Arnolfini Café Bar — Restaurant in Bristol

Lunch for two adults and one child was the best part of £40 and was very disappointing. Despite it being half term and the gallery having children’s events, there was no kid’s menu at all, not even half portions of the usual stuff. The menu seems to be directed to hungover people wanting brunch (greasy fry ups) with the cheesy chips having white wine in the sauce which was then rendered horrible. It also wasn’t detailed properly on the menu what each thing was, BBF independence fries??? The cheesy chips had ‘Su’ in tiny letters which according to the menu means Sulphur, but I think they mean Sulphites from the alcohol that was undeclared. Not a place to visit if you have allergies or you’d have to ask what was in the sandwiches and fries, very tedious. We ordered two ham and cheese bagels (£8 each) and you can see from the photos, they were pre packed so extremely soggy, one slice of emmental and one slice of ham with the limpest rocket I’ve ever seen. Aside from this, the music was too loud for the elderly and family crowd that was in there and the service was slow and definitely surly. Yes it was busy but that isn’t any excuse. Do not try the toilets by the cafe, absolutely filthy, run down and no loo roll. Use the gallery ones downstairs instead! We will not be returning. It’s a real shame because before Covid I used to come here quite a lot and it was a typical great gallery cafe. A few doors down is Society Cafe and that will definitely be our choice over the Arnolfini Cafe...

This is the perfect little brunch stop on a busy corner overlooking the river and marina. The vibe is very much indie Bristol.the ceilings and window sills are draped in succulents and vines making it feel homely and airy. The seating is area is a minimalist’s take on industrial flare. Reading a book on a pleasant Saturday morning I was able to enjoy an americano quite happily here. A freshness greets you as the window glows past the establishment through the lightly opened windows. It’s hard to it to people watch as the world goes by sitting at the window counter. Before departing, the menu of scrambled tofu caught my eye. I was thoroughly impressed at how exciting the vegan option tasted. It even had a gluten free option. The scrambled tofu erupted like fireworks of flavour on the tongue. There were sweet and savoury layers from the different ingredients. A light spicy note added to the jam that appeared like jewels atop a crown. The tofu was firm and cube shaped which gave a satisfying bite to every mouthful. Portion size was small but not overbearing. Perfect if you intend on partaking in many of the foodie offerings around Bristol on a single day. Definitely recommend sampling some of the menu...

I’m vegetarian and I ordered the soup of the day which I was told was pumpkin soup. After having had some I realised it had bacon in… When I went back to the bar to ask what the soup of the day was, I was confidently told it was leek and potato, and then when I questioned whether or not it was in fact pumpkin, I was told it was actually pumpkin. I then asked if it had bacon in and this was confirmed. The staff member did offer to get it remade but unfortunately as I’ve been vegetarian for so long I was really put off my food and felt really uncomfortable. As it was a vegetable soup I’d have never thought to ask if it was vegetarian, in the same way if I order a margarita I wouldn’t expect it to arrive with pepperoni on it…

My friend and I were specifically told that the soup contained nuts, which was obvious on arrival, but the bacon was not (my friend who eats meat didn’t even realise). With ‘of the day’ menu items I do think it’s really important to tell customers the full extent of its contents before serving, as we can’t read this information off of a menu - especially if our dietary requirements are unknown. What if I...