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The Old Bookshop

65 North Street | Bedminster, Bristol BS3 1ES, England
0117 373 8907
Website
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Ranked #11 of 853 restaurants in Bristol
Cuisines: British
Dining options: Breakfast/Brunch, Dinner, Reservations, After-hours
Description: The Old Bookshop is a small, eclectic cafe/bar that serves good food at a fair price. The atmosphere is friendly and relaxed. The walls are covered in old photographs, typewriters and curiosities. The menu is written on a blackboard, and you order at the bar. Your meal will be served on vintage mismatched china. Don't expect a stuffy restaurant, we are just a quirky little bar that does great food!
Restaurant details
Dining options: Breakfast/Brunch, Dinner, Reservations, After-hours
Description: The Old Bookshop is a small, eclectic cafe/bar that serves good food at a fair price. The atmosphere is friendly and relaxed. The walls are covered in old photographs, typewriters and curiosities. The menu is written on a blackboard, and you order at the bar. Your meal will be served on vintage mismatched china. Don't expect a stuffy restaurant, we are just a quirky little bar that does great food!
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99 reviews from our community

91% Recommend
    76
    15
    5
    1
    2
Rating summary
    Food
    Service
    Value
    Atmosphere
Date Rating
Bristol, United Kingdom
2 reviews
Reviews in 2 cities Reviews in 2 cities
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 20 May 2013 NEW

I have been meaning to write this review for a while. We are so glad we found you, everything was spot on. The service was efficient and friendly, the food was so delicious and the portion size was very generous. Its a very atmospheric place and we HIGHLY recommend it!

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1 review
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 18 May 2013 NEW

Great atmosphere and wonderful staff. Will definitely be back soon. I wish there were more places like this in Bristol. Check it out!

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Bristol
Top Contributor
73 reviews 73 reviews
56 restaurant reviews
Reviews in 24 cities Reviews in 24 cities
24 helpful votes 24 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 9 May 2013 via mobile

On weekday nights the Old Bookshop do tapas dishes for £4 each. They aren't Spanish, just small dishes that you can share. My friend and I had five between us which was just the right amount. The dishes were unusual and very tasty. I particularly liked tge Slovaki lamb. The service was informal and friendly (you order at the bar),... More

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See 42 more reviews by alicia148 for Bristol
Bristol
Contributor
11 reviews 11 reviews
10 restaurant reviews
Reviews in 6 cities Reviews in 6 cities
6 helpful votes 6 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 25 April 2013

We read the Trip Advisor reviews this time and were not disappointed. Sunday lunch is a must - with large portions, excellent veg and the tenderest lamb and beef. Couldn't help oggling the other diners choices and vowed to return asap. The staff were friendly and helpful and the restaurant itself a delight. What more can I say?

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See 3 more reviews by Annette543 for Bristol
Bristol, United Kingdom
Reviewer
3 reviews 3 reviews
Reviews in 3 cities Reviews in 3 cities
1 helpful vote 1 helpful vote
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 19 April 2013

This is our new favorite place to eat in Bristol. We went after reading ther reviews on here and could not have been any more impressed. The atmosphere was warm and welcomming, the staff very friendly and the food really good. A great little place to socialise and go for for great casual homemade food (served on cute little vintage... More

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UK
Senior Contributor
22 reviews 22 reviews
9 restaurant reviews
Reviews in 8 cities Reviews in 8 cities
4 helpful votes 4 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 10 April 2013 via mobile

Been back twice in the last fortnight, one visit on a Monday for the American Diner night, great burgers and the pulled pork on fries with a blue cheese dressing was fantastic. Also went back this week for the Tapas menu, some great dishes including the salt cod, corn fritters, the beef cooked in a red wine sauce and chicken... More

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Bristol
Senior Contributor
33 reviews 33 reviews
25 restaurant reviews
Reviews in 12 cities Reviews in 12 cities
7 helpful votes 7 helpful votes
3 of 5 stars Reviewed 8 April 2013

Went for lunch and was served undercooked chicken ... took it back and they replaced it with an even worse batch with blood in the meat! They said it was the way the chef cooked it ... I don't think so! They were nice about it and discounted the bill.

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See 8 more reviews by Kevin W for Bristol
MammaBookshop, Owner at The Old Bookshop, responded to this review
10 April 2013

I'm sorry you didn't enjoy your visit to The Old Bookshop and am surprised you were not happy with your food. We cook our chicken on the bone because this keeps the meat tender and juicy - as any experienced chef or foodie will know. The meat next to the bone is darker than the white breast meat that most... More

Beaconsfield, England, United Kingdom
Senior Reviewer
10 reviews 10 reviews
8 restaurant reviews
Reviews in 5 cities Reviews in 5 cities
2 helpful votes 2 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 29 March 2013

We shoe-horned ourselves into this tiny restaurant bar once again, after 20 minutes wait. And this was Tuesday night at 7 pm! At the weekend you might as well forget it. But it was worth it. Superb and imaginative Tapas style food, finished off with homemade Bakewell tart and cup cakes. Heaven! Bottled beers were great - shame it has... More

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See 4 more reviews by Mike R for Bristol
Bristol
2 reviews
1 helpful vote 1 helpful vote
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 15 March 2013

We came here with the kids on Mothers Day and we had a lovely Sunday Roast. Food was great, homestyle cooking nothing posh but delicious.  We had a couple of the fantastic Bookshop Bloodies whilst we waited for our food to arrive, these are highly recommended on a Sunday!  The Sunday Roast portions were a good size for the price... More

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Bristol, United Kingdom
Senior Contributor
21 reviews 21 reviews
17 restaurant reviews
Reviews in 8 cities Reviews in 8 cities
3 helpful votes 3 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 15 March 2013

Despite living down the road it's taken me over a year to get round to making a visit. I'd heard The Old Bookshop was good, but also heard it's very popular, so we turned up just after 6pm on a Friday evening to make sure we bagged a table. Good decision, within half an hour people were perching on stools... More

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See 7 more reviews by Dani H for Bristol

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