Take 5 Cafe

Absolutely loved this place. We were at the Canteen a few doors up which had run out of food so we popped down to Take 5 Café and were totally charmed. I don’t know why but a menu with only 5 options on it really appeals to me — especially when it’s 5 options of lovely tasty Indian food served by a really charismatic Indian guy with an amazing beard.
I had saag paneer (Indian cheese with spinach curry) and all options come with on a big plate of rice with a dollop of chutney on the side. All that for a fiver! Bargain. Beers obviously much more costly at 3 pounds but the guy’s got to make his money somehow.
The walls are covered in community businesses, classes and such and the tables are covered in eclectic reading material ranging from The New Scientist to The Joy of Meditation.
All this with excellent service in double-​quick time. Love it!

This is a quirky little place. Sitting in Stokes Croft, it acts mainly as a café during the day, serving up cheap curries and Italian dishes (the menu changes) in a small venue with a relaxed atmosphere and friendly staff.
But being Stokes Croft, it also has a basement which can be hired out for private parties. It’s very basic (and a bit small) down there, so you’ll have to provide your own decks, PA and lights, and it’s more suited to hard repetitive dance music than anything else. They keep going until around 4am and I’m pretty sure the hire is free if you make a certain amount behind the bar.
If this sounds a bit full-​on for some of your friends, worry not as you also get the upstairs to play with, which is perfect as a chill out room with sofas and a bar. If you want to put on your own small no holds bar with an underground atmosphere, this is your best bet.