July Digest: Bristol food and drink news
Are the team behind COR and RAGU opening a third site?
Hello Saucers and happy Monday. This month’s news is a bumper issue; we’ve come across all sorts of salacious gossip. There’s new openings galore — 14 in total — including a high profile potential opening from the founders of COR and RAGU. Exciting times! To read the full news, you’ll need to become a paying Saucer — we don’t often put content behind a paywall because we believe in it being accessible, but the support from our paying readers is the only thing that makes our work possible. We never want to be beholden to the editorial interference of advertisers, and always paying our writers for their work is non-negotiable. So if you can support us, we’d be very grateful. Thank you!
The news
Any summer newsletter should start with ice cream and so here we are. Sonny Stores’ ice cream brand Little Knuckles will be appearing on Corn Street outside St Nick’s market from Wednesdays through Saturdays until September. The team have commandeered a bike, so you can be assured that by purchasing a scoop of macadamia, orange and olive oil you’re supporting a pedal-powered local business. Cool.
Bristol’s premiere steak brand Pasture technically already went international when the team opened a branch in Wales, but they’ve now got their sights set on Europe. The Barcelona branch of Pasture will open early next year, as the group have secured a £4.5m refinancing package from Barclays. They’re not the only Bristol restaurant to put down roots in the Spanish city — burger joint Asado also has a second site there too.
Beloved dim sum purveyor Fresh Bakery has closed, but fear not — the team are on the cusp of opening a new restaurant just next door. MeiMei will open imminently, though the reason for the move remains unclear.
The Local on North Street has new owners in the form of the experienced and inventive team behind Shredenhams (the skate park that has taken over Debenhams — huge improvement imo) and fellow Bedminster dive bar The Dame. The Local has already had a bit of a face lift and according to a recent Instagram post, we can also expect upcoming DJs, live music and community events.
In further pub news, the White Bear also has new owners. The St Michael’s Hill pub has been taken over by the same folks that run the Hope and Anchor on Jacobs Wells Road and the Lion in Cliftonwood.
Press
Enormous congratulations are in order for team WANGS who not only made it into the Good Food Guide’s 100 best local restaurants, but at number seven were also the highest awarded in the whole of the South West. Also on the list from Bristol were Dongnae and the Lido. Well done all!
Closures
Bristol-born cafe chain Grounded is no more. All eight sites across Bristol and in Keynsham, Corsham and Chippenham have closed with immediate effect, although two in Bristol have reopened under new ownership. Grounded Fishponds has become Turners and is run by the same general manager as before, and Grounded Brislington is set to become Grain.Grape Cafe, run by a local family, but isn’t open yet.
In Old Market, Mexican brunch spot Tocayo has temporarily closed. Though the listing on Google states the closure is permanent, the website reads: ‘We’re temporarily closing the doors of Tocayo to restructure and stay strong in the current climate. We’ll reopen in October 2026 with a fresh new concept. In the meantime, you can still enjoy all your favorite brunch dishes and coffee at Chido Wey’. Here’s hoping that Tocayo does indeed reopen and is stronger for it — after all, there’s nowhere else in Bristol where one can procure the essential Mexican breakfast item chilaquiles. Read The Bristol Sauce review of Tocayo.
New openings
Could the owner of two of Bristol’s most successful restaurants be planning a third? Mark Chapman, co-owner of COR and RAGU shared an intriguing Instagram story on July 17th, appearing to show a loosely drawn floor plan of a restaurant with the caption ‘keep dreaming next project’. Speaking to The Bristol Sauce Mark was painfully cryptic: “it is what you think it might be”. We’re taking that as a very positive sign.
It seems the new Interlude Coffee with be opening in the very near future, if recruitment posts on the store’s Instagram page are anything to go by. The new spot is at number 51 Colston Street, in the site that previously belonged to skateboarding store Fifty Fifty.
Also in coffee news, the new Full Court Press roastery has opened in the Dings — complete with a coffee bar where you can enjoy a vast number of freshly ground varieties just metres away from where they have been roasted. This is Full Court Press’s second site; the first on Broad Street has gained a seriously loyal following in the 13 years it has been open.
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