Gambas Tapas Bar in Bristol, City of

Service was excellent and food was delicious as usual. Air dried tuna 10/10. Six dishes, bread, bottle of wine and coffees between 3 people for £35 ish per person feels very reasonable. Always so lovely

We absolutely loved our experience here! This restaurant is featured in the Michelin Guide, and it’s well-deserved. The quality and attention to detail are truly exceptional. We sat at the Kitchen Counter, where we placed our order with the waitress. One of the dishes we wanted was sold out, but the chef overheard us and immediately offered to make a fresh batch. He let us know it would take a little longer, but we could still have it—now that’s real customer service and passion for food! We ordered the Croquetas of the day (chorizo), Cazón en Adobo (marinated, deep-fried fish), Pulpo, and Gambas pil-pil. Every single dish was outstanding. Highly recommend!

Fourth visit, and it gets better every time: the venue is lovely and quaint. The service is outstanding and the food is simply amazing.

We went to Gambas in Bristol for my family Birthday meal and it was all amazing, such a hidden treat. Highly recommended. Food, service and ambience were all spot on.

A lovely place to have a special.meal with family and friends. Elegant decor with relaxed atmosphere. Delicious and carefully crafted food with high quality ingredients, attentive and efficient service. Thank you - a memorable occasion.

VERY good tapas restaurant. Some different dishes to the usual suspects. Up with the best we have enjoyed in London.

Lovely evening, delicious food, super service, and fab music. Thank you.

Excellent food and drink. All dishes were exceptional.

Love it here, consistently top quality food and service

Had an absolute amazing time, the staffs attention to detail was spot on and all very friendly and informative. We had a cocktail each and both blew us away, we work in cocktail bars and couldn't fault anything. The food was incredible, I don't eat seafood nearly at all but everything was amazing and might have converted me to the world of mussels. Definitely will be back!

Fourth time I’ve been here and yet again very happy. Food is tip top, we sat at the bar and great to see everything happening right in front of us. The service is extremely attentive and friendly. Will definitely come again. Nice for a mini splurge.

9 of us visited Gambas for a family get together. Everything was brilliant. Food delicious, great atmosphere and the staff were so friendly. We had such a perfect evening. A big thank you to you all x

Great Tapas and excellent staff. Highly recommend this place.

Great atmosphere, tasty food and enjoyful people. Thank you so much!

Best food I’ve had in Bristol, hands down

I went to Gambas with friends for my Birthday. Thoroughly enjoyed the food. The service was good and there were some nice touches at the start such as the complimentary Sherry and the savoury bits. Would definitely return.

Given a voucher for a birthday. Everything was good, the food, cocktails, staff and ambience. The pili pili prawns were outstanding and the cured beef was presented as beautifully as it tasted. Definitely recommend.

Extremely tasty tapas, the best I've had outside Spain! A really interesting environment, definitely unique!

Stunning gaff. Can't recommend it enough

With only 24 hours notice Gambas sorted us the private room for 14 people. They made the special occasion even more special. Such a great atmosphere and the food was all perfect.

Private dining area perfect for 16 of us, a great way to mingle rather than a sit down meal. Great food, great hosts. Strongly recommend

Took 14 members of the family here for Private Dining experience. I was not disappointed. Both the service and the food was excellent. Leading up to the event there was lots of communication to ensure they understood what I wanted. They didn't get it wrong! Truly lovely. Thank you.

Fantastic evening in the private dining area - perfect for mingling with friends, great alternative to a sit down, formal dinner. Great food and hosts. Nell was brilliant in setting it all up

Booked Gambas as a business lunch event and we booked the PDR. It was excellent, the service was great and the food was absolutely lovely. Highly recommend booking the PDR.

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!

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.

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

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

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

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. 😁

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.

Lovely place Staff great definitely recommended 👌

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

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

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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

Food was good but service was half baked

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

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

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

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

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