Beautiful Bristol

Casa Mexicana

Restaurant | "A Taste of Mexico Across the Pond"

Quote:

The pervasive take-out meal in England is Indian cuisine, which is not as widely available in the United States. However, good Mexican food, an American staple, is hard to find. I was continually disappointed by the British idea of nachos, which were never more than Dorito chips covered in cheese. I mean, Taco Bell looks like good quality food comparatively speaking. Sooo, I was very happy when a friend suggested I visit a Mexican restaurant in the Redland section of Bristol. The owners had lived for a while in California and travelled extensively in Mexico. I jotted down the address and went that very night. I can't tell you how much I craved a good chimichanga... Heck, I'd've been...Read More

The pervasive take-out meal in England is Indian cuisine, which is not as widely available in the United States. However, good Mexican food, an American staple, is hard to find. I was continually disappointed by the British idea of nachos, which were never more than Dorito chips covered in cheese. I mean, Taco Bell looks like good quality food comparatively speaking.

Sooo, I was very happy when a friend suggested I visit a Mexican restaurant in the Redland section of Bristol. The owners had lived for a while in California and travelled extensively in Mexico. I jotted down the address and went that very night. I can't tell you how much I craved a good chimichanga... Heck, I'd've been happy with a basic taco!

What was the restaurant like?
First things first, we drove around a bit to find parking, but Redland is a pleasant place in which to walk. We entered a colourful restaurant with a red/orange awning that was busy with customers. In truth, I found it a little loud at our table, but we were positioned near the doors to the kitchen. Anyway, I can forgive a little loud if the food is good.

How was the menu?
Ahhh, I get hungry again thinking about it. The nachos were actually the proper type of corn chips piled high with all the yummy, messy extras like guacamole, refried beans and cheese. While a great fan of English beers, my husband ordered a Corona instead as we waited for our enchiladas and burritos to arrive. Everything was delicious.

Cost?
While more expensive than it would have been in the United States---and certainly more expensive than Indian take-out in the UK---our meals hit the spot, reminded us of the Tex-Mex meals we so often ate at home, and were worth every pound (even the ones that may have been added to our hips.) The average main course hovers somewhere between £11-£13.

Bottom line?
This is the best Mexican food I had the entire time I lived in England. If you hear yourself thinking, "Quiero tostadas" while you're in Bristol, head on over. I don't even think there's a better Mexican restaurant in London. Read Less

Member Rating 5 out of 5 on December 3, 2025

Casa Mexicana
31 Zetland Road
Bristol, England BS6 7AH
+44 117 924 3901

Cheer!
Flag

Royal York Crescent

Attraction | "Longest Georgian Terrace in Europe"

Quote:

The Royal York Crescent is more of a thing to see rather than an attraction to do. It's an especially interesting site if you've gone to Bath as well as Bristol and seen the beautiful Royal Crescent perched overlooking the city there. Perhaps not as famous of a structure, the Royal York in Bristol is longer than the crescent in Bath. In fact, funnily enough, there are more Georgian buildings in Bristol than in Bath, which is a world heritage site because of all its fine examples of this type of architecture! The problem is that these Georgian buildings are scattered around the city of Bristol so there isn't the same visual impact to be had as there is in Bath. But I digress.....Read More

Member Rating 5 out of 5 on February 6, 2025

Royal York Crescent
Royal York Crescent - Clifton

Cheer!
Flag

Brunel's SS Great Britain

Attraction | "All Aboard!"

Quote:

The SS Great Britain was my parent's favourite attraction in England, and I took them to see a lot of places, let me tell you! However, let me say, my father loves boats, and this is quite a boat to explore! It changed ocean travel forever because it was designed to be large enough to hold enough fuel in its hull to allow the ship to get rid of sails and the dependence on wind power. This allowed for a much faster, more predictable ocean crossing and was accomplished because of the engineering genius of Isambard Kingdom Brunel, a giant among men who had his finger on industrial evolution in England for much of the Victorian Age. So what is visiting this ship like?...Read More

Member Rating 5 out of 5 on February 5, 2025

Brunel's SS Great Britain
Gas Ferry Road
Bristol, England BS1 6TY
+44 (117) 926-0680

Cheer!
Flag

John Wesley's Chapel

Attraction | "The First Methodist Chapel"

Quote:

John Wesley was a well-educated Anglican who was mocked when in university for his methodical lifestyle and approach to theology. Therefore, when he began to earn fame as a preacher, his followers were called Methodists. He moved to Bristol to preach in the open air in 1739. At this time, he laid the first foundation stone for what would become his home in town and the first Methodist chapel to function. If you visit The New Room, you'll find it's much more modest than the Methodist Church in London that's near Westminster Abbey! Open every weekday from 9-4, entry is free, and it's worth a look if you have any interest in the Methodist religion. This is cert...Read More

