I’ve decided to make this month’s news free for everyone to read — mainly because I usually reserve most of the new openings for paying Saucers, but this month there are a great deal more closures. Sad news indeed. But next week I will be publishing our usual ‘Where to eat in October’ guide, which will be exclusively for those helping make our work possible by supporting us financially. I know not everyone can afford to pay, which is why most of our content is free to read. If you can afford to pay, brilliant — if not, don’t worry, because those paying make it possible for you to read for free.
The news
Totterdown’s Bank is launching a new ‘more accessible’ menu which supposedly features more budget-friendly options, including burgers. To celebrate the occasion, Bank is giving away the first 500 burgers ordered, providing you eat in and order a starter and a dessert. The burgers are £15, beyond that the cheapest main option is a celeriac risotto at £22. The new menu looks nice and the burgers will no doubt be delightful, but I’m not sure accessible is the way to market it.
The Orchard have indeed taken over Fierce and Noble and the whole thing has been rebranded as ‘Werbs’. A new sign on the gate promises that the site will be a bakery, roastery and brewery.
Press
CODE Hospitality published a list of the happiest places to work two weeks ago, which once again included COR, RAGU, Bank and Lapin. Anyone looking for a job in hospitality should note that it’s the second year in a row that all four restaurants have made the list. ‘Nuff said.
Closures
Wapping Wharf is truly in a state of flux. Box-E, an original feature of the shipping container empire, announced it will be closing after the tenth anniversary of the restaurant on 17th October. Box-E serves one of the best value tasting menus in the city, so if you haven’t been and want to try it, book in ASAP!
Another Wharf casualty is Pigsty, the restaurant from the Jolly Hog team, which will also be closing on 4th October. The group will continue to focus on their retail operation.
There will be another momentous Wapping Wharf closure in the coming days, but out of respect for the restaurateur and their team, I am obliged to remain quiet until they announce it on their own terms.
Over on East Street, vegan junk food restaurant VX has announced that it will be closing. On Instagram the team shared that they will be closing around mid October with an exact date to be confirmed as the landlord is selling the property.
The family behind an ice cream shop that has been open for 106 years have announced that it will be closing in November. Tarr’s Ice Cream in Brislington opened in 1920 and has been continuously operated by the same family ever since. The family have cited increasing costs as the primary factor behind the decision.
Hot chocolate fans are lamenting the loss of Knoops on Clifton Triangle, a branch of a nationwide chain that was only open for two years in Bristol. I’d encourage a visit to Mrs Potts on Park Street just down the road for those looking to satiate their hot chocolate cravings over the winter.
A stone’s throw from Knoops, Bristol and Bath Rum Distillery have also shut up shop, with the bar being listed as permanently closed on Google and on the website. The distillery’s signature product ‘Dead Man’s Fingers’, however, still seems to be going strong.
New openings
The site that previously belonged to The Social on Stokes Croft is due to become Super Nature, which will be a space for music paired with local food and drink. The team have raised £15,000 so far via crowdfunding to transform the site and are hoping to open this autumn. I have a feeling that the food operation may be a very popular Bristol pizza brand…
Ah-Ma’s Dumplings have been teasing something that looks suspiciously like a new opening, stating that something will be ‘coming soon’ on 2nd October. Ah-Ma’s already have a permanent site in the form of Clouds in St Werburgh’s. Could this be a second branch?
Bristol brewery Arbor Ales have purchased the 6 O’Clock Gin glassboat which is moored on Welsh Back and are renovating it before reopening.
Following the closure of Fierce and Noble, Danny’s Burgers are now in residence at Shredenhams, just off the Bearpit. However, I have a feeling that they may be back in St Werburgh’s before long.
New fried chicken joint Feather, on Whiteladies Road, is now open and promises ‘poultry taken to the next level’. On the menu is fried chicken on waffles, chicken skin crisps and… tomato soup?
There’s a Brazilian churrascaria coming to Bathurst Basin. Domus Steakhouse is opening in the former Paco Tapas site, which is strangely omitted from the 200-year potted history of the building that makes up the majority of the restaurant’s ‘Our Story’ page on the website. Given the prolific use of AI images on their website and social media, I am not holding out too much hope for Domus, but having experienced a proper Brazilian churrasco rodizio — where unlimited cuts of quality meat are served tableside — in Brazil, I will be interested to see how this compares.
Finally, global brand Chaiiwala has opened a second Bristol branch of their chai and desi breakfast cafe on Gloucester Road opposite the Bristol Flyer.
All words by Meg Houghton-Gilmour
The Bristol Sauce is an AI-free publication — all our work is written and edited by humans.
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Thanks for sharing the CODE Happiest Places to Work news 🙏