St Nicholas Market

St. Nicholas Market (or 'St Nick's,' as locals affectionately call it) is far more than just a marketplace—it's the historic, beating heart of Bristol. Located in the beautiful 18th-century Exchange building, stepping inside feels like taking a delightful journey through the city’s past and present. From the moment you walk in, the atmosphere is intoxicating. The air buzzes with energy and the incredible aroma of international street food. The food court is legendary, offering everything from authentic Caribbean jerk and delicious Thai curries to exceptional falafel and, of course, locally sourced treats. Every lunch decision is a fantastic struggle! Beyond the incredible food stalls, the market houses a wonderful array of independent traders. You can find everything here: vintage clothing, unique jewelry, quirky gifts, vinyl records, and specialist goods like the fantastic collection at Face Soot (the hot sauce emporium). It’s the perfect place to find a truly unique item or support a local entrepreneur. Whether you're visiting Bristol or are a lifelong resident, St Nick's is an essential experience. It perfectly captures the city's independent spirit and diverse culinary scene. Make sure you set aside plenty of time to explore every winding arcade—you won't regret it!

My partner and I had a fantastic time exploring St Nicholas Market. It's an amazing spot to dive into a wide variety of food stalls – there are so many delicious options to choose from, and the prices are very reasonable. The market has a great, bustling atmosphere, though it can get quite crowded on most days. It's also a wonderful place for a bit of street shopping. Highly recommended for anyone visiting Bristol looking for great food and a vibrant experience!

Great market with a good selection of stalls ranging from fashion, clothing, arts & craft, home style, toys, jewellery, ornaments and some fantastic food stalls. Can't resist getting something to eat every time. Freshly made and smells so good. Eat here rather than the usual boring chains, there's something for all tastes.

I visited the St Nicholas Market today for the first time! It’s absolutely lovely with loads of variety of food and drinks to choice from. I had The Ultimate Combo from Low and Slow and the Big Five from Big Juice. All 10/10!!🤩 Only thing is if you go for lunch (which is when I went - around 12:30pm), it is quite packed and there are limited seats.

St Nicks Market is fantastic - today I went for shoe repairs, great service, and speedy! There are lots of independent shops with a huge variety, great for personal shopping and gifts. I've added 2 photos, one before the lunch time rush and one during, there is a great variety of food available.

This place is superb to visit - not just a market à la minu Camden, but also a quire excwlkent range of eateries

Really great market with a large variety of stalls. So good we went twice. Recommend to have some cash as not all stands accept card.

We loved this market, there were so many cute shops and the food we had from the BBQ food stall was delicious! Would recommend visiting hungry

Incredible market filled with numerous shops and food stalls. I was in food heaven!!! It wasn't too busy in December on a Saturday afternoon. I ordered from Low and Slow BBQ and it really hit the spot. The combo meal came with beef brisket, burnt ends, pulled pork, 2 sides, and salad. The meat was smoked to perfection and tasted very much like Texan bbq. After the filling meal, I had to walk it off and shop around in the buildings.

Wow! Bristol city has done an amazing job of converting this Georgian building from its former use as the Corn Exchange into its current market with a brilliant mix of street stalls, shops and food trucks! The food trucks / shops are especially this eclectic range from Caribbean to Turkish and everything in between. If I have one complaint, it's that the market closes up at 5pm on a Saturday and I wish it would stay open later! There's two special quirks about this building that are especially also worth checking out; 1) The clock has an extra minute hand! That's apparently a remnant of the train friendly Victorian days, when Bristol had its own time zone that was different from Greenwich Medium time which is what the London trains would run. 2) if you look up towards the ceiling in the main hall, the sculptures of the heads all look towards the middle, except for two which are turning their heads to look at each other. Rumour has it this is because those two women were the wife and mistress of the building's architect! I very much enjoyed checking out this market! Yelp 161/ 2019

Broadmead, Bristol's central shopping precinct, suffers from the usual blight of chain stores. The cumulative effect is that you might well not be in Bristol for all you know when shopping here. St. Nicks market offers something of an antidote to this. Very bristolian, stalls here include a leather jacket shop, a bike shop, and a jewellers. The variety on offer, including a few slight oddities, makes this a great place to go Christmas shopping if you have no idea what to get. On any given day it's usually fairly quiet, which means the cramped walkways won't be too much of an annoyance. The stall holders are generally a friendly bunch, and because it's usually not too busy will have the time to help you out. They probably know and care more about what they're selling than the employees in the various chain shops of Broadmead as well. There's a couple of cafes if you can find them, which are welcome after a day of pounding round shopping. St. Nicks market is a Bristol gem and relief after conventional Broadmead.

