superb, fresh southern indian cooking…read more Main focus on vegetarian but quite a few meat options. Dhosas, Idli, Sambar, fantastic quirky dishes like deep fried chilli cauliflower Very good value for money, most dishes under £4.00 BYO drink. Service friendly but can be a bit chaotic.

The Madras Express is a curious name for a business owned by a Ugandan Indian of Gujarati descent…read more (Madras is in the South East of India and Gujarat is in the North West.) That aside, everything else makes sense. With an extensive menu, tandori oven, take-aways and deliveries, everyone is more than happy with what they do. This is an exceedingly popular restaurant. Ali, the owner, is a chatty kind of fellow. He tells me that the Tandori Chicken is the most commonly ordered dish and that he's not related to the Ugandan family of Gujarati origin that owns the Sweet Mart on St Mark's Road - but they are friends. Ali smiled when he revealed that he hadn't even visited India until 2000, but that he went at an inauspicious time, explaining that he was there when the massive earthquake hit at the beginning of 2001. I listened stunned as he continued to tell me that he had found a 6 year old Hindu girl whose family had all perished, and that he decided to bring her back to the UK. There ensued a long tussle with Social Services until eventually they granted her access. She's now fifteen and studying for her GCSE's. What is most astonishing about this tale is that Ali himself is Muslim. The food tastes even better when you know that!

For those of you who enjoy a good helping of hearty Indian cuisine from time to time, but can…read morerarely afford the luxury of eating out, luck may be coming your way. The Madras Express, a relatively new curry house, is currently doing an eat in buy one get one free deal from Monday to Wednesday on all main meals, naan breads and rice. I had to double-take when I saw the offer and hastily proceeded to arrange a group outing to the restaurant. Our group arrived on a Monday evening and alarm bells rang as we walked into a practically empty restaurant. But the ringing soon began to subside as we sat down to pints of Kingfisher, a deliciously refreshing Indian Lager, and tucked into our obligatory poppadom starters. The toppings were copious and varied and our appetites were well and truly whetted. A few more customers began to show up after a while, and we were impressed with the friendliness and attentiveness of the waiters. The main courses arrived in good time and were beautifully presented. Given the nature of the offer, we were not expecting exquisite food. Nevertheless, we were pleasantly surprised by the sheer quality of the dishes. I had a Chicken Karai which was oozing with sweet, subtle flavours and packed with juicy vegetables. The meat was succulent and tasty and my garlic naan was cooked to perfection. We all agreed we would have been happy to pay the full price for such culinary perfection. But a deal's a deal!

This cafe is right by the waterfront, in a secluded location in the Harbourside area. I would say…read morethat this is one of the more quiet Caffe Gusto's in Bristol that is mainly popular with the staff of Lloyds right next door to it, and residents of the apartments around it. It being one of the quiet branches of Gusto, I find that this is the best one! I like it having a rather strange 'U' shape for a roof, and the fact that it is right next to the river is great. The staff here is friendly, and most of the seating is outside, where you can really take in the views. If you are ever walking around the riverside, pop by here for a bit of lunch and coffee - it is rather enjoyable.

What a Gusto!!! This has to be the most beautiful place you're likely to find a Caffe Gusto in the…read morecity, and it does look out of place although it must be very convenient for the people who work in this part of town. They have the usual selection of ready-made Paninis (people know that word is just Italian for sandwich right, it doesn't actually mean anything!?), which are very tasty, but you should try and find a Gusto that will let you choose your ingredients and build & grill it up right there for you, these are much nicer. They also have the Caffe Gusto love it or hate it coffee. But sitting by the river in the sunshine in this part of the city is probably the most perfect way to waste an afternoon. There is a lot of money in this area (very high property prices etc.) because you are next to the river, but it all feels more like you're sat in a wealthy part of the Florida keys than in Bristol. Some people might find the whole area a bit sterile, but it's such a nice change from the centre of the city and there is loads of outside seating.

Troy is probably my favourite kebab house on this stretch of City Road. They take such care with…read morethe food that it tastes a whole lot better than everyone else's. This may have something to do with the fact that Troy is a restaurant and not just a take away. They serve Turkish and Mediterranean food, as well as the most refreshing tea in the world! The place is run by really friendly people who take a pride in what they do. The atmosphere is very relaxed, and it's a place where a lot of the locals pledge their allegiance. Business is not as brisk as it used to be a few years ago. There are now too many restaurants and takeaways doing the same thing, providing too much competition along the City Road. Troy was one of the first, and thankfully they haven't lost the passion for what they do. A kebab will set you back about £6.00, but there's enough food for two people, making them really well priced for what you get.

