Pastan Bristol in Bristol, City of

Booked 2 weeks in advanced, travelled from cornwall to eat here just to turn up and find it closed with no notification of this fact. Not happy!

Pastan does not pay its employees. Many members of staff have still not been paid weeks and even months after their pay day. Pastan also has not been paying its suppliers. The Bristol branch has been closed since the 31st August, and has not updated its website or booking system, so guests have been booking and turning up to find the restaurant closed. Please do not support this business.

This business is an absolute outrage, run by people with no regard whatsoever for their employees, suppliers, or customers!!! I know several people who recently stopped working here; they were left to single-handedly run the Bristol branch last month despite being promised barely over minimum wage, after all other employees had quit because they were not being paid. At the end of the month they were also not paid for their work - management were nearly impossible to contact, and the very few responses they provided gave no explanations and were filled with empty promises. Not only have Pastan not paid their staff who rely on this money to survive, but they have yet to pay their suppliers too. They continue to ignore all the people they owe money to. They are also happy to disappoint their customers by accepting bookings despite not being open, meaning customers are being greeted with a shut restaurant upon turning up for their meal. When the restaurant was open, understaffing meant ridiculous wait times on food, and ingredients had to be store-bought by whatever staff they had left because unpaid suppliers were no longer providing decent ingredients. In summary, do not support any branch of this business!! It’s a disgrace.

Pastan is a fraudulent business which mistreats its employees and misleads its customers. It has remained indefinitely closed without updating its booking system, and so customers are turning up to find the restaurant closed. Furthermore, many of its employees have not received their final payments, almost a month after they were due - absolutely disgraceful, do not support this business.

This business does not pay their staff, who are students, total disgrace. I know two people that have worked here the last month and have not been paid a penny absolutely disgusting treatment!

I had my best meal in the UK here. Bristol was an amazing experience overall but this little pasta spot is world class!

Great vibes and tasty food. The tomato and bread starter (forgot the name) was delicious.

First visit and would definitely recommend. Very friendly relaxed atmosphere. Food was delicious. I would definitely recommend and wouldn’t hesitate to return.

Good service and pasta were tasty. Donuts were very good also for dessert

The pizza and the salad were very good but the pasta was disgusting and tasteless. I wouldn’t order pasta again that costs £15 and tastes like some watery mistake. Also, do not order with truffle oil because you won’t taste it. The location and service were very nice.

Had a graduation meal booked here for 2 and a half months, turned up on the evening to a full restaurant and there’s one chef and one waitress, the waitress did her absolute best but it was a 2 and a bit hour wait for food, which when it came was largely inedible. I’ve been to pastan Bristol a good few times and been impressed every time, this was absolutely a disappointment, pasta in completely plain pasta water, on an important day too. The bill was altered and the waitress did her best, unfortunately a massive fail on managements behalf, won’t be returning I don’t think

What the hell the food is horrible. I visited this restaurant today and we were so hungry that we ordered 8 dishes. Pasta was not cooked well and the taste of almost everything was sad. The owner was so sweet but i was there to eat so if i focus on the food i was highly disappointed.

Unfortunately really disappointing meal here. Had heard some good things from friends so had some high expectations but had a really poor experience here. A lot of the other reviews have been positive on Google so expected much better. Service was incredibly slow - it took about 30 minutes before anyone even took a drinks order, and then another 15 minutes for us to get the drinks. We were seated for an hour and a half before eating our mains. The starters were nice (garlic pizza bread, loaded gnocchi, and olives - but the olives were forgotten and we had to chase those up), but the mains were incredibly disappointing. I had a Dolce Vita - a carbonara, which was incredibly tasteless, a very bland cream sauce with next to no flavour. The pasta itself was also a very odd texture, doughy, chewy and dense. My partner had a tomato sauce pasta but with an overwhelming taste of ginger which was very odd and didn't taste right, and also not written in the menu description. All but one of the rest of the group had similar experiences, with bland and dull tasting foods. All in all, the other reviews seem glowing. Unsure if we caught them on a bad week but really cannot recommend unfortunately.

Terrible food. Pasta was badly made and tasteless. Took 45 mins to get served drinks and 1hr 30 for food. Staff were friendly and garlic bread was good but really underwhelming

While the loaded gnocchi was nice and the service was warm, the food overall was tasteless and simple. Won’t be rushing back.

