Cafe Kino

Described as Bauhaus meets American dinner by one of the staff, it's kind of much more. A co-op... that's (almost) vegan. Friendly, easy to while away time here. Can get busy and service can take time but then all the more time to watch the world go by or plan your next visit to Cube cinema. Some of the best coffee too.

I went there several times for a snack or dinner and I've never been disappointed. Burgers are good and filled up. Cakes are spongy and even better with a cup of tea.

lovely alternative cafe with cool vibes . my family spent £50 on lunch that was 3 of us. we ordered lunch and cakes with drinks .
vegan milkshake was the bomb ! food was equally delicious.

I love it here, been a few times for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Never fails to be fresh, hearty, good service and good portion size. I recommend it to everyone.

Popped in for a Brunch, lovely atmosphere, and service was great, the food also hit the mark, loved the inclusion of Garlic mushrooms on the breakfast.

Found this place after searching for vegan cafes in Bristol. It is a great little cafe with loads of variety and hot tasty food.
We were very impressed with the food, the service and the prices. Will definitely come back!

The food is all (vegan) fast food, so nothing for health nuts here. It tastes nice though and is really not expensive. I strongly recommend the sweet potato chips, but also the falafel kino, i.e. falafel and hummus (beware of garlic) with pita bread and salad, is very good and filling for only £5.50. They also serve milk shakes and smoothies, but I haven't tried those yet. The only negative point is that the place itself is not very cosy.

The spicy burger and sweet potato chips were great. staff nice and friendly. nice laid back place. As is often the case with no meat eateries you can see all that goes on in kitchen which is good

Nice interior, mixed people, very friendly stuff, good burgers. I rate it with four stars as the sweet potato chips came very soft and not crispy, but maybe that is their personal style?

GOOOOOD bean burger, great people and nice place. Unnecessary that they are serving baby calf grow fluid for in coffee...

I have been to this cafe quite a few times but it is always busy and you often can't get seats. It is a nice place with friendly staff, lots of options, everything I've tried has been good. Only reason it's not 5 stars is because nothing is amazing, simple food, consistently nice but not special. Lots of cakes and homemade almond milk.

I wanted to give this place five stars, but nothing grabbed my attention. To be clear, I have nothing negative to say. It is a solid four-star place, and worthy of at least one visit if you're in the area.

This cooperative cafe is perfect and puts many others in the shade. I am spoiled for choice in here, and non veggie friends are always impressed too. Love the kino salad. Great ambience. my only quibble-why do they serve dairy milk?

Last Friday was a bit wet and miserable in Bristol, but Cafe Kino brings a smile to your chops. The atmosphere is so relaxed and friendly, the food simple but delicious and substantial, the cider (yes, you have a great choice of drinks here) beguiling and strong! The people behind the counter were charming, despite the busy-ness of the evening. I like the fact that lactos have to ask for their fix- makes a change for them to be the freaks!!! But seriously, this is a nice, inexpensive, friendly cafe that you should not miss if you visit Bristol.

I absolutely love the bean burger with sweet potato chips on the side (only £6.80)! Would definitely recommend :)

I absolutely loved this place! Everything was so fresh and flavourful. I ordered a falafel and chips and then had ice cream, which they also make fresh.
It made me leave feeling so happy inside. I love that it is a co-op.
I was impressed at their menu and love that they only use fresh inredients and have a menu that changes based on what's available.
I wish this cafe were not so far from me or I'd go there often!

Kino is fab and my personal favourite thing is their sundried tomato sos rolls. But I've never had a thing here I dislike.

I quite often go here for a cooked breakfast which never disappoints and all my omni friends who I've brought here love it just as much as me.

Like so many others though I don't see why it offers cows milk

I absolutely adore this place. The vibe is chilled, the food is amazing, the people are lovely, and it's cheap. Raw brownie with blueberry ice cream anyone? I took my omni parents; they loved it too. I want to move to Bristol now!

busy and friendly cafe. delicious raw brownie.
Updated from previous review on Wednesday June 24, 2015

For me Cafe Kino has been the go-to place for good vegan food in Bristol ever since my first visit. Pretty much everything on the menu is vegan, including the cheese, which is super refreshing.
When I found out they do cow's milk I thought to myself 'Why???' Surely Kino of all places should understand that dairy options are available in the vast majority of places, so why add another drop to sea of endless dairy and animal produce?
Anyway, the friendly service, relaxed atmosphere (you almost look out of place if you haven't got a laptop in front of you) consistently great tasting, healthy and ethical food (i.e. burgers! Salads! Not that healthy but cakes!) make Kino essential visiting for any veggie wandering around the hip Stokes Croft area.

