Please note: our food and drinks at Pitcher & Piano Bristol were received free of charge, but this in no way impacted on our opinion. We were not obliged to write a positive review, and the venue did not see this review before it was put up on the site.
Pitcher & Piano’s bottomless brunch has returned! This popular bar on the harbourside is lively and buzzing in the evenings, but during the day, it’s a relaxed, family-friendly venue that is a world away from its night-time vibe. Available (pre-booked only) every Saturday and Sunday until 2pm, you can enjoy your choice of brunch dish, along with bottomless Prosecco, Mimosas, or either Raspberry or Peach Bellinis for the sum of £25 per head – and we were invited in to check it out.
First impressions, in a COVID world, were great, with the mandatory track and trace QR code at the start, enabling customers to easily enter their details should they need to be contacted for COVID-related reasons after their visit. One thing that did surprise me, however, was that staff weren’t wearing masks – something which I’m sure will have changed now that Boris has tightened the rules around hospitality establishments.
We were taken to our table inside, in a corner by the window overlooking the harbourside – our table well apart from others, and a highchair (which had clearly just been wiped down, which was good to see) brought over for the toddler in our party.
For the two adults, there was a huge amount of choice on the bottomless brunch food menu: everything from a fully loaded breakfast brioche or a full English to vegetarian and vegan options, like a vegan avocado sourdough, or a mushroom madame. If you’re feeling particularly peckish, there’s a brunch burger available for a £2 supplement, as well as a selection of sides and desserts that you can add to your meal.
We also asked for the kids’ menu for the toddler in the party, priced at £6.45 for a starter, main course and juice, or £7.95 to include a dessert. It’s a nicely varied kids’ menu, with some of the “usual” options on there (chicken goujons, sausages and the like), but also things like chargrilled chicken skewers, as well as a “pasta station” with a choice of sauces.
Our first round of drinks was ordered shortly before our food order was taken – we had to wait a little while after being seated before we could order drink number one. In a nod to COVID guidelines, the tray of drinks was left on the table for us to take the glasses ourselves. The first round was a Peach Bellini, which was quite tart, the peach having sunk to the bottom and failing to really mix with the Prosecco, plus a Raspberry Bellini: our favourite of the two, the raspberry puree blending better with the fizz and lending it a subtle sweetness as well as a beautifully vibrant colour.
With bottomless beverages on the cards, both adults went for the P&P Breakfast – their version of the full English. The presentation was beautiful – and I’m always a fan of places that serve the beans in a separate dish, to avoid the juice seeping over the other ingredients. The pat of local butter from Netherend Farm was more than enough for the crisply toasted sourdough, and while we enjoyed the herby flavour of the sausage, the streaky bacon could have been cooked a little longer to render the fat a bit crispier and more enjoyable. The egg was poached perfectly, and the mushroom was a surprising highlight: a meaty affair, drizzled with plenty of herbs and balsamic vinegar.
The boy devoured his chicken goujons with chips and peas from Pitcher & Piano’s kids’ pick and mix menu: three generously-sized and decently cooked chunks of chicken, with salty thin-cut fries and peas in a separate bowl – great for a toddler, to avoid them going everywhere.
While we passed up the offer of dessert, the child had no intention of missing out. His choice was the chocolate brownie, which was incredibly dense, rich and gooey, served with a perfect scoop of vanilla ice cream. The wide open mouth in the photo says it all…
All in all, a decent experience, and an enjoyable meal for a chain restaurant. The £25 price is in line with other local bottomless brunch offers, and while our first drink was slow to be offered, the waiting staff were attentive thereafter throughout. With a kid-friendly setup too, Pitcher & Piano Bristol is a decent choice if you’re looking for a fizz-filled bottomless brunch for the family.