Similar to another recent reviewer, I ordered the 'Formentera' and the tomato sauce was watery and tasted like a cheap jar sauce. The 'Amalfi Orzotto' was somewhat better, but was mainly ginger with very little in the way of lemon or mint. Despite being fully booked, there was only one member of staff taking orders and it took 25 minutes for them to take our order. They were very apologetic and I thought their service was great in spite of these issues, but to wait so long for a meal that I felt I could make to a higher standard at home really soured the experience.

I like other branches of Pastan, but I got takeaway here and the standards were much lower than elsewhere, with smaller portions. I contacted them about this but never heard back. That's fine, I just won't be going back.

The staff were nice but the positivity ends there. Absolutely awful food, the worst I’ve had in ages, upholding the trope that vegan food is bad. Tomato sauce on the pasta tasted like chopped tomatoes from a can, with nothing done to them. Pasta was somehow over and underdone, squidgy but a bit chalky in the middle. Boxed pasta from the shop is great if cooked right, and already vegan, so I don’t know how this place messed that up. Every dish sounds great on the menu but the end result disappoints - the stroganoff was watery, not ‘creamy’. Plant meats hike the price of the dish up, then a small amount of some weird, oily, chewy ‘meat’ arrives. If you’re not vegan, go to Magari or almost anywhere else that serves pasta. If you are vegan, learn how to cook a basic pasta dish at home and be amazed at how tasty it is compared to Pastan.

Excellent food, great wine. A menu that made us want to come back for more. Very friendly service. All round wonderful experience.

Amazing restaurant, great food, atmosphere and staff. Will be back with the rest of the family next time we are in Bristol.

Excellent, but slightly too expensive for me to consider returning. Great choice of food, really well made.

The cheese board is absolutely divine- the blue is practically indistinguishable from dairy cheese. I also really loved the carbonara and paella. It is next to impossible to find vegan versions of both dishes, so I was stoked to see them on the menu. The lunch deal is particularly worth it!

Tried this place for the first time while visiting Bristol this weekend. Was very warmly welcomed as we arrived. The menu could cater for vegans or non-vegans with the options they had as the vegan substituts were very good. As I am vegan I felt very happy to know I could order anything from the menu and feel confident with my choice. My Daughter is not vegan but really enjoyed what she ordered. If in the area this is a must to visit, you won't be disappointed. I will definitely return when next in Bristol.

I went to Pastan on a date night with my boyfriend before going to the theatre and had a very lovely meal. There were so many fantastic options to choose from that we had 3 courses and I can’t wait to go back and try different options. Perfect for vegans, my partner isn’t vegan but still throughly enjoyed the meal too. The staff were all lovely and the service was very quick. I definitely recommend saving room for desert!

I had a great meal at Pastan - the vegan chorizo pasty was so tasty, and the Biscoff doughnuts are unreal! Friendly staff too!

Came here for a surprise birthday dinner and it was absolutely amazing. The menu is unique and everything sounds incredible, the food was cooked to perfection. The colours & flavours were absolutely astounding. The staff were also incredibly friendly, I seriously can't fault this place at all. Still dreaming of the food a few days later! Can't recommend this place enough.

An overall good vegetarian/Vegan restaurant with a good selection of different dishes. We decided to visit here for a dinner with some Vegan friends, it was great to see the variety and the food that we had was all nice. The loaded Gnocchi was great as a starter, and I would definitely recommend this. The Paella was a little over priced as it wasn’t particularly packed with protein, it was mainly pasta. The Firenze was lovely and I would definitely recommend this. The Catalonia was a little over priced and bland, so would not get this again. For desert the filled donut balls are a must, they were lovely. Overall it was worth the visit, but we unfortunately won’t be back.

This spot is so lovely! My sister and I were meeting up and wanted to go out for a meal together, but she's vegan and I'm vegetarian, so it's sometimes hard to find a place with good options. We both love pasta and this place did not disappoint! The food was delicious, and the staff were lovely. The only problem is, there are so many great options on the menu, it's hard to choose!

The service was great, friendly and efficient. The food was delicious, full of flavour, aromatic and different to what you find elsewhere, which is a big plus for me. I would've given it 5* but I found it too salty... and I like salt! We had a sparragus and tender broccoli salad as starter and it was yummy as it was my mushroom and truffle oil GF pasta. Recommended... just lower the salt levels please.

