Sometimes you find yourself in a bit of a quandary when meeting friends – do you want dinner? Drinks? Nibbles? Luckily, Poco manages to straddle all of these things, and do them all very well indeed.
Situated on Stokes Croft on the junction with Jamaica Street, you have the choice of sitting up on stools at high tables near the front of the bar for a more casual experience, or down at some cosier tables towards the back.
The bar sits in the middle of these two areas, giving you a good view of their fresh ingredients, snacks and drinks selection. It’s all very earthy chic with a nice amount of hustle and bustle too.
The menu is simple, fresh and packed full of Mediterranean and Middle Eastern flavours. You can choose between a brunch/lunch (both served until 3pm) menu or smaller tapas options in the evening.
Their brunches are among my favourite in Bristol, whether it be the scrambled eggs on sourdough toast with chorizo or mutton merguez sausages, a chunky slice of tortilla or a hangover-conquering bacon & harissa sandwich.
The tapas selection changes regularly to be as seasonal as possible, although favourites such as the pork belly with fennel and the cuttlefish are available all year round.
There is a strong emphasis on vegetarian, vegan and gluten free options, which is refreshing enough in itself, but having the choice of lesser-seen items such as spanakopita and fattoush is also pleasingly different to the usual roster of veggie snacks.
Read the full review on Bristol 52!