Root in Bristol, City of - Phone Number, Reservations, Reviews

The restaurant is vegetarian and vegan only. The recommendation here is to take a few dishes to share as if it were tapas as the options on the menu are all well worthy tasting.

Make sure you get the bread: 1) It is delicious 2) You are going to want to mop up every bit of sauce

Amazing food! Really tasty. Great service. Would definitely go again if near Bristol. A delicious tapas experience & they catered for all in the group, including vegan. All fresh very tasty food. Great staff!

Perfect birthday celebration at Root. We had people with dietary restrictions in the table and they were extremely attentive with that, being flexible to do some substitutions in some dishes for us. Food was amazing! Thank you!

i rarely post reviews.. we stumbled on this place somehow accidentally (doing a road trip from london-bristol-cotswolds) and wow i just love this place.. the creativity in the food and of course the flavours blew me away - when we finished eating, i immediately missed the food lol. The waitress who served us was so knowledgeable regarding ingredients etc and was so so friendly. Found out that they had a sister restaurant in Wells and that had to be the last stop in our little roadtrip xx their Wells counterpart was just as amazing.. so happy..

Hands down my favourite restaurant in Bristol service you the most luxurious small plates of veg and a mix of other products. Me and my partner spent our anniversary eating a delicious meal with a glass a of wine and we even got our Root cook book signed by the chef whilst we were there!

Wonderful small plates - 3 was enough each plus an excellent local cider. The spiced carrot with almond puree and the smoked roasted beetroot with dill, blackberry and hazelenut were particularly excellent. Best meal I've had in a long time!

Best food in Bristol. Wonderful vegan options, amazing cocktails. I wish I could eat here everyday!

Amazing and interesting food and drinks.

A fabulous place to eat - great food! The staff were polite and attentive!

Excellent second visit to Root for my wives birthday. Fabulous food & great friendly service from Lucy. Including tasty vegetarian dishes & a great lamb rump. Not forgetting the complimentary couple of glasses of fizz to celebrate a special birthday. Many thanks to all the Root team & we hope to return soon.

Outstanding food, generous "small" plates, great for sharing and tasting many different dishes.

Every small dish was perfectly cooked

Amazing amazing amazing!! Cannot fault. Best meal I’ve had in a while 💕💕💕

I had a lovely meal with a good friend here at lunch today, 4 beautifully prepared and cooked vegetarian dishes. Situated in the historic harbourside this place also has a great atmosphere. And a big thank you to our excellent waiter - Adam - who raced after me to return the expensive Apple earphones I left behind!

By far the best place to eat in Bristol. Such fresh vegetables, fruits, meat. Everything about this place is great. Ambiance, location, service, etc. The staff were very helpful running through the menu. Leave room for desserts ;-) They totally deserve to be in the dining Michelin guide.

Incredible vegetarian food. It’s on the pricey side, but well worth it. Good atmosphere with indoor and outdoor seating. The dishes are creative and well thought out. We’ve been back a few times.

Amazing vegetarian restaurant with an array of the most delicious dishes. Can’t wait to go back

Everything about this place was excellent. We were able to get a table that was in the fresh air with a great view of the harbor area and its surroundings. Our server was very helpful and guided us through the menu which features "small plates" that can be shared. We had three people in our party, and seven small plates was almost enough to fill us up. Luckily we still had room for dessert, and those were the highlight of the meal.

We ate here as a party of five to celebrate our son's graduation. We had a "mixed" group - vegan, pescatarian and omnivores. I was the least comfortable with a predominately vegetable based meal. We ordered "one of everything" on the menu - and without fail the dishes were delicious and catered for our various tastes - with vegan replacements, or cheese served on the side. Obviously the stars were the various plant based dishes, but the fish and meat dishes were also excellent. Service was attentive, efficient and engaging. Would definitely recommend.

Fantastic food. I don’t normally order chicken at restaurants, however, the chef recommended it. It reminded me of good old fashioned back yard grilled chicken…only elevated 3 levels. Staff are extremely friendly.