Friendly staff, good service and easy to get a table without booking on a Saturday night. Sadly the food was very average. We had two different pasta dishes and they tasted very similar. Also, the ‘chorizo’ dish had 4 tiny bits of chorizo on a huge bowl of pasta, which became very bland very quickly. The best thing we had was the bread. We asked for a side dish of bread and were given a plateful of door wedge size granary bread. That also turned out to be free.

What a great vegan find! Amazing food, generous portions and friendly staff. It's rare to find such authentic Mediterranean vegan food. Can't recommend highly enough.

Jude impressively welcoming, patient & professional accommodating our gluten-free &vegan cheese free menu options. We shared a delicious Napoli & side veggies. Lemon drinks paired really well Would return for the flavours & service

Nice place and lovely staff but let down by the food a little. I had the paella but it was disappointing, it had a very odd flavour, certainly not how a paella should taste. Shame as I was expecting better 😞

Thank you so much for another lovely evening at our favourite vegan restaurant in Bristol. Alessandra was a lovely waitress and the food was delicious (especially the umami stroganoff!)

All five of us really enjoyed our lunch here. It was fun trying out different things, and all of us were very pleased. We appreciated the decor, and the service was friendly, helpful and well timed.

I last ate at a Pastan in Barcelona. I had a pleasant meal in this Bristol one. There’s a good lunch deal for a pasta main, beverage and doughnuts. It was International Women’s Day, and every woman guest received two delicious, filled mini-donuts, the liquid filling being hot. Oh yum! The “green” ravioli dish took a while to arrive but was very tasty. Pleasant service.

Such delicious food, my favourite spot in Bristol. Great value for money and the service is always excellent. Jude served us yesterday and was exceptional, highly recommend!

Super expensive for what you get.. £15 for a slice of toast and some cheese is insane 😐

Gorgeous little restaurant, food was to die for and the service was exceptional! Will absolutely be returning.

I visit the Pastan in London which is equally good. There’s friendly service and good food, pretty much just like at the London version. Looking forward to trying the Brighton branch soon.

Delicious food and great portion sizes too, drinks were a little pricey but other than that everything was perfect. Great atmopshere and service, would love to return to try all the dishes!

We visited restaurant as a family. Never visited a Vegan restaurant previously, but two of our family are vegans and decided to give it a visit upon recommendations. The restaurant is small and very nice with soft music in the background. The starters were absolutely delicious, but they did miss one person, they were apologetic and quickly rectified the starter. However, the main courses were very bland with lack of flavours and we all had different main courses.. This was agreed with our vegan family, we thought maybe it was us, but not. We did have to request the additional mushroom side dishes as they never arrived with the main courses. The staff are very friendly, but not very quick. We had a table booked and were told it was for 90 minutes. However, by the time the 90 minutes had arrived we had eaten starters and were just starting our main courses. Luckily the staff were not pushy on the time. But after 2hrs we thought it was best to finish and decided not to request deserts. So we requested the bill and between that and payment was at least another 30-40 minutes with chasing it up. The food & drinks were not cheap. Sorry but overall my first vegan restaurant food was not very good. The restaurant atmosphere was very good just a shame on the slowness and bland taste of the food.

Went here for lunch this week having seen the poster in the window for the Winter lunch deal and photos online. It's not often you can say that the food looks like the photos but it possibly looked better than expected, presented beautifully. The food was amazing and the portion sizes very generous. I'm an omnivore so was curious as to how the food would be but it exceeded expectations significantly. Would strongly recommend giving them a visit!

Amazing food and great service, highly recommend

Great pasta, you'd never guess it was vegan

We here for dinner with a friend on a busy Saturday night in February. The plus points are the big range of choice, all vegan, and the buzzy atmosphere-which meant we were fairly happy to spend so long here. On the flip side the service is friendly but varied and so slow, our table was reserved for 90 minutes and after 2 hours we were yet to eat our mains-don’t go in a hurry! The food itself was nice enough, great vegan filled pasta in particular is such a treat, but unfortunately this was good, not great. The tuna Caesar salad and spinach tortellini were really good, but the carbonara wasn’t great; solid bacon pieces and pasta that stuck together in clumps. At £85 for two starters, two mains and a bottle of wine the price was decent and the food and atmosphere were nice enough to warrant coming back, but l with so many great vegan options in Bristol it won’t be soon.