I love cafe Kino, excellent atmosphere and selection of food and drinks... It is a very special place... Cake to die for!

Been here a couple of times and keep forgetting to review it! This is a workers co-op in hip Stokes Croft that started well before the gentrification made the area less interesting. They have relatively limited menu, but what they do they do well, though the soup this last time was a little too simple. The burgers are big and satisfying, the Farantina (chick pea flan) was lovely. This is where I eat when in Bristol and will continue to do so.
The kitchen is entirely vegan but they offer cow's milk with tea and coffee and some cakes aren't vegan.

Amazing falafel and particularly recommend the sweet potato fries with vegan mayonnaise! The cake is also great, especially the chai cake. Lovely, light, spacious in a great position in Stokes Croft

I went there twice, first time was for lunch 2 months ago. After having experienced vegan Glasgow, lunch at Kino felt like a workplace canteen experience: nothing special, burger and falafels tasting dry and not freshly made.

The cakes however were good. Definitely kudos for the desserts.

The second time was last night and I stood 15 minutes behind one girl who simply entertained the waitress/girl at the till with jokes and then drunken stories, waving her hips and having a back massage by her friend. I just stood there and could not believe the waitress behaved as if I wasn't there and stood in a trance looking only at the drunken girl next to me, for 15 minutes.
At one point my eyes followed her friends'hands that were massaging her and I looked at what looked like bodily fluids all over the chatty girl's trousers: everywhere were small and thin whitish trails of dried up liquid, especially on her rearside. It was disgusting, and then I saw the crusty black nails...at last when she acknowledged that she was not the only "customer" (I had to interrupt, having driven 1 hour to meet friends there), she moved aside, joked a bit more, then grabbed 2 dirty cups...and opened the kitchen door and went in!!!

Horrible.

I have been many times to all of Glasgow superb, friendly and clean vegan restaurants and while some are said to be a bit "hippe"ie crusty I have never seen anything close to that. Crusty in Glasgow's vegan cafes means a corner of the table that has a bit of dried beer, here in Kino it is the food preparation, the tables, the dishes (see other reviews on Tripadvisor about the lack of hygiene).

Does this place really gets Health and Food Hygiene inspections every year? I would think I would be allowed to bring my dogs inside at least, if these are the standards.

I was in Bristol for the night so grabbed falafel in pitta for dinner and an aubergine in gram flour tortilla type thing and a veg sausage roll for snacks later. All vegan, all amazing, nicest falafel I've had in ages, could be the UK grown fava beans used or the tahini sauce but it had a wicked extraordinary taste to it. Get involved

I went a couple of weeks ago and enjoyed a veggie burger and coffee, as a quick lunch. Staff were very friendly and the place has a nice feel to it. The food was great. I'll definitely be heading back when I'm next in Bristol.

I love the Breakfasts at Cafe Kino! But all the food is great. Good location :)

Everything is vegan (apart from the option of dairy milk in the milkshakes for non-vegans who don't want soy) and although the range of lunches isn't huge (expect the standard falafel/veg burger/salad options) the dishes are well prepared with decent serving sizes. The cakes are delicious, with raw options available as well as baked, and there is a pretty extensive range of milkshakes, smoothies and teas. My non-vegan friend who came with me was impressed too. Friendly staff, chilled atmosphere and a gallery next door.

Last year I was amazed by this place; I thought it was the best vegan place on Earth. this year maybe my expectation were too high, so i was not so impressed, but I still think it's a great place to eat. If you are in Bristol, you must go!
Updated from previous review on Friday August 24, 2012

Ate here twice while in Bristol this month. Loved the Spicy Kino Burger (one of the best veggie patties I have tried!) and the curly fries too. Some nice vegan beers. This is a not for profit co-op so service isn't perfectly efficient but staff are friendly and the food came pretty quickly. Didn't like chai latte which was just steamed almond milk poured into a teapot with the dried chai mix. Really cool space to hang out and puts on community events also.

