Restaurant Review: Koocha Mezze Bar, Bristol

Dine Out editor Genna Ash-Brown pays a joyful visit to Koocha Mezze Bar, a vegan dining powerhouse at the heart of Bristol’s vibrant restaurant scene

From Brunel to Banksy, Upfest to UWE, hot air balloons to historic statue topplings – there are plenty of things that put Bristol firmly ‘on the map’. In 2020, a US-based consultancy gathered data on UK cities with a population of 500,000 or more, ranking each location in its World Urban Areas Report. With 687,000 residents, Bristol came 11th out of 14 destinations, but what the city lacks in size it certainly makes up for with other credentials. On top of literally being a green city, home to over 400 public parks and gardens, Bristol has earned a reputation as a hub for eco-activism, known as the nation’s first official Cycling City, the 2015 European Green Capital and the second Gold Sustainable Food City in the UK, as of last year. It’s also proud to be known as a hotbed for the arts, with innovation and creativity in abundance, in part driven by its sizable student demographic. It’s also a recognised cultural melting pot, embracing at least 45 religions, 187 countries of birth and around 91 spoken languages. All this and more seeps into the city’s culinary landscape, resulting in one of the most exciting, up-and-coming restaurant sectors in the country today.

A plant-based pioneer

At the centre of it all sits Koocha Mezze Bar, Bristol’s first entirely vegan restaurant, established in 2018. Four years on, the venue is one of the region’s most beloved plant-based institutions. Koocha was already making waves in the  movement when Bristol was crowned the world’s number one vegan city in 2018… and again in 2019… and then for a third consecutive year in 2020 (as an openly biased resident of good ol’ Briz, I’ve consciously chosen to eliminate the source due to its obscurity. Oh, and conveniently decided not to mention that ‘we’ve’ since been dethroned. Can you really be bothered to Google it? All jokes aside, you can take my word for it – Bristol truly is one of the UK’s plant-based hotspots).

Having been vegetarian, then vegan, for more than 30 years, the restaurant’s founder and head chef Noda Marvani is well versed in adapting and recreating recipes that would traditionally place meat front and centre. Drawing on her Iranian heritage, Marvani’s dishes are predominantly inspired by Persian and Middle Eastern cuisine. The restaurant keeps the people of Bristol well fed and happy all day long with the likes of the Koocha Breakfast (£11) – smoky shakshuka with wilted spinach and spiced oyster mushrooms, topped with grilled aubergine slices, vine tomatoes, fava beans and dill scrambled ackee, along with a serving of batata harra (spicy Lebanese-style potato cubes) and za’atar bread; a bottomless brunch deal (£35) that includes any brunch or large plate and as many cocktails, mocktails or any other drinks you might fancy and can squeeze into a two-hour sitting; and a selection of mains that feature vegan, Lebanese interpretations of all your favourite comfort eats. The Koocha Doner (£11), for example, is packed full of homemade seitan, marinated in the restaurant’s own blend of Persian herbs and spices. It’s served in fluffy Turkish pride bread, stuffed to the brim with lettuce, sumac cabbage, red onions, tomato slices, homemade chilli sauce and tzatziki. The large plate menu offers twists on familiar favourites everyone will recognise, from the Crispy Chick’s Burger (featuring seitan again, of course) to the jackfruit and apricot tagine. With dishes costing £9–£13, these are the sorts of prices that make
quality plant-based dining inclusive of all.

A winter pick-me-up

My husband, Max, and I paid a visit to Koocha on a cold, dark Thursday night in November. Both wracked with a case of SAD (seasonal affective disorder), the thought of dinner out that evening helped us make it through the day. I’ll speak for myself when I say I read, nay, studied the menu in minute detail whenever a break in the workday allowed.