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on February 5, 2025

John Wesley's Chapel
36 The Horsefair
Bristol, England BS1 3JE
+44 117 926 4740

Cheer!
Flag

St. Mary Redcliffe Church

Attraction | "The Fairest, Goodliest and Most Famous Parish Church in England"

Quote:

Queen Elizabeth I was right to heap such great praise on St Mary Redcliffe in Bristol. Built in the form of a cross, this medieval church still has sections standing from the 12th century. Not as large as many English cathedrals, the work of stone masons gives the building a sense of height and space. The detailed attention that has been given to the architecture here through centuries is one of those things that always makes me marvel about the power of faith. I mean, it boggles the mind to contemplate how much time had to have gone into the construction of the vaulted ceiling with no modern equipment. Yet no shortcuts were taken. Bosses that act as functional keystones to ho...Read More

Queen Elizabeth I was right to heap such great praise on St Mary Redcliffe in Bristol. Built in the form of a cross, this medieval church still has sections standing from the 12th century. Not as large as many English cathedrals, the work of stone masons gives the building a sense of height and space. The detailed attention that has been given to the architecture here through centuries is one of those things that always makes me marvel about the power of faith. I mean, it boggles the mind to contemplate how much time had to have gone into the construction of the vaulted ceiling with no modern equipment. Yet no shortcuts were taken.

Bosses that act as functional keystones to hold the weight of a ceiling mostly erected in the 1400s gave artisans an opportunity to shine in this church. If you aren't familiar with what a boss is, it looks like a small carving the size of a spread hand that is connected by lines to other small carvings on a vaulted ceiling. Bosses can be quite lovely, and St Mary Redcliffe has over a thousand of them. Since my son is a fan of mazes, the first boss we sought out on our visit to the church was one that he had seen in a book about mazes in England. It's a boss with a gold maze that you can find near the Lady's Chapel.

Another point of interest for us as Americans was the fact that this church has a big connection to what would become the colonies. Admiral William Penn, father of the William Penn who founded Pennsylvania, is buried in this church. Also, there is a stained glass window that shows John Cabot's ship, The Matthew. John Cabot had his voyage on which he discovered what is modern day Canada funded by merchants from Bristol. He brought a whalebone back from his adventure to donate to the church as homage for a safe journey. In fact,it's thought that the word "America" for the continent may have come from the name of the Sheriff of Bristol, Richard Ameryck, who was connected to Cabot rather than from the minor Italian explorer Amerigo Vespucci. I had never heard of Ameryck before my visit to St. Mary Redcliffe, but I think it's a credible theory.

We spent a little more than an hour admiring this church. You can go on a self-guided tour, and I'd suggest doing this though I also bought another book in the small gift shop that gave more detail about a building that is rich in history. It seemed in every chapel there was something that was worth finding like the Handel window which was erected to the great composer's memory since he used to play the organ at this church.

Outside in the yard you'll see a tramline that they've left embedded in the ground because the Luftwaffe almost destroyed the church during WWII. Yet, somehow, the building was unscathed.

Truthfully, the thing I like the most of all about St Mary Redcliffe is that it is still a working church. It has not turned into a museum, and you can feel the pulse of the parish that still gives the place a living soul.

If you're interested in seeing this church, it's open Mondays-Fridays from 9-5. Again, it's a working church, so on Sunday you can attend service. Check their website for times: www.stmaryredcliffe.co.uk

Read Less

Member Rating 5 out of 5 on February 5, 2025

St. Mary Redcliffe Church
12, Colston Parade
Bristol, England BS1 6RA
+44 (117) 929-1487

Cheer!
Flag

Bristol Balloons

Attraction | "Hot Air Balloon Ride in the West Country"

Quote:

The first time I visited England, I saw hot air balloons flying over Princess Victoria Park in Bath. They looked magical as they sailed through a bright blue sky, and I told my husband, "I want to do that before I die." The smart man took note, and after we moved to the UK, he bought me a voucher to do just this for one of our wedding anniversaries. However, since we lived in Bristol at that point, not Bath, Bristol was destined to be our departure point. He called Bristol Balloons and set the thing up. To go as part of a group isn't cheap, but it's a lot more affordable than going it alone. We went as part of a group. Of course, we didn't know any of the other people,...Read More

The first time I visited England, I saw hot air balloons flying over Princess Victoria Park in Bath. They looked magical as they sailed through a bright blue sky, and I told my husband, "I want to do that before I die." The smart man took note, and after we moved to the UK, he bought me a voucher to do just this for one of our wedding anniversaries. However, since we lived in Bristol at that point, not Bath, Bristol was destined to be our departure point. He called Bristol Balloons and set the thing up.

