Racks Bar & Kitchen in Bristol, City of

Cosy, intimate vibe with artwork & artistic small plates catering to meat eaters & vegetarians/vegans. Especially loved their take calamari made with oyster mushrooms.

You come in for a burger but you stay for Colin. Legend

Had a lovely meal - 6 of us and all orders were perfect 1st time, I would definitely recommend the chicken and ham pie. 😋

Super friendly staff and decent food. The bar/restaurant space was lovely. Only downside was the toilets were a bit damp

Steak pies are fantastic with lots of meat and lovely flavour (stilton), plenty of gravy and a choice of potato. Entrance a bit off putting but persevere because it's very large inside. (It's actually beneath the cliffton hotel.) Service very attentive. Would recommend.

Very good pub food at sensible prices.

A nice and cozy place, haven’t tried the food

Lovely food, the 2-4-1 deal in January is a steal and Alphie our waiter was stellar, will definitely be coming back

We came here, as we were looking for a cheap eat January restaurant offer (2 for 1 on mains) and expected it to be quite nice. But, it by far exceeded our expectations with a warm, inviting and rustic atmosphere. The restaurant design and architecture was beautiful, the old stone archways featured throughout the building created a real charm alongside the warm blazing fire by the bar. The staff were fantastic, very hospitable and excellent at checking in and explaining the menu. We ordered the steak sandwich with fries and the ham and chicken pie with hand cut chips and seasonal veg with homemade gravy. The steak was topped with a delicious sauce and caramelised onions, adding a lovely sweetness. Although the steak was a little tricky to eat. The fries were well seasoned and cooked to perfection. The pie was filled to the brim with meat that was tender and delicious, I would prefer a little more sauce, but that might be personal preference. It was accompanied by sweet baby carrots, green beans and a rich homemade gravy. But, the star of the show was the hand cut chips. Beautifully cooked with a crispy exterior and the most fluffy interior. Fortunately, the portion size was rather large, so those extra chips certainly didn't struggle being consumed. I would certainly recommend coming here if you are looking for an affordable, rustic spot to eat with excellent service and very good homemade British pub classics.

My wife have been going to Racks for over 20 years and had booked their New Years event. Wow the team 100 % delivered in every part of our experience. The amazing welcome at the entrance, to the team behind the bar, the buffet and of course the drinks. A special thank you to the management team who made sure that their own team were able to celebrate the Chimes at midnight.

What an absolute banger of an evening! Have been a long time fan of Racks but have never ended up here for NYE, but was excited to try out their black tie event this New Years - and it did not disappoint…. We arrived at the arrival time and had a small queue to get in, but plenty of tables available -and we sat as a group of 7 without any issues. We had access to an unlimited drinks menus - fizz, cocktails, shots…. We absolutely got our moneys worth on our tickets on drinks alone! We knew there was food available but wasn’t expecting the range and calibre of options - freshly carved beef wellington and gammon and full roast accompaniments…. More than we expected and excellent quality. Certain parts of the bar/venue were busier like the dance floor at midnight but it was easy to navigate to find more comfortable spaces…. My friends and I cannot recommend this as a venue and a NYE destination enough. Thanks to Colin and the Team - an absolute banger of a start to 2025 X

The first time at Racks for NYE and it did not disappoint. We didn't have to queue long and secured a table for a large party. There were a number of bars so no long queues for drinks and could order my favourite cocktails and fizz. A live band and casino kept us entertained and a hot roast buffet was top notch, especially the beef Wellington. A fun filled evening with lots of dancing and spending time with special friends. I will definitely be back next year. Thank you Racks

Went for New Years Eve 24 worst evening ever totally overbooked no seating anywhere until 11.00pm stood the whole evening being pushed and shoved the behaviour of other party goers was appalling finally got a table (same as the previous review )to be told not serving anymore food serving staff only so for £120 per ticket no seating/tables/food finally got to the casino which is so small it was Closed couldn’t hear the countdown unless you were near the speakers if you want to enjoy 😊 your New Years Eve avoid at all costs 😩😩😩😩😩

Me and my family attended racks for the New Year’s party 2024; there was no where to sit the entire time and there was not enough seating in general to accommodate the amount of people that purchased a ticket. We were told food was being served all night so there was no rush to go to the buffet, which without a table was hard to access. When we finally had gone up for food the staff then told us we were no longer allowed food as it was time for the staff to have food - although they were getting served at the same time as customers throughout the night. We essentially paid £125 for a ticket to stand in the corner of the room the entire night with no food and no drink. The general population wasn’t very welcoming and quite rude - being pushed over and just general rudeness with no accessibility to any speakers that we could hear the countdown of the new years. Will not be going here again very disappointed with the start to 2025.

