Wilks is a modern French restaurant on Chandos road in Bristol.
The chef and owner, James Wilkins, is a real heavy hitter, having worked in two and three Michelin starred restaurants in the UK and France. Last year the Bristol Post even described “his arrival in Bristol to run a small neighbourhood restaurant” as “akin to a Chelsea striker playing in the Bristol & Avon Premier Division.” Wilkins’ credentials make Redland, Bristol a rather modest area for him to start up a restaurant, but don’t second guess it, just turn up for some of the great food on offer.
With such a star at the helm, in only a short time this restaurant has become a Bristol mainstay. It was given a Michelin star after being open for just one year and then came second overall and won Best French Restaurant at the 2014 Good Food Bristol Awards. Both the food and the restaurant itself – which is decorated in sleek, dark colours – look stylish and cool.
The restaurant is at street level, with step free access into and inside the building with just one small bump to get in. All the doors are wide enough for wheelchair access. They say that the toilets are accessible for wheelchairs but that there is no disabled equipment available, so it sounds like it might be a bit of a quasi khazi there.
Despite that, Wilks is worth trying out if you can. It’s one of the best restaurants in Bristol, in a slightly surprising, slightly out of the way location. We give Wilks a provisional 2 BBS Ticks.