St Nick's should feature in even a fleeting visit to Brizzle. It's an original, creative, and fiercely independent answer to the one-stop shop. Browse second-hand bookshops, hip haberdasheries, old-school bicycle stores, and lovely leather goods stockists before letting your taste buds take charge. First up, there's the South West's artisan Hobbs House bakery (www.hobbshousebakery.co.uk), and brilliantly bready Sourdough Café, celebrated for its toasties and caramel shortbread. For healthy and hearty lunches, you'll find About Soup, and it's svelter sister, About Salad. I get my fix of Jamaican food from The Caribbean Wrap, serving the obligatory (and exemplary) curry goat, and variations on jerk chicken, accompanied by salad with mango and beetroot salsa. Staying on-trend for discerning Bristolian palates, St Nick's hosts a mouthwatering farmers' market every Wednesday (9.30am - 2.30pm) and a sensational Slow Food equivalent once a mouth. Wash it all down with a local ale at one of the market's very own pubs.

Eclectic collection of food stalls conveniently located right outside our B&B. We stopped here all three days on our stay in Bristol. We tried (in order of my personal preference) Portuguese, Jamaican, Moroccan, and the smoothie stand. The food was excellent at the first two and very good at the third and average at the smoothie spot. All the stalls are super affordable with meals ranging from about 4-8 pounds. Seems like a place for both locals and tourists as some spots will even package your food to go in a Tupperware. Would definitely go back to try the other stalls if ever back in Bristol!

St Nics is quite literally the epicenter of lunch time dining in Bristol. If you can't find something you like to eat here, you have serious problems! Not only is St Nics a foodies wet dream, but it is a centre for independent market traders. 'Arc at ee' 'cheers drive' and 'werzat too?' t-shirt company, Beast, started here and still have their original spot, as well as their shop on Gloucester Road. You can buy anything from bike tyres to hot chili sauce. For a chili enthusiast like myself, the chili sauce emporium is an amazing little shop. You can buy and spend Bristol pounds here, I'm pretty sure all market and food traders accept them. Last week Brooks Guesthouse added 4 retro rocket caravans to their rooftop that can be hired. Another awesome and quirky aspect to St Nicks. There is almost too much to say about St Nicks. Everyone will have their own experience here depending on what you're there for. But there is something for everyone. And look up, look around, you'll see bags of history right in front of you.

St Nicholas Market is the sort of place that, upon first discovering it, you believe you'll visit almost daily. But after having lived in Bristol for a couple of years, I seemed to have forgotten about this little gem just off of Corn Street. It's the perfect place to take visiting guests, or friends who haven't been to Bristol before as it gives them a little slice of what the city has to offer; great food, fashion and heritage. My top places to visit in the market are Royce Rolls, Pieminister and Nails Art Gallery.

Tucked away between Baldwin Street and Corn Street, maybe because it's completely undercover, St Nick's market can be easy to miss, but it offers a healthy respite from the chains that increasingly dominate the centre. The main market isn't the biggest and offers an eclectic array of stands which are best accessed by staggering around the labrinthine space, seeing what you come across. The mainstays are the 'hilarious' local t-shirts ('Cheers Drive', 'They's Me Daps Mind', etc) which keep whacky types clothed for years, the cheap bike shop, and the hot sauce stand which offers X-rated meal accompaniments (claiming to be 'sphincter burning' etc). More interesting are the food stands where you could probably happily sit down and eat at 10 different outlets all offering various ethnic foods. The Pieminister and Mexican stalls are faves, while the sausage shop allows you to take something home to enjoy later.