To go as part of a group isn't cheap, but it's a lot more affordable than going it alone. We went as part of a group. Of course, we didn't know any of the other people, but that was fine. We went to the meeting point on a sunny---though, to be fair, freezing---day without knowing what to expect. Everyone was in a good mood, anticipating a cool experience.

Well, a lot of balloons were lifting off on the same day, but Bristol Balloons is fairly distinctly marked. The truck with our basket pulled up onto the grass field, and a gentleman called us around him to give us instructions. We all helped unfurl the balloon, and my husband volunteered to anchor one of the ropes as the balloon then filled up with gas. He said it was like holding onto a wild horse when a big gust of wind rattled it.

At a certain point, we hopped into the basket which was lying on its side. It was pretty snug in our seats, and we held hands as the ropes were untied, and the wind began to drag us up, up, up.

When it was safe, our pilot had us all stand. It was then that we realised the other people in the basket didn't really matter. You're not going to be able to walk around, but you're completely captivated by the view. You don't feel crowded at all. The fire that heats the balloon heated us as well, so we were quite happy and comfortable whenever the pilot tugged on the gas. As Bristol slid beneath us---the Clifton Suspension Bridge below---we passed around a bottle of champagne and toasted the scenery.

Before long the wind took us out of the city and over farmers' fields, the balloons shadow chasing us on the green grass, always just a few feet behind. We waved at sheep and horses. We laughed with the other people in the balloon. We talked about how lovely the West Country of England truly is... one of the most beautiful places on Earth.

When it was time to land again, the pilot picked out a safe field and told us to buckle up. The jolt on the ground was really worse in my mind than it was on my body. We were dragged for a few feet and then stopped.

Interestingly, it was our job to help refold the balloon as we waited for someone to pick us up. Apparently, it's customary to give a farmer a bottle of wine or whiskey when a balloonist lands in his field, so our pilot had this ready. We didn't see this courtesy take place though. We left in caravan to drive an hour back to Bristol. It was amazing how far we'd gone "as the crow flies." It was quite an adventure.

Prices for ballooning start at £99 per person. You can visit www.bristolballoons.co.uk for more information. Keep in mind, you're always a bit of a slave to the weather, but if you have the time, I think this experience is definitely worth the money. Especially in the UK. Plus Bristol Balloons has been floating people around England for multiple decades. They know what they are doing, and we felt safe the whole time we were flying with them. Read Less

Member Rating 5 out of 5 on February 4, 2025

Bristol Balloons
Coronation Road
Bristol BS3 1RN
+44 0117 947 1030

Cheer!
Flag

Clifton Suspension Bridge Avon Gorge

Attraction | "A Bristol Must-See"

Quote:

The Clifton Suspension Bridge is my favourite landmark in England. Much less famous than London's Tower Bridge, it is a living testimony to one of the greatest engineers who ever walked on the planet. Isambard Kingdom Brunel who played an instrumental part in building the London Underground, the Great Western Railroad, and the SS Great Britian, which changed ocean travel forever, once called this bridge, "My first child, my darling." Winning a contest for the best bridge design to cross the daunting Avon Gorge and link Clifton Down with Leigh Woods, Brunel wished to create a structure that was both functional and eloquent. He achieved both. However, due to funding issues, the...Read More

Member Rating 5 out of 5 on February 4, 2025

Clifton Suspension Bridge Avon Gorge
Princes Buildings Sion Hill
Bristol, England BS8 4LD
(0117) 973-8955

Cheer!
Flag

Bristol City Museum and Art Gallery

Attraction | "A Day of Free Culture"

Quote:

I can't count how many times I've wandered into the City of Bristol's free museums on rainy grey afternoons. The City Museum and Art Gallery is the most prominent on Queen's Road (beside Browns restaurant) so I think it's a great starting point. Here you'll find rotating exhibits and a reason to visit more than once. Frankly, if you don't care anything about museums, stepping inside this gorgeous building is worthwhile simply to ooohhh and ahhhh at the marble floors and neo-classical columns, not to mention the flying machine suspended from the high ceiling. Here I've learned about Egyptian culture, the Roman influence on Great Britain, the applied arts in the area, and di...Read More

Member Rating 5 out of 5 on February 4, 2025

Bristol City Museum and Art Gallery
1 Queen's Road
Bristol, England BS8 1RL
+44 117 922 3571

Cheer!
Flag

IgoUgo

Bristol Journals

Beautiful Bristol

Casa Mexicana

Royal York Crescent

Brunel's SS Great Britain

John Wesley's Chapel

St. Mary Redcliffe Church

Bristol Balloons

Clifton Suspension Bridge Avon Gorge

Bristol City Museum and Art Gallery

About the Writer

More Journals by barbara

More Bristol Journals

Bristol Tips & Stories

Popular Bristol Hotels