Gambas Tapas Bar in Bristol, City of

I’ve been here twice now and it never disappoints. The food is always amazing and this time I tried their spicy margaritas—they were great!

Consistently excellent 👌👌 👌. Get the pil pil and the aubergine!

Incredible food, perfect service and buzzing atmosphere. Every bite of every dish was an amazing balanced tasty experience

Amazing evening at Gambas, celebrating our mums 70th birthday. The food was so good, our waiter was brilliant, and they bought out some birthday truffles for my mum- lovely touch.

Great place to have a relaxing time with great food Really nice atmosphere, with a lovely choice of quality food. It’s busy, but still has great service from the friendly staff.

There’s a reason why this place is my favourite restaurant in Bristol. The staff are great and always accommodating! The pork, gambas and mussels were very good and the vibe is perfect. We went for my mums birthday and unfortunately we arrived 5mins late and were in a rush. The staff made us feel at ease and ensured we got our food out within the shortened time frame we had requested. My mum had a great time and I can’t thank the staff enough!

The curly haired chef made our experience phenomenal! The food was a politely delicious! Thanks!

Great time last night, the waiter was fantastic and went above and beyond, the food was delicious and my husband had a great birthday

Amazing lunch for my son's graduation.. fabulous espresso martini too. What can I say!! The food is incredible. Great staff and atmosphere. You must try the aubergine it's to die for.

Excellent lunch today. Good food, good wine and good tunes.

Totally love this place. Been many times and the food and service is so consistent and so good. The tortilla is better than anything I’ve tried in Spain…

We really enjoyed our night at Gambas. Arriving early we were given another table to sit and enjoy a cocktail before moving to our reserved table with friends who joined us. The service was exemplary the food freshly cooked and delicious. Really nothing was too much trouble. Well done Gambas!

Had an excellent experience overall. Great food and hospitality. Kitchen counter seating highly recommended. Menu was all hits no misses.

Great menu, executed with aplomb from front to back

Fabulous food, we had an event at Gambas, they made us a super menu, amazing food, very friendly staff, great wine!

We recently booked a private dining experience to entertain some of our clients, and the entire evening was nothing short of exceptional. From start to finish, every detail was thoughtfully curated to create a truly memorable occasion. The food was amazing and the service was impeccable—attentive, professional, and friendly throughout the evening. The wine selection perfectly complemented the menu. To top it all off, the music provided the perfect ambiance, enhancing the overall atmosphere without overpowering the conversation. We couldn’t have asked for a better experience and are already looking forward to booking again. Highly recommended!

Food was absolutely incredible. Each dish was superb and flavours were unique. Big thanks to Annie, Henry and Nell who made the experience even better. if you want top tapas, this is the place for you

I’d been wanting to visit Gambas for a while based on recommendations and its varied and pleasing selection of dishes. Expectations were high, but honestly, they were exceeded in every way! The atmosphere was vibrant and unpretentious but also cosy and classy. All of the staff encountered were friendly and professional and genuinely interested in how we felt about the food. The food, wow! every dish ordered was so tasty! and the caramel and almond dessert at the end took me right back to the Basque Country again. Even the decaf coffee was superb. There was a good selection of wines, and I enjoyed trying their wine of the month, which was delicious and totally complemented the food. I loved my experience here - Thank you Gambas! …I’ll be back for sure. 😁

Great tapas! would recommend the dried tuna which tastes like a ham, the charcoal mussels, the gambas pil pil and salt grilled prawn. we also had a monkfish tail special which was really good

Had not booked and they were kind to clear a table to fit us in outside. Had nice food and had been a good evening until we paid…. We still had a little wine to finish and they turned off the outside heater. There were other dinners so we were not anywhere near the final diners. We moved to the next empty table with a heater just to finish our wine (which would take less then five minutes) and a member of staff came out to tell us that they were closing - even though the restaurant was still full. Shame to spoil what had been a nice evening and when we had spent a substantial amount of money.

