Bristol pub reopening after takeover by team behind award-winning Welsh restaurants

A popular Bristol pub has been taken over by the owners of two award-winning Welsh restaurants.

The Clifton in Clifton Village has been bought by Sarah Watts-Jones and her husband Tom, who run the acclaimed Heathcock gastropub in Cardiff and the Michelin-rated Hare & Hounds in Aberthin near Cowbridge.

Prior to opening businesses in Wales, chef Tom Watts-Jones worked in London at Michelin-starred St John and the Anchor & Hope.

The couple had been looking for a Bristol site for over a year and they say The Clifton on Regent Street will feature a similar menu and style as the two Welsh restaurants.

Both The Heathcock and Hare & Hounds have a modern British menu with an emphasis on seasonal ingredients and simplicity.

Typical dishes at The Heathcock include braised oxtail pappardelle; plaice with mussel butter, smoked eel and salsify, and pheasant, smoked bacon and leek pie with chips and buttered hispi.

Sarah says: “It feels like the natural progression for us as a business to move to Bristol, the foodie capital of the UK, with our unique style of local and seasonal cooking within a local pub environment.

“We concentrate on good quality local and seasonal food, with a daily changing menu using the very best of what local suppliers have to offer. The Heathcock has done that in Cardiff, and we’ll be doing exactly the same in Bristol.

“We’re in the process of connecting with local farmers and suppliers, so that we’re offering the very best produce, from as close to the Clifton, as we can.”

Sarah says there will be a custom-made wood-fired grill in the open kitchen, so all of the meat and fish will be cooked over wood.

“There will also be a bigger focus on sharing and feasting dishes. It will be the same style as the other pubs with good quality food in a relaxed and informal setting.

“And we will be working hard to keep the true sense of a local pub, with excellent quality ales, an interesting wine list and our own homemade spirits.”

The Clifton opens in early July.