Bottelino’s

It’s great to see this shabby road in Bedminster attract some smart restaurants, and Bottelino’s is one such establishment.
Housed in the old Police Station building, the restaurant’s fridges are squeezed in to well-​preserved prison cells and the stone courtyard now houses a bar imported from Italy.
I don’t often go out for Italian food, since you can get such great pizzas and pastas from the supermarket, but when I do I usually prefer to eat at a traditional trattoria rather than a contemporary restaurant (an Italian restaurant just doesn’t feel complete without those checked table cloths!). This place is, however, ideal for group meals. It’s not stuffy or claustrophobic and feels spacious enough to cope with larger parties, so it’s good if you’re celebrating and enjoying a few jars of wine. There are even two separate bar and dining areas that are available for party bookings and private hire.
The food they serve is decent Italian fare at very reasonable prices. All of our party’s dishes arrived almost at the same time, with everyone happily wolfing down the lot. I still like good, old-​fashioned, candlelit trattorias, but as modern Italians go this place gets the thumbs up from me.

It is difficult to find fault with this award winning restaurant. I have been a few times now, and have always had a cracking time. The atmosphere of an evening tends to err towards the animated, and so the venue is great for parties and celebratory meals of any kind. The reception from the staff is always warm and welcoming and their Italian vitality is infectious.
One of my favourite dishes to date is the Lasagne Vegetariana, a beautifully succulent dish, plentiful and oozing with fresh, juicy vegetables and a finishing touch of tasty melted cheddar. A generous portion of garlic bread and a finely dressed and presented salad were additions which bestowed the meal with a wow factor that far exceeded its modest price (circa £8.50). If you’re more of a pizza person, I’d recommend the Ortolana, an exquisitely tasty dish, strewn with peppers, aubergine, roasted courgettes, olives and mozzarella cheese (mouth watering as I type).
My only criticism of Bottelinos is its rather naff televised open fire. «Come again?», I hear you say. Now there’s incentive to go and have a gander…

I first discovered Bottelinos when I was a student living in Cheltenham a few years ago and I just assumed it was a chain. Not sure why, you can just tell at times. I frequented the place many times as it had (to quote the sign outside the restaurant) a «crazy lunch time offer». The craziness being the price, which was £3.50 for any 12 inch pizza. I have to admit as a student with little money, that was an awesome deal as the pizzas were truly enormous and all for just £3.50.
The one on West Street in the old police station is a little nicer than the one I used to go to in Cheltenham, but the pizzas are just as good. They still have the lunch time offer on I believe, but the price has gone up to £5.50 (not so crazy if you ask me but still unbelievably cheap considering they’re roughly a tenner in the evening.
If you want great big pizzas at bargain bottom prices, go to bottelino’s.

Bedminster meets Rome at this family run Italian bistro (now a chain across the South West). I would say they serve bog standard Italian fayre — spag bol, thin pizzas, Peroni beer. And on some levels I would be right. The prices for such food is spot on and each dish is freshly made and tasty with the right amount of herbs — without being overfilling or stodgy. On another level, I think the food is quite exceptional. Cooked in the way only real Italians can, with passion and flair and served up in the comfy modern surroundings of leather chairs and slick décor.
It is a shame the place in on Bedminster parade (although there is a very nice city centre branch too), a bit of a run down area without much going for it. The customers were few & far between when I visited and I worry that they just don’t attract the right clientele when they’re situated next to Asda. Luckily, you can forget where you are once inside (and relaxing with a big bowl of tagliatelle and a glass of chianti!)
They specialise in delicious chicken and fish dishes, as well as traditional Italian veal recipes (I won’t touch the stuff myself, but that’s just personal ethics). I ate breaded mozzarella for starters (unbelievably yummy) and pollo alla diavolo for mains (had to point at the menu for that one) — chicken breast served in a spicy onion, tomato, mushroom and chilli sauce. Too full up for pud and without leaving too much of a dent in the bank balance. Will certainly return — perhaps to the city centre branch.