September Digest: Bristol food and drink news
In which a Michelin-starred chef starts a rotisserie chicken supper club
Bristol backed-to-schooled hard this month; I think this is the meatiest Digest to date. Paying Saucers have access to an extra seven new openings and pop-ups this month — if you can, upgrade your subscription now to help us keep reporting on Bristol’s food scene. You’ll also get exclusive paying-Saucer-only access to my curated list of where to eat in October next week.
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The news
We start this month’s Digest on a particularly happy note: RAGÙ, COR, BANK and Lapin have been named among the happiest places to work in the UK by Code Hospitality. Congratulations to the teams and well done for lighting a path for others in Bristol to follow. Now, can we stop capitalising all our restaurant names please? It makes for an editorial nightmare.
Speaking of RAGÙ (I’m not shouting at you I promise), the only-recently opened Wapping Wharf Italian has also just been added to the Michelin Guide. Are we surprised? No. Pleased? Very.
But perhaps the best news this month is that Alex from Squeezed has announced he no longer plans to abandon his beautiful burger creations in favour of becoming a teacher — sighs of relief all round. We like to think that The Bristol Sauce naming Squeezed Bristol’s best burger last month had something to do with it, but we remain humble and hungry for another St Werburger.
In sadder news, Farro’s star baker Benjamin Costello has left Bristol for the great baking heights of London, where the streets are paved with golden pastries. We wish him well in his new venture and will miss his lamination skills greatly. Though judging by Farro’s Instagram, the baked goods are still in excellent, lightly-floured hands.
The weather is turning which can mean only one thing: roast season is upon us. There are many fabulous Sunday roasts to be found in Bristol, but for those keen to check out the freshest feasts on the block — Souk Kitchen is doing a Greek-style roast on Sunday 19 October and Bristol Loaf has also brought back their Sunday offering at their Beacon site. Go forth and ask for extra gravy!
Fat Dad’s Kitchen have announced that their residence at The Gallimaufry will be coming to an end when the year draws to a close, and they will be looking for a new home. Anyone fancy hosting one of Bristol’s best burger slingers? To have Fat Dad’s on your doorstep is basically to win the burger lottery — so if you know somewhere, get in touch.
The Lion, a lovely little pub in Cliftonwood, has new owners in the form of proprietors from the nearby Hope & Anchor. They reopened yesterday, 23 September. We’re expecting good things, so brave the hill and say hello.
Pinkmans also has new owners — for the second time in three years. The new Pinkmans team is led by Angie and Zack, who “has worked with various companies in the food and drink scene in and around Bristol.” Nice and vague.
Closures
After nine years of delighting locals with their creative inventions, burger chain Oowee have announced the closure of their original Picton Street branch. On Instagram the team shared that they have outgrown the small spot and they’re “passionate about continuing to evolve and develop both our business and our menu, and the size of this site has simply limited what [they] can do”. So it’s onwards and upwards for Oowee, whose Baldwin Street and North Street branches remain open as usual.
Loki Poke have closed their St Nicks site citing the same industry challenges that seem to have caused virtually all closures of late — almost like it’s a widespread problem or something — but the poke bowl champs are still living it large at Wapping Wharf and touring the festivals.
Pieminister have closed their Stokes Croft restaurant. I seem to have missed this one — the Pieminister crew moved out of their Stokes Croft offices in April and the restaurant closed too, though their sites at Broad Quay and St Nicks are still going strong.
Beloved street food traders Alp Mac are winding down operations and selling their bright red 1974 truck. Will the new owners ever be free of the smell of cheese? We hope it haunts them forever like a particularly pungent vacherin.
St Werburghs pub The Miners Arms has closed, with the owners expressing sadness and frustration at the current economic climate. The team hope to reopen the pub at some point, but no timeline has yet been proposed.
Hannah Catley’s Lockdown Loaves will lock down in December due to a 12-month dispute with the landlord refusing to renew the tenancy. It’s bad news for lovers of the Loaves, but at least you’ve got a three month warning — and Hannah’s eponymous bakeries will remain open for now.
Bedminster’s SunRa Kitchen has closed with only a short handwritten note on the door to announce the sad loss. Despite having but two seats and fewer staff, it was one of Bristol’s most bombastic and colourful restaurants and will be missed.
New openings
In January, I declared that 2025 would be the year of the wine bar. Without wishing to chink my own flute, I have been proven correct. The new Kask wine bar is due to open on Cheltenham Road on October 2, Carouse Wines has just opened in Totterdown and Nick from Snobby’s has got the keys to a second site, also on Chandos Road. How’s that for a glass half full?
In a move straight out of my wildest dreams, Jan from Wilsons has teamed up with Tristan from Pieminister to start a rotisserie chicken lunch club. Coq Rotisserie —brilliant name — is serving wood-fired chicken and wine from the pie man’s back yard once a month.
It’s been a good month for Latino-food lovers. Greenbank’s Este Kitchen, known for Latin American-inspired brunches, are opening a second site, though we are not yet sure where, and judging by the stock-image they’ve used to announce the opening on Instagram they may well be pivoting to Indian vada pav instead.
And just to keep you on your toes (though you may want to mind your head) you can now get bona fide Chilean empanadas, alfajores and dulce de leche brownies in the croft underneath St Mary Redcliffe Church from Latino Street Bites.
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