Arnolfini Cafe Bar

Arnolfini Portrait Café Bar is situated in the corner of Narrow Quay, overlooking the harbour.
The most memorable thing about the visit was a mix up with the food. I ordered vegetarian scotch egg with salad and chips but was served eggs Benedict with salmon. This was sorted out and corrected.
The meal was £6.75 plus extra for the side order of chips so about £9 in total. The food itself was fine but didn’t think it was great value for money. A bit pricey.

Much like you might expect, the café attached to the gallery is a little bit pretentious and tries to be an art gallery café. and the prices are as a result a wee bit higher than you might like. However, that being said they have done it pretty well, and the food is good, unlike the over priced bland restaurants and cafes that you normally find in most art galleries and museums.
I would certainly recommend popping down when the weather is nice and the trees are green, that way you will be able to lap up the beautiful harbour-​side views.
I haven’t been since their new found fame in after they held the election debate which i am sure has boosted their profile and given them free feign on boosting their prices too!

Watching the Arnolfini all lit up in the primary colours for the leaders’ debate made me so proud to be a Bristolian. All the commentators kept remarking on how beautiful Bristol looked with the impressive buildings and the glittering water. The event may have catapaulted The Arnolfini into the national consciousness but those that live here have long cherished it as a wonderful arts space where some really inspirational characters have spoken and some remarkable bands played. I most recently saw Tunng here and it was one of the best live acts I’ve witnessed. The Arnolfini is really clean and well-​presented inside which makes it a bit more desirable a location than some of the grottier gig venues. I also love the bar which serves great food and has a big selection of booze. Last time I was there they were doing some really tasty seasonal cocktails– a sort of champagne with rhubarb. And they’ve just got a pizza stone which bodes well for the future. Apparently their garlic soup is back on the menu too– it’s awesome but not the sort of starter that will make you friends. And the Exmouth mussels here are melt in your mouth delectable.

The Arnolfini was made famous across the country when one of the highly anticipated leaders’ debates took place there just two weeks before the 2010 General Election. The whole area was cordoned off as teams of Sky News techies and journos turned the old building into some mad 80s looking set for Labour leader Gordon Brown, Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg and Tory leader David Cameron to show off their public speaking skills (or lack of). Afterwards, images were projected onto the distinctive looking building showing the faces of the debaters and imagery associated with politics and their party. It was very pretty, but the Arnolfini is much more than a vessel for democracy. It is a great place to go for coffee and lunch. The Polenta chips are out of this world and I’ve rarely seen such a wonderful selection of scrummy teas, including vanilla and nutmeg and lemongrass. It’s not even that expensive. The Arnolfini also has regular exhibitions on in the art space and host talks for members of the public to come and get involved in.

Okay, the café itself is more than a little poncey and just a tad expensive, but during the summer it’s worth enduring those slightly higher than average prices to be able to sit at their gloriously located outdoor seating area.
It has wonderful views of the harbour and is bathed in sun all day long (when the sun is actually out of course). The food at the café is actually pretty good to be fair and is a firm favourite with local suits and office workers all year round.
In the evening it can be a nice spot for an after work drink or two as the trees lining the seating area are lit up with outdoor bulbs and the whole area feels very sophisticated and cosmopolitan. The alcoholic beverages at the bar match this aspiration, but alas, so do the prices. Maybe just have one.

As you’d probably expect of a bar that’s attached to an arts centre, the Arnolfini is a thoroughly middle class affair. The interior is neat and smart, with long wooden tables in an almost canteen style and art adorning the walls.
The whole point of coming here, though, isn’t to drink inside but to go out onto the waterfront. There isn’t a great deal of seating but it’s one of the last places to catch the sun and so is always busy, with people sitting against the wall or with their feet dangling over the water (the last time I did this, I could hear the singing/​roaring coming from the Wetherspoon’s opposite, though!). Also, a good place to come at night, as if you can nab a table they sit directly below the pretty bulb-​lit trees.

Anyone for broad beans and parmesan on lemon toast? Or marinated anchovy fillets? I love the food at the Arnolfini for its mediterranean tang but its local sourcing — its fresh and clean in flavour and made from scratch before your very eyes. A fine selection of spirits and wines compliments the simple dishes.
I sometimes feel like a character from a new wave French film in the bar — its stark white with stylish square seats and tables can make you feel a bit cool and a bit self-​conscious all at the same time. Once you’ve munched your way through one of their platters stop by at the ‘moderne’ gallery for art or an experimental performance, or a nose around the literary-​tastic bookshop

Attached to the gallery of the same name, this is a stylish joint and only a little pretentious. The efforts at being fashionable hasn’t come at the cost of anything important though. You can still sit on the seats and the meals are still big enough. It isn’t as expensive as one might expect either, not cheap though. They have made the effort to source food and drink locally, which I think is admirable. The menu is seasonal too. Little things like this show that this isn’t just an addition to the gallery of the same name — it’s a venue in its own right.
Dress up a little to fit in here, but don’t expect to get the usual downsides of this sort of bar.