Marco's Olive Branch Italian Restaurant & Bar in Bristol, City of

Incredible food and lovely staff highly recommended!!

I was here for a work evening meal and had a very warm welcome with great food to match. Definitely worth a visit 😀.

Excellent food and service. Been here 3 times and tried different dish each time and it has always been good.

We meet up with friends here and it was a lovely Italian 🇮🇹 restaurant. The pasta tasted as good as it was in Italy! It is not a chain and was authentically Italian.

Excellent, friendly service! Really delicious food, would definitely come again

Brilliant experience. Delicious pasta, nice staff. A bit on a pricey side but worth it.

I ordered the Italian sausage ravioli £20.95 although the portion size is rather small the quality of the food was excellent ! , service was attentive and didn’t have to wait too long to be seated, got a good table upstairs with no reservation

I ate here with a friend on 29th of June 2024 as staying at the Hilton nearby. the food was AMAZING! I would highly recommend to anyone visiting to eat here. Top Tip: try the Tri di Crostini for starter

Amazing food and delightful, attentive service. We typically avoid Italian restaurants as they often don't measure up to our Grandma's amazing cooking. However, Marco's is the exception. Highly recommend the lasagna and the salmon calzone. Be sure to save room for dessert!

Great little place in the heart of bristol. Excellent food and service.

Two nights in the worst hotel ever but with this little gem around the corner at least dinners were amazing. Are in one night and takeaway the next. Lovely pizza and really friendly staff - what more could you ask for 😁

I visited with a friend. We had the burrito and salami for starters, both delicious. For mains I had the wild boar ravioli with a porcini cream sauce. My friend had the fregola Paella and he was very pleased with it. Nice, reasonably priced, bottle of Valpolicella with it. All in all, it was a very pleasant eating experience.

Wonderful Italian restaurant with some of the best ravioli I have ever eaten. There was plenty of crab in the filling and it was paired with two plump King prawns. Good tiramisu too. Attentive service, nice atmosphere and a table upstairs looking outwards. And all within easy reach of the Travel Lodge. Definitely recommend.

The food was the nicest. The staff was fantastic and lovely. We were all really pleased we had chosen Marco's. Thank you.

The service was slow but the workers apologized every moment and invited us to a round of drinks for the delay in the food, but the wait was excellent, everything good quality and fresh. we will be back

Really impressed with the place! Food, staff and layout. I had tagliatelle bolognese and asked for some chilli to heat up a bit. . It worked. Garlic bread pizza style to share which we all loved. Recommend if you’re close by

I booked here for my 21st birthday, I booked over the phone as it was larger party, I confirmed over the phone for the date and time. However when we arrived the restaurant was completely shut despite saying it was open online and their opening hours. Tried calling but no answer, regardless of the reason for shutting randomly you should notify any bookings if your are shutting so they can make different plans. My 21st birthday was ruined.

Great food, atmosphere and staff. Would return in a heartbeat ❤️

A lovely family run Italian. Food was great and tasted fresh, great wine, reasonable prices and a friendly attentive service.

I cannot fault the food, however……. We went early as it was a Saturday night and on arriving we were shown to a nice table next to a huge window. We ordered our drinks and “ himself” was served a warmish lager, so he had a word and it was replaced with a decent cold one. There was a table of 12 very loud people near us and the noise was horrendous. We couldn’t hear what we were saying to each other it was that bad. We Considered paying for our drinks and leaving but decided to stick it out. The starters arrived and it was delicious, enhanced by the table of 12 upping and leaving! At last we could have a conversation! As our mains arrived a group of 19 people arrived! Oh how I wish we had earplugs. The lack of soft furnishings means that every sound is enhanced.we literally could not believe the screeching sounds coming from nearby. I cannot fault the food, however I will not return as it was not an entirely enjoyable experience. Perhaps it is more pleasant midweek? Busy Saturday night? Forget it! Such a shame

Only place I have seen a salmon Calzone.