It's as good as vegan food can get, which is to say that for want of a couple of grams of cheese it would be great.

The pasta was beautiful - especially the sage & squash tortellini. We are not vegan but loved it so much. Lovely red wine too. The service was fantastic & friendly. Atmosphere great too.

Amazing food, and ALL VEGAN!! I had the pumpkin tortellini with the cashew parmesan and it was maybe the best pasta I've ever had, and definitely the best vegan pasta I've had. The winter lunchtime deal meant I also got to try the lotus biscoff doughnuts which were SO lush. Couldn't recommend this place more!!! Genuinely still thinking about this pasta all the time 🙀🙀

Delicious pasta! Liked everything we ordered from start to finish. Definitely worth going.

2.5 stars rounded up to 3. My partner and I ate at Pastan on New Year’s Eve having eaten the pop-up on Gloucester Road a couple of years ago. I wanted to give it another go after I picked the wrong dish last time (the cacio e pepe tasted of nothing but pepper). The decor was nice but the chairs weren’t super comfortable. The door also kept blowing open slightly so the restaurant was a bit cold. For starter we had the Omni tuna Caesar salad which was delicious and the large one was a perfect size for sharing. Our drinks (elderflower spritz and a negroni) were very good and £10 each is probably what you’d expect nowadays. For main I had the pea ravioli with added truffle oil and it was virtually flavourless. All I could taste was peas and rocket, not a hint of truffle and no depth of flavour whatsoever. I had to add salt 3 times and also some chilli flakes - which helped - but it still wasn’t that great. My partner had the butternut and sage ravioli which was marginally better but still lacking in flavour. The dessert did redeem the meal slightly, we got 6 biscoff doughnut bites and they were delicious but an exercise in patience because they were very hot. The service was generally good and friendly but a little slow and inattentive at times. It took a while to be able to ask for the bill and my second cocktail took a little while. A few times I was trying to grab their attention but they walked straight past. I heard another table get recommendations based off a previous menu item which was no longer available and the staff also told them which dishes were most popular when asked. It’s a shame because this restaurant has such good potential but it doesn’t quite live up to it. The quality didn’t justify the price (£90 excluding service!!) and I’m glad they didn’t add a service charge because I probably would have asked for it to be removed to make up for our main courses. There are so many other nice restaurants in Bristol so we won’t be back in a hurry.

Delicious crunchy green olives, and perfectly cooked, perfectly seasoned crunchy green beans, broccoli and asparagus starter. The putanesca pasta was also really tasty! Friendly and welcoming. :-)

The best vegan food. Lovely service and so attentive to my mother’s allergies. My brother is not vegan and said this was better than the non-vegan food he usually has. Highly recommend.

I'm not vegan but open to experiences. (Try anything once). Give it a go. Wine list very limited.

Absolutely fantastic. As a group we tried nine dishes and all were amazing. The gnocchi starters especially and the doughnuts for dessert. I will definitely be coming back to try more!

Great selection, delicious food, friendly service, good price. All round excellent evening.

I was delighted with the food and the atmosphere is very welcoming! I definitely want it and I'll go back there! For those who like Italian food and even for those who want to try it, it’s the perfect place, especially if you are vegan. The staff is very professional and so friendly, I loved it! 💓 If you're thinking of going there, please go!!

The waitress was friendly and relaxed. The paella was fine but nothing to write home about. Pieces of the stroganoff pasta were firmly stuck together and the sauce was fairly thin and not very tasteful. Lovely biscoff mini doughnuts though! Thanks for having us but unfortunately we won't be heading back in a hurry.

Gorgeous vegan restaurant, the food was so fresh and tasty! The atmosphere was lovely, the service was spot on. Would recommend to anyone. I would order the gnocchi with the tomato based sauce rather than the peppercorn if ordered again, but it was still so good! And my favourite cocktail Elderflower Spritz - so so nice.

Amazing pasta, the gnocchi was to die for! Keep it up! 🤘

This place is absolutely to die for! Alexandra our server couldn’t have been better and the food was some of the best vegan Italian in the world. Cheers!

