KIBOU Japanese Kitchen & Bar in Bristol, City of

It was glorious particularly as I was with someone I’m in love with

We ordered the veg ramen with tofu,unfortunately it was tasteless and half empty, no veg ,we asked for a quiet area which we got, but it was so dark could hardly see the food. I complained to the Italian waiter who offered an other one without addressing the issue, (he said he would top up with more broth)so felt we would have just got the same again,he was defensive and rude,will go to Itsu next time, half the price tastier and happier staff. Such a shame as its a beautiful looking restaurant

Visit @the_bath_foodie on insta for more Bath & Bristol restaurant pictures, videos and info! Our favourite Japanese! KIBOU is a beautiful restaurant serving fantastic food including lots of brilliant vegetarian options. The cocktails are also fabulous and the sushi keeps up coming back again and again. I would recommend the edamame, the dynamite prawns and the vegan volcano roll!

Very unexpected and very good! I was in Clifton walking pass and found it on maps ti have lunch with my friend. They have amazing vegan options, portions quite big and food is delicious! I had vegan ramen with tofu 😍

Excellent experience, great staff and great service, food was amazing. Highly recommended

Incredibly good food, decent service but very loud and quite aggressive music and slightly weird vibe.

Terrible experience today, took my grandmother and 3 year old son for lunch. Both me and my grandmother have food poisoning. Informed the restaurant, they don’t seem bothered. Staff spent most of the time chatting and not paying any attention to customers, was difficult getting their attention. Will not return or recommend.

We recently visited to celebrate a family birthday. The atmosphere was spot on, our waitress was attentive and made great suggestions, which made our dining experience even better. The cocktails were brilliant, the food was really tasty, and the speed of service was just right. Overall, we had a great time and would definitely recommend this place!

This was a great find for the food, its value, the atmosphere and the the team that serve you..

Amongst the top sushi restaurants in Bristol. Great service and great food.

Nice to try, I thought the food I tried was quite bland tasting. It wasn't for me. I've been to another Japanese restaurant and found this to have nicer flavours. The service of the staff was very friendly and accommodating. The restaurant decor was well presented but would have preferred if the food was better.

Incredible spot. Plenty of excellent vegan options. The miso aubergine is brilliant. Friendly staff.

We had lunch in this restaurant. The food was excellent, a bit pricy though. The service was really good too. Waiter was really pleasant and very polite. Must try if you love Japanese cuisine. The sushi selection is massive🥰

Great atmosphere, lovely staff and delicious food.

We had a great evening in Kibou celebrating my son’s birthday. It’s unusual to find a restaurant that all 5 of us enjoy and that was certainly the case here. We had a range of sushi, sashimi and plates of food. Everything was good. The ‘chef selection’ options were particularly good even if a bit more expensive as the quality of the presentation and the variety of the fish and roe was increased. The non alcoholic drink options were good which I really appreciated as I was driving!

This is our third time at Kibou, for very good reasons, fresh fish, lovely staff and a great atmosphere. As per usual, the sashimi was lovely. When it came to the uramaki and other rolls, the rice was a bit on the bland side, lacking the subtle komezu flavour. As for what I believe to be the volcano roll (as part of the 20 piece signature dish), the rice was pastey and we aren't to keen on fried sushis. As for the deserts, the apple gyoza is always a loved dessert. This time we tried the sesame tiramisu and creme brulé. The tiramisu had a delectable light, fluffy and nutty cream between layers of soft sponge. The ceme brulé had lovely flavours however it was just slightly under set as it wouldn't hold its shape as you put your spoon in it. Nonetheless, it was still very lovely. However, the part that was most disappointing was the service one of the staff provided. Previous times, even when busy, we would be aske if our food was okay, not only that but we were still in the middle of eating our dessert and the bill was already bought to us!!! We hadn't even asked for it yet. From our experience here we well, we would typically get asked if we'd like a tea or coffee after dessert which did not occur this time round. To add, the music was way too loud this time round and we could barely hear eachother. Maybe I'm just being picky because these standards are not found at other restrictions but for what we expect and what we paid for, it was rather disappointing.

