Whether you’re craving pasta, risotto, arancini or gelato, Bristol has got you covered. Here are my top 8 Italian restaurants in Bristol:

• Snobby’s, Redland – one of many gems on Chandos Road, this restaurant and wine bar serves tasty Italian small plates and pizza in a cosy setting.
• Grano, Old Market –so far I’ve only sampled Grano’s delicious pasta at their St Nicks stall while their main restaurant is under refurbishment. I’m excited to see what they deliver next at their Old Market site.

Snobby’s

• Little Hollows, Redland – serving arguably some of the best pasta in Bristol, if you walk past this restaurant during the day you’ll likely spot their pasta being freshly handmade in the window!
• Sonny Stores, Southville – we visited their pop-up in Quakers Friars while they were having their usual home refurbished. Their food is excellent – every dish is creative, thoughtful and well executed.

Little Hollows

The Bianchis Group are behind several amazing Italian restaurants in Bristol (Bianchis, Pazzo, Cotto and Pasta Ripiena) and consistently deliver top quality food across all their establishments along with friendly service. They also have a street food offering from their bright red van ‘Bocca di Bianchi’, from which I’ve tried their amazing lasange fritti at the Feast On food festival.

• Bianchis, Montpelier – serving refined Italian cuisine in a sophisticated setting, this spot is ideal for a celebration.
• Cotto, Old City – a delightful Italian restaurant, it makes a great pre-theatre spot if you’re seeing a show at the Bristol Hippodrome or the Old Vic afterwards. We enjoyed some delicious arancini, crab and mussel bucatini, ragu pappardelle and zesty lemon gelato.

Cotto

• Pazzo, Whiteladies Road – previously exclusively serving pasta (including the infamous pork belly carbonara), this summer Pazzo launched a simpler cantina-style menu focusing on classic Italian dishes made with great ingredients.
• Pasta Ripiena, Old City – next door to Cotto, specialising in filled fresh pasta. At most of the Bianchi restaurants, a plate of fresh focaccia will be brought out as you’re nearing the end of your meal to mop up any remaining sauce, which is such a lovely touch.

Pasta Ripiena

And lastly if it’s gelato you’re after then you’ve got to head to Panunzio’s Kitchen on Cotham Hill, an award-winning Italian gelateria serving a range of delicious gelato.

Some more Italian restaurants that I’d like to try include Magari and Ragu at Wapping Wharf and Moltobuono on Park Street. When was the last time you had a delicious Italian meal?

Alexa

P.S. If you enjoyed reading this post, why not take a look at some of my other posts: Bristol Pizza Guide and My Favourite Bristol Cafés.

Header photo: Cotto