Western Daily Press (Saturday)
City foodie hub firing up grills
MANY of the fantastic restaurants at Cargo on Bristol’s waterfront will be able to open from next week regardless of the weather, after a stretch tent was installed covering the walkway of the foodie hub.
The Wapping Wharf development has been at the forefront of Bristol’s emergence as a gastronomic paradise since launching in 2017, home to a wealth of first-rate restaurants.
And thanks to the new awning that was put up to protect the upper levels from the elements, the majority of them will be able to fire up the grills from April 12 and serve customers with a harbourside view.
Given their quality, it’s not surprising that many of the restaurants at Wapping Wharf have already seen huge interest in pre-bookings ahead of reopening.
The next availability for a Saturday night table at Box-E, which is opening on April 21, is not until mid-June.
Tessa Lidstone, co-owner of the Bib Gourmand restaurant, said: “When you’ve been closed for so long, reopening almost seems like starting from the beginning again, but when the reservations started pouring in from both new and old customers it gave us a real boost of encouragement and excitement to
get going again. As ever we are so happy to have the support and it means so much that our guests are as excited about us reopening as we are.
“We were able to use our stretch tent from September to November, and briefly in December, so we know that guests felt cosy and safe there and loved the atmosphere.”
While Box-E and Seven Lucky Gods already had a stretch tent above their outdoor seating areas, the awning has recently been extended to cover all the restaurants on the upper level of both Cargo 1 and Cargo 2, including Bandook.
Additional outdoor seating is also being created at the bottom of Gaol Ferry Steps, between Wild Beer and Cargo 1, with pedestrian and cycle access.