Our workplace Christmas Do was a roaring success here this year. We had a 1230hr sitting for 15 people in our own little area happily situated near the bar. The staff were excellent and attentive and we wanted for nothing. The menu was varied with something for everyone and the food did not disappoint. I highly recommend the salmon and chocolate orange torte....scrumptious! Despite it being lunchtime, there was a terrific crowd of other work done party goers and this contributed to a very merry atmosphere indeed. A big thank you to all the staff at Racks, see you next year.

Wowzer what a meal! The GCD boys completely sorted out by Vicki Stone, head of events. Food, Drinks, the Works and the lot. What a start to Christmas 2024. Would recommend this place to everyone in big and small groups

Where great memories were found dinning with friends in a lovely friendly atmosphere ☺️

Last came here the day before my wedding in 2002, and delighted to find it's still got the same name. I remember the Bristol rugby team used to descend on the bar in their matching sponsored Mitsubishi Shoguns.

Great staff great food great night

Had our Christmas party - when it was wonderfully busy - and you'd expect to get (and forgive!) worse service... We had a superb experience, the team were excellent (esp Abi) and everything from food to atmosphere to service exactly what you'd hope for!

Went here for a group Christmas dinner, the food was fantastic and there was a good choice of beers available.

A good choice of beers and the Alpine Ski lodge had a nice atmosphere.

Had a really nice lunch here on 30th Nov. Friendly service and great food. Would recommend.

Had our evening meal and breakfast here. Good food and excellent staff

Great, thank you. Had a great time at a private party

Visited twice now and has become a favourite spot for food. Really fresh well made food and friendly service

Stayed in the hotel attached to the restaurant So dined here all week all I can say is WOW. The food is amazing with offers on every evening I don’t think iv ever eaten so much 2 meals for the price of one for 3 nights and then steak night on a Thursday with a great selection of drinks Would highly recommend this place

Hated it tbf worst meal of my life rude empoloyes

A very rustic, medieval-type space, very interesting and different. The food is quite good and different. I recommend the Fish and Chips, the tartar sauce is excellent. It has good drink options, they have good drinks and good presentation. The service is quick and very friendly, very attentive and helpful, very friendly. It's worth visiting when you're in Bristol, a very private and welcoming place. It was really a good experience.

Nice and cosy with good food and good drinks! Felt fancy but laid back at the same time.

Nice happy hour 241 cocktails, found a lovely quiet spot in corner with sofas good service was a fairly quiet evening but imagine it gets busy at weekends and in summer only had drinks

Managed to get a last minute table on Sunday for lunch and all 4 roast dinners were lovely. Staff were friendly and attentive and it had a nice cozy vibe! We will be back!

We visited as a family for Sunday lunch yesterday. Great quirky vibe with fab decor. Lovely atmosphere. We received a friendly welcome and fab service from all staff but especially Charlie. There was a great choice on the menus including vegan and vegetarian roast options. Food was lovey (we had the roast vegan, veggie, chicken and beef dishes) plentiful, tasty and great value. Would definitely recommend. Thank you for making our visit so enjoyable!

Super friendly, fabulous service from Paul and Charlie, great Sunday roast.

Went for a Sunday roast. It was really good. Recommend the share platter, it was hefty and such a good mix. Only complaint was the nut roast serving was a bit meagre.

Cant complain. The food the place was awesome and especially the service was very friendly. Definitely recommend it!

Amazing roast dinner, one of the best I’ve had in a long time.

Our server scarlet today was amazing, helped recommend drinks and food and was very friendly throughout. Would definitely come again!

Great service & really delicious food. Brilliant Order & payment system via their app too & really friendly staff.

