Bravas — Restaurant in Bristol

I am very disappointed in having to give a 1 star review, however the attitude of staff member who purported to be the Restaurant Manager was unacceptable. We have eaten and attempted to eat at

Bravas on a number of occasions have had a mixture of experience but nothing that stopped us wanting to re-visit, recommend or review negatively until now. Bravas as those that have experienced the Restaurant will know is quite cosy with a limited number of tables and space, somewhere we would not want to dine in due to concerns about social distancing requirements at this present moment in time, so we were very happy to see that they were offering a take out menu. I called early in the day to place and pay for our order .. basically 90% of the take out offerings and stated that collect between 6.30 and 6.00 pm on route through Bristol to Home, I also said that I would call when en route and 1 hour away to give an exact time of arrival, plenty of time to get our order prepared. I rang through at 5.30pm, phone went into voicemail and message was left starring would there for 6.30pm. Arriving at Restaurant at 6.20pm, I was informed that my message was not listened to but my order would be ready for 6.30. No issue here .. I popped back in at 6.30 to be told my order was not ready and would be another 10 minutes minimum.. there was no apology other than “we are really busy.. can’t you see that we are busy and haven’t listened to any phone messages” No apology, no acknowledgment that I was the customer and the restaurant being busy was not my fault! I had indeed been very proactive. The Restaurant was busy and obviously a few take out bags/ orders ready to be prepared .. however busy a Restaurant is does not negate providing an apology where a Customer is affected and a negative attitude is never acceptable .. an apology or even a gesture of goodwill .. offer of free olives maybe! would have at least shown the individual concerned cared! The Restaurant has at least 7 staff members in and approximately 15 Customers .. no stretch .. Covid 19 measures or not. I asked the individual concerned to inform the Owners and that I would like them to call me the next morning so that I would inform them of my experience .. I am writing this review as no one has bothered to call.. Only other negative comments are with regards the take out food containers which didn’t feel were adequate with regards insulation for the hot menu items and the Vine Tomato, Capers and Tuna .. I am sure the Tuna was Boquerones instead.. very poor fir £7.80 a portion. Positive however the rest of our Meal was good and well prepared ..

Those who read this review, there are no sour grapes, I am not after any compensation for meal or freebie, I however believe that a business stands and survives on the level of service and attitude towards that paying Customer .. Bravas on this occasion failed...

After years of hearing how impossible it was to get a table at Bravas, we finally managed to book one, and now I can’t quite fathom why it’s so adored.

From the moment we arrived, things felt off. We had to call out our reservation across the room because no one greeted us properly. Eventually, someone waved us over to a table tucked by the kitchen curtain - a spot that reeked of damp and mould. The smell was so persistent it clung to the air, and even after the staff “sprayed something” and lit a candle, it didn’t improve.

When we eventually moved to another table - carrying our own water and menus, as no one helped - the service didn’t get better. Our waitress spilled beer on my jacket and handbag, didn’t apologise, and told me to use the napkin from the communal cutlery glass. Even the cutlery was dirty. Throughout the meal, no one checked in on us once.

The space itself was far from inviting. The table was visibly dirty, with food remnants lodged in the ridges of the wood, frankly unpleasant. The seating area was cramped, with no proper place to hang jackets (just a broken hook beside me). Every time the front door opened, an icy draft swept through, so we alternated between stifling heat and sudden chills. For a place that trades on atmosphere, it felt more like eating in a corridor.

As for the food: half of it was fine, half of it was dreadful. The whitebait and chorizo were decent, but the patatas bravas were a sad imitation - hard sliced potatoes with the dip that tasted like cheap bottled Mexican sauce. The duck croquettes looked good but were completely bland, which takes talent given how flavourful duck usually is.

To finish, the bill arrived with a 10% service charge, which I politely asked to be removed and received a few frosty looks for the privilege.

Overall, Bravas feels like a victim of its own hype: cramped, careless, and coasting on a reputation it no longer earns. There’s none of the warmth, charm, or authenticity you’d expect from a true Spanish tapas bar - just cold drafts, cold service with attitude from the staff, and the lingering smell of...

I live around the corner from Bravas and I haven’t been for a while. I noticed a big change. It really needs a lift.

It lacked charm, the food average, service was poor last night and it was half empty at 8:30 on. Friday night. I was charged 10% on service when I would have held it back. I had to wave at the staff six times to indicate I was ready to order, twice for a drink, when food arrived our glasses were empty and my husband had to wave again to remind them he’d been waiting whilst the dishes went cold. We were sat at the bar right under their nose and they were occupied but not busy as it was half full on a Friday evening. There was no one checking the detail on customer (I.e food served no drinks).

The food was not as good as before. Cod lacked seasoning, tortilla the same. Lentil dish looked like it had been prepared yesterday again no seasoning hidden under a crusty slice of goats cheese.

Atmosphere wise, whilst I like music it was pumping loud to the point I couldn’t hear myself speak. Music is good for atmosphere but people go out for tapas to catch up and to talk. There was an all round lack of awareness going on.

Sadly I won’t be back soon and My favourite place is no longer. The owner needs to be mindful that a good product can be ruined by people working for you who don’t share the same passion for food and service. They might think they do but who’s checking what’s coming out of the kitchen, who’s showing the staff what service is about. Who’s running the debriefing meetings. You need staff with an exceptionally good appreciation of food and service to make the magic happen.

The magic wasn’t there last...