COR Bristol

Cor isn't unappealing from the street - it’s a sweet corner plot with dual aspect windows - but its unassuming frontage plays a part in its success. The stalwartly neighbourhood cafe vibe is accentuated by neat tables with white bentwood chairs, the whole thing giving way to an experience that surpasses any expectations you’d have as a casual passer-by.

There’s no danger of anything being dull inside the bright dining room. In fact, everything coming out of the semi-open kitchen teeters on the edge of sensory overload. Plates are vibrant and buzzing with Mediterranean personality. Even the bread is accompanied by a charcoal grey black garlic butter that treads the perfect line between sweet and salty.

Precision presentation is aided by flourishes of herbs, nuts, and oils to finish dishes off with colour and crunch. A dome of creamy burrata is offset with the intensified flavour of crispy capers while a mushroom canele comes impossibly pretty, dusted in a spring palette of green tarragon leaves and yellow lemon zest.

Despite a packed room and a small cohort of staff, there isn’t a hint of overwhelm. You get the sense that they could all do this in their sleep, that hospitality to them - in all its guises - is an inherent skill rather than something laboured over. There’s time to chat, and Mark - the chef patron - brings out the odd dish to highlight flavour nuances or carefully sourced ingredients.

One such dish uses Calabrian ‘nduja to enliven a soft, plump piece of barbecued cuttlefish. Our only complaint would be that we’d have liked a bigger kick of the promised ‘fire’ element to add a smokier hum, but true to form, we’re being picky.

As the service ebbs and flows, parents and babies, tables for two, and groups are all served with the same perky service. It seems you’d be just as welcome to enjoy a glass of wine and some charcuterie as you would a multi-course feast with paired drinks (the cocktails are very good). And that’s what makes this little spot so enjoyable. At its core it's a really great neighbourhood restaurant, the kind we all wish we had on the corner and one you're willing to succeed for everyone's sake, where the top-class food facilitates people coming together to forge and strengthen connections. 

Bristol has long had a reputation as a hotbed for food talent, and COR is the latest in a long line of exciting restaurants in the city. COR is a family-run bistro in Bedminster, Bristol serving elegant small plates, house aperitifs and natural wines from a corner site on buzzy North Street.

The restaurant comes courtesy of Mark and Karen Chapman, a husband and wife team who have extensive history in hospitality. Bristolians will know Mark most recently as the executive chef of Bravas, Gambas, Cargo Cantina and Masa + Mezcal - a beloved group of restaurants in the city. COR is the Chapmans’ first solo project.

The restaurant has an inviting corner spot on North Street, and inside is bright and easy going, with slick tables and counter dining along the large windows for people watching.

Meanwhile, the menu is relaxed and accessible, but still manages to be sophisticated. There are snacks which focus on great Mediterranean ingredients - Gordal and Nocellara olives, boquerones with Cantabrian anchovies and burrata from Puglia - followed by an assortment of elegant small plates. Dishes include Parmesan and truffle croquettes, Devon scallops with miso meuniere and crispy roe, cannellini beans with lemon beurre blanc, smoked caviar and panko breadcrumbs, and Cornish cuttlefish cooked over fire with Calabrian ‘nduja and salsa verde.

There’s special attention given to cheeses, with a range of artisan cheeses features, and there’s a handful of desserts too, including orange and nutmeg tiramisu and Tarta de Santiago with lemon, salted almonds and cashew and cardamom cream.

As for drinks, COR has a compact but carefully curated European wine list, as well as some unique aperitifs, including a sloe gin negroni, and a Bristol 75 made with Psychopomp Woden, herb and honeysuckle syrup, lemon and prosecco.