Great vibe, spacious and very friendly staff.
I had peanut and broccoli soup, it was amazing!

We love this place and go out of our way to eat lunch here when we venture out to Bristol for the day. I ate there today and was absolutely delighted (yet again). The staff were super-friendly today (especially since there was a really rude guy giving them a hard time!).

We both had generous helping of vegan salads and were really satiated! It's filling, tasty and good value for money. Tastes like it's been made with care too. Well worth a visit!

It's down to earth and has amazingly conscious ethics, leaving me feeling like 'if everywhere was like this it would be a much better world'!

Will be back soon.

I've been to Kino several times now and I like it more and more each time. It's practically completely vegan (aside from cow's milk for drinks) and I've always found the food delicious. In fact I swear it has gotten better and better. Every time I come to Bristol I seem to gravitate there as I feel quite good and at home. Last time I bought a burger for a friend but I wasn't hungry so nothing but a drink for me. But I had a bite of his and had to forget my non-hunger and have one myself. I also recently had a breakfast and a peanut, banana and coconut smoothie, which was mighty good. I like this place a lot and being a co-operative I'm very happy to spend my money here. Highly recommended.

Kino is a lovely small workers co-op cafe in Stokes Croft. We ate there 3 times, great vegan food and the best cakes ever! Most food and drinks are organic, fair-trade where possible. Staff were really friendly and helpful.
Hot food includes burgers, all day breakfasts, curry, falafel etc. They did a really nice pasta salad and also have sandwiches to take away. Their cakes were gorgeous extravagant sponges with fudgy icing.
The People's Republic of Stokes Croft is worth a visit for Cafe Kino alone - the street art (incl. Banksy) is a bonus.

Updated from previous review on Sunday July 12, 2009:
Visited Cafe Kino in their new venue. It was great to see the Cafe busy in the new, much larger space and it's clearly become a great venue for community events, classes and music too.
We had a great meal, trying the spicy burger and classic with curly fries and sweet potato chips as well as the juice of the day and a vegan chocolate, peanut butter and banana smoothie. The main meal was so filling we had to get our cake to take away! We shared a piece each of rich chocolate sponge with thick fudgy icing and carrot cake, both lived up to the review I wrote years ago.
Wish we lived nearer Bristol!

This is a great place to meet in the day or evening, good range of drinks and cakes etc, plus a small fast-food style vegan menu. Staff are very friendly and helpful. You can see the kitchen and chef behind the counter which is good and helps you understand if there's any wait. Service generally quite quick but sometimes a small queue. I like that it's a coop.

I would really like to see a few more flavoursome freshly prepared vegetable based dishes on offer, maybe chefs could do their own specials. Just simple things like roast sweet potato, parsnip chips, pea and mint soup, would be a good start.

Having already been to Maitreya for lunch, Cafe Kino was quite a contrast. It was much more laid back and unrefined, yet it was great to know that everything on the menu was suitable for us to eat as vegans.

We were greeted by a lovely, friendly server who was very helpful and chatty.

As it was a boiling hot day, I opted to have a cold meal. I had a platter of three salads and a red pepper/potato frittata. It was the perfect, healthy, wholesome dish for the weather, though the frittata could have had more flavour and moisture. My boyfriend opted for the classic Kino burger, with sweet potato chips and homemade coleslaw. I tasted his and it was lovely. The coleslaw could have easily passed as a regular non-vegan version.

We couldn't resist having the brownie sundaes for dessert. The brownies were homemade and yummy though unfortunately no comparison to Maitreya's. I was disappointed to see a tub of Swedish Glace come out, having (maybe unfairly) expected them to have perhaps made their own ice cream too, and because of the questionable ethics of the company.

I wasn't keen on the drinks, but on the whole I really enjoyed the experience and would always recommend it to other vegans.

I had a falafel+hummus+salads. I wasnt amazed. HUmmus needs galic...more garlic. Falafel was too hard. Salads were good. Staff was nice and friendly. I didn't like the interior design...it's very white and plain.Not cosy at all.

I love this cafe- I can eat anything and don't have to double check if its veggie or lactose free :) The service is what you might call chilled out, but great food takes time. I think the highlight is desert for me- good range if its not all run out (which it often does by the evening). Also the Falafal and salad and burgers too. Its probably not the most healthy food ever but it is great. It does get packed but its because its good.

