Colston Street is an area of Bristol that I never spent much time in before we started doing photoshoots at The Forge at the end of last year. It was then that I realised how lovely the old, coloured buildings were, as well as all the varied and amazing independent shops within them.

People are often asking me for recommendations for Bristol, so I thought I better create a few mini guides for various areas. I’m hoping to do lots more – I’ve already got a few other areas of Bristol in mind, as well as some showcases for individual restaurants and shops.

Indie businesses on Colston Street

Colston Street is smack bang in the centre of Bristol, although it is a little walk from the main shopping area. It’s right near Harbourside, the Hippodrome, and Park Street. I don’t know about you, but I always expect it to be hard to find anything other chain restaurants and shops when that close to the centre.

Let’s start from the bottom of Colston Street.

1. Bambalan for colour and cocktails

This super colourful, plant-filled oasis is one of the more recent additions to The Ox/Milk Thistle family, so naturally, Bambalan do really good cocktails and really good food. The latter has a fresh and healthy feel, with a middle eastern vibe.

They also have a huge outside terrace, which is partly covered making it suitable for all weathers. It has ping pong tables, table football and a photobooth. It’s a very fun place.

2. Gorgeous scents to burn from Osmology

Technically it’s just off Colston Street, but I thought I should include Osmology as it’s so close. Hop halfway down the Christmas Steps to find this new candle shop. Yup, it’s just a candle shop, but if you’re into candles, this is a must. They stock all the best brands, which are ever-expanding. The shop itself is super cute too, with the black walls and tantalising “treat yourself” neon sign. I can imagine they’ll get very busy come Christmas time.

(Edit: Osmology has now moved from Christmas steps to trade online only)

3. Rent a film at 20th Century Flicks

I’ve only had a quick browse in 20th Century Flicks, but it felt like such a novelty to be in a video store. They also have a tiny cinema which seats 11 people, which would be such a cool place to go for a birthday or a special date.

4. Pirrip Press for perfectly printed things

Back onto Colston Street and up the hill a little, you’ll find this super cute pink shop. Pirrip Press is a small design and print studio, and this is their shop which is open Thursday-Saturday. They sell their gorgeous totes, cards, zines and more, and you can commission them for things too. They also do a card loyalty card – which is great if you’re always buying cute cards like I am.

5. Browsing books at Bloom & Curll

Bloom & Curll is probably the best bookshop you’ll ever go to. There are loads of hilariously grumpy signs by the door saying that they don’t like browsers, but I always pop in anyway. Their displays are brilliant, and they’ll definitely have that obscure book you’ve been searching for.

6. Beautiful plants and Les Fleurs

If you’re looking for a gorgeous plant, bunch of flowers, or just a nice chat with the friendliest French lady in the world, pop in to Les Fleurs. There’s a shelf of “rescued” plants, all with their own interesting backstory – make sure you ask about them. I finally picked up a lovely little string of hearts last time I was there.

7. Blaze for arty gifts and trinkets

Walking into Blaze is kind of like visiting a gallery where absolutely everything is for sale, it is jam packed full of loads of artists’ work. It’s a great place to pick up a gift or card for someone, or just to waste a bit of time browsing all the beautiful and wonderful things people make.

8. The best burgers in Bristol at Asado

Asado only opened a few months ago, and quickly became many foodies’ number 1 burger in Bristol – which is no mean feat, considering how many burger joints there are in the city now (and more set to open soon) and I got around to visiting, it became my favourite burger joint too.

Since then I’ve been back a couple of times, and always get the namesake Asado burger – it’s so good that I can’t bring myself to have anything else, although, I’ll happily have a bite of someone else’s. The chips are amazing, and the slaw is nice and spicy. The pud was a little of a letdown for us, as we were expecting the brownie to be warm and gooey, but I’m sure we could request that if we fancied having it again.

9. Workhouse Kitchen for tasty coffee and lunch

Ok, sorry, another one just off Colston Street, but Workhouse Kitchen is riiiight by it, and I try to stop in if I’m in the area, so I had to include it. Their food is amazing – once I had a salad and was trying to recreate it for weeks afterwards, it was that good. A salad. And their coffees are delicious too – if they still have the maple syrup iced almond latte on, get it. Great place.

(Edit: Workhouse Kitchen has now been replaced by 404 (not found), which is an equally lovely cafe, serving up seriously good sandwiches and coffee)

Hope you found this useful. I try to share my favourite Bristol haunts over on my Instagram as often as possible too – and you can message me for more specific requests.