Five popular food and leisure venues in and around Bristol city centre have announced closure in the past week, with another warning it could soon follow if its fight for survival fails. Though two are expected to reopen under new management with different names, it signals a worrying time for the city's night-time economy.
A fine-dining restaurant, a pizzeria, a mini golf course, a nightclub and a bar have closed or are set to close soon, with the cost of living crisis and changing spending habits cited among the reasons. For others the decision has been unrelated to finances, including the expiry of a lease and a food hygiene closure.
Separately, a sixth venue has warned that it is "walking a financial tightrope". The Jam Jar in St Judes has launched a campaign for support following the fallout from the cost of living crisis coupled with a catastrophic fire that shut the venue for three weeks in 2022.
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While there is hope for the city's leisure scene, with new openings also being announced every week, it marks a sad loss for staff and customers affected by the closures. Below we round up the venues that have closed or confirmed future closure this week:
Gravity nightclub
A nightclub in Bristol has closed down for good. Gravity Nightclub, in Clifton, announced that it was shutting its doors due to financial struggles in a post on social media on Tuesday evening, April 2.
Gravity has been open since 2017 on Clifton Triangle and was one of the largest nightclubs in the city. Known for its foam parties and special guests like Made in Chelsea star Jamie Laing, the closure marks a significant loss for Bristol’s nightlife.
The owners blame the ‘economic strains’ and ‘increasing expenses’ for the club’s immediate closure, as well as their landlord's decision to 'repurpose the premises'. Read the full story
Tare
It was a shock for Bristol's food scene this week when Tare, one of the original shipping container restaurants to make its name at Wapping Wharf's Cargo 2, confirmed it was closing. Its new sister restaurant Tare Bistro will continue, but the tiny fine-dining restaurant itself will close in June.
The acclaimed restaurant was known for its six-course tasting menu, but said it has "seen a significant reduction in customer numbers this year [that] unfortunately is simply not financially sustainable". The hope is that the bistro will continue Tare's quality food offering at a "more accessible price point".
Pitcher and Piano
Popular Bristol bar Pitcher & Piano is set to close next week, according to communication sent to customers. It is understood that the Harbourside bar has been bought by a new company, and will continue trading in a different form.
A message to one customer, seen by Bristol Live, read: "Unfortunately we received the news last week that Pitcher and Piano Bristol has been bought by another company and will be closing down on the 14th of April (13th April being the last day of trading). Therefore we cannot go ahead with your booking.
"If you have paid a deposit we will process a refund. Apologies for the inconvenience. Best wishes, the Pitcher and Piano Bristol Team." A staff member confirmed the takeover.
G Bros
A much-loved pizza place in Bristol shut down after struggling to get on top of a "pest control problem". G Brothers Pizza, which is located on the High Street in Easton, said its farewell on Instagram after an issue resulted in a 0-star hygiene rating.
The closure notice, which was issued on March 20, stated that there was a health risk because of a "pest infestation" which the inspector described as being "not adequately treated". However, fans of the pizzeria did not have long to wait before the business made a comeback.
It has since been announced that the pizzeria will reopen under new management and with a change of name, but it will retain its recipe as well as its head chef, meaning customers shouldn't notice a difference to their favourite order. It will relaunch as Geppetto's, but an opening date has not yet been confirmed.
Jungle Rumble
Late last week it was revealed that a long-running mini golf course at Cabot Circus is closing down after 15 years. Staff at Jungle Rumble spoke of feeling “broken-hearted by the closure” as their lease comes to an end, after shopping centre bosses denied their hopes of continuing on.
The director of the mini golf course, which has been an attraction at Cabot Circus since its opening days in 2008, said all the staff have lost their jobs and they feel “so sorry” for the customers. He slammed the shopping centre's owners Hammerson as “disgraceful” for the decision not to renew their lease.
Hammerson said in response that a new mini golf operator will be announced in a matter of weeks. It added that it wants to attract the “best in-class operators” to Bristol.
A note on the branch's Facebook page this week reads: "Jungle Rumble Bristol is now closed and no longer operates from Cabot Circus."
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