I hidden gem in Bristol City centre. In handy distance to the train station. Lovely food. Friendly staff. Good prices. I would definitely recommend.

Really, really lovely food. Sardinian stuffed pasta was so delicious.

Genuine Italian dining experience

Happenstance brought us to the restaurant, where we found a lovely, welcoming atmosphere, great food and lovely staff. The perfect neighbourhood Italian restaurant.

Amazing atmosphere, amazing food, amazing wine, amazing service, all of the party were very happy with the evening meal, I have booked already to go back!!

Good friendly mid week meal with excellent service. Can get busy.

On the pricey side, but worth the price and good specials. Cant flaw the service in any way. Highly recommend the cocktails

Went for a Timeleft dinner here and the food didn't dissapoint! Really great italian restaurant with authentic italian recipes and great portions. The place does get a little loud with all the peopke chatting but you know it's good when it is full to the brim

We were served by Matilda (if the name on receipt is correct) and she was a lovely waitress! Couldn't be more satisfied with her service and the overall atmosphere provided. We will be back!

Came here with my boyfriend and we had the aubergine pasta and spinach and ricotta tortellini which were incredible. Starters were also amazing and biscoff cheesecake was delicious. We will definitely be coming back, and the best part was the service was so attentive, even lighting the candle on our table that had gone out halfway through the meal. Our new fave spot in Bristol!

Date Night Done Right: Amore in Every Bite! This Sardinian gem stole our hearts (and maybe a little extra space in our stomachs)! I need to admit food is just heavenly delicious just as unique. Me and my partner especially loved the ravioli, filled with pumpkin and bathed in a leek sous that melted our hearts like a summer afternoon sun. ☀️ Leek and pumpkin? Who knew? This Nonna is a genius! Just be warned, the portions are so big, you might need to share... :D Beyond the food, the restaurant itself was a delight. The cosy ambiance and tasteful decor created a perfect setting for a romantic evening. The staff was friendly as famiglia, always ready with a smile, attentive and accommodating, ensuring our every need was met. Whether you're celebrating a special occasion or simply looking for a delicious and enjoyable dining experience, definitely worth a visit. P.S. Just wanted to say thanks again for making birthday celebration so special and unforgettable. P.P.S. We'll definitely be back soon, and the tiramisu is on our list!!! <3

Brilliant takeaway pizza, friendly service and a lovely atmosphere in the restaurant

Fabulous food last night. Pizza was really good. Very good service and nice choices on menu. Good atmosphere a warm welcome

I was craving for some fresh pasta for some time and went there for my birthday. Probably I had great expectations due to the good reviews, but the fresh ravioli wasn't good. I had the feeling that they were shop bought:( Not coming back.

First try of this restaurant and will definitely be back. Beautiful and unique seafood, fish and pizza and very welcoming. Superbly fresh mussels to start then seabass ravioli and half calzone pizza for mains - both new experiences and delicious. Five star start to finish

Another visit, and as always, fantastic. Staff Christmas meal this time, and everyone enjoyed, even slightly amending the set menu, fab place.

Great Italian restaurant. Chefs brilliant, food was amazing. The staff are friendly and helpful.

Work Christmas meal and Marcos was suggested by another colleague. Considering it's close location to work it's a surprise very few had experienced here! Food did not disappoint! Very reasonable sized portions, some lovely sharing platters and a lovely, somewhat noisy, ambience upstairs. A great vibe for celebrations and the staff were extremely kind, patient and friendly.

We waited for our order for more than 1 hour, without being notified what the expected waiting time could be. When we finally decided to ask after our food one of the members of staff arrogantly stated that since we had had a starter in the menu the mains wouldn't have been served together with it. The starter was just one and had been eaten 40 minutes ago and I believe we should have been asked whether we wanted everything together or separately like in other places. The truth was they had not even prepared our food and instead of an excuse we got the rudest and most horrible attitude ever. A good place, especially a restaurant that claims to be Italian would have never left its guests hungry for hours but would have at least served some anti pasti like bread or olives while waiting as a compliment! The waitress continued arguing with us without apologising for the inconvenience. That was a most disappointing experience and neither me nor my friends would visit it a second time!

