We won’t argue that Bristol has better restaurants than London. The capital is one of the top food destinations in the world. But that doesn’t mean eateries on the South West don’t deserve your attention. SqaureMeal’s UK Top 100 Restaurants is unique in that it excludes London restaurants and shines the spotlight on the rest of the UK’s exciting dining scene – with five Bristol restaurants featuring for 2025.
The green-fingered, farm-to-table restaurant, Wilsons is this year’s highest Bristol achiever – slipping down one place to become SqaureMeal’s 21st best restaurant of 2025. SquareMeal says, “Plates that appear deceptively simple but are underpinned by exacting technique are the order of the day at Wilsons, one of Bristol’s best restaurants. Here you’ll find true allegiance to showcasing sustainability through seasonality in fresh new ways.”
Elsewhere, Peter Sanchez-Iglesias’ formerly Michelin-starred Paco Tapas, the “refreshingly relaxed Spanish tapas restaurant in Bristol”, came 64th. “The menu changes every day to make use of the freshest available produce, but you can always guarantee something special.” Surprisingly, Bristol’s only Michelin-star restaurant, Bulrush, didn’t make SqaureMeal’s UK Top 100 Restaurants 2025.
A new addition to the list, however, was Freddy Bird’s newest European-inspired restaurant, 1 York Place (81st). “The dishes reflect Bird’s extensive culinary experience, blending French, Spanish, and Moorish influences in a relaxed, intimate setting.”
Plus, the live-fire cooking restaurant, BANK (91). SquareMeal says: “Excellent produce cooked over fire is exactly what to expect from this neighbourhood joint. Head chef Jack Briggs-Horan brings produce to life with indulgent dishes that are designed to share.”
Which other local restaurants made SquareMeal’s UK Top 100?
The South West’s biggest winner is Osip in Bruton, Somerset. After winning in 2021, this year it came in 14th: “Osip recently relocated to a more rural pub with rooms just a few miles from its kitchen farm. The celebrated 2021 winner is still flying high with an ever-changing farm-to-table menu founded on the precise and technical use of organic and biodynamic ingredients.”
Meanwhile, Sat Bains in Nottingham topped SquareMeal’s UK Top 100 for 2025. “Sat Bains’ artistic approach yields brave, unique dishes that celebrate flavours and textures, offering an unparalleled experience that continues to set standards for seasonal British fine dining. Restaurant Sat Bains is now 25 years old, but as a confident and inquisitive risk taker invested in the joys of eating, it shows no signs of slowing down.”
Sounds incredible, but nearky three hours from Bristol, we won’t be visiting anytime soon. However, we will be checking out Josh Eggleton hyper-seasonal The Pony Chew Valley (53rd) in Chew Magna; Bruton’s Briar (69th) and its “unfussy dishes crafted from West Country ingredients”; and the “straight-forward, trattoria-style fare” of Upstairs at Landrace (73) in Bath,
To see the complete SquareMeal’s UK Top 100 head here.