I used to live on Baldwin Street so it wasn't long before I stumbled upon St Nicholas Market on a crisp winter's morning. I was probably attracted there by the narrow alleyways, old historic buildings (which aren't abundant in central Bristol) and the general feel that you have stepped back in time by about 100 years. The stalls themselves are a tad overpriced, but at least everything they sell is original and not mass produced. There are a variety of food stands too which sell food from pretty much every country you can think of! I would especially recommend the Jamaican place on the corner of the main food aisle - their dumplings and red snapper are amazing! Definitely worth a visit, especially at Christmas when the decorations are up.

This is a cool little under cover market at the top end of town. It is quite easy to miss if you aren't aware it is there...so check it out. It might not appeal to everyone but if you're sort of bohemian/alternative/hippy/goth or just not a townie (!) then this may present something of interest. I used to buy handmade clubbing outfits in there from a stall with lots of UV clothing but there is lots of other stuff, I don't think I've even seen it all. There are places which are solid shops with walls and doors and another place which just has numerous stalls (though most are permanent). There are clothing stalls, a place with sort of silly toys/gifts, a jewellery stall, goth/alternative clothing shop, pet shop, book shop, food vendors etc. It is worth at least one look to see if you like it or not. I wouldn't go there every single week but I certainly do like it :)

You know what, it took me a while to find out about this place - and I have no idea why because it's definitely one of the hotspots for tourists and residents alike! Broadmead and Cabot are brilliant for getting all your standard stuff, but St Nicholas Market offers something a bit different and a bit of a break from the commercialised streets! Basically St Nicholas Market is a permanent market style place that is mainly undercover, with loads of different and quirky little stalls selling original and alternative things. They have one stall which is completely devoted to mega hot sauces from all around the world - which is pretty cool! And a few stools selling nice little dresses that are a bit more unique than those from Topshop... This place is brilliant, especially if you have family up wanting to be shown around - it definitely gives Bristol a bit more culture on the shopping side! Also, if you're into your fresh local produce or fancy some organic or vegan alternative foods then check out St Nick's farmer's market which is held every wednesday lunch time!

A victim of heavy bombing during the war, Bristol city centre is regrettably peppered with eyesores. Even the remaining beautiful buildings are overrun with tacky chain bars and restaurants. Lucky then, that a gem such as St Nicholas Market still remains. An antidote to the Wetherspoons, Pizza Express and Walkabout round the corner for food, a counterfoil to round-the-corner Broadmead's parade of soulless chain stores for shopping. St Nicholas Market is bursting at the seams with independent stalls and shops, along with little cafes serving fantastic food from all corners of the globe and markets with ingredients you won't find elsewhere. In front of the actual building regular artisanal markets also take place, selling anything from gourmet sausages to beautifully bound notebooks or hand-crafted silver jewellery. If you need anything at all, pay a visit to St Nicholas Market before buying the same things everyone else has round the corner in Broadmead.

I've be coming to St Nicks market for as long as I can remember and this place just gets better and better. Not only is still a great place for alternative clothes and gifts, but now also a great to go for lunch and buy amazing food. I often come lunch as the choice of food is amazing, fresh smoothies, falafel, pieminister, grill stock, and loads more that I can't recall. There is also an amazing cake stall, sausage stall and other fresh goodies. I popped in on this occasion to get a couple of birthday cards from the amazing card stall. Loads of brilliant, funny, original cards. Some are pretty pricey but definitely not your average Clinton cards selection!! I love this place, the building is steeped in history and the variety of goods is fantastic

My all-time favourite place to shop in Bristol, St Nicholas Market absolutely has everything. I really can't imagine Bristol without this vibrant, thriving market right bang in the centre of town. In most cities you have to travel a bit further out of town to find such an extensive market, but St Nick's is as about as central as you can get. And what's great about that is that you can combine a bit of market shopping with a bit of high street shopping; you don't have to choose one from t'other. That makes it a pretty good choice for Christmas shopping, especially. Inside there are oodles of market stalls and, further inside, stalls which are actually more like small shops, some cafes and even pubs. Beware of the Leopard Books is my favourite shop within the market, closely followed by the Moroccan cafe Al Bab Mansour. A visit built around those two places would leave me a very happy woman.

