.
The food was a set menu and there was only a choice of 2 things so I was a bit worried it might not be to my taste but it was delicious. I had a squash started and all the flavours worked really well together. Then I had the lamb, which was very rare but still very succulent and yummy. And the chocolate tart with raisins was so rich and melted in my mouth. Overall it was top quality food and I can’t wait to go back to taste the full menu.

I’ve been wanting to go here for ages and I wasn’t disappointed now that I’ve made it ! We went for a New Years meal and I can honestly say it’s the best meal out I’ve had for a very long time. The restaurant itself has a lovely cosy feel amazing and element of charm that many larger places envy. As it was a set new year menu I did really expect it to be as good as it was, I went for roasted seafood to start and charcoal grilled lamb and it was truly delicious. The roasted seafood consisted of prawns, mussels and welks with chilli and garlic… totally delightful it has a depth of flavour and was something I wouldn’t normally go for but I definitely will again. The lamb was smokey and perfectly pink in the middle accompanied with a celeriac cream which had a lovely sweet nutty taste and a beautifully smooth texture (I could eat it again now)
Desert was a chocolate torte which was very rich but a chocolate lovers delight. The wine list is extensive and the staff very knowledgable and perfectly friendly. I can’t wait to return with my girlfriend and see what other delights await us on the full menu I couldn’t recommend this restaurant more
Love it

I’ve wanted to to go to Bell’s for a long time, so I was extremely excited when me and 13 others decided to go for NYE. And it was everything I expected it to be and more!
Now, normally my review would start from when I entered the building or to say what the place looked like from outside, but this review starts from when I booked the table a few weeks before, because the service, even from then, was absolutely brilliant. Simon, the manager, moved their whole table plan around so that our table could increase from 6 to 14. They accommodated us when 4 people asked for no mushrooms on the mains. And Simon called me 2 days before the night to see if we wanted any taxi’s booked for when they closed at 1am. That’s service that you don’t get with many other restaurants.
Now, onto the night! Bell’s, from the outside, looks lovely. It looks warm, cosy and super inviting and I couldn’t wait to go in. While Bell’s is fine dining, it isn’t super swanky — and nor should it be. Bell’s is on the very quirky, Picton Street, so anything swanky wouldn’t fit. Which is great, I’m not a fan of swanky! Inside is a mix of dark wood, light blue walls and lots of wine bottles and old quirky nick-​nacks. It didn’t happen when we were there, but apparently on a normal evening they have an old record player, and whoever is sat on the table next to it has to change the records and keep the music going.
NYE was a set menu. I had the ‘Roast shell! sh with a chilli and lemon dressing’ as a starter and the ‘Charcoal-​grilled lamb, celeriac purée, wild mushrooms and winter greens’. Both dishes were absolutely delicious! you could really taste the smokey charcoal taste on the lamb and it was perfectly pink in the middle. Up there with the best lamb dishes I’ve ever had.
The atmosphere was a great and they had a really good DJ spinning some old classic tracks. There was another table of 14 behind us who were all really nice and we found ourselves mingling around and chatting to other guests. It was great!
I can’t wait to go to Bell’s Diner again for a normal evening meal. Fingers crossed I get sat next to the record player :)

This place is what Ottolenghi’s NOPI should be. Fresh quality ingredients cooked to a high standard at reasonable prices. The two of us did the full shebang: aperitifs, 6 small plates to share, bottle of wine, digestifs and one scoop of ice cream for dessert. Our bill including a well deserved 15% tip came out to only £100.
I would not say all the food was perfect but there were a few real standouts:
Scallops were perfectly seared and served with samphire. The flavours came together in such an awesome, buttery, sea-​salty oneness. Absolutely delish.
Grilled asparagus with jamon butter was simplicity at its best. The salty meaty buttery-​ness paired so well with the asparagus.
Grilled chorizo and black pudding were perfectly pairings. I wouldn’t have thought this would have worked but it did.
The other plates were good but not something I would order again. Fresh peas came in the pod were sweet and crunchy but the pairing with cheese and saucisson sec a bit odd. Cornish crab and new potatoes a bit bland. Courgette fritters were pan fried patties and a bit on the mushy side.
Elderflower ice cream was rich and creamy but tasted more like vanilla.
We had an organic red wine from Greece which was fab. The orange Armagnac for our digestifs were the most interesting variation of Armagnac I’ve tried.
Our waitress was awesome. Friendly attentive service. She made us feel right at home.
Overall, we had an awesome experience here. Will definitely come back!

Avoid! Appalling food at extortionate prices but the rudeness comes free of charge. We walked out after the indelible entrees arrived never to return.