The staff were incredible here and so knowledgeable about the food or dietary requirements. My partner and I loved the food and all the dishes were gorgeous. If in doubt, get the carrots - they were incredible! A must visit if you are in Bristol!

Verdure cucinate e proposte in molti modi inconsueti, davvero eccellenti, vera esperienza. Da un menù vegetariano, puoi scegliere a partire da un minimo di 3 piatti a testa. Io ho preso e condiviso patate intere con buccia al forno e con una salsa (una consistenza croccante/morbida incredibile), trota affumicata condita e con erbe, carote al forno eccezionali, zucchine marinate... Detto così sembra molto banale ma fanno una gran ricerca su cotture e ingredienti, accostati con erbe, salse, ecc. Il cibo viene condiviso (volendo) con gli altri, così tutti provano sapori diversi. Servizio un po’ lento, le portate arrivano man mano che sono pronte, in ordine sparso. Hanno persino un libro che raccoglie le loro ricette, che non sono per nulla semplici da replicare. Il posto è al primo piano di una sorta di container, con un terrazzo coperto tutto intorno che affaccia sul porto e dove si può mangiare (stufe elettriche e coperte a disposizione). Occorre prenotare e naturalmente ci sono tavoli anche all’interno. Molto cool. Zona frequentatissima da giovani. Costo sulle 30 sterline, bevendo birra/acqua. Non abbiamo preso dolci anche se sembravano meravigliosi. Molto consigliato.

Booked in advance and had a superb evening of sharing plates washed down with a Hungarian white wine. As a vegetarian, it was fabulous to have such a wide selection of interesting and tasty plates (a few meat and fish sharing plates too), served by friendly, helpful staff. A great recipe book available too. We enjoyed it so much that, after a long morning walk, we dropped in for lunch the following day which provided an opportunity to taste the plates hitherto untested. We were offered a taste of a natural wine and can only recommend this restaurant.

Wow! I visited for the second time tonight with friends from work, all carnivores who wouldn't normally choose vegetarian food. We all left with full belly's and huge smiles on our faces. The food at root is just sublime, incredibly high quality local ingredients cooked with equally incredible passion, invention and verve. The service was wonderful and it's really good value. My top tip from tonight would be to try the smoked tomatoes although every single plate (we shared 9 plates in all) was perfection!

Superb. Great food, excellent service. Kicked off by the perfect Old Fashioned (crafted by Lucy)

Great shipping container affair, went as vegan diners. Interesting wine menu with 3 oranges on offer. Vegan menu was nice to have however we felt a lot of the dishes had cheese/dairy crossed out with no attempt for replacing the protein. Regardless nearly all dishes were very tasty and presented well.

Initially I thought the menu was uninspiring. I was wrong. The selection of dishes was absolutely unbelievable, tasty, delicious and beautifully presented. Service too was informal but attentive. Food is rarely this good or inspiring. Enjoy!

Booked inside sat outside in direct hot sun - really spoilt last evening of holiday. We booked to eat here as it has good reviews, nice menu, mostly veggie. Booking asks restaurant (inside) or terrace (outside), we booked restaurant, as I hate having a lovely evening meal in hot sun light with the sun in my eyes, and I’m writing this whilst still too hot. Waitress asked us “inside or terrace” when we arrived, and terrace was the only option - evidently not actually looked at the booking. Due to signal, could not prove restaurant booking, and as restaurant tables were gone, there was no point, so I didn’t push the fact as it’s not good for anyone. If you don’t mind their inability to honour their bookings, food is fine (though honestly sub-par for the reviews) and service is nice at the table. Really though, just a shame.

First time eating here, the dishes are ok but not worth the prices, the flavours for me were not always well matched, dill appeared in pretty much every dish, the jerk carrots overpowered any flavour of almond in the dish. Every dish had a sauce which was nice but a shame that 4 pieces of bread cost £5 so we only ordered one and missed out on being able to mop up the sauce because I couldn't justify paying so much for extra bread. The dishes are a show in how to assemble things rather than showcasing real cooking which I would expect at these prices. The service was efficient, friendly and quick but the food was not amazing which I was hoping for.