I hired the Private Dining Room for my husbands 40th birthday and we have the best evening. There was 19 of us, the food was wonderful - cooked in front of us adding to the atmosphere and the service was second to none. special note to the mocktails - the chilie and honey mocktail was perfect - exactly as a mocktail should be and perfect for the non drinkers who wanted to still feel like they were part of the party! Thank you Nell for all your help in organising and thank you Gambas - that was a perfect evening x

I absolutely love this place. If ever I’m in Bristol for work, I always make a point of visiting. They always make me feel really welcome as a solo diner and the food is just the best. The pil-pil is a must and the specials board never fails to deliver. Service, food, atmosphere, wine are all top-notch. Sit up at the bar/counter to get a good view of the chefs in action too 👌

We hired the private dining room for a press lunch event in early November. The staff went above and beyond and delivered a delicious lunch to our guests who were all very complimentary of both service and food. Would recommend the PDR for a special occasion lunch. Also to note we had two guests with specific dietary requirements and this was handled brilliantly. Thanks so much team!

Great little restaurant. Staff were lovely & helpful and the food was delicious.

Lovely tapas restaurant located close to Bristol centre. Cozy atmosphere with an open kitchen. The food was first class with excellent gambas pil pil, monkish tails and sardines. The standout for me was the aubergine fries which were sublime, delicately fried with a molasses coating. So moorish! The cocktails were fantastic as well.

Un excelente menú con grandes chefs y un camarero que era amable, amable y bien informado. Esta fue una gran experiencia y disfruté cada minuto.

Fantastic find in Bristol. Food was amazing, great service and sitting at the bar, lovely opportunity to chat with the chefs. Every dish was beautifully presented and delicious! Highly recommend.

The food is so great and the service is very nice 👍

Curious place. Extraordinary attention. Even better than when I came to Bristol last year. Delicious shrimp omelettes served with Sanlúcar Manzanilla. Very interesting beet. The mussels are very good, for me they taste better than the Breton style ones. Monkfish, endives, eggplant sticks with cane sugar (honey). The desserts are worth trying.

Beautiful authentic food! High quality! My favorite dish was the octopus! They also have a variety of wine including an organic range which was also delicious. Visited here a couple of times with a friend and it was nice to sit outside and look over the harbour in the sunshine. Pretending to be in Spain!

Awesome food and service, especially the Gambia pil pil were fenomenal

Excellent restaurant in Bristol with lovely servers and an open kitchen so you can watch your meal being cooked and plated. Excellent presentation skills, and food was flavourful. Would recommend the fried aubergine with molasses, as well as the salted pork loin, and the divine octopus! Grilled prawns were quite standard, nothing I'd write home about. Creme brulee was delightful, as was the almond sponge cake.

Had a fab meal here. Highlight was the Lions mane dish which was so tasty. Would definitely recommend

Lovely place Staff great definitely recommended 👌

Lovely place for a Friday evening bite. We ordered lots of food and it was delicious. Would come back again one day.

Siempre me ha encantado Gambas así que reservé el comedor privado para mi celebración familiar de 50 años. De principio a fin el servicio fue de primera calidad. Antes del evento, Nell fue muy complaciente con la modificación del menú para adaptarse a todos en la fiesta. Por la noche, el chef y el anfitrión fueron muy atentos y serviciales. No podía faltar nada - gracias a todos!

Ate their on the Friday, then by chance on a restaurant tour on the Sunday. Fabulous, perfecto, brilliant.

Had a fantastic night at Gambas! Sat at the kitchen bar and really enjoyed watching the kitchen staff preparing the food. Great atmosphere and music….. food was delicious (loved the octopus and croquettes) and so were the cocktails. Will definitely return 😊

Enjoyed a great evening at Gambas! Good wine selection, lively atmosphere. Staff were really accommodating and friendly. The food for me was a little hit and miss though. Some dishes were absolutely delicious, especially the croquettes and lentil date salad. The octopus however was a bit dry and the patatas bravas tasted like it had been preprepared and reheated. That said, I would definitely return to try other dishes on the menu. It was a very busy Saturday night!🙂

Este lugar es increíble! Reservamos el comedor privado para el almuerzo con amigos y nos lo pasamos de maravilla. La comida era deliciosa - pusimos en una solicitud especial de pimientos padron como extra que acomodaron y eran tan amables incluso cuando estábamos llegando tarde. Recomendaría Gambas, y no puedo esperar para volver.