Piacevole scoperta in Bristol. Proprietario è un signore sardo. Cameriere molto gentile era romano. Provato cozze alla marinara. Buone. Tagliatelle al granchio. Gustose Tiramisù. Ottimo. Si sente che usano prodotti italiani. Il sapore è quello italiano. Top. Consigliato!!

Brilliant food,very friendly staff,service A1.

Amazing Food. Pizza & Sharing board were really good

I go to Bristol regularly for work and this was a recent discovery. We had dinner there on our first evening and liked it so much we went back on the second too. Really great food at reasonable prices, nice atmosphere. The braised pork is amazing, so too the lamb and chicken. And the pasta specials were also delicious. Highly recommended.

Had a cracking meal here. Food service everything was brilliant Thanks for a great night.

We moved to Bristol 16 months ago, we tried going to Marco’s a couple of times but it was fully booked. Yesterday I made a reservation on their website and just added a note saying “we are celebrating my mom’s birthday”. We got there, the place was warm and cozy, Robert and was super attentive and serving, so were a couple more waiters who came and asked a few times to make sure everything was good. The food was amazing, we had two pastas and the lasagna. All plates had great portion and tasted great. When we finished our food I asked for the bill. Mind you, I didn’t mention a thing to them about my mom’s birthday. But they had read the note I left. They turned out the lights and 4/5 waiters came with a piece of cheesecake (that was ridiculously delicious), a candle, started singing happy birthday and making noise. To be fair, even though I left the note on the reservation, I didn’t expect it. Even less did my mom. It made her day, and mine. The experience was beautiful. We will definitely be going back very soon. I now have a favourite restaurant in Bristol.

Everything was good,apart from the Albanian guy, who's working at Italian restaurant! 😂 at least they could put some music on, no atmosphere at all!

We popped in before a concert being held close by, we didn’t want to eat much so they we’re happy to split the pizza which was absolutely lovely. The waiter and hostess were so lovely and even did us a nice Irish coffee for the cold walk ahead! Highly recommended lovely place all round🙌

Muy buena, pizzas del 10, la atención exquisita. Felicidades por ser magníficos. Estuvimos el 13 de octubre desde. Lanzarote.

We popped in for lunch on a very wet Friday. The service was lovely and the food beautiful. the restaurant is light and airy with a great view of Temple Church (husband who isn't Bristolian was fascinated by the tilt!). The Sardinian variations made the food more interesting than the standard Italian. Hope to come back for my birthday! Returned for my birthday and the food was truly sublime. Scallops perfectly cooked, mussels too. The Sardinian take on paella was lovely and the braised lamb was enjoyed by husband. Love affogato, but husband tells me to try the honeycomb cheesecake next time. Update: returned for dinner in May and October 2023 - marvellous food. Scallops cooked to perfection, house wine (rose) is great, service is friendly - has turned into my favourite place to eat in Bristol. Thank you so much.

Frendly and attentive staff Amazing pizza i had the mob which and the toppings were perfectly balanced The food came out in no time at all and was delicious

Marcos olive branch is a lovely authentic Italian restaurant and I had a great experience. Definitely the best pizza in Bristol, they even let me make my own custom pizza.

Great atmosphere, brilliant service , what a shame about the food, so disappointed. Calamari that was clearly frozen,chewy and tasteless. The seafood pasta was very disappointing, small portion, with one prawn ,one peice of calamari ,really wonder why they bothered and a few muscles and an average pasta sauce . My husband had seabas which was miniscule and left him hungry ,so gutted as the staff were lovely .