We waited 1 hour for the afternoon tea and it was not enough for three. Not worth it.

We had the most gorgeous New Years Eve at KIBOU. The food was amazing, the service was great and the staff were very attentive - it was the perfect atmosphere for our New Year’s Eve celebration.

The food is just s[ooooooooo good! Bristol needs more places like this!

I ordered various Sushi, Agedashi tofu and Donburi, all of these dishes were amazing!! As a Japanese native, I'm happy to confirm that these were all authentically Japanese and very flavourful. My only criticism would be the sushi's shari (rice) lackking a little flavour, but the sashimi (fish) was fantastic. The staff were all very friendly!

Had an incredible experience at KIBOU for my sister-in-law’s birthday. The food was amazing and the service was so good. Extra kudos to Syd who was our server and she was brilliant - so patient, helpful and attentive. We had 2 coeliacs and the range of gluten free food was really good - even had gluten free soy sauce on the table! They understood allergens and were happy to explain the menu and make sure we were having a good time. Would 100% recommend to anyone and hope to be back!

Hair in the food. Not once. But twice! Completely put me off the food. Good staff and cool atmosphere.

Your waiter Si is a credit to your business and made the experience truly amazing. The right level of banter, opinion and quality service with a smile. He knew his drinks and enough about the food to make suggestions and checked in often enough without being pushy. The food and atmosphere were amazing but Si’s service made it first class. Thank you and please pass our thanks to him.

This is my first time at a Japanese restaurant. It was a belated birthday treat by one of my friends. Loved the food and the staff were friendly and kind. I would recommend the place

Great food and great service served by Suzie , I would recommend dynamite prawns , duck teriyaki bao buns and salmon teriyaki

I visited Kibou on the weekend with my partner for her birthday, and it was fantastic. I let the team know in advance about the occasion, and they really went out of their way to make it special. The decor is fantastic, as are the cocktails, which involve Japanese spirits or offer traditional options. We had an array of sharing plates, which were great! Shout-out to our server, Mikey, who made us feel really welcome and gave us a good recommendation for how much to order. We look forward to coming again!"

Great food, fantastic service, cool vibes. Loved it!

Staff were friendly and helpful, I’ve had better Japanese food but this is a great restaurant for the vibe

We have lived in Bristol all of our lives and we eat out a lot and I feel this is up there with the best overall meal in Bristol, If not the best. Amazing choice of food and the quality is fantastic, a great atmosphere and the service is always excellent. Highly recommended and we will 100% be returning over and over again.

DO NOT sit anywhere where a server can approach you from behind. Trust me on this. You're welcome. Edit: I saw your response. Come on, man, it's not complicated. I'm trying to chill and enjoy a meal, your server startled me by walking up to me from behind. Consider training your servers to approach tables from angles visible to customers. Many people prefer to be able to see someone approaching, especially in a restaurant setting where they're trying to relax and enjoy their meal. If you need an email with more details, I cannot help you. I'd also encourage you to make straightforward inferences from reviews and only ask for more information if you really need it.

Oyster mushroom bao bun was too salty and burnt. The salmon and avocado sushi was bland and boring. Go to Tesco and get the yo sushi meal deal instead for better customer service and better tasting food. The pint of kirin was nice

The food was pretty good and plenty of choice on the menu. The tacos were difficult to eat though and not that tasty. The wine was lovely. Unfortunately the service was quite poor. Staff were on their phones a lot and not paying attention when trying to ask them question.

Very very nice. Delicious sushi and very good takoyaki. An impressive selection of drinks. Beautiful space. Update: visited a year later for our wedding anniversary. Just as good if not better 💙 Thank you for the champagne!

The atmosphere is so relaxed and friendly. The food was delicious, would highly recommend the volcano roll!

Beautiful part of Clifton, exceptional food & decor. Thoroughly looked after.

Reserved online. Wenn man früher kommt dann kann man in einer kleinen Ecke einen Aperitif trinken bis der Tisch frei ist. Two starters… edamame and vegetable tempura. A pleasure. Zwei verschiedene Hauptgerichte und wir haben Sake getrunken. All very good. Good service. Highly recommended.