A great find for both locals and tourists. You name it, there's a good chance you will be able to find a stall at St Nic's selling it. I love wandering around browsing and often find some cool bargain or rare item I've been looking for, or didn't even know I needed!

St Nicks market is totally the place to go to at lunchtime! The choice is overwhelming with Italian, Moroccan, Caribbean, Indian fresh juice and more! My fav is Eat a Pitta which usually had the longest queue. It is however totally worth the wait if you have the time! Next up I would recommend the 'Caribbean lady' you can't beat her chickpea curry and spinach! If your a fan of proper Caribbean food this is the place for you. If your more of the traditional persuasion they you have to go to Pie Minster! These are possibly the best pies ever and I love that you can choose what it gets severed with. My choice is always the minty peas but I have it on good authority the mash is good too! Basically St nicks market will fill any culinary hole you might have! Before you decide make sure you take a good look round so you don't end up with food envy! Enjoy

St Nick's market is the heart and soul of Bristol. If you shut it down Bristol would just stop working. I have very close friends who have grown up in Bristol, lived here their whole lives and still go to St Nick's market every day for coffee or lunch. But really they go here to see the people that make this city what it is. The local business owners in this market are Bristol. There's the Italians of Pure Pasta and the Jamaican ladies of Caribbean Wrap to name but a few. One hour here could tell you more about this city than all the open top buses in the...bus garage (?). Between the lunchtime work crowd, tourists and students are the locals & regulars going about their daily business in this living part of their city. This hub of Bristol life is all housed under a magnificent glass arcade that perfectly suits the honest nature & traditions of this market place. Being amongst the real people of this city is far more worthwhile than all the nonsense tourist attractions combined. I have also seen Robert Plant here. Result.

St Nicholas Market is the antidote to Broadmead and Cabot Circus. Highlights include some of the food shops (including a Pie Minster outlet- stunning pies), a traditional-style sweet shop, book shops, specialist music shops, etc. It attracts a lot of people for lunches, as a lot of the food stalls have seating areas, so if you're going shopping rather than eating, avoid lunchtime. Other reviews have called it a maze to get lost in- I don't really agree with that, everything's in straightforward rows and you can just walk down the middle, looking left and right, until you see what you're looking for. Generally my main problem with it would be that many of the stalls are a bit overpriced. I understand that they're specialist shops and they have to pay the rent but there's still a fair bit of overvalueing going on.

At the centre of St Nicholas Markets is a large indoor market with many stalls selling clothes, hand-made jewelery, crafts, books, toys, haberdashery and more. There are many food stalls within the market from all around the world. Some good food stalls include, the Real Olive Company stocking many different types of stuffed olives, Pieminister - a local pie shop which sells gourmet pies, a Moroccan Restaurant selling authentic Moroccan food and drink, a juice bar making fresh juices and smoothies and an Indian Restaurant with a choice of lots of dishes. There are also outdoor markets, including a large outdoor farmers market every Wednesday. This is worth a visit, farmers from all over the area sell fish, meat, organic fruit and veg and homemade food including bread and cakes. On a Friday and Saturday there are outdoor market stalls selling hand-crafted gifts, artwork and cds and clothing. This is a good place to find an unusual present.

Where else would you want to go for lunch; It's a world of superb food! Italian, Portuguese, Indian, English, Jamaican, Moroccan, Mediterranean. All Great food! If you haven't been to St. Nick's Market before I really do recommend getting down there. Video link: http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=KXQZ1x2gOUg

One of those places you have to look for (it's not next to the major shopping areas) but well worth doing. The market has all sorts of interesting items for sale: unique clothing and jewellery, alternative shops, toys, candles, cards, and a few delis and cafes. On Wednesday, the outside area hosts a farmer's market where you can purchase vegetables, fruit, cheese, meat, fish, honey, wines and meads, breads and desserts and more directly from the places that produce them. On other days, there are stalls selling artwork, clothing and jewellery in the outside space. It's one of those places tourists might not see, but should.

