Finding a lunch spot that isn't overly packed and still serves up delicious food can be hard to do in Bristol. But there's a rather hidden gem that is offering a variety of hot and cold dishes, fresh juices and homemade bakes - among much more. In Via Lactea is situated on the ground floor of St Bartholomew's House in Lewins Mead, but you may have walked right past it on your travels around the city centre.
We visited on a Thursday lunchtime and In Via Lactea made for a perfect location to take a breather during a busy day at work. Hidden along the covered walkway, the exterior has a blue mosaic floored entrance-way decorated by foliage and a warm welcome sign, letting every passer-by know that it is open for business.
There was no queue when we stepped in at about 1.30pm on the sunny weekday afternoon of our visit, and we were greeted by exceptionally welcoming staff behind the counter, which was adorned with lots of signage that made it easy and clear to see what was on the menu. From all-day breakfasts, to jacket potatoes, toasted paninis, cold sandwiches, grilled wraps, soups and daily specials, the menu is vast, with plenty to offer groups of friends, colleagues or lone diners.
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We opted for a couple of hot toasted paninis - a chicken tikka with cheese and an Italian B.M.T and cheese. Both were priced at £6.25 each. It's hard to find somewhere that does a proper panini just how I like them - but this place is now my new go-to.
Having heard a lot about the juices at In Via Lactea, I also opted to grab a 'Celestial Body' juice, which cost me £4.65. We also grabbed a couple of packets of standard Walkers crisps, and a bottle of Coke Zero for my dining partner - all in all our lunch cost us £21.40 (without dessert), which we felt was really reasonable.
We grabbed ourselves a comfy seat by the back window and, while waiting for our food, had the chance to look around and take in our surroundings. The cafe is cosy, with green foliage hanging down from the ceiling and stylish wooden and metal features and furniture. The mural on the far wall makes you feel as though you're having lunch at a French bistro of sorts and diners around us seemed utterly at home here, sat quietly and enjoying their meals, or sipping on a hot drink with their laptops and catching up on emails.
Our drinks were delivered to our table quickly and my Celestial Body juice looked like something from a magazine, adorned with a striped paper straw and with no residue around the top of the glass. It tasted sensational and was the perfect refreshing beverage for a busy working day's lunch break. The juice consists of orange and grapefruit, and it was very obvious that it had been freshly squeezed, however was as smooth as could be.
Our paninis were brought over not long after - there really wasn't much of a wait at all - and were served piping hot and on a slate, garnished with a small leafy salad drizzled with balsamic vinegar. It looked amazing.
My Chicken Tikka panini was tangy and the cheese transformed it into a proper comfort dish. Nothing about the filling tasted manufactured - it tasted the farthest thing from a meal deal chicken tikka sandwich made by a chain. The bread was perfectly toasted on the outside, but nice and fluffy inside and the portion size was just enough to satisfy me, but also make me want to sample more of the menu.
My dining partner commented how the Italian B.M.T, like the chicken tikka panini, contained the perfect ratio of bread to filling, was warm and comforting, and just what we needed for a nice lunch date on a sunny day. For dessert, we sampled a seasonal special in the form of a home baked Mini Egg cheesecake, which was soft, creamy and absolutely delicious. With the amount of fresh baked goods on display by the counter, I can't wait to go back and sample more of the menu as soon as I can.
Next time you're in the area and you're feeling a bit peckish or in the mood for a refreshing juice or an energising coffee, we highly recommend In Via Lactea - translating to 'In the Milky Way', if the feel-good music played through the speakers isn't enough to transport you to a peaceful state of mind, the food will certainly leave you feeling extremely satisfied. Truly delicious.