Fantastic food six vegetarian small plates fantastic- and that from a meat eater treating a vegetarian wife - and Lucy doing a great job front of house

Rubbish. Far better places to eat in Bristol.

One of the best meals I’ve had in a long time! Everything was 10/10. We had the grapefruit marg and apricot sour and both we great, we had 5/6 dishes to share between 2 which was perfect. All the dishes were outstanding. A faultless meal! We will be back next time we are in Bristol :)

Great good, good music and service. Would recommend

First time at the famous Root and couldn't be happier with my experience there. Food was over my expectations and the staff were incredibly friendly and helpful. I can't recommend it enough! Will be back :)

Small plates are definitely in but... ... but Roots was a bit underwhelming for me. Plates were good but not wow. I have been to some other 'small plates' recently and have had some 'wow' dishes (my point of reference). Some dishes, and I refer here to the Wye Valley asparagus, were just a bit uninspiring. I appreciate that sometimes simple is best, but this just did not do it for me. Located in a popular restaurant 'district', Roots appears to be cashing in rather than performing - a bit harsh perhaps! Though the food was 'very nice', I felt that you were paying restaurant prices for bistro/café dishes.

Really great evening, cosy warm atmosphere, great service and incredible food, highlights including spring onion tempura in a honey dip and a beautiful pavlova meringue with lemon fool. A must go

Delicious food and really good service at the ever reliable Root

Really cozy atmosphere, really enjoyed my time here. The food tasted incredible, very seasonal and fresh, with some amazing flavours together. I did think some of the dishes were a little pricey size wise, but pretty standard for Bristol area (and good quality). Service was great and super friendly, though it did feel at times they did take a while to come over. One very small thing is that all the dessert options are extremely heavy when the rest of the menu is very light, meaning you do leave the meal feeling a little bit uncomfortably full. Overall really recommend coming here for a special meal, absolutely would come back as a treat!

Passing thru Bristol and booked a table at ROOT. Food is excellent, laid back atmosphere, brilliant service from Adam. Highly recommended.

I took two friends to Root for celebratory dinner. We had nearly every vegetarian item on the menu, several fishy items, and a cocktail each. All the food looked and tasted wonderful - impossible to choose a favourite - and we had delightful service from Emily, who was friendly and attentive but not obsequious, which added to our lovely evening.

the food is absolutely insane here! The small plates are so varied but all compliment eachother.. the staff are so so lovely and attentive and we were tucked away in the snug with the heaters on. A really lovely all round experience thanks so much 💚 I was going to take more photos but it was too tasty 😅

The most delicious vegetarian dishes I have ever had! Really clever combinations and high quality ingredients! It was recommended to us and exceeded my expectations! The staff was very friendly and it was a very nice atmosphere.

Continues to be brilliant, highly recommended, every dish we had was spot-on.

Fantastic innovative and tasty small plates here - carefully matched with drinks of all kinds. Well worth a visit - many time!

Nipped in last minute with some friends for dinner. Pretty busy but were seated outside. Ate the most delicious tasting menu by Hannah Catley. Everything was incredible, standout was the sorrel yoghurt and garlic beans. Genuinely mouthwatering. Can't wait to come back and try other menu items.

Brilliant food. If you're even just a bit sceptical about a mostly plant based restaurant, this place will change yr mind.

Serious vegetarian cuisine at Root, with some meat options too. I had visited a couple of years ago, and I wonder I haven't been back earlier during one of my Bristol visits. I can confirm all the good things I wrote in my previous review. The cooking here is confident, mature, inventive and based on excellent ingredients. The quality and freshness of the produce was particularly evident in our only meat-based dish, a wonderful piece of monkfish on the bone, coming with fennel slivers and a beguiling spicy sauce. A celeriac bake with cheddar was also a stunner. Desserts, a very personal interpretation of Eaton mess (with pear) and a fritter with rhubarb and custard, were lovely too. Once again, the front of room staff were impressive for their cheerfulness, kindness and energy. Prices are not a bargain, but they are definitely not unfair either.