For all you people who hate Broadmead as much as I do, St Nicholas Market is the place to do your Christmas shopping. It's more interesting than all those boring chain stores (Lush excluded) less stressful and far more friendly. You'll find some original and interesting gifts here and have much more fun in the process. They even open on Sunday as well. The indoor market has delightful stalls such as Aardvark which stocks everything from incense, aromatherapy oils, jewellery, toys, ornaments and cards. Browse through the record stall and marvel at the fossils on display at the crystal stall. There's a silver jewellery stall, some very funky clothes stalls including the Beast range of "Bristol" t-shirts. Lush! In the glass covered market the wonder continues with mouth watering cafes and delis. Your tummy can travel the world from West Indian, Indian, Moroccan and Portuguese cuisine. You can shop till you drop in bookstalls, more jewellery stalls, goth & rock stalls, a stall selling South African products, Spanish products, a haberdashers and get ready for all those parties at the nail bar. What more could you possibly want?

St Nicks market has anything and everything you could ever want. Heres a list to give you an idea of the variety of stalls; Vintage clothes, Craft Supplies, Music Stalls, Art, Stamps, Fashion Clothes, Watches, Gemstones, Vintage photographs, Retro furniture, and lots of Jewellery! On fridays there is a vintage flea market in the downstairs sections, perfect if you fancy a rummage for something unique. My fave stall is Dutty Girl, a mixture of vintage clothes and customised pieces, together with bags, shoes and jewellery. What more can a girl ask for?!

You'd struggle to find anyone in Bristol who doesn't appreciate St Nicholas' market, or St Nics as it's more commonly known. The indoor section has the sort of Camden market feel but only much much nicer, smaller, more friendly and a million times less pretentious. There are clothes stalls, jewellery stalls, hardware and gift stalls as well as permanent alleys of shops, from bridal shops to fabric shops and craft supplies stores and artists showrooms. The piece de resistance is without a shadow of a doubt, the food market. They have the legendary Pieminister pies, served hot or cold, an amazing health food place selling homemade rolls, flapjacks and tea and coffee and a lush soup and salad place. There's also Mediterranean food and Asian offerings. Many places have tables so you can eat there, otherwise take it out, cross the road and you're in Castle Park. Perfect.

This is a great place to mooch around, with loads of quirky stalls. Stallholders are friendly and welcoming. Its easy to get lost, but equally easy to emerge again on bristols streets. Recommended escape from the busy streets and bristols rain!

It's not often I go into St Nick's market because it isn't very often I want a T shirt with the phrase "Gert Lush" printed across the front in brightly coloured letters, or some hot sauce that is going to make my rectum bleed. These stalls being the first you come across as you enter. That said, it does have some real treasures in there if you can be bothered to look and I am particularly fond of the palaeontology stall they have towards the back (the back if you've gone in through the main Baldwin Street entrance). Being something of science geek, I do tend to make a bee line for this stall whenever I'm in there and really enjoy talking to the lady who owns it about the various rocks and fossils she has on display. I even bought one and paid £160 for the pleasure a few years ago.

love going to this place si much to look at and you will always find something you will like there is a pub called the crown which i love its a really good place

If you want trinkets this is the place to go. St Nick's is a warren of semi permanent shack/shops. There are some great food stalls in here. Most of the other stalls are quite hippy

A great place to find quicrky and sometimes perfect items for gifts. It has a wide variety of items, and its not the kind of items you'd find in a regular store like tescos. The items here very much alternative, pendants, jewellary, and many other trinkets, are what too look out for here.

Bristol's alternative shopping scene. Undercover market made up of stalls and shops offering bargain retro clothing, books and records, amazing candle stall with huge castles and islands made from wax that you wouldn't want to burn, crystal stalls and jewellry offer plenty of gift ideas and two cafes - one a greasy spoon and the other a herb tea and cake hang-out are there to provide snacks to re-energise you for your second stint of shopping!

