Located in the posher end of Bristol, this café is a perfect for a weekend fry up. My mini monty — full English without two of everything — was great. Any meal that includes a bagel is a winner in my eyes. Others had perfect poached eggs with creamy hollandaise sauce. And the croque madame looked particularly yummy. Not that I’m partial to food envy or anything. Service wasn’t the quickest. The queue for food is long if you aren’t used to that. Staff seemed a little stressed by the volume of orders. Still, prices are reasonable and food more than decent.
Kurtis G.
Tu valoración: 4 Oxford, United Kingdom
Had lunch in this lovely little café and it was great. I had the Croque Madame and it was incredible. I’ve had a few in my life(including in France) and this was without doubt the best. My wife had the Veggie Monty and she said it was lovely: great scrambled egg and the best bagel outside of the US. The staff were lovely, the prices were very reasonable and it was in a good location. If you’re in this part of the world, I urge you to go.
Lucy G.
Tu valoración: 4 Bristol, United Kingdom
I Went to primrose last weekend for brunch with about 7 acquaintances. Set back from the main road by the Clifton arcade it’s a cute little place! Tables outside with blankets, natural wooden tables inside with bar area and 2 floors for dining. It is difficult to seat large groups we had to do a bit of table hopping, the Que does get huge, out the door on occasion BUT– the food is utterly delish and the staff are the nicest! We all have varying levels of breakfast and we all said the same– give me more! They run a reward stamp scheme where you get a stamp for every £5 spent, once you fill up the card you get a free meal between 6 – 8 which is really amazing usually you just get a crappy free coffee from costa! I’ll def be going back its great :)
M L.
Tu valoración: 4 Bristol, United Kingdom
Wide variety of breakfast items on the menu, with a good range of prices in case you’ve spent out from night before. Double poached egg on bubble and squeak/hash browns, with tomato and mushrooms — just what the doctor ordered(not your GP of course, this was the Doctor who says he can fix your squint with warm spoons). Delicious food, well cooked and best of all, well seasoned. Lots of it too — felt like money’s worth. Had to hang around a bit for late 9.30am opening(in fact, there was actually a queue! Sunday morning and queuing already, like the soup kitchens, not that I’m familiar with them, but maybe a Qype review next time). Anyway, back on track, excellent location, inside or out, good food, reasonably priced, great. Go there.
Rebecca B.
Tu valoración: 3 Bristol, United Kingdom
You’re spoilt for choice when it comes to cafés in this lovely part of Bristol, but the enduring popularity of this one probably comes down to its quirky décor and the bistro style food it serves up — albeit rather expensive. It’s a decent place to grab brunch, and if you’re going there at lunch time the sandwiches are made with delicious bread and fillings that justify their slightly inflated price tag — while I haven’t tried any of the bigger salads or main meals, so can’t comment on those. The outside seating terrace is really popular in the summer so it can be hard to find a table, but if you do manage it this little sun-trap almost transports you to more exotic climes. Primrose is also open in the evenings, lit with cosy candles for a more romantic atmosphere. This place is doing all the right things: creating a charming café atmosphere in a lovely part of Clifton Village; sourcing local, organic ingredients for its menu; and charging suitably high prices to its customers for the privilege of enjoying it all. You can’t blame them!
Rachel H.
Tu valoración: 4 Bristol, United Kingdom
Primrose café is a cute, fairy-lit café by day, bistro by night located at the mouth of charming Clifton village. In warm weather it spills out onto a pedestrianised road surrounded by cute and quaint independent businesses, making it one of the most pleasant places you could choose to while away an afternoon in. The breakfasts are delicious(especially the sugary, fatty, creamy Belgian waffle), the sandwiches are good and come in a range of unusual flavour combinations and the evening French-inspired bistro serves well-acclaimed restaurant food in a slightly more formal set-up. All this doesn’t come cheap mind, but then again when has a Clifton village postcode ever offered wallet-friendly eating options? At least Primrose Café’s well-executed fare is worth the price.
Briony S.
Tu valoración: 4 Bristol, United Kingdom
Firstly, I love this area, and generally speaking the cafes here tend to be pretty good — and this place is no exception. It’s a great café and actually has more of a restaurant edge to it, especially with the kinds of meals they offer on their menu which include lobster and pheasant! The place itself is very ‘cute’ with a bit of a bohemian decorating theme going on, and it’s a great place to relax and have a meal as their food is always very tasty. The ambience is fairly chilled out, and it’s often quite a quite place so not too buzzing and noisy — a good get away for an hour or so! I actually don’t have anything bad to say about this place, except that it can be on the slightly pricy side. Also, in the summer months the outside seating area often gets quite busy as it’s a great place to sit on a sunny day!
Chris B.
Tu valoración: 3 Bristol, United Kingdom
This is an extremely charming little tea café, perfectly suited to its surroundings and very popular. This quaint café is perfect for people who haven’t been to Clifton before, or your granny. But maybe because it is so lovely inside you expect them to the best cup of tea you’ve ever tasted(possibly expecting too much), but they don’t and I always resent having to pay for a tea bag & hot water; I usually have that in my house. I would prefer to have something a bit more special from a place like this, like a tea pot and fresh leaves. But you go for the atmosphere and surroundings; because of the arcade next door, fruit shop across the road and beautiful flowers everywhere, it has kind of a market/Notting Hill feel, only more peaceful, well during the week anyway. It’s perfect to sit here in the early afternoon and read the paper, watching the world go by, very slowly(this being the early afternoon in Clifton Village and all). Ha I have even seen some of the Bristol rugby team enjoying a spot of afternoon tea there from time to time, very butch boys.