I really enjoyed my visit to Cafe Kino as they have a huge selection of vegan food and it is fabulous to be able to eat anything on the menu. They also have a big range of soft drinks and alcoholic drinks, ideal for sunny days people watching from the front window.
Updated from previous review on Monday May 27, 2013

I went there for my first ever vegan meal with my partner. Although I am not vegan, my partner is trying to become vegan so we decided to give this place a shot. It was really nice, very friendly staff, lovely food and lovely atmosphere.

Cafe Kino has a good selection of food - burgers, falafals, salads, veggie breakfast and more and it is all vegan. Had lunch there on two consectutive days. The portion size is good and it is reasonably priced. It is chilled out but it can get busy around lunchtime.

I quite enjoyed the look and feel of this place, there's something honest and un-hip about it. (No clichéd psychedelia or hippy junk!).
Though really it's the food and service one should be concerned with, and both are on par here! The staff will make recommendations if you want, and the menu changes frequently to keep things interesting for the regulars.
I give it 4/5 only because there is scope to do something a bit more exuberant than what is on offer.

Not completely vegan as they sell cows milk to go in tea and coffee. I don't understand why they do this when everything else in the cafe is vegan. The burger is especially good and the new location means there is a lot more space. Food takes some time to come so don't go if you only have an hour lunch break. Tried phoning to pre-order before my lunch break and they told me no.

I had the veggie burger and curly fries. The fries were good, and the veggie burger was ok, but not amazing. I was hesitant to try the blt or the sausage sandwich because I don't really like fake meat. However I've never tried the fake meat in England, so it may have been good. The atmosphere was really pleasant and the staff was really nice.

Cafe Kino moved location a few months ago just a few yards away now onto Stoke's Croft main road. The tables and chairs there remind me of being back at school somewhat but also has stools with a bar style shelf by the windows which is nice to watch the world go by. The staff are friendly and prompt (some which are volunteers I gather) and generally seem to keep the place tidy. The food is lovely and would highly recommend trying the cakes there, the menu is limited I feel with seemingly only veggie burger and sausages being the main options from time to time not that it really bothers me anyway. The salad I had was covered in some dressing which I was not fond of, so to have it as an option in a bottle or a small bowl would of better. Over all, a nice place to chill and eat vegan food!
Updated from previous review on Sunday July 10, 2011

Bohemian atmosphere in decidedly 'funky' part of town made this an OK cafe experience, but not one for a particularly special meal. We all had burgers and chips. I quite liked mine, but my wife thought the burger under-cooked and an unnecessary amount of dressing on the salad. Our daughter laid into it all without complaint. I had emailed ahead to book an entire chocolate cake and THAT was very nice indeed, well recommended. The cooked meal selection seems rather limited but the cafe type snacks and drinks looked good and all was reasonably priced (though no bottled water available when we were there, very poor). The atmosphere was fairly groovy and decidedly laid back behind the serving counter. A pleasure to be in an all vegan establishment, but they could perk it up a little and still not lose their independent stylee.

What a find this place was, I love the arty feel to it, the location, the interior and the mural at the side of the building. A fantastic package. We had the vegan breakfast and a mexican burrito type meal which were both filling, well presented and good value. The pick of the seats are at the front overlooking the street. A very interesting place with a cool vibrancy about it.

love this place, we visit there quite often as it is local and handy, freindly staff and food orders are always taken quickly with food soon to follow, the menu changes and food is always hot,filling and tastes great!

Having picked a pretty 2 pound coin off the street whilst ambling down Stokes Croft in Bristol, I took a left up Nine Tree Hill and decided to indulge in a little latte action. Settling into my decaf soya surprise, my thoughts began to wander as CocoRosie's ketamine-induced ambient echoes reverberated in my subconcious.

I was peaceful, detached but still aware of the tranquility that surrounded me in this cute cooperatively run cafe.

All of a sudden I was physically wrenched from my breakfast bar stool and slammed onto the stripped wooden floorboards behind me. Towering over me with eyes mad glinting was the Cafe Wino Chef, screaming 'enough of your bourgeious reveries, soya lattes are counter revolutionary - submit to the homosexual revolution'. With both legs straddling this crazed cordon-bleu continued by smacking me back and forth across the face with a pair of yellow marigolds, dripping with soap suds and bits of red pepper. The sensation of the wet rubbery texture, stinging my soft cheeks, was strangely exciting and I began shrieking this mad autonomous cook's rant for all to hear.