We visited for in July 2024, and had the sunday roast sharing board. The portion size was good and the staff were helpful and friendly, however the food was quite dissapointing. Unfortunately the roast beef, roast lamb, and yorkshire pudding were dry and overcooked, the roast potatoes were not great either. On the positive side, the pork belly was delicious, and there was a good amount of gravy.

A friendly and vibrant atmosphere at our end of summer bbq. Food was good and plenty of it. Special shout out to Audrey, Charlie and Hannah for looking after us so well, you were friendly and attentive, thank you. A great evening, highly recommended.

We came and dined here today. Very hospitable, great service by Lucy and Her Colleagues. Food very good and reasonably priced. Our Jack Russell, Lulu was made exceptionally Welcome. We really appreciate what You done for Us. We really like Racks! Thank You. Dean, Shelley & Lulu.x

Booked a space here for 25, for buffet and drinks after our wedding. Was absolutely ace, the staff were super helpful and they even reserved us space outside which was unexpected and very welcome. The food was just the right amount (which we were worried about as we had just come from a 3 course meal) and was also really good quality. Would happily visit again!! Thank you team

Our starter took nearly an hour to arrive even though the restaurant was nearly empty. When it finally arrived they told us the main course which we hadn’t ordered yet would only take 15 mins which was concerning as I was planning to have the chicken which would take longer than that to cook! When we complained the lady on the text table began badgering us saying we were being unreasonable. Most alarmingly she was allowed in with her dog which she let climb all over her table! Eventually we left having only the starters. Would not recommend this restaurant.

Had a fantastic work social at Racks, the BBQ provided was really delicious, service was great (Audrey on the bar nearest us was a delight and dealt with everyone with enthusiasm and energy) and Paul the manager kept on top of things and made sure the party was happy.

Lucy is an unbelievable person to talk to as she is not only helpful but also incredibly friendly.

Didn't eat but the food looked very good!!!

We rented the back half of racks out for a party and I would highly recommend. The food was delicious, the drinks were great and overall the staff were very friendly. I’d highly recommend renting racks for a party or event.

Popped in for a drink and very overpriced. Very quiet in the place.no wonder when drinks were 6 cheaper across the road at the den and terrace

Came here for a hen party I organized. Excellent service, food was awesome, staff were lovely as hell and helpful whenever we needed something. We organized an area we could dine and also play games and everyone had an incredible time. They had no issues with us putting up decorations and personal touches. Would HIGHLY recommend and if I'm back in Bristol for an event or just dinner I know where I'll be coming. Thank you Racks!

Lovely venue for drinks, great that they have clear head on tap too.

I stayed at a hotel nearby, my 2nd night in (as first was amazing service) аnd Audrie was fantastic. Great, friendly service. She watched my drinks when I went out to smoke and was very friendly overall. Highly recommend Racks for drinks. A friendly, safe atmosphere for a woman travelling on her own.

I visited Bristol to meet up with my daughter and now fiancée!!! Stayed at the Clifton hotel and came in for drinks, Scarlett was my server. SO friendly and nice, and remembered me the next morning when I ordered coffee. Highly recommend Racks for friendliness of service and variety of drinks options.

Was greeted by Noah on reception who was so polite. We were then served by Scarlet and Emily for 2 nights who were absolutely amazing. They always made us feel well looked after & made our evening. Highly recommend staying here.

Scarlet and Emily were absolutely wonderful

Nice location under our hotel! Service was a bit slow but people were nice and the food as well . We are not locals, but the English of the bartender was really difficult to understand for me. Waitress was lovely and fixed me broccoli stems!

Fantastic steak sandwich and chunky chips. Hannah was very helpful and provided great service. Lovely atmosphere on a Friday evening.

Lovely meal and food with exceptional service. Meg was so friendly and welcoming and it made our experience really enjoyable. Thank you for such fantastic service!!

Went here for a Valentines Day dinner. Poor experience. The promised glass of fizz never arrived. The ordered steaks were appalling bad cuts of meat, made up of fat and gristle and largely inedible. The service flat as a pancake. Wish we had not bothered.

