Bianchis Restaurant: Picton St

With a warm welcome and elegant cooking, this neighbourhood Italian pays homage to the family behind Bristol’s thriving Bianchis restaurant group.

Bianchis is a family affair with four unique dining spaces named after the Bianchi sisters – Frances, Anna, Dina, and Vittoria. Step into Nonna’s Kitchen for a taste of tradition, or explore Aldo’s Wine List for bottles chosen with passion and care.

The unpretentious dining room has a relaxed, lived-in charm; scuffed floors, low lighting, shelves stacked with bottles and a 60s soul soundtrack set the mood. Comfy seating and damask-draped tables invite you to settle in, enjoy yourself and eat well.

The menu is generous – four courses that reward a steady pace. Begin lightly, perhaps with a radicchio salad dressed with smoked ricotta, courgette, red onion and pumpkin seeds. Then a bowl of gnocchetti nero in crab bisque with kohlrabi and soft herbs – pasta so good you may hesitate to move on. But do: a secondi such as grilled pork tenderloin with soft polenta and cime di rapa is well worth it.

Desserts are modest in portion but rich in flavour – a chocolate and hazelnut tart with tangy crème fraîche delivers depth in every bite.

To accompany, there’s a fine cocktail list and an extensive range of wines, including Aldo’s selection of rare and serious vintages. Add to that the informal yet assured service and you’ll feel less like a guest and more like a friend at the table.