Most restaurants, even so-called 'fancy' ones, will have a lunchtime special @ about £8 for 2 courses & a drink - sometimes a bit less. They won't always do the job of filling you up - it depends on your BMI & how much you're used to eating at lunchtime - but if you are doing a lot of walking you won't want to be stuffed, & they give you an idea of whether the restaurant is worth returning to for dinner. Best of the cheap eats at the moment:
Places to stuff yourself:
FLAVOURZ, on the Centre: Lunch approx. £7, Dinner approx. £12 - buffet of various cuisines
COSMOS THE WORLD ON YOUR PLATE, Triangle Clifton: Same price & a slightly better option than above, the Thai is very good but it is pretty busy most of the time, you'll most likely have to wait for a table if you don't book
LA TASCA, on the Centre: Tapas for £10 as much as you can eat, Sun-Wed 5 til 9pm. Also do 5 tapas between 2 for £10 - it's not great tapas but edible & certainly cheap
For a more normal sized lunch:
The Cowshed Bristol, in Whiteladies Road offers a £10, 3 course lunch. The include a small plate, a main and a dessert or a coffee. It's a perfect lunch size for active people. It's a good occasion to try their food without compromising your budget.
TIFFIN, on St Micheals Hill: A little gem in Bristol, you can get a curry & rice for about £5
GEORGE'S: Fish & chip shop down the side road by the Hippodrome, man-sized portions & just about the best chips and curry sauce ever - about £2, pretty filling :)
ST. NICHOLAS MARKET: Keep walking up Corn St, several nice places to grab a bite in and around there - couple of cafes, & stalls to get a good pie/cake or whatever you fancy. On Corn Street itself, there is a large Wetherspoons that always has offers on for food & cheaper drinks, & the Walkabout bar directly opposite has similar deals plus an outdoor eating area.
Places along the Harbourside:
Are not altogether 'cheap' really, but it's location, location! Watershed/Arnolfini do food, you'll prob. pay a minimum of around £7 upwards for a main course then drink on top - a fair few other places along here but unless they're offering specials, it won't really fall under 'cheap eats'. Nice to have a pint outside on a summers day though :)
The Thekla has turned itself, or at least the top deck, into a kind of trendy al fresco eaterie - mains are about £5-£6 on lunchtime, no gushing reviews but they do the job.
Severnshed just along does a lunch special but it's pretty poor really, its only saving grace is the wonderful terrace (happy hour on drinks between 5-7pm helps a bit)
EARLY DINERS/PRE-THEATRE MENUS:
As with lunchtimes specials, many restaurants run these offers so if you are willing to take your evening meal between 6 - 7.30pm then there are bargains to be had. Current good deals as an example: Fishers, Clifton - £5 for main. Goldbrick House, Park St - £10 for 2 courses & drink. West Thai Kitchens, Baldwin St - Starter, Main & noodles/rice for under £10. The Cowshed Bristol, Whiteladies Road - £10 Early bird: a rump steak or a burger with chips & a glass of House Wine or a pint of Lager, Monday to Thursday 18h00 till 19h00 with the table required back by 19h30.
Sandwiches/Self Catering:
There are some decent sandwich/pasty shops lurking around.
Woodes at the bottom of Park St do a good sandwich, you can sit outside if you fight for one of the three tables - go after 5pm & all the sandwiches are half price or less. Magic Roll - on the Triangle, keep walking left at the top of Park St. - do great sandwich, prices may seem a little high at first sight but they are very filling & a much better option than Pret & Subway that you'll pass on the way. The kebab shop on the Triangle is very good - there are a couple on the centre as well. The Brunel Buttery on Wapping Wharf (if you are walking towards the SS Great Britain) do bacon butties of legendary status. There are a few supermarkets of sorts within the centre, of the Tesco Express kind which can be a little overpriced but fine to pick up some nibbles.
Taking into account that most visitors will hit the central area first, the majority of the above is within that area & easy to find. Many tourists will no doubt head towards Clifton Village to get to the Suspension Bridge - and there are lots of nice places to grab a bite up there but the prices can inflate a little, this is where the cool & wealthy live :) Oddly, for such an affluent area, the only supermarket in the village is a Somerfield & they do sinful sandwiches not worth entertaining. The best place to buy your own sandwich/nibbles is Chandos Deli but it's all too easy to fork out a tenner for not very much at all. May be more economical to look for the lunchtime specials; Fishers do one for £8.50 & Strada do one for £7.50. The Primrose Cafe is a local institution, a touch expensive but they do amazing cakes & it's a great place to sit & people-watch of an afternoon. There are some great little local pubs in the area but the only one with outdoor seating & views to speak of is the White Lion, part of the Avon Gorge Hotel.
The Gloucester Road area is a bit of a goldmine for all things food but as it is not really en route to any tourist sites, it largely gets overlooked. Home to many great pubs, bakeries, ethnic food shops, delis & a diverse mix of restaurants to suit all pockets.