Lovely hotel friendly staff and management very helpful services great in all departments only issue was small room and very warm had fan on and window open all the time stayed 3 days only. Other issue was on the night England were playing we had our evening meal in Bar dinning area and just had time to finish our meal as they had tables booked for no residents to watch the match which we were not made aware of all sitting area in the bar and dining area were booked and we could not relax after our meal and asked to leave our table in 10 minutes we had to go outside which they had table's which was covered by canopy with hitting but was not on and had to ask for it to be turned on but even with heating it was cold night and windy and outside service was very slow and not ideal for residents to have to leave the inside area Bar extra the only other option was go to your room they need to but their residents first which they did not on this occasion a very bad experience on that night made us feel that they didn't take their residents into consideration which they should take a look into no oppaligy or compensation for the inconvenience this was our second visit to stay with them but I would have to consider staying with them again just because off this issue otherwise a great hotel and great staff but I would check if there was anything like this taking place before I would book the hotel on our next visit to Bristol this and a small room that was very warm was a let down for a lovely friendly staff hotel but the other 2 nights were fine and enjoyed them.

Excellent food! Burgers were amazing. Staff were great, very friendly. Big shout out to Jason in particular.

Superb food (Nachos, Racks burger and hand cut chips) and lovely and quirky venue. Beer garden is very nice.

Had a great evening celebrating a friends wedding on Saturday evening. Lucy S behind the bar was brilliant all night 10/10!

Held our 25-year Bristol University reunion in the playroom. From initial enquiries to planning and then the evening itself. The service received from everyone was exemplary and very professional, nothing was too much trouble. The food was lovely, and considering 46 of us, the catering was superb. It is a delightful intimate and relaxed setting in the playroom. Everything and more that we hoped it would be. Can't thank all of you enough.

Amazing service, didn’t have to leave my table for anything all drinks were brought to me while watching the football. Cant fault

Held a small, informal corporate event at Racks. The Racks team (Marie in particular)made it really easy to plan the event and were flexible and helpful. In the day, the service was lovely- friendly and attentive. Jason and Chloe looked after us and were fantastic!

Came for the euros with the Missus great result! Food was quick, hearty and waiter Charlie was friendly and very helpful! Great day will be back

Nice pub, in a good location, we had a works do there with a bbq, plenty of food, burgers were ok, didn’t think they were the best but the rest of the food was good. Drinks seemed expensive at £7+ a pint, maybe that’s the norm but seemed expensive

Visited on a busy football night. Great steak good sevice

A truly delightful experience. Not only was the food excellent, the service came with a friendly smile, and we all ate well before our tennis tournament.

Had my 40th birthday party here and it was such a great venue. The planning was really easy, with simple food/drink choices and the staff on the night were fab. The BBQ was really great and the vegan options were just as tasty. Thanks to everyone who made it a great night, would highly recommend as a party venue.

Nice place for a beer or food. In the summer, the garden is super charming, but without a reservation there is no chance of getting a seat :( huge portions of food, nice selection of beers, super helpful staff.

The wedding party good but disappointed with food which not very warm. Later more people arrived and the food were all gone. I would say not brilliant food. The DJ & music was too loud.

My friends and I had a fantastic time in the Speakeasy at Racks for my birthday drinks, every member of the team was welcoming from the beginning and always nearby if we needed anything. Will definitely be coming to Rack's again for future events thank you!

Got served by Emily and Paul today, both very smiley and friendly and the food was delicious

Had a fantastic Sunday roast here on a wet and miserable bank holiday weekend- just what was needed. The staff were super friendly and helpful (Emily was our girl) , ambiance was relaxed , food delicious and cooked perfectly and the loveliest thing was how the staff all smiled at each other and helped each other!

We had a great Sunday Roast lunch with superb service in friendly environment. Emily and the rest of the staff looked after us making a very pleasant Sunday afternoon

The consistency over three different visits earned my 5 stars with excellent, friendly, and efficient staff, wonderful food, and a chill, trendy vibe inside and out. I highly recommend Racks!

Recently I enjoyed a lovely aperol spritz before lunch in the Garden area! How wonderful to sip and soak in the sun! My experience at Rack was made even better by the delightful staff member who went out of his way to make our day! Thank you Conor S. :)

I visited Racks for my works Christmas party. We were sat at larger tables at the end of the restraint and had food & bar service. The food was nice, although it was a set menu of choices because it was a larger party. The staff were helpful and good fun at the bar. I’m unsure on the cost and value for money as it was a work event. The atmosphere was cosy and very private. I definitely plan to visit again in a non-work’s party capacity.