The best Spanish restaurant in town. Good produce and good cooking.

The fish is so fresh as well as the tasty accompaniments. The flavours and presentation are on point 🫰

Fab Spanish tapas with a large selection of wine - lovely atmosphere for a lunch time - highly recommend

The vibe of this restaurant at Wapping Wharf is amazing. I am a regular visitor and latest visit was just as excellent. Recommend always try something from the specials, the sardines were sublime, alongside the favourites such as Gambas pil pil and Patatas braves. Food and service is excellent. We will be back soon

So I decided to change my review from 3 to 4 ⭐ because the second time I went was during the week, it was raining so not too busy and it was lovely food, you didn't have to wait too much between plates and the food was warm and tasted fresh, totally the opposite when we went on a Saturday, good weather, really busy... So my recommendation is going when it's not too busy 🤷🏻

The outdoor tables are more of a retro cafeteria and not of a restaurant. The service is professional and fast but rather unfriendly. The food is average. The bread is nothing more than typical market bread. The prawns were smelling of fish, as if the oil had been re-used. The calamari was ok, as was the tortilla. The patatas bravas not appetizing and unevenly cooked. The pork and beef were both very good. The carrot excellent. Overall a bit disappointed with what would be the simplest dishes in the menu. The wine list is very good. Overall it is not the best value for money and I would think twice before I gave them another chance.

Fantastic food and service. The guy working his first shift was excellent and attentive. Loved the chicory and picos blue special.

Absolutely loved our lunch at Gambas every dish was reasonably priced and delicious and my cocktail was best yet!

A visit to Gambas had been on my wish list for many, many months. We finally visited with a group of friends, and it truly lived up to expectations. Delicious wine, with a mix of classic and more unusual tapas plates. The croqueta were a particular stand out dish. I look forward to returning.

Love everything about this place, it’s fantastic. Ambience is great, staff are very attentive and friendly, the food is delicious and the wine selection is also good. Love the King Prawns and the rock fish 🐟. Also addicted to the L’Ancestral fizz which seems to be sold out everywhere else! Can’t wait for my next visit

We ordered around 5 plates and did not really enjoy any of them. The restaurant itself is nice but did not enjoy the food at all. Plus the meat dishes came a while before the vegetable ones so I had eaten most of it by the time my partner ate.

Genuinely some of the best tapas I've had. Worth the money.

Having eaten at Gambas a number of times before, we were really looking forward to our Saturday Lunch, We left feeling really deflated. The first person who served us was really nice and welcoming. It went downhill from there. There was no service.. the plates came out but there was no offer to take away items to clear space. We weren’t followed up on. The croquets were nice enough, the rest of the food was pretty mediocre. We had decided to order the plate of Iberian ham but the order never came. We asked twice and were told to wait while they cleaned the meat slicer. We waited so long, no one asked if we wanted another drink: it felt like they really couldn’t care if we were there or not. We finally got someone’s attention for a drink but no more food arrived. It would seem that Gambas is ticking on in the knowledge it will always have customers so why put the effort in. Medicare food. Terrible service. We had to cancel the meat platter as we waited so long and no one even apologised. They just gave us the bill. We didn’t even tip! The whole experience was a massive downer

Amazing food, amazing staff. Everything you hope and wish for when you go out for a nice meal. Go try for yourself

Prompt service, delicious tapas, great atmosphere. Really enjoyed the red wine, the goxua dessert was a highlight among many delicious plates. This was a repeated visit for a late Sunday lunch. I will definitely be back.

Great food (vegetarian friendly!), lovely atmosphere, good service. Had a wonderful experience with my family - all three generations of us.

Fantastic tapas, the staff are very friendly and very helpful with recommendations and suggestions. The food was excellent and plenty to choose from.

