January digest: Bristol food and drink news
2025 will be the year of the wine bar
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January. It’s a bit like the Bounty in a box of celebrations; even the people pretending to like it are kidding themselves. January is a time for cocooning; a time of change. We withdraw, work on ourselves, take stock and plan for the year. Restaurants often close for a week or two to thank their staff for a busy festive season or to refit their kitchens (looking at you Little Hollows). Then we emerge at the beginning of spring ready to take on the world as beautiful butterflies. Or at least as marginally more optimistic people having survived the worst month of the year.
The news this month feels like we are gearing up for a big year in Bristol hospitality. There’s a lot of speculation in the air at the moment - plans being made but not yet pinned down. I suspect that, among other things, 2025 will be the year of the wine bar in Bristol. But I can say no more for now! So, onto things I can talk about.
The Mayflower is back! Announced yesterday on Instagram, Bristol’s most-loved Chinese restaurant is now taking bookings again and you can get your fix as soon as tomorrow. However, the website now lists their opening hours as 5.30pm - midnight, which will be bad news for the many chefs who previously enjoyed a 2am post-service succulent Chinese meal. But perhaps they’ll relax those hours over time…
Little Bagel Co are opening a second branch on Baldwin Street. No opening date has been announced yet, but their new site is in Sandwich Sandwich’s old spot on the corner opposite Pret. Baldwin Street lunchers will be delighted!
Dan O’Regan, owner of Totterdown’s BANK posted an Instagram story a couple of weeks ago hinting at the potential opening of a modern French restaurant. On his Instagram (@doregan1) he asked his followers to vote for the name ‘Lapin’ meaning rabbit or ‘Escargot’ meaning snail. He could have been asking for a friend of course, or just out of whimsical interest, but we’re keeping it firmly on our one-to-watch list.
Frankie’s by Adam Ball is now in permanent residence at North Street’s Kitchen by Kask, serving fried chicken and waffles. The 100% gluten-free menu will be available for dinner from Thursday, January 30 and on Saturdays and Sundays for brunch too.
Other, the new-ish restaurant from Zak Hitchman has been added to the Michelin Guide. There has been a little bit of a Bristol Michelin shuffle ahead of the awards next month - Bokman seems to have been removed and the Blaise Inn has been upgraded to a Bib Gourmand. The guide praises Zak’s ‘playful’ food and his ingenious hot and sour crab sauce. Read The Bristol Sauce review of Other.
Mangosteen have opened their second branch on North Street, serving Thai-inspired small plates. They’re just 400 feet from Uncle Wah’s, which is Chinese but very much fits the same demographic. It will be interesting to see how the two compete. Mangosteen’s original branch is on Cotham Hill - read The Bristol Sauce review.
Fat Dad’s have moved from Lost and Grounded’s Brislington brewery to Industry Bar and Kitchen on Gloucester Road, where they will be continuing to serve some of Bristol’s best burgers. They’re serving on Friday, Saturday and Sunday for the rest of January and then Wednesday - Sunday from February onwards.
Gurt Wings are soon to open their first bricks-and-mortar (or rather, steel shipping container) premises at Wapping Wharf. They’ve also opened a permanent site in Reading. The Wapping Wharf site is due to open in February, and they’ll be continuing to tour the markets with their van.
Hannah Catley is busy transforming a new spot in St Anne’s into her third bakery site, which will join Catley’s and Lockdown Loaves in her growing empire. She’s now also supplying baked goods to Society Cafe. We’ve yet to get a confirmed opening date or location for the site in St Anne’s, but it’s likely to be announced in the next few weeks.
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Six by Nico is due to open in Quakers Friar in February, which means they are currently pushing PR and marketing in Bristol HARD. Expect to see all the usual crowd be invited there to eat for free and consequently raving about it in the next few weeks. Do not be fooled, it is a chain and a distinctly average one at that. There’s much better places to go for an equally reasonable tasting menu in Bristol - so much so that I wrote an article for Bristol24/7 about it.
Several new food stalls have opened in St Nick’s market, included a second spot for Loki Poke, Angelababy which serves Hong Kong specialities and Red Tiger which is serving Malaysian street food. They’ve still got a couple of empty units too, so expect more new traders coming soon.
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