Dinner at Rock Salt doesn’t have to be the whole evening. Cotham Hill is a short, independent street with genuinely good places either side of your table booking — so whether you’re arriving early for a drink or looking to keep the night going afterwards, here’s where locals actually go.
Before Dinner: Where to Start the Evening
Corks of Cotham is the obvious starting point if you fancy something at home before heading out, or a proper look at what you might order later — a well-curated wine and craft beer shop with knowledgeable staff, good for browsing before your table’s ready.
Rubicon Too, a few doors along Cotham Hill, shifts from café to something closer to a wine bar feel as the evening sets in. It’s a relaxed, low-key spot for an early drink if you’re arriving ahead of your booking and want to sit somewhere unhurried first.
Cotham Coffee House, just off Cotham Hill on Cotham Road South, is worth knowing about if you’re making an afternoon of it — a proper coffee stop before an early dinner sitting, particularly if you’re walking over from Redland or the University area.
After Dinner: Keeping the Night Going
Bravas, just along the street, is one of Cotham Hill’s best-loved spots for exactly this — a small, lively tapas and sherry bar that serves later than most, making it a genuinely good option once you’ve finished eating and fancy one more stop before heading home. It’s compact, so don’t expect to just wander in and immediately get seated on a Friday.
Crying Wolf is the pick if you’re after a proper cocktail to finish the night — a short walk from Rock Salt and well suited to rounding off a dinner with something a bit more considered than a quick pint.
For something lower-key, several of Cotham Hill’s cafés stay open into the early evening and make an easy, unpretentious spot to sit outside with a coffee or a soft drink and let the evening wind down slowly — ideal if the plan is a quiet finish rather than another bar.
Making a Full Evening of It
This is exactly the kind of evening Cotham Hill rewards — start with dinner, finish next door, and walk home through the Triangle rather than treating the street as a single stop. Because everything sits within a few minutes’ walk of each other, there’s no need to plan a taxi or a second location across town; the whole night can happen on one street.
If you’re coming from further out, it’s worth checking how to get to Rock Salt in advance — last orders run until 10:45pm, later than most restaurants on the street, so there’s genuinely no rush to eat early just to fit in a drink afterwards.
Booking Around Your Evening
If you’re planning a bigger night out — a birthday, a leaving do, or simply a group who want to make an evening of Cotham Hill together — it’s worth booking ahead specifically because the street’s smaller venues fill up fast on weekends. Our guide to private dining and group bookings covers how we handle larger tables, which pairs naturally with a longer evening exploring the rest of the street afterwards.
A Street Built for a Proper Evening
Cotham Hill isn’t a street you rush through — it rewards exactly the kind of evening where dinner is the anchor, not the whole plan. Book your table at Rock Salt, and treat the rest of the street as part of the night rather than an afterthought.