News / Restaurants
Pop-up restaurant planned for ‘eyesore’ site
A celebrated hospitality group could soon have a new temporary home in what has been an “eyesore” site in Bristol for nearly a decade.
The Pony Group are opening a pop-up restaurant on the empty site in Clifton Village which was most recently used as an ice rink more than a decade ago.
They could then open a permanent restaurant but that is still unconfirmed and is likely to still be some years away if it happens.
The site between Clifton Down Road, Boyce’s Avenue and King’s Road was due to become a mixed-use development in 2022 until building work stalled.
The Pony previously collaborated with Pasta Loco and Pasta Ripiena for pop-up restaurant experience Breaking Bread on the Downs from 2020 to 2021 – photo: Martin Booth
“It was music to my ears to meet the architects and representatives of the developers,” said independent councillor for Clifton, Paula O’Rourke, who has warmly welcomed temporary new tenants on the site, which she has called “such an eyesore” for too many years.
Before the THAT Group-led construction was stalled in 2022, the site in the heart of Clifton Village contained shops including WHSmith, a cafe and a greengrocers.
But with the site now being taken on by the Speare Group, O’Rourke said she was hopeful of a positive outcome.
O’Rourke said: “It was great to hear that the Speare Group are actually local developers who live in Clifton. That’s really positive, because they seem to really care about what’s going to be put there.”
She said that she was also “delighted” to hear Josh Eggleton’s plans for a pop-up restaurant.
“We’re very supportive of the meanwhile use, because once we get those hoardings down and hopefully have it open by Easter, locals can use the site as well as having the restaurant on site,” O’Rourke added.
The Pony Group told Bristol24/7 that more details about their plans are due to be announced soon.
The Pony Group own a number of popular businesses in Bristol and beyond, including Root and Salt & Malt in Wapping Wharf, The Kensington Arms in Redland, and the Pony Chew Valley in Chew Magna.
The site in Clifton Village has been empty for several years after former plans to make it a mixed-use development fell through – photo: Martin Booth
Other than the pop-up restaurant, O’Rourke said there is hope of having other “extra uses” for the site, like occasional small food markets.
“That is absolutely what Clifton residents really would love to see there,” O’Rourke said.
“From the conversations I’ve had with the architects, the concerns about overdevelopment for the site have been relayed…
“They’re planning on putting in residential development there, but they don’t seem to want it to be too high or too much massing, which are some of the concerns we would have.
“It does sound as if it’s going to be really positive. We’ve gone from despair to delight, really.”
Root in Wapping Wharf is one of the restaurants shortlisted in the Bristol Legends’ food & drink category
Bristol Legends is a new way for us to recognise and uplift the people, organisations and charities that make our city so special. The event will see us partnering with the team behind Anti Banquet, a charity dinner event helmed by Josh Eggleton and Team Canteen.
Main photo: Martin Booth
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