184c Wells Road,
Bristol,
BS4 2AL
(0117) 971 3377
The ViewBristol Review
An intimate, warm friendly restaurant with good fresh food and friendly staff.
The Venue
In the heart of Totterdown this little gem certainly makes its mark. The approach to A cappella has a continental vibe, with its trademark orange and yellow awning, outdoor seating, and bright orange umbrellas.
The restaurant is intimate and cosy with as little as 10 wooden tables set around the edges of the room, a counter at the rear of the restaurant is used to display fresh food and for taking orders and payment.
In keeping with its colours, the tables are set out with yellow candles and orange table lamps which give the entire room a warm and relaxed ambience. The walls feature artwork and even advertisements for local events.
The People
Because of the size of the restaurant the diners are mainly couples, or small groups of friends. It's a favorite with locals, but it's equally popular with those further afield because the parking is excellent - you can pull up almost outside the door. For such a small restaurant it's remarkably busy, the staff are very hands on and the mood is relaxed.
A cappella is a friendly and welcoming restaurant. Tables are quite close together so it can make a private discussion quite difficult and conversations tend to be quietly spoken. This by no means affects the relaxed and warming atmosphere of the restaurant and in fact adds to the intimacy and with the food being so delicious, once you tuck in everything else seems irrelevant.
The Food
A capella is primarily a pizzeria and has an extensive menu of more than 20 pizzas suitable for both vegetarians and meat eaters. All the food is homemade and deliciously tasty. In addition to the pizzas there are fresh salads, tapas and breads, all of which are reasonably priced.
The tapas platter priced at £5 is surprisingly generous with a mixture of homemade hearty humus which not only is smooth but exceptionally flavorsome and is accompanied with a selection of plump fresh olives, stuffed peppers and dolmades with crisp green rocket to complete the mezze.
Pizzas are available in two sizes - medium and grande - and prices go from £7.45 to £14.45. The grande is enormous and is definitely to be shared. All the pizzas are made to order and they're more upmarket than you'd expect. For example, the glissano pizza from the vegetarian menu features a selection of capers, beautifully sweet caramelised onions, juicy sun-dried tomatoes with a choice of either rocket or spinach and a covering of rosemary oil and shaved parmesan.
A dessert board is available upon request and all the desserts can be viewed at the counter. Yummy favorites such as carrot cake, cheesecake and rich chocolate brownie are all homemade, generously portioned and reasonably priced from £1.80 to £2.95. They also have a takeaway menu and they do home deliveries.
The Drink
One of the biggest selling points of A cappella is it's a 'bring your own' restaurant. There's a large off-licence next door so it's easy to pick up a bottle if you've forgotten to stock up beforehand.
Early evening diners receive free corkage and later diners pay a small fee of £1. The restaurant does, however, offer a vast range of drinks including a fair trade range and a selection of fresh juices and lemonades, milkshakes, coffees and teas.
The Last Word
A classic pizzeria with the bonus of a bring your own policy.
A cappella cafe and pizzeria has been reviewed by 3 users