Came here for the first time on a brief visit to Bristol; I don't post reviews very often but wanted to on this occasion. Very friendly and helpful waiting staff remembered my email about dietary intolerances and went through the menu with me; the food was superb - we had six plates and they were all great. We live in London but we'll find some reason to come back.

Delicious, flavoursome dishes, in a great location with lovely staff. The food really is good. We chose 6 plates and they were all really nice. Food arrives as it is ready, and we really enjoyed it. Also went for cocktails, which were also delicious. We will come back.

The most fantastic food. Great ethos and atmosphere.... can't want to go back. Great location, small, great staff. Thoroughly recommend.

Nothing to say about food, all perfect , creative fresh receipt. However service can be improved.

I've been coming to Root for a few years now and for a while it was probably my favourite restaurant in Bristol. The food is still very good, but I don't think I'd recommend it as highly as I used to. We had some really great veg focused dishes (the smoked mushroom and egg yolk was a particular favourite and as nice as anything I've ever had at Root), but overall I didn't enjoy the experience that much. Some of the dishes were outstanding (did I mention the mushrooms? and the roscoff onions deserve a special mention too), but others (the beetroot and the leeks) felt like a bit of a miss. Service was okay, but everything felt a bit awkward and cramped. The venue packs in a lot of tables, but adding those extra covers does come at the price. The table we were on was very small and cramped when all the plates were served. Servers were pushing past our table to serve the table next to us. Some interactions with the servers were also a little awkward: for our example, when we paid the bill, they asked us what our favourite dish was. We effused about the smoked mushrooms and they then just looked at us awkwardly. I understand they probably don't care what we think of the food, but then why ask? The broader setting of the cargo dock (and the toilets in particular) could do with a bit of TLC. The toilets were particularly dirty on the night we visited. All of this contributed to an experience where we'd had some nice food, but it wasn't really a place we wanted to linger. Good food, but for £50-60pp without dessert, I don't think it's as good value an experience as it was. I'm sure I will give it another try, but I'm not sure it's still a must visit for me.

I used to love Root and bought several take-aways during lock down. Even in those challenging times then the food and service was great. This was our first time back since Rob stopped cheffing and I’m sorry to say it’s become mediocre. Small portions have become tiny whilst the cost has increased substantially, where hasn’t? The taste of the dishes has lost something. The service is rushed and either impersonal or with inane banter literally speaking onto our food! We were hoping for a simple glass of fizz as an aperitif there was only Prosecco on offer. My fav seat looking into the kitchen is no more, with boxes preventing a view in. Fair enough, I guess not every chef wants to chat and share tips whilst working. Won’t be rushing back in a hurry but will be taking a trip to Wells soon.

The potato/leeks dish on the starter section was by far our favourite plate. Generally tasty, a little bit pricey for some of the plates as some plates smaller than others and cheapest bottle of wine was £35.

Food was nice, staff were slow with service but very apologetic and friendly after. Small, cosy restaurant.

We're vegans and the vegan dishes were marked well. The food was really good with interesting tastes (in a good way). I would recommend for special nights, because the fun part is to order a few dishes (small portions), and it gets expensive. As vegans we had around 7 different dishes to choose from, which was nice (I think it was more than half the menu), and one dessert. I don't want to write the specific names of what we took cause the menu changes, but it was all good and mostly vegetables based.

Amazing as always! Explosion of flavours combined in tasty vegetarian dishes. I had Beetroot & Artichoke and I would recommend both dishes. Plus today for Dry January was delicious 0% alcohol Bellini. Well done Root you constantly surprise me with your high quality. I need to come back in February for that deliciously looking bread & butter pudding, which I had to skip today due to January resolution. See you soon.

I’m quite sparing with 5 star reviews these days but the food here is worth 6 stars on this scale. Loved it! We had 7 mains and 2 snacks between 3 people and that was just right (with room for dessert). Such great food! My recommendations are the hake and the pressed potatoes, I could eat those all day.

