People / My Bristol Favourites
My Bristol Favourites: Esme Lower
Esme Lower, aka Melo Murals, is a multimedia artist working across mural, illustration and sometimes animation.
She says that her work “explores themes of liveness, musicality, the body, strength and playfulness”, often drawing inspiration from the cartoons and comics she grew up with to bring creative briefs to life.
An artwork by Esme features on the cover of the new March/April 2025 edition of Bristol24/7 magazine.
is needed now More than ever
These are Esme’s top-five Bristol favourites:
Radical Roasters
Radical Roasters on St Mark’s Road is open from Thursday to Sunday – photo: Radical Roasters
“Radical Roasters is my favourite DIY coffee spot that actively supports the community and often hosts craft and fundraising events. They roast all their coffee in-house which is delicious and I love the Rowdy artwork on the shutters. Check out their Instagram to find out more about how they started and what they’re up to.”
Strange Brew
Strange Brew on Fairfax Street is located in a former car showroom – photo: Leigh Dennis
“I love Strange Brew as a music venue. Always a good crowd and mix of events. I also recently went to an event called Pecha Kucha where different creative people got up to do a presentation in a pecha kucha style (20 slides, 20 seconds for each) on a particular theme which was really interesting, and it was packed! I think that Strange Brew’s programming and range of events is so good. It has something for everyone.”
Troopers Hill
The purple heather and yellow broom of Troopers Hill is unique in Bristol – photo: Martin Booth
“I love this place for the peaceful walk or cycle along the river to get there and the viewpoint at the top. Troopers Hill is my go-to for running, clearing my head, watching the sunset or having a barbecue.”
Sonni’s
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“Sonni’s is a little corner shop in St Werburgh’s that I have such fond memories of when I used to live nearby with friends; getting a breakfast bap from the hatch in the morning and debriefing after a night out, or a beer in the evening (amazing choice of local beers in the fridge), sitting outside the front and people watching. It’s the best spot when it’s warm so I’m excited to spending more time there again soon.”
Gigi’s
Gigi’s serves 12″ and 18″ whole pizzas, pizza by the slice, alongside a curated selection of local beers, natural wines and small-batch spirits – photo: Gigi’s
“Gigi’s is a great new spot in Old Market for pizza by the slice or big ones to share, and it’s always bustling. I can’t wait to go back and try more flavours, but the tomato vodka base and cacio e pepe are my current favourites.”
Main photo: Holly Fazackerley
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