The foodie area of Bristol dubbed 'Little London' - and the backlash has already begun

Bristol has always been famed for having its own independent restaurant, cafe, bar and food and drink scene – it’s the city that gave the world the concept of the Lounge and Pieminister, and the Bristol-only chains like Eat-A-Pitta, Miss Millie’s and Sandwich Sandwich are expanding beyond the Avon Ring Road to the rest of the world.

But one part of central Bristol has seen that process in reverse, with up-and-coming restaurant chains coming from London or Manchester to set up in Bristol.

People are starting to notice something of a trend – that these ‘Down from London’ new restaurants are opening up in a relatively small area around Corn Street, Clare Street and Baldwin Street in what was once the heart of medieval Bristol.

It’s noticeable enough that it now has a name – Little London – and the backlash against it has already begun.

Bristol food writer Meg Houghton-Gilmour, the creator of the Bristol Sauce food blog, came up with the phrase, and does not mean it in a nice way.

“There’s an area in the centre of Bristol — where the bottom of Clare Street, Baldwin Street and St Augustine’s Parade collide — that has effectively become a ‘Little London’,” she wrote recently.

“This term isn’t widely used (yet) but you heard it here first. It is jam-packed with brands that originated in London and have pinned Bristol as a stop on their worldwide expansion plans,” she added.

Rudy’s has opened its first Bristol site in Baldwin Street(Image: PAUL GILLIS / Reach PLC)

In her blog introducing the concept to the city, Meg lists 11 establishments that fit the ‘Little London’ – and suggests at least one alternative establishment of a similar cuisine that is a truly independent, Bristol-based place to go instead.

Whether it’s the likes of controversial bakery Gail’s, London-based steakhouse Flat Iron, or pizza or pasta restaurants like Rudy’s, or Indian restaurants like Mowgli’s, they should be avoided, says Meg, who even points out exactly how many minutes’ walk away the Bristol-based independent alternative is.

The establishments of Little London do seem to be popular, however – perhaps among those recently-arrived residents of Bristol who have come from London and want to experience London’s eateries again.

When London steakhouse Flat Iron just before Christmas, there were huge queues to bag the opening day giveaways, scenes repeated whenever a London-based eaterie, cafe or restaurant opens in Bristol.

Meg said one motivation to start her ‘alternative to Little London’ campaign is because the national chains appear to dominate search engine results.

“There’s a reason people go to chain restaurants,” she said. “Perhaps it’s that they’re predictable, they offer vouchers or discounts, they show calorie counts on the menus or because they have massive marketing budgets meaning they are able to remind you they exist through regular emails, push notifications and billboards,” she wrote.

Hundreds queue for Flat Iron steak giveaway on December 4, 2025

“There’s considerable evidence to suggest they are unfairly prioritised in Google Maps too. Look at the image below — this is the area to which I refer, and when I search for ‘restaurants’, the majority that show are chains. Back Garden Pizza, Ramen Monster and MeetUp Noodle Bar are nowhere to be seen,” she added.

“But I know they are there, and that they are definitely worth your patronage — far more so than many of the surrounding chains,” she said.

The 11 ‘Little London’ chain establishments flagged ‘to avoid’ by the Bristol Sauce blog are: Flat Iron, Pizza Pilgrims, Franco Manca, Rudy’s, Rosa’s Thai, Tonkotsu, Gail’s Bakery, Mowgli, Bella Italia, Honest Burger and Turtle Bay.

“There’s nothing outright wrong with chain restaurants as such, it’s just that by visiting an independent instead you are putting your money directly into individual’s livelihood and back into the local economy, rather than into some London-based investor’s wallet,” Meg added.

“You’re keeping our high streets filled with local businesses that are unique and individual, rather than allowing them to be steam-rolled into something that looks just like a street in Manchester, or Brixton, or Milton Keynes. And more often than not, the food is genuinely better,” she said.

The foodie area of Bristol dubbed ‘Little London’ – and the backlash has already begun

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