Wanted a nice place to have a good bottle of wine and a few nibbles in the amazing sun, we got that. White wine was chilled perfectly, which is rare to find. Nice wine glasses. Ordered manchego and ibérico salami, really really good. Only reason it isn’t a 5 star review, is because the service although quite efficient (when we managed to get anyone’s attention), it could also benefit from some general friendliness and personalisation.

Great quality food in a relaxed atmosphere. The table was divided about the best dish, with each new plate being "the best". Don't miss out on the Galician Octopus- just sublime 😋

Unfortunately I think I picked poorly from the menu which is really the reflection of my review. The aubergine/molasses was so eye wateringly sweet I couldn’t eat it. The croquette, whilst the delicious and was cold in the middle. Honestly there was further fault with our other dishes, the only highlight the pork which was unbelievably delicious, but at £15 for a tapas size dish? Appalling. My only highlight was the service which was exceptional, friendly and on point.

Ok so I ate here tonight with four friends on a whim - we paid £47 a head and left feeling sated and happy. On the negative side, our fifth member of the table was a little neglected (four plates at the start, four towelettes at the end, and he had to wait for an extra chair - only little things but not first class service in this regard). The cost was high but I reckon that it was in line with the quality of the food which was surprisingly good and above expectations for a random visiting to a tapas place. The portions are small for the money but the flavours came through pretty well. Perfect calamari. The croquettes were cheesy and rich and unctuously delicious. The tomato salad well dressed and refreshing. The aubergine and molasses was a little high on the absorbed oil but amazing nevertheless! Mussels done simply but well and full of flavour. Most dishes were slightly better in quality than I’d expected so a pleasant surprise. I was happy with dishes coming piecemeal (unlike other reviews I’ve read) because the food is coming fresh when it’s ready. Having it all arrive at once would have been a pain! And some stuff would have gone cold too soon. Wine not the cheapest (prob £80 for two bottles having a healthy mark up) but we enjoyed it! To summarise, costs high but reasonable for what we ate. Would come again.

Excellent food with attentive servers, great place.

Tasty and well prepared food but way overpriced. Super micro portions for what you pay. 6 people and we have order about 13 tapas, some vine bottle and cider. For example we have had dogfish tapas, it cost £10 and you get 6 tiny cherry vine tomatoes size pieces of fish ;-0 Everyone end up super hungry and it cost us about £300 This tapas is more like have a glass of wine with tiny snack to eat stop.

Highly recommend. Excellent service from the staff. Food was great.

This place has it licked. Top drawer. 👍

Had the most amazing meal tonight. Can’t thank you all enough. Everything was amazing from start to finish including service, food and drinks.

Visited Bristol with my partner and booked to eat here. Exceptional in all departments, the tuna was amazing and the Peach and Thyme Sangria was a game changer. Highly recommend.

Have used Gambas for many years. This visit was particularly good in all respects - food, service , atmosphere. It was particularly notable as it was to celebrate a birthday. Thank you to all at Gambas for making it special.

Great food and service, loved the music too - Steely Dan and Led Zep - what’s not to like!

Wonderful leisurely lunch. Lovely staff and relaxed atmosphere. Delicious food. Thanks team Gambas!

The food is amazing, sat outside on warm evening, overlooking the waterfront. It was a great evening

Food was good but service was half baked

The sister restaurant of Bravas is just as brilliant. Every dish was a perfect balance of flavours and textures. Staff friendly, fair pricing. Brava!

Oyster happy hour for 2£ each from 5-6pm every Wednesday to Friday

Super vibey place with really fun and attentive staff. Food was brilliant too. Excellent place that is well worth a visit. It's inside a stack of shipping containers if you're feeling a bit lost with map directions. Definitely worth nosing it out

The standard of the food here is incredible, every dish was special. my friend was dairy free too and we didn't struggle to order loads of dishes we both wanted to share. service is brilliant, friendly and they all seemed very informed of the menu. it's a very small space with lots of tables so if you're looking for a quiet relaxed environment then this isn't the place to pick but I love the bustle and pace. it's nice to see into the kitchen too. my favourite dish was the monkfish and I also loved the chocolate mousse. I've also had the truffles before and they are insane.