Aniela M.
Tu valoración: 5 Leeds, United Kingdom
Walking past the Primrose Café, you’d be forgiven for thinking that you had just been trasported to some other continental city. With people sat on the rickety metal tables and chairs on the cobbled pavement sipping coffee, it would be a fair assumption! In an area not unknown for its pretentions, you can get a mixture of the horrendously posh with those in search of a lovely quaint place to lunch. Don’t let the location put you off. With its homely interior, the Primrose Café is a long established business that will forever continue to draw in a varied crowd looking for the same thing. Serving up local produce, it is a real defender of local community. It makes such a nice change from going to the Starbucks and Café Nero’s of this world. Their sandwhiches are glorious, with interesting seeded breads and fillings that include, for example the likes of(*insert fancy cheese here*) and onion marmalade(is that a reasonable way of stereotyping the kinds of fillings they serve?) rather than your standard cheese n’ onion. I wish I could write up their menu in the space I have, but go, you’ll be in for a treat. Though it is slightly pricier than your average sarnie, for a special treat, every now and again, it is worth it! Alternatively you could opt for their main meals if you’re feeling flush. At night, the place transforms into a candel lit bistro, with fantastic food that has obviously been cared for. Although the service is not the best in the world, there is a very ‘homecooked’ feel about the way the staff are, complimented by the lovely interior design. It just works. At a price, but it works.
Mark M.
Tu valoración: 5 Bristol, United Kingdom
This quirky little Clifton café is immensely popular, especially in the summer where you’ll be hard pressed to find a table even out front on their pretty road side seating area. Can’t quite put my finger on the lure of the place, maybe it has something to do with 60’s boho laissez faire feel of the place, or perhaps it is the delicious gastro style lunches and dinners they serve, or maybe it’s the equally delicious and flavoursome coffee’s you can order. Whatever it is, this place is a big hit with Cliftonites and you can see why. It really is one of Bristol’s highlights, great for breakfast, lunch or dinner, you won’t be disappointed whatever time of the day you choose to check it out. Pricey of course, but well worth it.
Jon B.
Tu valoración: 4 Bristol, United Kingdom
In a quaint part of Clifton Village resides Primrose Café. Expect high prices and a bit of pretentious. With that in mind, it’s a more than adequate café, with a slightly middle-class hippy vibe. The menu is quite wide ranging, with some smaller sandwich and baguettes which won’t set you back as much as the main meals. The outdoor seating area, which spills on to the road(the café is at the top end of a cul-de-sac), has a distinct continental feeling, whilst the inside areas are more grounding, but not lacking in class. I always find the downstairs a little bit cramped, with too much going on, so I would suggest to opt for one of the two quieter rooms on the first floor. It’s a good place to catch up with a friend, maybe go on a civilized date, and just generally feel like you’re a bit privileged for hanging out in Clifton.
Henry N.
Tu valoración: 2 Bristol, United Kingdom
I came here a while back for breakfast and found it to be a bit pretentious and pricey. Sitting outside the front with a paper was undoubtedly a pleasant experience but you have to pay a premium for it. Unfortunately, the Primrose is above just giving you a fry up, they serve bagels and you then choose which of various breakfast staples(sausages, bacon, eggs) you would like to accompany it. This costs around a tenner and with a bit of a hangover it didn’t really hit he spot either. Still it all looked very pretty…
Melanie M.
Tu valoración: 3 Bristol, United Kingdom
I’m all for locally sourced, organic, sustainable produce. However I felt a little lighter in the pocket when I left Primrose. Two average tasting meals of fish of the day(Lemon sole), a smattering of veg and a small dish of rhubarb syllabub and I was £60 worse off. The style is a bit Parisian, a bit Cliftonian and decorated with what looks like Laura Ashley panache — I cannot fault the way it looks or the helpfulness of the staff, but I like a little bit more grub for my dosh, that’s all.
Will P.
Tu valoración: 4 Bristol, United Kingdom
Some residents of Clifton consider themselves, how shall I put it, slightly more refined than those in other parts of the city. And some of those people frequent the Primrose café. However, don’t let that put you off. Whilst it does have a full lunch and dinner menu breakfast/brunch is probably what it does best. On weekend mornings, you’ll see it chock-a-block with people having smoked salmon bagels and cappuccinos, and this is the best time to visit. The evening meals are delicious though. The place is candle lit in the evenings too, transforming making for a quite intimate experience. This really has got the fundamentals of a good restaurant exactly right. The service is as sharp as anywhere else I’ve been recently, and you can see that plenty of attention has been given to the interior design. All the food I’ve had has been delicious. Having gushed about it I should warn that it’s certainly not cheap, which is unsurprising given the location(Clifton Village) and probably explains the clientèle. An evening meal for five tops out at over a hundred pounds — this is somewhere for special occasions, or just when you’re feeling rich. A piece of toast and a coffee won’t cost that much though, so go for breakfast if you haven’t got a spare fifty quid lying around in your wallet. Certainly don’t pass it up completely just because of the prices, it’s a delightful place that’s should be on the list of places to go of anyone visiting in Bristol.
Chris B.
The staff are lovely and friendly here, and the tables are cleared quickly. Plenty of room, good food and a nice ‘feel’, being a bit rustic and generally quite busy. Nice blend of coffee, but our cappuccino wasn’t really a cappuccino. Prices are average for Clifton: £2.30 for cappo, around £3.50 for sausage butty. Would visit again!
Pollita M.
My husband and I had breakfast at the Primrose Café last week. The food was quite good but the service was horrible. The waitress was incredibly rude! You are better off going to Boston Tea Party down the road.