Love Pastan, 2nd visit in the past couple months. Great vegan food we are working our way through the menu - best vegan mozzarella Ive ever had and deffo order the donuts

Food was amazing, we will definitely be going back! Would particularly recommend the gnocchi with peppercorn sauce for a starter.

Tasty & filling pasta dishes. So lovely of staff to let have a "staff" peppermint tea!

Really good pasta and a nice selection of classics and novelties. Prices are affordable

We came in a little after 3 pm not even knowing they closed at 4 pm! The lovely staff accommodated and was extremely kind! It was nice and quaint and cozy enough for our 3 year old to peacefully take a Power Nap. We ordered the Caesar salad, pan con tomate, pasta carbonera and the delightful biscoff mini donuts. Everything tasted and looked delicious. My husband said it exceeded his expectations.

Fabulous vegan food and great service

Delicious food, nice and friendly staff!

Excellent all round, we went for lunch and came away very satisfied. Everything was fantastic. Will certainly be going back.

A lovely meal, especially the starter fried gnocchi in a mushroom sauce. Would come back and that's talking as a meat eater. Everything was really tasty, big portion sizes too went home pleasantly stuffed. Would recommend 👌

First vegan meal. Absolutely delicious!

Use your noodle and go eat at this pasta paradise!! My non-vegan father stated that he is looking forward to his next visit to the UK, so he can try more of their delicious food specifically. We went for lunch and the staff were wonderfully friendly. The made a point of chatting with my five-year-old, who was so happy with his enormous plate of mac and cheese, that as soon as he was home, he insisted on finishing the little bit he had taken with him when he'd reached physical noodle capacity. I had some gluten free noodles in a delightful lemony garlic sauce, and everyone left SO happy after the meal. We will be back to this fantastic spot for delicious fresh pasta that just happens to be all plant-based (which means it's cholesterol - free).

We had four different mains. Each were beautifully prepared and presented and absolutely delicious. Gorgeous vegan food and such a joy to have so much choice. Non-vegans will be equally impressed. We will be returning!

Stunning beautiful delicious food. Service was excellent. Only markdown was lack of atmosphere but we did go there at 12:30pm, and it was quiet, so I’m pretty sure it livens up a bit in the evening.

Visited with two friends who absolutely loved their food, (they both went for the Napoli Puttanesca). I went for the Mon Cheri and was left disappointed. The asparagus, pasta and artichoke were cooked really well, but the base of the sauce was overly acidic, (balsamic?), and overrode the other ingredients . The staff were really friendly and service faultless Will definitely go again, but will opt for something else next time.

Absolutely amazing service from Elle, made sure we were well fed and topped up with water and bevs all evening. Isaac in the kitchen was great, the food was beautiful. Thank you for dealing with a noisy bunch of drag queens like us on a monday night. You both have made the night absolutely beautiful!! Absolute stars of the restaurant <333 big love

Delicious food and drinks! Brilliant service from El and the chef Isaac. Would recommend.

Amazing dinner for table of 8 - food delicious and service fantastic, thank you Elle and Isaac for taking such good care of us!

We had an amazing night at Pastan for our friend’s birthday! Elle was very attentive and knowledgable for recommendations, I had the Caesar salad followed by the Comfort You (Mac & Cheese) with truffle oil and lardons - it was incredible. My partner had the loaded gnocchi with mushroom and umami stroganoff which he loved too. Isaac & Elle took perfect care of us and I think they were just a team of two running the restaurant - very impressive! The chocolate orange Espresso martini was SO good!

Amazing food and service. Will definitely be back. Great selection of entrees and pasta dishes.

I enjoyed the dinner. Alessandra was great, she suggested pasta alla puttanesca: super! Tasty and cooked perfectly. I'll come back!

The Napoli was the best plant-based pasta I've ever had. Highly recommended.

