Low-cost lunches (for people as poor as church mice...)

If you are as poor as church mice, or want to save some money but still enjoy a nice meal in Bristol, this is the post for you. In this post, I give you 8 options to eat healthy and/or cheap in Bristol city centre under £5.50 (excluding fast-food chains, obviously). 
Here we go!

Let's start around the Hippodrome: if you like international food, you could have a buffet lunch for £4.99 at Flavourz (BS1 4UB). There is Chinese, Italian and Indian food with a chocolate fountain and many cakes. It gets busy during lunchtime so if you are looking for a quiet place, this is not the best choice. Just next to Flavours, Drawbridge (BS1 4UT) also offers very nice and cheap meals. For example, they have a a £5.49 Cheese Burger or Mozarella & Pesto Burger which is actually pretty good.

Every day between 12am and 3pm, The Bagel Boy (BS1 4UB) offers a 5-pound deal including a classic bagel (there are more than 10 to choose from), some crisps and a soft drink. I have been there and believe me when I say it is really good! (read about my visit to Bagel Boy here). Very close to the Bagel Boy, we can find a very interesting lunch deal at Revolution (BS1 1UA). For only £5, you can chose from a Classic Burger, Bean Dreaming Burger or a Blackened Chicken Burger, all served with a house slaw and skin-on fries every Tuesday and Thursday until 4pm. And not very far away, there is an option for sport lovers: The Walkabout (BS1 1HQ). They offer a meal deal including a beef, chicken or halloumi burger with chips, salad, a piece of melon and a pint of Fosters for 5.95 pounds. Everytime I go there, I always choose the chicken burger. It is grilled instead of fried with breadcrumbs; very tasty.

In the Harbourside, bSb The Waterside (BS1 5UH) offers a burger and a pint for 4.49 pounds. I have never had burgers there although I really believe it is a very good deal. On their website, there is an even better deal including beef/chicken burger, chips and a bottle of Budweiser for £3.95. 

At the Triangle, there is Square Club (BS8 1HB) serving express lunches for £5. There is a selection of mouthwatering ciabattas and sandwiches served with salad or fries. As they say: perfect for a quick fix. If you prefer Clifton, The Racks (BS8 1LX) offers a £5 lunch menu from Monday to Saturday between 12-5pm including a selection of pies, salads, baguettes and sandwiches (check menu here). On Wednesdays after 5pm, on the other hand, you can have a free homemade pie if you buy one. They are the most popular item on their menu!

On Gloucester Road, I stopped at Bubalu Food (BS7 8AS) for lunch one day, which is a coffee shop/restaurant/bar below a fitness centre, offers lunch deals for 5 pounds. It is a complete and varied menu. In my case, it was a roasted veg crepe (huge) with chicken and hummus, a salad on a side and orange/apple juice. On the other side, if you are looking for a cheap Sunday Roast, The Bishops (BS6 5QP) offers a deal including a Sunday Roast with unlimited roast potato and vegetables for just £5.49.

WEBSITES OF INTEREST

• Flavours: http://www.flavourz.co.uk/
• Bagel Boy: http://www.bagelboy.co.uk/
• bSb Waterside: http://www.bsbbars.co.uk/home/
• Bishops: https://plus.google.com/118024844922864037398/about?gl=uk&hl=eu
• Walkabout: https://www.walkaboutbars.co.uk/
• Bubalu: http://www.bubalu.co.uk/
• Revolution: http://www.revolution-bars.co.uk/bar/bristol/
• The Square Club: http://www.thesquareclub.com/
• The Racks: http://www.racks-bristol.co.uk

More for less

I have always considered myself very thrifty person. I try to spend the least money I possible and try to save as much as I can. Most of the times what I do is get as many online offers and discounts as I can, to enjoy the same for less, which makes the event even more attractive, if possible.

On the one hand, there are two main webpages I suggest to sign. They are called Groupon and KGBDeals. Both have very interesting offers, changing every now and then. Goods, events, getaways, restaurants... Make sure you select BRISTOL as your city when you register to receive customised offers and remember to check the website very often for new offers.

• Groupon (www.groupon.co.uk): Groupon sends you emails once a week (maybe twice) with the newest offers, so you don't need to check their website.  Personally, I have just used Groupon once so far, for the Winter Cider Festival, and the process was fast and easy. 
• KGBDeals (www.kgbdeals.co.uk) sends emails very often, more than twice a week, and in my opinion, after a while it gets annoying. However, I used KGBDeals twice and the process was easy althought the process took longer than with Groupon. I believe the reason was that I bought  goods instead of tickets for an event. However, I am very saatisfied with the result; I got the goods at my place straight away.

Warning! What often happens with this kind of websites is that we find ourselves buying stuff we don't actually want, so always keep in mind if you really need or want it.

On the other hand, you can also find loads of vouchers for free items or great discounts to spend in shops and restaurants in Bristol.
Some restaurant chains have vouchers on their own websites for you to print them...

• Café Rouge (www.caferougeoffers.co.uk)
• Burger King (www.burgerking.co.uk/files/documents/voucher/KOTD_Vouchers.pdf)
• Pizza Express (www.pizzaexpress.com/offers/get/368/)

... whilst other vouchers can be found via "voucher search websites". See the list below:

• Voucher Codes (www.vouchercodes.co.uk/local/bristol/)
• Voucher Cloud (www.vouchercloud.com/at-bristol-vouchers)

Bristol Airport has also a website with several vouchers. See here. 


If you have already planned to go to any of this establishments, just check if there is any offer available and luckily, you will be able to save some pounds.
I hope it gets to be useful for someone!

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NOTE: This post might be updated in the future as I come across with new information about discounts and offers.