Bell’s Diner and Bar Rooms is the latest incarnation of Bristol’s beloved Bell’s Diner. The new team has its roots in Rocinantes and Quartier Vert and brings to Bell’s the same relaxed enthusiasm for getting knees under a table to eat, drink and have a good time. So great (
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Intimate dining area. Reserve seats in the main room, rather than back room. Recommend arriving 30mins early for a glass of Lebanese red in the intimate waiting area with open fire. Meat dishes are impecable.

I went to Bells diner for lunch last week, I was absolutely knackered from a busy schedule and felt like having an absolute treat. I knew it wasn’t going to be a cheap place to eat, but I also knew the restaurant had an excellent reputation for beautiful food and good service, and I was only too happy to pay for that. I was not disappointed. I was made extremely welcome and I asked to be served a scallop dish and then duck. To my surprise I was first brought a little complementary starter, which was a glass of fennel lemonade and some little canapes, which were delicious. I have uploaded the images of all of these dishes along with this review and as you will see the presentation of the food on the plate was just stunning, your food arrives looking like an artwork so beautiful that part of you doesn’t want to spoil it by starting to eat it! The combination of flavours in their dishes are unusual and exciting and they also have an interesting selection of quality wines. I had a glass of the house white which was very pleasant. The portion sizes were just right for me, but not enormous, so the average person would probably want to order at least 2 courses. I really enjoyed my lunch and left feeling refreshed and relaxed. This restaurant is a delight and in my view one of the very best in Bristol for food lovers.

Heard and wanted to go here for such a long time, it was great to have the opportunity to do so last Saturday evening.
Not many places have me asking myself ‘how did they do that?’, or ‘wow, why have I never eaten this before?’ and ‘I would never have thought of combining this ingredient with that!!’.
Nonetheless the food was fantastically surprising and packed full of taste. The service, warm, informal and welcoming.
A place to go for a treat or special occasion (depending on the depth of your pockets), two of us went, three courses and four glasses of wine, the bill came to just shy of £100 including service charge.

There are very few decent places to eat in Bristol. Bell’s Diner is still probably the best/​my favourite, despite later arrivals from the likes of Goldbrick House, Pump House and Jamie’s plus of course good long termers like River Station. I have always thought it had a silly name, which on top of it’s slightly dodgy location means you would only go there by reputation and not just walking past. So, it’s not a ‘diner’ but a really top end place to eat great dishes beautifully prepared. Brilliant for a romantic date night with small cosy tables although they have a bigger room at the back for larger parties. Living in and around Bristol for over 10 years I don’t think I have ever heard of a single bad review of Bell’s Diner.

This gem of a restaurant is next door to a liquor store with graffiti ladened metal shutters. I arrived on a Friday night without reservations. I waited in their room whilst my table was being prepared. Whilst I waited I was served breadsticks and popcorn and a glass of beer. I was unable to enjoy any of the deserts since I cannot eat dairy, so my three course meal was two starters and one main. I was served a pre starter of a warm corn soup in a tall tiny glass and a small hor’sderve (complements of the chef). Then came the pork belly with peas, then scallops, then the main course of Vennicine and beet root. All of the dishes were absolutely amazing, a perfect mixture of flavours.

hier bekommt man einfach sehr gutes Essen. Wie man sehen und schmecken wird. Auch in England gibt es super Essen!!!:)))))

Bell’s Diner is a fine dining experience worth waiting for. It doesn’t come cheap, but you definitely get what you pay for. Owner, Chris Wicks, is considered to be one of the finest chef’s in Bristol, and so in my estimations you get real value for money here.
Chris has seen his empire dwindle over the last couple of years. He has closed two restaurants in Bristol, blaming the recession for their demise. Both Budokan in Clifton and Bar 130 on Cheltenham Road have been sold off, but Bell’s Diner, his flagship, continues to prosper.
It is not surprising considering that this is where Wick’s chooses to cook. He seemed to have very little to do with the other restaurants, beyond financing them and making commercial decisions.
Wick’s is now involved in another, perhaps grander venture. He is one of the directors responsible for a new luxury hotel in Henbury called Berwick Lodge.
This more recent development makes more sense, offering Wick’s the opportunity to bring his eminent cooking skills to an environment that can support his talents. (I never could understand why someone of his ability would invest time and energy in something like Bar 130; a tapas bar that was very nice, but not really in his league)

Okay — this is one of the few places that I am more than willing to pay the expense for — because the whole experience is perfect and the food is absolutely brilliant! Sounding a bit too positive? Check it out for yourself, and you will understand why!
Bells Diner is such a cute little restaurant, really cosy and with a great atmosphere — the service is absolutely top notch and you get looked after from the moment you enter! Booking ahead is recommended — as this is the kind of place that gets really popular with locals — I would also advise requesting a table by the window for the best seats and a bit of people watching.
The interior is classy and quaint, and the classic European cuisine is mouthwatering — there’s a great selection of options on the menu — I would personally recommend the Gressingham Duck, which I have had a couple of times now without disappointment! Bells also offer an eight course tasting menu at £45 per person, which I have always been tempted by — perhaps something worth trying for a special occasion!