A perfect combination of good food, good service and good atmosphere. When it comes to Spanish food, I tend to be pretty fussy and discerning. Spanish food may at first glance appear to be simple, but trust me, simple is difficult. The team at Gambas do a great job of preparing those small tasty dishes and serving them on the double whilst there are still piping hot out of the pan. If you’re curious and would like to see a well oiled machine at work, I would recommend sitting at the chef’s counter where you can see all the magic happen. The food is quite flavoursome and varied. Plenty of choice to suit all tastes. The olives are great and the marinade they come in is pretty good to dip your bread in. The Spanish omelette with chorizo has a delicious smoky flavour and the crema catalana is a perfect way of finishing your meal.

Great service and great food! Fresh, succulent ingredients of the highest quality cooked to perfection and served with a smile.

Could use air conditioning food was good, quick and friendly service

AMAZING! They were swamped due to festival but service was still great. Mix up at bill time but again, dealt with really well. Food incredible. Great ambience. Would go again!

Great food, chilled place, lovely service!

We enjoyed our meal so much we came back the next day to eat here again. We started with croquetas on both days, the first was flavoured with blood sausage and the next with mushrooms, both were superb. Many things stood out, for example the mussels were the best I've been served in England for years (so often wizened and disappointing, not here), they were huge, plump and perfectly cooked (see the photo). The calamares were fried n the lightest of batters and deliciously crisp, the octopus was just so tender, the tortilla - gooey in the middle just as it should be. the staff obviously take pride in the food and took real care of us. The restaurant is built into a cargo shipping container with views of the river. We sat at a table outside watching the buzzy life going on all around us. If you enjoy seafood this is the place to go in Bristol.

What a fantastic find! Well worth the drive from sleepy little Wells. The selection of tapas is amazing, the portions are good and the quality excellent.

Excellent service and a lovely atmosphere. Food was excellent and the croquettes were the best i’ve had!

Great Fish and Chips! Nice Scampi as well. Central location. Kind and friendly staff.

Fantastic authentic Spanish tapas, professional speedy service. Highly recommended!

we can eat amazing Spanish meals!

Great food and excellent staff, not just one but all 4 we spoke to. Well done all of you for making it a special evening. We hadn't booked but managed to get a table after a short wait on a busy Friday night. Highly recommend the pink txacoli for the jeopardy in pouring! (Order it and you'll see) Also the shrimp tortitas which were an accidental order and therefore complimentary. Loved it.

The food was absolutely delicious and the service equally impressive. Will definitely come back to try the dishes we didn’t order this time!

This place is just amazing . Food, service!!!! Lovely bunch of people and food is divine!!!

Always perfect cooking, and great service.

Lovely staff, delicious food. Great atmosphere!

Nice service and location but everything was way too salty, and the portion size was too small for its price.

We went here for a friends Birthday, the service and food were incredible.

Excellent food packed with flavour!! My friend and I booked for the first time and were so impressed. We had 6 dishes between us and cocktails and sangri and not one of the dishes disappointed. Atmosphere was busy and pleasant. Certainly felt like I stepped into Spain for the evening. Will 💯 return!

Simply loved this place! Great menu and very high quality food. Authentic Spanish tapas with fresh ingredients. It is almost like a instant transportations to Spain. Lovely staff.

Absolutely fantastic meal, couldn’t fault a single dish! The tuna especially was sublime, couldn’t recommend Las Gambas more 10/10

Way too expensive for what you get. £12 for 3 prawns?! You have to be joking. Also the tortilla needed salt, so did the squid. Most things underwhelming and eye wateringly expensive. Also one of our table said they didn’t want to partake in the wine we were ordering but the waiter still Insisted on bring her a glass anyway AND pouring her a small glass ‘just in case’ .. this is terrible waiter etiquette. She doesn’t drink. Also had to call staff over constantly if we needed anything like the bill or other things, we saw them mainly wandering about. Won’t be back

Lovely friendly staff The food is amazing

Very kind and efficient service. Croquetas were absolutely divine, but the rest of the food was just average in our opinion. Apricot/basil sangria was disappointing, not much flavour to it.