Noda Marvani, founder and owner of Koocha Vegan Mezze Bar, with Alex Lucas, the artist behind the mural on the venue's iconic façade (Image: Antimitch Photography)

Here, it’s worth noting that the Koocha experience begins on the street outside. Nestled on Gloucester Road, the city’s independent business mecca, Koocha draws the eye and entices you in with its bold façade. Painted by local illustrator and street artist Alex Lucas (the mastermind behind all the artwork in the building), the restaurant’s iconic front-facing mural features flowers and cheetahs on a background of deep blue – a colour scheme that carries throughout the funky two-floor interior. As the home of Europe’s largest street art and graffiti festival, street art is a big deal in the city, so Koocha makes its story as a merging of Middle Eastern cuisine and Bristolian culture clear from the off. Yet to set foot through the door, we were already feeling better than when we left the house.

The perfect Persian-inspired feast

With so much to choose from, Max and I entered the restaurant with a strategic plan: small plates all the way. Built on the ethos that mealtimes are about family and togetherness, it made sense to go for a smörgåsbord of Middle Eastern delights that would showcase exactly what Koocha is about. To ease our big decision on what to eat, we kicked things off with a drink. I went for the Saffron Margarita (£9.50), a deliciously golden liquid served short, featuring tequila, triple sec and lime, then finished with a dash of house-made saffron syrup. It was one of those drinks that makes you say ‘Ooh!’ as you see it approach the table, just as easy on the eye as it was to taste. I have to say though, Max’s order takes the cake in terms of visual aesthetics. The Watermelon Mojito (£9.50) is made with white rum, grenadine, fresh watermelon juice, soda water, lime and mint. Served long and garnished with a scattering of edible flowers, this drink confirmed we were in for a treat when it came to the main event.

Staff advise guests to order two to three plates per person. So, naturally, we settled on eight. Before you judge, have a glance at the mezze menu and you’ll understand why we found it hard to whittle it down. But you know, considering they’re labelled as ‘small plates’, every dish offered an ample serving, leaving us wide-eyed and licking our lips as staff covered every inch of our table with food.

First came Koocha’s signature ‘Kookoo’ (£5), spinach and leek balls stuffed with tart cranberries and chopped walnuts, served with spinach borani and a mint tahini sauce. We also tucked into the Spiced Cauliflower (£6) – a dish that’s becoming increasingly common on vegan menus nationwide. Koocha’s is slow-roasted in tahini, olive oil and garlic, then served on a spinach yoghurt. The smoked paprika and charred finish make this a particularly smoky affair, setting it apart from similar dishes I’ve tried. The Roasted Artichoke Hearts (£7) added a nice touch of green to our table’s busy spread. Served with courgette, fresh basil and toasted walnuts, then drizzled with sweet agave, pomegranate molasses and lime oil, it provided a balanced dose of sweet and savoury flavours that danced across the palate. The Sweetcorn Fritters (£5) were a hearty win, the filling blending sweetcorn with courgette, smoked paprika and turmeric, served with a spicy tahini sauce. You can’t go wrong with Tenderstem Broccoli (£7), and Koocha pan-tosses florets in garlic oil, then serves them up with almond purée before garnishing with toasted almond flakes. The Batata Harra (£5), potato cubes seasoned with chilli flakes, cumin and coriander, were a necessary carb-based treat and a particular hit with Max. “Save some for me,” I pitifully muttered, as he eagerly gobbled them down. Personally, the Sweet Potato Somoza (£5) were an unexpected smash. These crispy parcels were filled with fresh chopped spinach, sweet potato, garlic and vegan feta, served with harissa mayo. I could eat them on repeat as an incredibly moreish snack. We finished off with lashings of fresh tzatziki and za’atar flatbread as a side. Totally unnecessary, I’ll admit. But still, no regrets.

This is the epitome of vegan dining: food that oozes creativity from recipe through to plate, placing fresh veg front and centre in a flavour explosion even the most passionate meat-eater could not deny. Koocha does all of this for an impressively reasonable price, challenging the notion that plant-based cuisine is inaccessible to the masses. And hey – you might call us greedy for having eyes way bigger than our bellies, but I can confirm that our vegan spread tasted just as good the next day. So really, the joke’s on you!

You may also be interested in…