Took my partner to Kibou for our third anniversary - where not only the was service friendly and the food delicious, but we were treated with free champagne upon arrival and free dessert when the server brought over one more than we asked. Absolutely loved the experience and can't wait to go back!

this was my first time coming to KIBOU and all i can say is~the food, the service, drinks, the atmosphere of the place was pure vibessss ‧₊˚ ⋅ 𓐐𓎩 ‧₊˚ ⋅ㅤᵕ̈⋆.˚🦋༘⋆ so so so good, would highly recommend !! high quality and so tasty🇯🇵🍜🍡🍣🍘🥟🍚🍱🍙🍢🍥🍛🥢sorry i didn't take pics of the food... we just demolished it, it was that good 🤤😮‍💨 can't wait to come again 🍮🍵🍶❤️‍🔥

Food was great and service was even better!

My partner's sushi looked very good (and was good, apparently), but my own donburi was very rice-heavy and could have done with more meat and/or vegetables, even if that made it a little more expensive. I fear the katsu might be very similar, in this respect.

Been here at least 10 times in the past. Food is fantastic, service fantastic. Look forward to booking every time I can. I will be back soon

Fantastic family evening out, some wonderful food and drinks and friendly, helpful staff. Sadly, deserts were a bit disappointing and had to be refunded.. But we were quite full by then so we're not unhappy.

3 stars because the food was incredible and we genuinely had a lovely meal but the service was poor. We were asked to leave our table after not even an hour and a half out of a two hour booking. We had wanted desert and another drink so we were asked if we could go and sit in their lounge area which we were happy to do so. It seemed the lounge was more for groups waiting to be seated for their table to be free before their meal rather than after. After 50 minutes of waiting we finally got the attention of a waitress and asked for the bill instead of our desert as we didn’t think this would ever come. It is the first time I have ever asked for the service charge to be removed. Funnily enough after I asked for this the waitress brought another bill over that was more expensive than the first, which was for another table. I am glad I noticed otherwise we would have paid even more.

We went there 3 times and first time was the best of all. The food was amazing and it didn't take too long. It was one of the best prawns we had as a starter. Amd sushi, a man, so delicious. The second time we came to try Rumen but we had to have the prawns again, so so good. The third time, we were disappointed as we had to wait too long, and my prawns arrived to look warm. We were waiting for so long that I gave up and we left without the main meals. But I would go again as twice the food was so delicious.

Great restaurant, great fast service, salmon sashimi was so fresh and tasty that I ordered another portion, thanks to the restaurant employee Daria, she met me and sat me at the table that I like, in addition, she immediately asked if I had any allergies to any food, and she also speaks two languages, thanks to this she helped me choose a delicious scallop in sauce. Thank you 🙏🏼

What an unfortunate experience of feeling both invisible and disregarded. Came today for lunch and we were ignored by the waitress throughout. Luckily the general manager seemed to acknowledge our presence to take our order and provide us the bill. However we had to ask for everything consistently even though the restaurant wasn’t busy. This was highlighted by the fact that the tables either side of us had excellent service from a waitress who just didn’t see us for some reason. I’ve come to a point in life where I question what motivates such disregard? Is it race, class, gender? Either way I shall never come back which is unfortunate as the food is good. C’est la vie!

Fantastic food, great service and wonderful restaurant. Will definitely be returning.

I had the most delicious ramen with chicken EVER at this place. I don't understand how they fried the chicken, but it was very tender and juicy. The broth of the soup was rich and the noodles and other ingredients were very tasty. The meal is expensive, but really filling. I plan to come back here every time I visit Bristol, and even better would be to learn how to make such a wonderful soup myself. Everything in my bowl looked very fresh and flavourful and I think a hearty portion of ramen is the perfect meal when you're tired after a full day of walking on the road. Bristol is one of the "tastiest" cities I've visited, and this restaurant stands really high on the list of my favourite places here.

Absolutely SPEECHLESS. I cannot wait to come back. Your staff were also amazing.

