Jamie Oliver's latest Italian restaurant ready to open on Park Street, Bristol
THE menu outside the door displays tempting Italian dishes, the stylish interior looks complete, and almost 100 staff are undergoing training. It can only mean celebrity chef Jamie Oliver's new Bristol restaurant is nearly ready to open.
The Park Street eaterie Jamie's Italian is due to open on Monday February 28.
The final touches are now being added to part of the former Blackwell's bookshop to create a three-floor restaurant with an antipasti counter, fresh pasta machine and "bread station" and a ground-floor delicatessen area.
It is also understood 93 staff from the local area are undergoing training to ensure they are ready for opening night.
As the signage went up on the restaurant last week, builders have been hard at work completing the interior. Already passers-by can look at the plush seating area, dining tables, a menu case outside the front door and a television screen set into the exterior wall.
Because of filming commitments in Los Angeles Jamie himself will not be in Bristol for opening night and there is no launch party planned, in line with the company policy.
Instead in the days leading up to the 28th the restaurant will play host to a number of invited guests, including business and community workers.
Peter Berry, spokesman for the restaurant, said: "The opening is February 28 and it will be business as usual. We never have a launch event. We want to make sure that the team were ready and fully confident.
"We plan to host community workers, such as firemen and nurses, the days before the opening and then we quietly open our doors."
The restaurant's Bath branch does not take bookings for parties under eight people, instead smaller groups of diners turn up on spec and can wait for a table if none are available.
However a clause in the planning permission for the Clifton restaurant means queues of people along Park Street are not allowed. Councillors and Avon and Somerset police had expressed concerns about queues spilling out into the road.
It is not known what the limit will be for the Bristol branch, as other Jamie's Italians across the country have different restrictions.
Currently waiting staff and chefs are being trained off site.
The restaurant is the latest in a series of so-called 'neighbourhood' restaurants to be launched by the celebrity cook and star of The Naked Chef. The first Jamie's Italian opened in 2008 and he now has 16 across the UK in places as far apart as Glasgow, Bath and Brighton.
● Watch out for Evening Post restaurant critic Mark Taylor's verdict on the Jamie Oliver experience in the paper on Friday, February 25.
23 Comments
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by Pukka, Bristol
Friday, February 18 2011, 11:33AM
“@ Frank, why the moaning?
If you were silly enough to stand there knowing you only had 40 mins until the show, that is your bad luck. Bath has many places to eat, you say you got their vaguely early, why not go somewhere else to ensure you actually ate something?”
by Lee, bristol
Thursday, February 17 2011, 11:20PM
“Good quality food, Good size portions,at a reasonable price and staff that are professional and I assume he pays well as most of them are english,
its well worth the wait, rather than being seated and then kept waiting for 40 mins, your told how long the wait is if you "cant be bothered" mcdonalds is down the road,”
by Alex, Redcliffe
Thursday, February 17 2011, 10:40PM
“I don't know what all the fuss is about. A friend of mine went to the Bath branch last weekend. They told me that someone took their name, told them it was a 40min and they had a drink in the meantime until the table was ready. Sounds fine to me. Don't believe all the scare stories.”
by Frank Stoneham, Filton
Thursday, February 17 2011, 9:44PM
“My wife and I (and some friends) planned to go to the one in Bath before a show.
Needless to say we tried to book and they said no but assured us that their system meant we would find a table in good time. So we got there vaguely early and it was rammed, they said they would find us a table well before the show.
Time passed while we queued.
It got to 40 minutes until the show started and the manager eventually admitted it was unlikely we would be able to find a table. By now of course there was not enough time to go anywhere else either.
So for us their queue system was a joke, an empty promise. Turned away loads of people too. Never go there again.
The funiest thing was that from the decor, the food served to the tables and general ambiance...I thought I was in Pizza Express/Strada/ZiZi etc.
Anyway, we got to the show hungry and left more hungry. Dived into the Amici on the way home and had a great meal.”
by Bella, Sookie
Thursday, February 17 2011, 2:42PM
“Woof, Woof Dog Walker, I love your posts!”
by Dog Walker, Bristol
Thursday, February 17 2011, 2:39PM
“@Steve:
"My wife and I have tried to go to the Jamie¿s Italian in Bath twice now and have given up because we couldn¿t be bothered to wait in a queue"
Patience is a virtue Steve
" Jamie¿s Italian is just a slightly ¿so called¿ up market Bella Italia"
You haven't been in it so you can't comment on what it is.
"many people don¿t realise that a queue for food always leads to another queue or to a long wait."
As I have said, a well managed no booking policy normally means you get you your food quicker.
It is fine if you or John don't want to go there for whatever reason but it is ignorant to have a go at its standards or market placement.”
by Steve, Bristol
Thursday, February 17 2011, 2:23PM
“My wife and I have tried to go to the Jamie¿s Italian in Bath twice now and have given up because we couldn¿t be bothered to wait in a queue and because we couldn¿t book in advance. Why queue when there are plenty of good traditional Italian restaurants nearby anyway? In Bath you have Mezaluna for example. We live in Bristol and I would never go to Jamie¿s Italian while we still have great traditional restaurants like Marcos on Baldwin Street, Sergios on frog lane, Renato¿s on King Street and Carluccios near Harvey Nicks and if you want a very good authentic Italian pizza take a wander down to Europa on Baldwin/St Stephen¿s Street. Jamie¿s Italian is just a slightly ¿so called¿ up market Bella Italia. Having said all that it will probably do well because there are people out there that are willing to queue to say that they have been there. Us British love to queue but many people don¿t realise that a queue for food always leads to another queue or to a long wait.”
by Dog Walker, Bristol
Thursday, February 17 2011, 2:21PM
“@John: "I dislike the 'no-booking' policy and really wish people would vote with their feet and not bother to go"
You might dislike it John but the reality is that it is the policy. Its a simple matter of business that a "no booking" policy increases turnover. It also tends to mean that you get your food quicker after you have sat down and the service is flows better.
I would suggest that you do indeed "vote with your feet" as I think that if you do turn up and stand in the queue your whining would ruin other peoples' evenings”
by Yumm Yumm, Bristol
Thursday, February 17 2011, 2:07PM
“John, what you on about support a local restaurant? Jamie will employ a mixture of local and other from his other places.
Is Pizza Express local, how about Wagamamma, Nandos, all those in Cabot Circus. I can think of Kathmandu, that's local and Sergios is it? near Debenhams,
Browns, the few along Welsh Back and some on Whiteladies, can't think of many others. Perhaps people should just stick to KFC and McDonalds, that's local to them.
I think people are sensible enough to know Jamie won't actually be there cooking, what do you take us for?”
by John, Bristol
Thursday, February 17 2011, 1:57PM
“I dislike the 'no-booking' policy and really wish people would vote with their feet and not bother to go.
However their website says
"...Rather than taking bookings, we suggest that you just come along and we'll find you a table as soon as we possibly can..."
So surely they only SUGGEST not booking? Contact them and choose not to do as they 'suggest' and ask to make a booking. See what they say then?
And if that doesn't work their website also says...
"...We want you to visit us when it suits you..."
No they don't! They want me to join the queue at a time that suits me!
Ignore the illusion that Jamie is actually cooking the meal for you (he isn't!) support a local restaurant instead.”