The Brunel — Restaurant in Bristol

Much to like and several unexpected positives. A friendly, helpful and welcoming female took orders at the bar and showed patience when sampling and choosing drinks. We arrived fairly late for a Sunday roast around 14:00 hrs. The Brunel has no pre-booking of tables so it is a first come first served basis. A fair choice of novelty real ales and despite no London Pride, I was lucky to find a fruity IPA. Dinners looked fresh and colourful. A decent horseradish, gravy boat, a separate selection of veg for plating-up, perfectly cooked chicken and Yorkshire pudding make a hearty meal at an attractive price. No mustard. An added bonus compared to a typical carvery is that the dining areas were free of cooking odours and quite intimate for a quiet chat. Toilets downstairs are a little gloomy and were in need of brighter lighting. Would happily visit again and recommend as I could not fault...

I stopped by here yesterday for a pint with a couple of friends before returning to London.

We ended up having the roast and it was lovely. Portion size was big so I would say you don't need the cauliflower cheese, but, you'll want it, it was lovely. It's well worth feeling stuffed.

The staff were really nice and chatty as were a couple of the locals.

You can see in to the kitchen (which I don't usually like in case it puts me off, but it was spotless), so the chef clearly takes pride in his work.

If you are in Clifton, or Bristol in general and want some decent food or just a pint, pay this...

I used the toilet and was shocked at the apparent disgusting state it was in. When I had a word with the landlord, he told me he glued the seat down to stop people ripping off the seat and then told me I was having a go at him!

A very poor selection of beer too. In a city of over ten breweries it’s disappointing to see not one represented and the only non-lager choices being Wadworths. Comments elsewhere suggest the landlord has an active dislike of real ale drinkers so maybe that explains the very...