July Digest: Bristol food and drink news
What do you get when you mix Indian and Mexican food together? A mess, usually.
Some people go on holiday in August. They shut up shop and take a break. Not us. We are doubling down at The Bristol Sauce with an August burger bonanza: we’re going to spend the next five weeks reviewing Bristol’s premiere patties and coming up with the ultimate shortlist to inform your next fix. Is there a burger you think we need to know about? Get in touch.
Meanwhile, the news. As ever, I’ve attempted to round-up all the food and drink gossip from the last four weeks to give you a snapshot of what’s what and who’s where. Enjoy! ~ Meg
The news
Old Market Italian Grano is temporarily closed while undergoing a refurb. According to a post on Instagram, Grano will reopen with a brand new concept that is ‘faster, smarter and tastier than ever before’. We have a sneaking suspicion that the evolution will further intertwine Grano with its neighbouring sister restaurant Gigi’s.
Montpelier’s neighbourhood Chinese WANGS is crowdfunding to raise the cash to ship a Cantonese charcoal roasting oven over from China. The team have already raised over £8,000 of their £10,000 target; though the target is just half of what they need to make the project a reality. Rewards for supporters include the first-ever run of WANGS merch and some collaborations with local businesses including Ruby Hue and Easton Chilli. Support them if you can!
Summer evenings at Littleshop and Pantry are back. The Westbury Park cafe is now open on Thursday and Friday evenings and from August will be open on Saturday evenings as well. On the menu you’ll find pizzas, small plates and soft serve, and on the terrace you’ll find… us.
The evening is also being embraced at the top of Gloucester Road, where Bristol’s only Japanese listening cafe Lonely Mouth has also finally got a license to open late and serve booze. The evening menu, available Thursday to Saturday, reads like a greatest hits compilation. Karaage chicken with black garlic mayo, whipped cod’s roe with negi oil and butter crisps followed by ube basque cheesecake? Yes please.
Closures
There are unconfirmed reports that The Clifton is due to close. The restaurant has not yet issued an official statement, though reservations are no longer being accepted on their website. We have reached out to the owners for comment. If true, I am sure it will be missed by locals and the hospitality folk who enjoyed the Sunday offer of 20 per cent off drinks and an ingenious array of small plates that made use of leftovers from the week.
Hospitality has finally broken Tom, owner of East Street’s Lucky Strike, who is moving to the sunny shores of London’s finance scene. After various iterations as a breakfast cafe and then a ramen joint, Lucky Strike has closed for good — their last service was on July 5, and new owners will be taking over the site in September.
Following a car crashing through the window as reported in last month’s Digest, Left Handed Giant’s The Farside Bar on Stokes Croft has closed permanently after only being open a year. Writing on Instagram, the team stated that the ‘crash into the pizzeria took the wind out of the venue’s sails’ and credited rising costs and unpredictable footfall as further factors in the decision. The move comes only a few weeks after Farside’s sister venue Hotplate also closed permanently, meaning Left Handed Giant has now disappeared from Stokes Croft entirely.
After an impressive 23 years of operation, Old India on St Nicholas Street has closed and the site is up for lease. At least it lived up to its name. Because it served Indian food, obviously.
Remember when Thali was everywhere? Soon the once five-strong Bristol chain will only have one site left in Montpelier, as the St Mark’s Road Thali has closed after over 20 years. The site will be taken on by neighbours Chai Guy, who obviously sell smash burgers.
The Bristol Cheesemonger has bid a fondue-farewell to Wapping Wharf after eight years and will now be operating solely from their shop on Gloucester Road. The grate news is they’ll still brie doing delivery.
Press
Grace Dent has struck again, only a few doors up from her previous glowing review of Ragù. This time she visited Lapin, which received another very positive write up from the Guardian critic. Did Grace Dent review anywhere else while she was in Bristol? 내 입술은 봉인됐어.
New openings
Former St Ives restaurant One Fish Street is relocating to Chandos Road. The seafood and oyster bar has taken over the site previously owned by Clifton Flowers and is due to open in September. They are currently offering an extra £50 on gift voucher purchases of £100 or more before September via their website — seems like a good deal if you’re planning on visiting anyway!
Chef Wizzy of Sky Kong Kong fame announced at Feast On over the weekend that she is opening a new restaurant called Tiger Mum at the top of Gloucester Road and is planning to offer Korean barbecue, supper clubs and sell her signature kimchi.
Continuing the Korean theme, The Bap on Queen’s Road is now open serving the likes of tteokbokki, bibimbap and bulgogi. Starting at £7.45, the baps will no doubt be popular with hungry students come September, although any coming from Brum might be somewhat confused.
Jikoni East Africa are set to take up residency at The Station following a series of pop-ups around Bristol, having had to leave their old site in St Paul’s due to renovations. They’ll be serving breakfast and lunch from August 22.
New Bristol Brewery has a new food resident in the form of Pig’s Pizzas, who you may have previously come across at The Apple or at The Butcher’s Hook in Thornbury. As winners of not one, not two, but three awards at Slice-O-Mania last year, this crust is worthy of your trust.
Adding to Bristol’s booming brewery scene is newcomer Unwin’s, a new microbrewery and taproom in one of the arches in The Dings. Tom Unwin was previously head brewer at New Bristol Brewery and has now set out to make his own beer. We eagerly await an opening date!