I wish there was a six star rating on this because Bell’s Diner is that good. Someone once told me that it would have been Michelin star worthy were it not for its moderately down-​at-​heel location (which I’m a tad suspicious of, given that although there are seedier sections to Montpelier, York Road boasts some very fine properties indeed).
In any case, Bell’s Diner is still home to some seriously good food. Altrhough plates are on the pricier end of the scale, the portions are small so it’ll take a two course meal minimum to satisfy. What you’re paying for here is quality, not quantity. There are some really unusual flavour combinations and although I’ve been told that on occasion they just miss the mark, I can’t say that’s something I’ve ever experienced.
Everything about this restaurant is impeccable, from food to service to décor and atmosphere. For the record, I strongly recommend reserving well in advance and requesting to be seated in the front rather than back — it is hugely superior. A huge amount of thought has clearly gone into every aspect of how the restaurant presents itself, and for that, it is genuinely deserving of the bank-​breaking prices (if only once every blue moon…)

Bell’s Diner looks intriguing from the outside. Half the window bay of one of the windows is filled with wine corks and it sits on the corner of two streets in the very heart of Montpelier. Recently, after about five years of nagging, my husband finally agreed to take me here. And after the bill came through, I am not sure he will be volunteering again in a hurry. Especially as he complained the portion sizes were too small and the style too fancy. But if it was everything he loathed, it was everything I loved. Superb food cooked expertly and presented like a true master-​chef. Inside Bell’s also has an incredibly relaxed and intimate feel, as if you were in the coolest restaurant in the very heart of Paris.
It is run by the acclaimed Chris Wicks, who ran the brilliant Bar 130 on Cheltenham Road and Budokan by The Academy (both now sadly closed).
Bell’s Diner was voted the Best Restaurant in the South West by the Observer’s Food Monthly magazine in 2004 and 2006 and it is easy to see why.
Diners can choose from a decadent tasting menu, complete with scallops, rabbit, etc or a wide range of gorgeous other dishes a la carte.
The two-​hour poached egg, macorini cheese and Gressingham duck were out of this world and the wine was bloody good too.
Absolutely a must-​do on any Bristol food-lover’s list, this is the perfect location to celebrate life’s most special occasions.

To me, the name «Bell’s Diner» makes me think of a very traditional old school American diner. Sort of place you might see in the TV show «Happy Days» with Fonzy at the jukebox (I think their diner was called Al’s Diner which might be why I’m think that). But don’t be fooled by the name. Bell’s diner is high end cuisine, done superbly well and worth every penny in my opinion.
Again, you might be mistaken for thinking the cuisine is American, but if anything, it’s French and so is the interior. You wont find red leather booths and black and white tiled flooring. Instead you’ll find yourself in what feels a lot like a bistro, but a very, very nice bistro. One that you might expect to have a Michelin star as the food is world class.
The chef, Christoper Wicks, uses locally sourced ingredients and infuses them with his culinary imagination to create a feast for the eyes and a taste explosion in your mouth. If you love fine dining, this is the place to go in Bristol.

This is very much a fine dining experience. They clearly think a lot about their food and the menus. If you’re a proper foodie and in Bristol this is where you should come to. With a plate of Gressingham Duck at £16.50 the prices certainly excessive, though.
Although they do take themselves fairly seriously they’re don’t straightjacket themselves into providing traditional dishes. There’s a fair bit of experimentation, I would use the word exciting if I wanted to sound like a pretentious critic.
Drinks too have had plenty thought gone into them. The wine list is extensive and there’s a selection of fortified wines (this stuff is slightly more pricey — up to £9 a glass). Also plenty of place given to digestifs with a choice of cider brandies and cognac. Bells is a proper restaurant with interesting, carefully considered dishes.

No other way to say it — the food is astonishing. I was initially terrified of the menu but you will find original food combinations (trout and liquorice) and some very unusual techniques (poached egg cooked in a vacuum) to keep you talking about this place for months to come. I was trying food that I wouldn’t normally go near because everything just tasted so good.
The space is intimate with a very relaxed ambience perfect for couples or small groups wanting to chat without feeling rushed. The waiting staff are on hand but don’t hover, and they know the dishes without having to go and ask the kitchen for details. Obviously all proud of their restaurant, they are happy to answer questions about the dishes and wine without making you feel ignorant.
Menu changes daily and in season. Book early for spaces, especially Friday and Saturday nights.