'Cornflakes are counter revolutionary, cornflakes are counter revolutionary.'

I've been here quite a few times now, mostly for a fried breakfast and they are very good indeed, and also very filling. I always have to fit some cake or a muffin in as well. Probably the best I've ever tasted. And everything is vegan! Though they do offer cows milk with tea (I wouldn't bother).
The atmosphere is relaxed and no nonsense, the only downfall is the stairs if you've a small child, and definately not wheelchair friendly.

As a lover of so-called junk food I was delighted by my Spicy Kino Burger and the homemade chips that another reviewer has also praised highly. The Trouble 'n' Strife enjoyed her falafal dish too, and we shared a gorgeous choc cake for pud. Shame they'd run out of pancake mix (slightly bemusing, cos' it doesn't need much to make vegan pancakes, but oh well) and hearing the chefs chatting in the kitchen whilst I was in the loo made me smile. Sweet staff, and a constant stream of young funky things of a Saturday lunchtime made it a fun visit. I can understand what the other reviewer means about laid back staff and 'dirty' but it didn't bother us, perhaps adding further dollops of relaxed Saturday for us. Would definitely return. Often. With friends, after a heavy night out for vegan BLT probably.

As a vegan of many years I am well aware of the correlation between vegan cafes and 'crusty' types, but this place falls very short of acceptable on many levels. In a word - dirty. The place itself is situated in one of the up and coming areas of the city (no word as to when it's due). The staff are annoyingly nonchalant about their customer 'service'. I noticed three staff members during a very quiet Saturday afternoon and yet tables remained filthy and uncleared. In fairness the place is a cafe and not a restaurant, but even so, it just isn't very clean and the menu is very snack-orientated as opposed to meal. It could be so much better!

Make sure you walk up the left hand side of the hill as you approach the street Kino is on. On the opposite side there are some sad characters that can be a little unnerving to some. Once inside place your order at the front, and either eat at the little bar if you'd like to look out the window or go downstairs and explore the large seating areas. The chef and everyone there were extremely nice and even customized my order for some healthy vegan food. A BLT with non fried vegbacon and mustard instead of vegan mayo and it was really fabulous! The ingredients, bread/tomato, etc were all really fresh and made a simple sandwich really worth the trip from Bath!

Had a take away lunch from here today, it was excellent lovely sandwich,falafal/hummus lettuce and sweet chilli sauce, could not resist the huge fat chocolate cake and also decided to take home equally tempting chocolate muffin for my husband...which he did not get as I also ate it on the way home to Yeovil!, bottle of water as well. Whole lot less than £7.00 I think that is excellent, quality was superb no skimping on portions, lots of choice,not runn of the mill, wish I lived nearer.

Kino is fantastic - good size portions, run as a co-op, incredibly friendly and good service. I've been about 4 times now on various trips and not had a bad time (even when I accidentally poured half a bottle of vinegar over my chips by accident!). Especially reccommended are the hand made chips (skins on!) and the choclate cake. Am heading back next month and that's a pretty long trip from Liverpool!

Really creative vegetarian/vegan food. Lots of options and absolutely beautiful presentation. The desserts were incredible as well. Quite expensive, but I would definitely recommend for a date/special occasion/impressing visiting family.

i went to bristol for a day and came to this place twice, such a good atmosphere and great food. best vegan chocolate cake i've had in a restaraunt. it's pretty small when you walk in but has a good number of seats downstaira (25 at a guess) so don't be put off if you see a small room when you walk in.
a great touch is the small library bookshelf downstairs. you are encouraged to browse and read and if ou really want to you can puchase it for a cheap price

We went here for lunch on a trip to Bristol. We nearly didnt eat here as we looked in the window & there was no decent seating so we walked away & then I looked at the board and seen there was seating downstairs. Im glad we did. We had the Spicy bean burger with chips & salad. Spinach & butternut squash pie with chips & salad. The chips are homemade & it was all very tasty.

Brilliant, friendly, attitude free cafe in a central location (five minutes from where I live!!) All food is vegan and is tasty and fun. It's good, solid food not fancy 'mucked about' stuff and the muffins are to die for. Run, I think, as a co-operative and well worth supporting.