Really creative dishes that go hard.. really nice waitresses! Good spot

This place can't put a foot wrong. Great food!

We eat here whilst on our mini moon in 2022. Honestly, it’s probably one of the best restaurants I’ve visited in the UK. All the food & drinks we sampled were absolutely delicious, even the salad that we had was devine. We loved it so much, that I’m thinking about coming back for my birthday later this year. We can’t wait to return!

Service and food both on point, well worth a visit. Made to feel like we were old friends, a wonderful experience, couldn't do enough to please x

We came at noon when it opened, there were few people. The servers were attentive and the atmosphere was very pleasant. The dishes and their flavors are creative and original. A very nice discovery!

A lovely place to have food. As a vegetarian you don't usually have much choice or much flavour in food when eating out. It was so nice to have such a choice, and the flavour of the dishes was amazing.

So good we forgot to take pictures

Tasty food and lovely atmosphere. A whole vegan menu to choose from too, with lots of delicious alternative recipes. I think the menu changes every season, which makes it a great seasonal visit.

Amazing meal here, they have a few 'meat dishes' but the majority are vegetables and utterly stunning. The absolute standout dish is a winter twist on the Caesar salad with grilled cabbage.

Couldn't speak highly enough of Root - really surprising meal, great ingredients, balance of flavour and very helpful waiting staff! Particularly liked the way they have small plates, great for sharing as a group. One of the best meals I've had in a very long time

Everything very good, recommended place

We were quite disappointed with the food after seeing all the good reviews. We visited on a Saturday evening and got a lovely table inside. The staff were friendly but not overly attentive and didn’t fill up our table water but noticed they did this for another table. (Only a small thing but for the price of the overall meal I’d expect the service to be a little better). The atmosphere was quite nice but we went on a busy Saturday night so Id expect that to be the case anywhere. What we really were disappointed by was the food. We ordered 6 main plates which was around 60% of the menu but nothing really stood out or had a lot of flavour. Unfortunately most of the dishes were Luke warm at best. One deep fried dish was hot but the rest were a strange temperature and hence they weren't enjoyable to eat. The squash and curry dish was the best one that we tried flavour wise but it wasn’t amazing. Sad to say we wouldn’t return and can’t recommend it to friends.

Lovey food, but insubstantial and sooo expensive. Really!!! A small piece of fish for £16? I was so hungry afterwards I had to eat a sandwich on the train home!

Exceptional variety of flavours and textures in this veg-focussed place. 6 of us took their recommendation and shared all the small plates on their menu between us. How they manage to make so many different dishes with the care they give the food in such a small space is astonishing! What a treat to come here. Friendly service too, and cosy atmosphere.

Great place, people, and food. Thank you to the staff that made us feel really welcome and to the chef that cooked amazing food. The mushroom kiev was our favourite. Also, the stout chocolate cake was one of the best chocolate cake we've ever had, and the fact that the recipe had such a nice local recipe history was just heartwarming.

Fantastic restaurant with a brilliantly warm atmosphere! The food truly is excellently prepared, and the staff attentive without being overbearing. They took care of my partner's food allergies and ensured he knew what was safe to eat. We were 6 and had the most fantastic time, great wine list too!

Had a lovely dinner in Root in August. The restaurant was recommended to us and it didn’t disappoint! If you’re a picky eater, this may not be the restaurant for you as the dishes are a bit quirky and mostly vegetarian, but oh so tasty! Definitely one of my favourite Bristol restaurants!

I love this place! Their food is creative and seasonal. It made me love vege food in a way i never had before. Give it a try!

Really enjoyed every dish, and look forward to going again.

Very friendly staff and great for catering to dietary requirements

Small restaurant in the old port area. The atmosphere is welcoming with mainly vegetarian dishes. We also tasted two dishes based on mackerel and monkfish. Simple and tasty cuisine accompanied by a French wine. Overall a nice evening although unfortunately in the small room with open kitchen the smells of cooking spread leaving clothes and jackets soaked in cooking.