Another Turkish kebab house? I think not…read more On the off chance you visit this place and not for the kebab on the night out you should try there charcoal grilled specials, this being their saving grace and unique offering for the area. The have takeaway food as you would expect and some interesting items on the menu. I'm always impressed to see the food I ordered be prepared and cooked in the front of house. The doner kebab is exactly like any you'd find down the street but competes well with Adonis kebab takeaway.

China town Food from…read morethis place is pretty standard ranging from bland & salty to adequate. Deffo avoid the soups which don't really have any of the ingredients listed and are all the same regardless of what you order. Have ordered the sane dish (black bean) on different occasions and each time it has been different? Sometime gloopy and sometimes water thin? Maybe there are different chefs on different days? On the plus side the portion sizes are ok. Still haven't found any good chinese takeaways in Bristol so the hunt will continue!

Aroma, a takeaway on Whiteladies road is a well used resource to the people of Clifton. It's menu…read morefeatures the usual oriental dishes and sundry items, all at a reasonable (for Clifton) price. They don't deliver, but if you give them a call before going, you won't have to wait around and the food is of a great quality. The staff in here are really friendly too, they appreciate that it's their customers that keep them going, so always do their best to help.

Food is absolutely amazing. It's flavourful, colourful and delicious. Would recommend to anyone but…read moresometimes the place is squashed

Zero stars. The…read morewebsite, and the placard out front, and, heck, the sticker on the door all say that this place is open until 11. So you'd think that you might be able to dine until, I dunno, 11. Wrong. We came by at 9. The lone bartender - forget a host or hostess - ignored us. We interrupted his reverie and asked to be seated. He said that he'd have to ask the "chefs," since it was empty and they were ready to leave. The bartender then turned back away. We walked out. Way to run a business, mates.

A carnivore's dream! If you get the meat skewers - they will hang it from the light fixture above…read moreyour table and you carve the pieces yourself - truly unique. The service was a little slow, but friendly. They won't rush you out. The lamb is great - the steaks are so-so. The skewers are great. A little pricey, so save for a special night.

I came here today with my partner and his mother to celebrate Mother's Day a day early to beat the…read moreoverbooked restaurants in the city and really enjoyed myself. The food was delicious and prices were fair; the only reason why it doesn't get a 5 stars from me is down to the atmosphere. There's a bit of a lack of identity going on with Pierre Le Bistrot where I'm not really sure what to think of it. Still, I'm really happy with my experience and would definitely recommend it to anyone who is a lover of food! ~ Atmosphere: The downside. Don't get me wrong, on the inside it was absolutely lovely; the decor was beautiful! What I mean was that there is a massive disconnect with how Pierre Le Bistrot markets themselves and our experience. Rather than a pleasant lunch, the tables were a bit too crowded which left a hectic atmosphere. There was a massive group near us and we couldn't really hear our own conversation. All in all, the atmosphere didn't make for an overall fantastic experience. We were hoping to get a pleasant Saturday lunch, but instead rushed to leave. ~ Customer Service: The food came out quickly so I applaud the chef. However, our waiter spent a little too much time flirting with a group of ladies it was pretty difficult flagging him down. ~ Food: Like I said, amazing. I'd recommend the food here to anyone! For lunch, you can get a 3-course meal for a set price of £12.95 - more expensive options such as steak would have a supplement added. The portion sizes were small, but by the end of my courses I was absolutely stuffed! -- Starter -- Fritots de calamars (Calamari) Came with roasted garlic mayonnaise and it was really lovely. I'm a huge fan of battered calamari and Pierre's was great! My partner had honey-coated chorizo that I tried a piece of and it was stunning. They also provided some bread and butter - I've rarely had such high quality bread, soft and absolutely delicious. -- Main -- Slow-Cooked Lamb This was a Chef's Special so it's not on the actual menu. The lamb was melted beautifully - I didn't even need to use the knife they provided me as just the fork was fine - it was THAT tender! For each main you can choose to have potatoes, seasonal vegetables, or fries - I chose the fries and they tasted like they were likely coated in truffle oil; such a huge boost! -- Dessert -- Plateau de fromages (Cheeseboard) They had plenty of sweet options for dessert, but I opted for the cheeseboard instead as the red onion confiture caught my eye. Was really yummy as a lover of cheese. --- With how delicious everything was, I left very happy with my meal and felt that it was priced just right. Definitely a gem!