The team behind two successful venues in Wales have takeover a pub in Clifton VIllage from a huge UK hospitality group. Sarah and Tom Watts-Jones are the new owners of The Clifton on Regent Street and plan to retain community spirit at the heart of the new venue.
The Clifton was previously part of Castle pubs, a subsidiary of Mitchells & Butlers, which also owns neighbouring pub The Mall and The Flyer on Gloucester Road, among numerous other venues city-wide. The pub's last day of service was on May 27 with Sarah and Tom - who specialise in pubs with dining - collecting the keys on May 31 to commence renovations.
It is the third site in their portfolio after the Heathcock gastropub in Cardiff and the Hare & Hounds in Aberthin, which is featured in the Michelin guide. The pair have had their eyes set on a new Bristol venue for 12 months and were waiting for the ideal location for what they specialise in.
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Sarah said: "We've been looking in Bristol for a year or so now, and The Clifton seemed like the perfect spot when it came up. We open new ventures around our team, and Cory, who was Tom's sous chef in the Hare was really keen to be in Bristol.
"We saw a gap there for what we do, and although we looked at a fair few sites, Clifton is great for us. We love the atmosphere, and the neighbourhood feeling."
The pub's kitchen has been gutted to install a custom-made Ox Grill cooking all the meat and fish on an open fire and the whole venue has been redecorated. Food is at the heart of Sarah and Tom's other sites - and The Clifton will follow suit - but food service will be contained in the large dining area at the back.
Sarah said: "At both of our other sites, we've worked hard to keep the local pub feeling as well. The front bar area will be dog-friendly still be a local pub with beers and ales as well as being able to go up to the bar and have a really nice glass of wine."
The food menu will offer bar snacks as well as a la carte and Sunday lunch similar in style to the Wales pubs, but using local suppliers to The Clifton. Tom, who is executive chef at the Hare & Hounds, will oversee the kitchen set-up with Cory Scott as head chef alongside Will Rees and Phoebe Hogg. Carmela Smith from the Hare & Hounds will be setting up the front of house team.
"In the restaurant, there will be a focus on sharing dishes like pies, lamb shoulder and whole fish cooked over fire but it will be British and seasonal, keeping it simple. We're not fine dining it's just really good ingredients cooked well," Sarah added.
The pub will reopen on July 5, 2023 and will be open seven days a week. The kitchen will be open from Wednesday evening to Sunday lunch.
The Clifton, 16 Regent St, Clifton, Bristol BS8 4HG.
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