Lovely meal at Kibou. Meals were full of flavour, and cocktails were smooth! We got the dynamite shrimp, pork ramen and teriyaki chicken, all of which were delightful.

Really great atmosphere and the cucumber cocktail is amazing!!

If I lived in Clifton, I would eat here every day. Then I would spend all my money and have to sell my house and move out of Clifton and be back to square one. It was lush, by the way.

Right it’s actually one of my favourite restaurants. However, they don’t take into consideration other people’s requirements. We only eat halal food and they don’t have a separate pan to cook our food. They can only mix it with pork which is unacceptable! They should be more diverse and inclusive and consider peoples needs as there is a high population of muslims in Bristol. Please consider making options for them! Additionally, the service is actually rubbish, they actively ignored us when we walked in!

I don't recommend the bottomless sushi . Thanks to the staff to "upgrade" me because I did a mistake in the booking . But it don't worth the price . Plates are taking long time to come , and the quality is acceptable but nothing that will turn you on . This day they seems understaffed for the service , so that's why I'm putting 3* . The last plate I ordered never arrived , and I had to go . And to finish well, they had a problem with the card payment( not the staff fault, but always annoying to have to pass the card few times, different cards). I did a shopping on the neighbours shop and everything was ok . I m working in the hospitality business, so. I know how it can be sometimes.

Amazing place. Great Japanese food. Highly recommended. Tried it for dinner and really enjoyed. Preferably make a reservation, it can get really full

Overpriced for what it is but it is prob bc I am Asian and know what real sushi looks tastes and costs like. But given that it is in Bristol it is not bad at all. I will revisit when I miss raw fish but can’t go back home to get real sushi. Note that they charge you service fee of 12.5%.

Consistently good. Great sushi!

As usual, amazing and delicious. One of the best japanes restaurant at Bristol.

Sushi is great but the rest of the menu isn’t worth how expensive it is. Great atmosphere and great staff.

Fantastic food and lovely staff - we went in on a whim for lunch and left very impressed

Amazing restaurant with yummy sushi

We had a nice meal here, service was excellent and the food very good. The food is a bit overpriced for what it is. But enjoyed our meal very much.

Overpowering smell of fish and quite cold. We came for vegan menu cause it looked amazing but we were totally disappointed. The miso aubergine was edible but not presented well. There was a poke bowl which was mostly rice and hardly any mushroom or toppings. The sake was served cold? ! And the distinct fishy taste to the rice which may have just been seaweed but as a vegan it was really offputting. We would not recommend this restaurant for vegans

Delicious food and a cosy vibe. I had the agedashi tofu (the tofu could be silkier), salmon teriyaki don (delicious) and assorted mochi for dessert. It came to Gbp150 for four adults (no alcohol). The portions are very generous and the flavours were spot on and good quality produce. Highly recommend.

Great sushi and service. It’s also great that they have lots of gluten free options

Shocking! We were looking for a quick, early lunch for 2, and waited for it to open at 12.00. Cannot comment on food and atmosphere, as the lack of service meant we couldn't sample either. The restaurant was completely empty, yet we were told that due to staff shortages, they weren't taking any walk-ins. We walked past after a decent lunch elsewhere, and it was less than half full. Pity, as Kibou had been recommended to us by friends. That attitude is hardly conducive to a successful business, especially in a city with so many great restaurants. Unforgivable and we do not intend to forgive.

It was my first experience with Sushi and I have to say I'm already looking forward to coming back. The food standards, the service and the atmosphere were sublime. Totally recommended.

Food was amazing, Sam was great fun and we could see him tirelessly working the room and making each table feel special. His drinks recommendations were spot on too!

Nice ambience and decor, good customer service, and excellent food. 9.5/10 Would give 10/10 if the prices were slightly cheaper.

Ami provided excellent service. The food was incredible! I love this restaurant! 100% recommend & will come back many times!