Excellent service -plenty of staff, quick and really friendly service. As a vegetarian, there were quite a few pizzas and pastas available for me, but not much else. The food was absolutely delicious, and a good portion. We also got some chips which also tasted amazing. The atmosphere inside was great on a Friday evening. Can't recommend it enough.

Once again this is one of the best Italian dining experiences I've had outside of Italy. The food is excellent, tasty and filling. Service keeps on coming just when you need it and the couple who own it brings that feeling of home all good Italian's know.

Same as I knew it six years ago.

Best Calzone I've ever had. Bella was superb and attentive

We've had a pasta and meat dish, both delicious. Friendly staff and cosy place.

Visited for lunch with my team from work. Preordered food which arrived quickly despite the restaurant being busy. Food all good, plenty of it and tasty.

This is an exceptional restaurant, serving very high quality food with friendly and attentive service. I had the lobster ravioli followed by the affogato, whilst my dining companion enjoyed a lasagne and brownie. The house wine was also great. I really enjoyed this meal and would happily visit again.

Great variety in the menu with lots of vegetarian choices. They could even accommodate vegetarian pasta dishes without onions.

Très bon restaurant italien . Accueil chaleureux et vraie cuisine sarde delicieuse. De la burrata aux pâtes tout est parfait

I'd walked past Marco's so many times and never been in. Went last night and thought it was brilliant. Really good service - friendly staff who were very accommodating for our 3 year old, which was lovely. Amazing food - we had lovely Veggie antipasti with olives, aubergines, courgettes, peppers etc., and great pasta dishes with seafood, monkfish, smoked pancetta. Wine selection is great, with plenty of Italian stuff, and the deserts were amazing. Best affogato I've ever had. Will definitely be back.

Very good food and very kindle personnel. The special dishes from Sardagna are enjoyable and at a fair price.

Her kom vi over en skjult perle. Restauranten var egentlig fullbooket, men et bord til to fikk de til. Her var det service og meget koselig personale som tok i mot oss og alle ande gjester på en fin måte. Prøves smak på øl, som vi var usikker på var en av tilbudene vi fikk. Her var det gode porsjoner og deilig mat, fra forrett til dessert.

Proper Italian food! We visited in a group of 10 and everyone loved it! The service was great too and already looking to book again!

A long established and attractive looking restaurant, we had been meaning to try this for some time and eventually got around to it. I didn’t even realise they had an upstairs, and this is where we were seated, right in the window, which gave good views over the street outside. Not that the views are that great, but it was still nice being by a large window, it gave it a nice, airy feeling. The menu was very extensive, with a large A3 sheet being covered quite densely on both sides, as well as a further dozen or so options on the specials board. Perhaps that should have rung alarm bells, such a large choice does make you wonder how much of it is freshly prepared. I went for the fresh oaked smoked salmon served with whipped brown crabmeat and baby rocket from the specials board. This arrived alarmingly quickly, probably no more than five minutes after we’d ordered. Sometimes it’s nice to at least get the impression that your food is being freshly prepared, even if it’s not. The smoked salmon was pretty good, although I really couldn’t taste the brown crab, it seemed more like a salmon mousse to me. Across the table, the fresh creamy burrata served with vine tomatoes and a rocket pesto, and again this was ok, but certainly nothing outstanding. The burrata was really more like a mozzarella, perhaps a little crumblier in the middle, but note the soft and creamy centre that I would have expected. A main course of ravioli filled with seabass and served in a creamy smoked salmon sauce also arrived extremely quickly, no more than five minutes after our starters had been cleared, to the point that it really felt like we were being rather rushed. The dish itself was actually pretty good, big pieces of ravioli with a decent filling and a tasty sauce. A slow cooked pork belly with rosemary juice on a bed of creamy potato mash and honey glazed carrots was a little less successful perhaps. Two generous slices of pork belly certainly, but no crackling on them, just a rather chewy, sticky skin and they were served on the bone so not nearly as big as they first appeared. There were also a few bits of gristle in there. The honey glazed carrots looked more like a pumpkin mash, but overall, it was perfectly ok, but again really nothing exciting. I’ve mixed feelings about this really, it’s a nice setting, there’s plenty of choice and the young waitress was very friendly. But none of the food was really anything particularly special, we did feel rather rushed, and the harsh acoustics (not helped perhaps by a table of twelve next to us) made it somewhat less than relaxing.