Lovely and amazing staff working hard and making sure everything is perfect even though they are busy with service, had a drink I wasn’t keen on and was made again straight away to my taste. Just wanted to say a thank you to the staff who went above and beyond love from the Long Island ice tea guy’

Drinks and food always amazing. Special shout out to Tom for awesome service today. Busy but he’s been amazing with checking in on us!

Really made me welcome and looked after me as a lone dinner (away on business). Food was lovely, had the 3 small plates for £19. Service was excellent, nothing was too much trouble. Definitely recommend.

Jason was in charge Thursday/Friday nights of our stay. He was great, accommodating when we wanted extra seats on Friday night when the place was very busy. Overall our stay at the Cliffton Hotel has been great, a pity the lift wasn't working.

Visited with friends on a trip to Bristol and it was our favourite place! The pie was excellent, the ox cheek was delish and the chocolate fondant was amazing. We enjoyed the 2-4-1 on bottles of prosecco and really enjoyed the ambience. They offer decent priced meals (like a £7 lunch) and the staff were super - friendly, attentive and a good laugh. Wish we lived closer 😂

Wonderful food, definitely recommend. Emily was outstanding, perfect service.

Decent food, the croquettes had little flavour and the crème brûlée too little vanilla. Emily our waitress was lovely and always tended to our needs. Will come again!

Went here for drinks with friends, was served by Harvey, excellent guy who really knows his stuff. Will be back.

We visited Bath and Bristol and chose Racks to have a meal together after doing some activity together in Bristol. We were seated by a friendly waitress, and we were handed the menus, which looked good. The food options were great, as were the offers. There were offers on the pies, so we decided we would all have pies for the main course. The choice of small plates was good, so we chose one each for our starter, but we would share those. This turned out really well. The starters were served, and they were presented well. They were all very good and well presented. Good portion sizes. After that, the pies. To be fair, I don't normally go for pies, but surely if other restaurants cook their pies like Racks, I would eat them all the time. Seriously they were good!! They gluten Free option was amazing too. To sum up: this is a great place to eat.

Hidden gem! Delicious food and great service, dogs welcome.

I had vegetarian chilli fries. It was nice, a little spicey. Would have loved the opportunity to make it spicier? Nice atmosphere. Staff very attentive, friendly and helpful.

Rarely get to have a family meal anymore due to busy work schedules so when we all got a day off we decided to eat out at Racks and we were disappointed in the food quality, the meat was very dry and the burger was like eating a raw onion, the servers and bar team were fantastic and the atmosphere was great but the food really let it down.

Drinks are crazy expensive - pint more than £7, and non alcoholic/soft drinks £4-5. For that reason I will be avoiding this place unfortunately.

Conor was an attentive server, very quick and easy to get ahold of! We came during one of the less busy periods of the night, but with that said the burgers came quickly and were both juicy and flavourful! Banging chips too- will def be back next time we're in town. 2 for 1 burgers on Monday is an incredible deal!

Excellent food the best meat pie I have ever had on my 79years

Had a great time, excellent service, friendly staff. Will definitely go back.

Had a great night out having after work drinks at Racks! Tori, Emily, Conor and Hannah were super attentive with my group and provided super speedy service! Will definitely come again :)

Conor was a great server, attentive and his friendly presence. Food was delicious. We will be back

Had brunch with 3 of my friends. The atmosphere was good. We had our privacy. Service was exceptional (Lewis ) was great and attended to our needs. The food was nice, especially the chicken wings. As a group of 3, we got the 3 small plates offer of 19 quid and 2 pizzas and it was filling. Didn't enjoy the slow-cooked lamb, it was cold and not as nice as the other meals. Loved that the drinks weren't outrageously priced and tasted just right. I definitely had a nice time at Racks.

So we had wedding reception in Racks, it made our day perfect! Ben who was looking after us was fantastic, so helpful, with Josie and Conor behind the bar who were fantastic. The BBQ buffet was unreal, myself, my husband (🥰) and all our guests were blown away by how good the food was. Still talking about the beef brisket now! I would highly recommend Racks for a party venue, it was just amazing! Thank you Team Racks