Just had lunch at Kibou and had to leave a review immediately! The food was stunning and the service was just as great! A big shout out to Ami, who is a joy and have great recommendations and outstanding service. Thank you! Will definitely be back’

We booked the next available table for bottomless sushi, excitedly waited a month for the date to arrive. Upon getting to the restaurant they only had us down for a regular lunch. I explained we booked a month ago for the bottomless sushi option, and the waitress even acknowledged that they'd had issues with the booking system. However, they refused to honour the booking we'd made, so we left. I'm sure it's lovely food, and we'll probably try it again at some point. Instead we went 5 minutes down the road to Noa, which I can thoroughly recommend! 5 stars.

First time visiting and will definitely be back! Great food and staff.

My partner took me our for my birthday, amazing atmosphere, delicious food, friendly staff and awsome service, the sushi was amazing.

Some great vegetarian options. The aubergine was out of this world. Amazing crispy skin and soft flesh. Best dish we had. Vegetarian sushi was disappointing in comparison. Great service and atmosphere.

I came here a while back for my vegan boyfriends birthday and it was a lovely experience. All the vegan options seemed to have a place rather than just being a last resort. We had a whole sushi platter and it was amazing, massively enjoyed it and was worth the money. The ramen I had wasn't my favourite but that was entirely up to my own taste buds as my boyfriend really liked it. Also the small birthday surprise at the end was a lovely ending touch to the day.

Great selection of sushi, sashimi, etc. Tuna sashimi was really good! This was for three people so I’d say that we should have ordered more but it was good anyway.

Food overall is nice, but a bit pricy for what it is

All the Japanese food I ate in London, even Marugame Seimen, was really bad, which surprised me, but the fried tofu, hand-rolled sushi, and cutlet curry I had here were all delicious. The flavor of the soup stock was really effective.

The food here was fantastic. While we did have to chase one persons food as the rest of us had nearly finished before it came, it made up for the wait with how tasty it was.

The staff were lovely and the food was phenomenal. Lots of veggie options and reassured that they don’t use any nuts in the cooking. Hope to visit again soon!

The place was absolutely beautiful and had a lovely atmosphere. I would 100% recommend this place to anyone. The food was astounding I felt as if I had died and gone to heaven. If I had gone to heaven I would not even be mad because this food absolutely slayed. The flavours were amazing and this will go down in history as the best meal I have ever eaten. (Written by my 17 year old daughter but completely agree. Great service as well)

Food looks amazing but not completely there with the taste. The sushi is definitely great but the rice bowls arent. I had a duck leg rice bowl....the rice was hard and the rice was completely drenched in a VERY sweet and overpowering sauce which I feel like is not great. As an asian restaurant, you SHOULD know how to cook rice.... Cocktails were innovating and tasty though.

Stepping into KIBOU Japanese restaurant in Clifton is like stepping into a vivid daydream conjured by the most inspired of culinary minds. It is, quite simply, now firmly my favourite place in Bristol. The food is very, very good. No, scratch that. The food is so delectable it borders on divine. Start with the soft shell crab tempura. Imagine a crustacean cloaked in the lightest, crispiest batter, as if it’s been kissed by angels before landing on your plate. Then there are the duck bao buns. Oh, the bao buns! Soft, pillowy clouds encasing rich, succulent duck that melts in the mouth. The pumpkin croquettes deserve a standing ovation all on their own: golden, crispy exteriors giving way to sweet, creamy interiors that taste like autumn in a bite. The list goes on, each dish a revelation, each bite a marvel. The stock options like sashimi and sushi are perfect. Perfect. It almost feels redundant to mention them, so flawlessly do they execute these staples. Fresh, vibrant slices of fish that sing with the clean, unadulterated flavour of the sea. Rolls that balance texture and taste with a precision that borders on obsessive. Next, let’s talk about the venue. Beautiful. Creative. Cool. Friendly. It’s a space that doesn’t just invite you in; it wraps you in a warm, stylish embrace and makes you never want to leave. Perfectly located in trendy Clifton Village, KIBOU feels like the beating heart of this vibrant community. The décor is a masterclass in modern aesthetics with a touch of Japanese elegance. It’s the kind of place where every detail has been thought out, every corner has a story to tell. The clientele? Refreshingly elegant. In an age where casual has become the norm, people actually dress up to come here. It’s as if KIBOU casts a spell, making everyone want to rise to the occasion, to match the restaurant’s own sophisticated charm. This, especially in Bristol, is nothing short of a miracle. The cocktails are good and interesting, each one a delightful concoction that complements the food perfectly. The service is efficient, and let’s face it, a well-oiled machine. Staff glide about with a grace and competence that’s almost balletic. I’m struggling to find an issue. Really, I am. Ah, there it is: it’s hard to get a table. But perhaps that’s not a flaw so much as a testament to KIBOU’s brilliance. It’s a place so exceptional that everyone wants a piece of it. Love this place.