Three of us had an excellent lunch here yesterday. The Sardinian pasta dishes of the day were delicious with a special mention for the Culurgiones with mushrooms. Side salads were not quite up to the same standard with an excess of unpeeled cucumber. It was also a little noisy for the older diner as there are no soft furnishings to soak up noise. But the pasta would tempt me back any day

Called in for a quick meal. Main course was a little slow, however lovely food and lively atmosphere. Friendly staff

I come with my family for a dinner. We believe that this Italian restaurant has the best tasting Italian food in the UK. really cosy atmosphere , extremely nice staff with memorable story of the owners.

What a excellent establishment collette looked after us friendly staff beautiful food and beer to die for we will definitely make a return on our next visit from Dublin.

Excellent place to try delicious Italian pasta and pizza. The staff is friendly and the service is quick. Great value for the money. We visited it twice.

Great quality food and flavours. Emily's service is top notch.

I had the Spaghetti Carbonnara, and it was really good. The service was Ok, with not much to complain about... But there was a member of the staff constantly rushing up and down, in and out, etc... And that was making me feel unconfortable, because I could see no reason for it, as the place was not that crowded with customers! Relax! The lowest point of all though... It seemed to me that the table I was put on had bread crumbles from before (even that it had clean dishes, glasses and cutlery), and I had that feeling of "sticky surface" when my sleeves touched the table! Please pay more attention to these details, and make sure the tables are clean before sitting the next customers. I wish the very best of lucks for this business, and I might pass by in the future to see if it has improved (and review it again)!

This is a truly great restaurant. Fantastic food and wine. But oh my god, unless you’re a rich American tourist, don’t expect to get much attention paid to you. We would have stayed for coffee and desserts, but being completely overlooked so the head waiter could grovel to a bunch of loud Americans made what could have been a great experience, pretty depressing. We would have tipped big too, but come the bill we just left. Why tip after being blanked. Think again, Marco….

Attentive, but not overbearing, service and great food particularly the pasta dishes. Mixed side salad had a good selection.

Just sublime. Highly recommended

** Update: We did go back and enjoyed our second visit just as much as the first ** Very nice indeed. The food was excellent with a great selection of vegan and other food. Generous portions. Friendly service. Fair prices. I am looking forward to a return visit.

Marcos was exceptional dining, we were a group of 18 and the food was fabulous and all orders were perfect. My choices were great and after asking others we agreed this was an exceptional find. The staff were great and looked after us beautifully. Wish it were closer to my home! Well done.

my favourite place to go after work - great specials and a very big menu with lots of traditional options . You can also takeaway if you wish , but its so nice inside !!

This restaurant is our businesses old faithful. We have come here for numerous work nights out and they have never let us down. The staff (especially Collette, who is absolutely lovely) are extremely knowledgeable about the food, proper authentic and delicious Sardinian cuisine. The service could not be more friendly and welcoming and we are truly treated like family everytime we dine, which is often, and will continue bringing our clients here for an amazing night out. (Side note: would highly recommend the sharing platters, wine, lobster ravioli, carbonara and honeycomb cheesecake if you decide to come - but everything is delicious).

Absolutely Amazing food! Great Service and atmosphere. Had a wonderful time and will definitely be back! 😁

The service and atmosphere were excellent as usual yesterday. Unfortunately our 2 guests had to return their main courses due to them being cold and the other 2 mains were cool. They were returned re-heated and the food was very tasty. However, we did feel disappointed with our visit this time.

