We visit the glamorous Bristol restaurant where smashing plates is encouraged

Walk past Sousta on certain evenings and there is sure to be a worrying and chaotic sound of plates being smashed.

In fact, this weekend, there will certainly be piles of broken crockery on the floor of this glamorous restaurant.

That’s because this Saturday (September 30) is one of Sousta’s regular Greek nights which means food and drink, of course, but also music, dancing and, yes, good old plate smashing.

It’s good to see this old Greek taverna tradition carrying on in a restaurant overlooking the River Avon. Not only because these traditions should and must continue, but because most restaurants are cutting back due to rising bills so it’s refreshing to see a business happy to let customers smash plates whatever the cost.

On the evening I visited Sousta, there were no plates smashed, although I did almost knock over my glass of Cypriot wine at one point.

Despite it being 7pm on a Friday, the place was actually pretty dead, with only five other diners in the section of the restaurant that was open. The other large dining area was in darkness save for a few blue LED strip lights.

This 1960s building is a slightly odd location for a restaurant as there is so little passing trade at night on this quiet riverside road.

Sandwiched between blocks of flats and a school, it started life as The Mayors Arms pub and I remember drinking there in the early 1990s when the place would be packed, especially for the karaoke.

It then went on to become an Indian restaurant and now it’s Sousta, a family-run restaurant that relocated last year from Congresbury.

Summer holidays may be a distant memory and the Ambre Solaire might be packed away until next year, but if you’re already missing a taste of Greece, Sousta is definitely the place to go.

It’s a large restaurant with quite a glitzy look. There murals of Greek goddesses and vines on the walls and expensive-looking furniture.

On a quiet night, the sound of Greek music was slightly overpowered by the sound of the waitress sorting the cutlery tray behind bar.

The wine list offers bottles from Italy, France and also Greece and Cyprus. There’s a white called Aphrodite and a red called Othello. You can also order bottles of Vin de Crete or Retsina.

The food menu is extensive and takes in all the usual taverna classics - calamari, halloumi, octopus salad, moussaka, kleftiko, chicken souvlaki and so on. There are also steaks and sharing mezze plates.

I started with garides saganaki (£10.20) - a blisteringly hot gratin dish of still-sizzling king prawns (only four of them but hey-ho) in a tomato sauce flecked with crunchy diced peppers and crumbled feta that achieved the correct sweet and salty balance.

This was followed by the stifado (£22.35) - tender chunks of beef in a seductively rich and garlicky sauce with a hint of allspice and cloves. Served with a dome of steaming hot rice, it was a comfort dish of a high order on an autumnal night with a real nip in the air.

I really enjoyed the food at Sousta and the staff were genuinely friendly and grateful for the business at a time when many restaurants are quiet.

This was an unplanned solo visit but next time I’ll gather a few friends or family and make a night of it, plate smashing or not.

Sousta, 69 Clarence Road, Bristol, BS1 6RP. Tel: 0117 4623622.