If you enjoy delicious food, you have to head for Root! I would recommend booking in advance as they get full quickly. For a table of two, around 5-7 dishes is perfect. The team brought the food out gradually so we weren't buried under dishes and it's perfect. They could cater for gluten free with no issue. Mainly vegetarian dishes, but they are so tasty! My personal favourite was the Potatoes, the carrot and the cabbage! There is both outdoor and indoor seating with heaters if you sit out. It is upstairs but there is disabled access via the lift.

We keep coming back to Root! Everything is absolutely delicious and makes you experience a vegetable like you haven't before. The service is super friendly and they clearly take allergies very seriously. The cardamom-coffee old fashioned is a must try!

Incredible restaurant really creative and interesting food

Great small plates with an emphasis on seasonal produce Really delicious food and friendly staff. Lots of veggie options and a few fish/meat ones too!

Lovely food, really gorgeous. They also allow dogs outside, not sure about in. Definitely need to book if you’re planning to go!

Highly recommend, never tasted vegetables so good in my life (sorry mammy 😂) lovely staff and vibe too!

Really delicious food and great staff.

Great restaurant with lots of vegetarian dishes. Everything tasted very good and was well prepared. Very friendly staff, definitely recommended if you're in the area!

It is recommended to get two or two dishes because they’re quite small! The meals are PHENOMENAL! They are a taste experience, i highly recommend going there!

Small plates but everything on the menu was absolutely incredible! It's perfect for any occasion, and we've already made a reservation to come back.

We went by the reviews on trip to find this restaurant. Small plates which we had 5 = each was lovely, and we shared them. We also had 3 sweets plates - the apricot one was out of this world. Go - it is worth it!!

some of the best food I have had in a long time and I thought really good value. Highlights included the cheese and jalapeno puffs to nibble on, then the ewe's curd dumplings, masala mussels, crisped new potatoes with caesar as mains and the focaccia to mop it all up was salty fluffy heaven. Our waitress was super friendly and efficient and the whole atmosphere of the place was buzzy but not too busy to feel chocabloc. Would go back again in a heartbeat!

One of the best meals I’ve had in a long time - impeccable service and fantastic ambiance & atmosphere. Could not fault anything whatsoever.

Everything was delicious and the service was great 👍 they couldn't do enough to cater for my vegan diet and my partner's allergies.

Amazing experience overall. Best dishes, top service and playlist. Guaranteed to leave as a happier person.

I visited with my wife, grown up children, and their partners. With a mix of vegetarians and carnivores in the group eating out can sometimes be a challenge to please everyone but the food was a delight and everyone enjoyed it. The array of dishes and flavours provided a true food experience nicely paired with some good wine and-or beer. The service was great and the venue/atmosphere very chilled. Would recommend to anyone that enjoys quality veg!

Pour découvrir les différentes cuisines du monde, les quartiers des anciens docks de Bristol est parfait. Installés dans des containers, le restau Root propose des petites assiettes à partager pour plus de convivialité et liberté. L’idée est bonne pour tester différents plats. A trois, nous avons commandé 6 plats différents tous plus bons les uns que les autres. Les saveurs sont toujours surprenantes grâce aux sauces et épices qui sont ajoutées dans la préparation des plats. Un vrai délice et un plaisir de redécouvrir des légumes habituellement fades qui sont réveillés pr la préparation de qualité. Bien sûr, au final l’addition est un peu salée, mais le plaisir est là et on sort satisfait !

Great vegetarian restaurant with innovative dishes. Modern kitchen and very pleasant atmosphere. A "must" for those who go to Bristol and want to try different and tasty things.

Veggie focused small plates and natural wine. The food was very good, great wine list and friendly service. Plenty of gluten free options. The host was very helpful and accommodating.

Staggeringly good food, with a great choice and beautifully prepared and presented. Loved every single dish and some of the best food we have eaten for ages. Although we live on the other side of the country - we will most definitely be back when next visiting family in Bristol.