Thought this Italian would be really good so me and my partner gave it a go only to order a 4 cheese pizza that looked like it was a plain cheese pizza from Aldi (in all honesty a pizza from Aldi is better) and then to order a pork belly that was full of bone was disgusting didn’t come with a side of veg just a bit more bone and then to be charged £1 for a pot of mayonnaise I would advise to stay away

Late booking, 9.30pm when they stop at 10.00pm, but they welcomed us and were efficient in getting drinks, menus, orders taken, food delivered. Top quality lasagne, nice mixed salad, gluten free pasta (very good, and they also do GF pizza), 3 glasses of wine for £58. Highly recommended.

Great food, close to Bristol Temple Meads

Great atmosphere and good food. The only problem is deciding between all the great things on the menu.

Food was excellent. The beetroot ravioli is highly recommended!

Good home cooked Sardinian food, good service, in an unassuming spot just out of the busy centre. A real find.

Nous avons passé deux dîners dans ce restaurant et tout était super bon! Leur assiette d’antipasti à partager est un délice! Et mention spéciale aux pâtes aux champignons. Le jeune serveur est vraiment très sympa ! Il vaut mieux que ce soit lui qui s’occupe de vous! Et la clientèle est très sympa ! Nous y sommes allés pour le 6 mai et toute l’ambiance donnait l’impression de vacances au bord de la Méditerranée ! Si vous êtes à Bristol, allez y!

70th Birthday gathering with family, 14 in total ranging from 2 year old to 70+. Restaurant absolutley wonderful in every respect. Seated upstairs, brilliant, bright and airy outlook; atmosphere cosy and family centred, terrific service. Food faultless with some exceptional dishes. Everyone deighted with the experience and would very highly recommend. Truly a little gem. Thank you for making it a wonderful evening.

We stayed in Bristol 4 nights and ate here 3 . Special mention to Emily and Bella for their outstanding service . Food is awesome , lovely vibe too .. I’d give you 10 stars if we could ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Best pizza in Bristol! This place is delightful. We’ve been there quite a few times in the past but this was our first visit post covid! Food was perfect. The pizzas are amazing! A friend had an A la Carte dish which was also delicious. Staff are friendly and knowledgeable. This is a genuine family business. If you want authentic Italian food , beautifully cooked in a friendly atmosphere, then this is the place. Note it’s a very small restaurant so on busy days you might need to book. Now we’ve been reminded what a great place this is, we’ll be back on a regular basis.

Un super restaurant à Bristol. Découvert par hasard jeudi dernier, nous y sommes retournés samedi soir pour goûter de nouvelles...

Very good, fresh food prepared with real passion. Family run business with a great atmosphere. Exceptional pizza and the best sardinian paella ever ❤️

Expérience agréable au sein de ce restaurant. Nous avions pris une focaccia en entrée : plat très copieux car elle avait la taille d’une pizza. Nous avions commandé par la suite un plat avec du poulet et une pizza. Le poulet était très tendre et bien accompagné. La taille de la pizza était gigantesque (et je pèse mes mots). Je recommande à 100% cet endroit pour l’accueil chaleureux, l’ambiance cosy et la cuisine délicieuse.

Tout est parfait, nous avons mangé dans ce restaurant des plats très copieux et abordables. De plus les serveurs sont très charmant et très gentil. Je recommande ce restaurant car je me suis régalé.

Six of us stopped in for some lunch , as we had heard good things ! Four stars - starter potion were very small - the croquettes the size of Iceland chicken nuggets and only two … and the prawn pasta , not great taste but ok . Thing that got me was that we didn’t get to have coffee or desert , no one in there , but no service , and we had to just pay and go … we would have spent more of they had served … but there we go . It’s ok …

Great place for a week day treat.

This place is my go to restaurant when visiting Bristol. It is owned and run by a Sardinian family and boy can you tell. Everything from the service, decor to the food and wine is awesome. I visited with my husband on Friday night and...