Walking into St. Nicholas Exchange is like entering a paradise for bric-a-brac and haberdashery obsessives. There is a historical edge that the exchange has as it has been active for more than a decade. This place is essential for cheap student finds on utensils as well as selling fabrics as you dig deeper into the exchange

I love this little shopping arcade so many interesting things to see, the small morocccan restaurant looked really great with a real ''chill out'' room and smelt great! Also there is a small traditional sweet shop selling all the old time favourites!! a fantastic photo stall selling old photos.

I love wandering around market stalls and this market in Bristol town centre is one of my favourites as it gives you the feel that you could be anywhere in the world. The range of stalls will keep you shopping here for hours as they sell everything from clothing, Jewellery, cards, crystals, crafts, books, shoe repair and some great little deli's where you can pick up some very unique snack food or a simple coffee. The market is a great place to find gifts for friends and family or a place where you can really treat yourself. If you love shopping then this is an ideal market to shop in. The market does get quite busy at lunchtime as local workers pop in for a bite to eat etc.

Lovely atmosphere and fabulous food when it is open. Very entertaining to watch the Reg Office weddings on a Sat afternoon also.

Would agree with all of the above. St Nicks is a gem. It always, irrespective of the season, has a comfortable vibe. Updating the locations mentioned so far, I'd add the flower stall - not only great value but superb and imaginative skill in putting together a bouquet for any occasion. And, a fairly recent addition to Bristol attractions is the neat boutique hotel on Exchange Avenue between Corn Street (uphill) and St Nicolas Street (downhill). Next to that is The Source, a very quirky but high value real food store and cafe. Opposite one of the best cheese stalls this side of France .....

I often forget about St Nick's market, tucked away from the bright lights of Broadmead and the ever more garish glare of Cabot's Circus. What it lacks in out-and-out commercialism it makes up for with homespun charm. The stallholders and shop owners are passionately local, promoting all things Bristol - from Banksy cards and pictures to 'Gert Lush' Beast t-shirts. There is a practical side to the market - hardware and food and home stuff, and then there's enough frivolity to purchase original gifts for a hundred friends in the hippy jewellery stalls, fancy dress shops and one-off clothes shops. I find that endless market shopping heightens my appetite - so I head for the food 'aisle' outsie - the selection is stomach-rumblingly good - Pieminister, delis, unusual cheese shop, fresh juice bar and a trad Moroccan cafe complete with souk-style seating area. My one complaint is that it's closed on Sundays, but then those hard-working market folk need one day off a week!

St Nicolas Market sometimes seems to be a sad, fading shadow of itself. I remember how exciting it was to go there as a child, but now it all seems a little old, stuck in the last century. There are stalls selling fossils (very apt!) and second hand books, as well as an alternative clothing store and an old fashioned sweet shop. A bit of freshness has been added by a shop selling chilli sauces guaranteed to strip paint and de-grease engines, and a shop selling those god-awful Beast t-shirts which seem to be appearing all over Bristol like a rash lately. Still, it makes a nice change from the endless parade of chain-stores elsewhere in the centre. The high point of the market is definitely the row of food stalls, where you can get great fresh bread, olives, sausages and cheese, or sit and enjoy some ethnic cuisine. There is also an excellent sewing shop tucked away in the lanes, which sells everything a hobbyist could ever need to make their own cushions, clothes or soft toys.

A must-do for all market lovers, Bristol's St Nick's market offers some of the best food around as well as a broad selection of trinkets, jewelry, books, materials and foreign objects. Quirky, cultural and colourful, come see for yourself.

Bit of a mixed bac this one - love the food stalls in the covered/glass roof area especiall the morrocan and portugese stand, but the inside is a bit tatty with a few tatty stalls. Not really for me,

i love the book shop, the smoothie bar, pieminister, having peppermint tea at the morroccan place, the olive and Kofka bar, the sweet shop, the record shop, spinach and chickpeas at the jamaican place. so many to choose from! always bring my friends here when they are visiting

Saint Nick's market is at the top end of Broadmead and not even a 5 min walk from Cabot. It's nice to go and mooch around and see some little stalls selling individual products that aren't massed produced. There are some odd little shops and pubs in here which are worth a look as really takes you waya from the hustle and bustle of a busy city centre.