Great place to eat, super accommodating didnt catch his name but the gentleman that speaks French is a super star and made the night even better

So good. Rare to find a place that looks lovely and has amazing food and service. Lovely meal, thank you Kibou. ✨🌟💫

My daughter wanted to go here following her graduation ceremony. The food was incredible, and thus, an expensive nuance was added to my culinary desires....BUT ! Well worth it if you want to experience something unique and utterly delicious.....

We had a lovely meal at KOBOU. The food is great and the restaurant is very pleasant inside. The service charge is not so pleasant and wholly unjustifiable. We have a minimum wage in the UK and tipping culture is something we should not be promoting. If the management want their employees to have more rewards for their work then they should pay them more, rather than relying on their customers to subsidize them.

Great atmosphere and staff, attentive enoguh to gently encourage along ordering but not pushy. Definitely gets marks for presentation and choice of fancy ingredients. Well prepared and delicious. Thoroughly enjoyable but you certainly pay for the quality. Definitely would recommend!

Really delicious food and amazing staff. Definitely would listen to their recommendations as the cauliflower starter was devine. Will definitely come back to try out the rest of the menu

After visiting this place, I have no desire to come back again. First of all, the ratio of price and taste. Very simple dishes (I mean the ingredients too) with an overpriced price. Secondly, the percentage for service. As a standard, establishments charge 10% for service, here it's 12.5, and frankly, the service is not justified by such a percentage. The only thing that pleases me is the cleanliness and partly the interior, but £70 for dinner is not worth it.

Really good dining experience between me and two friends, we got a sushi platter to share and 5 or so small plates. They have good recommendations in terms of quantity to order for the size of your group. The fish roe was very fresh! Very nice decor inside as well giving it a great atmosphere

Lovely place did get quite busy so needed to make a reservation. Food was very fresh and tasty

First visit, food was really good.

Great! Clean upscale restaurant , friendly staff , tasty meal!

Great restaurant , lovely food. This is my first time visiting the restaurant and enjoying some high quality Japanese food. Very cool and relaxing environment. Clean toilets. Parking is always a challenge in the area. If you are in the Clifton area and in the place for some Japanese food then this restaurant is for you.

Sadly, it was more of a negative experience for me. I love ramen and had many ramens in many places, but I don't remember having one as oily as this. The tofu was delicious, but also on the oly side. Big piece of bak choi, hard to eat and very oily. The combination was an oil overload. The only truly enjoyable piece was the egg. The restaurant is beautiful but there are 3 tables in a dark gloomy corridor with no view or anything. Half a meter away from us, there was a projector showing a giant windows error. The rest of the restaurant was very spacious, cosy, and classy. These 2 tables have no place being where they were. A tall bar with tall chairs facing the rest of the place would have looked and felt much better, so you get a view. If you are placed on the bad tables, ask to be moved, and you can get a much better deal. Staff was super polite and nice, lovely people. But both food and drinks took ages. My meal took nearly an hour. It is worth saying that my partner enjoyed the food more than me and got it faster too. Also we both had vegetarian meals, maybe the meat ones are better. But I would give 4/10 to the overall experience. On the bright side the prices were decent for a classy place like that, unless you are sat at the bad tables.

Lovely place. Afternoon tea was small but very tasty. Food from the main menu was awesome. Nice atmosphere too

Came for my birthday meal and had a wonderful evening. My partner had chashu ramen and said it was amazing

We had such a lovely evening! The food was delicious & our waitress Erika made our visit very special! Highly recommend!!