On a recent weekend to Bristol, we were lucky enough to be able to review the lovely Grillstock restaurant in Clifton.
Read on for my Grillstock Bristol Review, and discover what we thought, and why Grillstock is SO much more than a restaurant!
Grillstock Bristol Location
We ate at the restaurant in Clifton, a rather nice area of Bristol. It isn't too far from the centre, and has nice shops nearby that we had a little browse around. It also has good parking in a multi-storey nearby.
Grillstock Bristol Address:
41 Triangle West,
Clifton,
Bristol,
BS8 1ER
T: 0117 927 3200
Grillstock Bristol Atmosphere
The canteen-style dining arrangement is relaxed and somewhat trendy nowadays. I've eaten at a few canteen-style restaurants recently and they've all been very trendy with a laid-back, edgy vibe.
Grillstock manages this well.
It's a fairly small restaurant, so this also helps with potential spacing issues.
The canteen-style dining is also particularly good for a food gawker like myself!
If you're not sure what to order, just have a sneaky look at the plates around you to help decide. We actually asked the couple next to us what they thought of the share platter they'd ordered as we were going to order the same.
I like this, it takes the pomp and ceremony out of going for a meal and allows you to focus on one thing... the epic BBQ.
I also could have gotten lost in all their cool posters plastered over all the walls.
Grillstock is passionate about music. Especially one of my favourite genres - Southern American music. So it was nice to look around at old posters advertising their music festival.
Gristock Bristol Food Review
The main event. Grillstock meat is cooked the proper BBQ way - low 'n' slow over wood and fire, on-site every day.
We ordered a share plate for two, so we could try a bit of everything.
I wanted to order the Grand Champion with all the trimmings, but my husband, knowing me as he does, refused as he knew my eyes were bigger than my belly and he would end up having to polish it all off on his own.
The share plate consisted of 1/2 BBQ chicken, pulled pork, brisket, a full rack of ribs and BBQ beans (which we swapped for burnt ends).
I'm pleased to say that Grillstock did not disappoint!
The meat was tender, all of it, and packed with flavour.
My absolute favourite, which I think I could have eaten by the bucket load, were the burnt ends. I think they may be overtaking my obsession with pulled pork.
Not heard of burnt ends?
They're essentially the tougher edge pieces of the cooked brisket, but for me, they pack all the flavour. It's kind of like the joy you get from picking the crispy bits from the bottom of the pan when you cook roast potatoes.
That ultimate guilty pleasure. I love it!
They also have a pretty vast array of sauces to go with your BBQ from mustard, to BBQ to spicy sauce. We enjoyed having a dollop of each and seeing which we liked best and with what.
Grillstock Review: Service
The service was great.
We were greeted with a big smile from the lovely waitress (I didn't get her name), and felt well looked after. You order your food at the counter so there's not much table service as such.
They were also very accommodating swapping the beans for burnt ends, which from experience not all restaurants like to do. But this was done with no fuss so thumbs up for that.
Grillstock Bristol Value for money
Our meal cost £30, so that's £15 each and did you see the size of it?
Considering the freshness and quality of the food they serve, and the fact it's a niche that they most certainly have a hold of I think the pricing gives good value for money.
Drinks are also very reasonably priced, which makes a big difference.
There's nothing worse than having a bar bill bigger than your food bill unless you're drinking fancy wine (which we don't).
Would we go back?
Without a doubt yes.
I'm already building my Husband up to let me order the Grand Champion next time, I really fancy their brisket chilli!
More about Grillstock
I first heard about Grillstock, when I got invited to their festival in Bristol last year.
They have a pretty awesome tagline of 'Meat Music Mayhem'. I later found out that on the back of the success of a festival they held back in 2010, they have since opened a string of smokehouses around the country from Bristol, Manchester, Bath and more recently London, with another opening in Leicester as I type this post.
Grilstock Festivals
So what about the festivals?
It's all about Country, Blues and good ol' Southern music, with awesome authentic BBQ and just having a good time. Three of my favourite things!
I have some highlights from last year's Grillstock Bristol Festival to share with you too.