I just had the best meal I've had in a long time! Great food and great service. We ordered some tapas. I enjoyed their loaded gnocchi. We ordered their gluten-free version. The texture was a little different than what I would expect, but the flavor was amazing. My grandson, who is usually a picky eater loved them too! He also cleaned a plate of mac and cheese. The main course I enjoyed was the umami stroganov. It has a marvelous flavor from mushrooms, truffle oil and other things that I was enjoying too much to analyze. I don't usually bother with desert, but the food was so amazing that thought I should try something. I had the mini-donuts. The name does not convey what a unique and tastey creation they are. They are what we in the USA call doughnut holes. The are served hot with a molten filling and a heavy dusting of sugar. Biting into one of these wonderful balls of flavor is an amazing experience in itself. In addition to the world class food, the manager, Alessandra, is delightful and sees to it that all of her guests have the best possible experience. One other part of the meal worthy of mention is the vegan, buffalo mozzarella. Yes, vegan!! Everything is vegan, which made the whole experience even more outstanding. Do to a food sensitivity, I cannot eat mozzerella. My son in law started his meal with their Protofino plate of tomatoes and vegan mozzerella. A had some of the mozzerella from his plate. It was very mozzerella-like and had excellent flavor. They get the mozzerella from a place named Casadei. The only negative I can think of about Pastan in Bristol is that it is too far away from my home in the USA.

A delicious meal in a lovely venue. Highly recommend the Pan con tomate to start 😍😍

Took my girlfriend there, proper good food, very accommodating table service, El made us aware of what wasn't on the menu and even catered it around our preferences. Kitchen staff very talented, they changed our dishes in subtle ways to add to our experience. Great staff in this place, great food too.

I tried a few different pasta dishes from their main menu and each one was incredible. Lovely selection of vegan pastas and the staff were great at dealing with our dietary requirements and allergy restrictions

The food here is amazing The service is amiable and the atmosphere is exactly what you need.

A great addition to Bristol's vegan food scene. They have a range of thoughtful and delicious dishes. Seems pretty busy most of the time so definitely worth booking in advance. Mains are on the expensive side of things but the portions are also very large, so can't complain! Make sure to save space for the lotus spread/biscoff/speculoos mini doughnut balls.

The Green Velvet Ravioli was delicious along with the Napoliana Pasta. Delicious red wine and Affogato for dessert. All totally delicious and the Biscoff filled mini doughnuts were to die for!! The service was excellent and the staff are attentive and friendly, the food came out in good time. Somewhat disappointed to learn that they don’t get their intended full tips from the added service charge so we decided to omit it from the bill! Next time I will be tipping in cash. Good staff are hard to find and need to be rewarded for their efforts so please Pastan let the guys keep their tips!

An excellent find. Lovely vegan food, very interesting and flavoursome choices. A nice relaxed atmosphere with lovely, welcoming and friendly staff. Perfect!

Food disappointing and not cheap.

Speaking as a carnivore, I was genuinely blown away by how tasty the vegan food is here. I can’t believe I’m actually writing this. The “meat” substitutes tasted like the real deal here, even the texture was spot on. I could barely taste the difference. The real winners were the pulled Shitake mushrooms that tasted like beef and the “chicken” nuggets. The service was second to none: friendly and welcoming, very attentive and happy to answer any questions. The atmosphere was great too, clearly a firm favourite in the area. My husband and I shared the pan con tomate. This was super tasty. I also had the Umami Stroganoff and my hubby had the Shiitake Caesar Salad. We shared 6 Doughnuts for desert. The pasta was amazing - the straganoff sauce worked perfectly with the pulled Shitake mushrooms. I couldn’t believe it wasn’t beef. They got the flavours, the texture and the sauce spot on. I’d say the pasta dish was better overall than the salad but the latter tasted delicious all the same. Don’t leave without indulging in the butterscotch doughnut - they are to die for. Pastan are a true gem. I will definitely be coming back. I’m excited to try the Cacio e Pepe and the Dolce Vita pasta options next time.

Beautiful vegan pasta dishes, each one unique and delicious. Best vegan pasta I’ve ever eaten!

Was a bit sceptical about cheese substitutes but they were surprisingly good.

really yummy pasta, highly recommend the caesar salad! really lovely service too :)

Extremely good food, tasty and simply great. Nice place.

The food was absolutely incredible, some of the best vegan food i’ve ever had! Cocktails were amazing too. Staff were so unbelievably friendly we honestly had a fantastic time and have done nothing but recommend to friends since visiting.

One of the best Caesar salads ! If you have a vegan friend, take them here 💚

A great surprise find. Delicious!

Good vegan food, a bit lack lustre but tasty and fresh! Very busy as it was a Saturday night and service was a bit slow but staff were friendly and helpful.