Howards' end as Bristol restaurant closes after 33 years

One of Bristol's longest-established restaurants has closed after serving diners for 33 years.

Howards, in Avon Crescent next to the Cumberland Basin, has shut its doors and a notice has been attached to the front of the venue offering it up for lease.

The 45-seater restaurant was founded in 1976 by Chris Howard in Kingsdown before the business was moved to Hotwells a few years later.

It was run for many years by Mr Howard before it was taken over by brothers Conrad and Simon Lynton-Jenkins five years ago.

The pair were behind Jameson's in Upper Maudlin Street, which was renamed Conrad at Jameson 2-4-1 before it closed in August 2008.

A notice attached to the front of the bistro says the landlords have taken back the possession of the premises after the lease was surrendered by a company called Essential Ingredients Agency Ltd, of Upper Maudlin Street.

The notice says the venue is available for a 15-year lease for a rent of £18,000 a year and will be available "within two months for an exchange of contract". It adds "subject to planning approval, it could be suitable for office and retail use".

Howards served Anglo-French food at the Georgian building and won several awards for its food, including AA rosettes.

The Evening Post's food critic Mark Taylor said: "Just when it looked like the flood of restaurants closing in Bristol had been stemmed, bang goes another one.

"And not just any old restaurant, either.

"Howards had been one of the city's most popular dining venues since original owner Chris Howard opened it in 1976.

"The restaurant scene in Bristol has changed a lot in those past 33 years and at the time, there was nowhere near the choice there is now.

"Howards may have been tucked away by the Cumberland Basin, but it drew people from all over the region for its up-market bistro food.

"It was one of those places for special occasions and romantic dinners.

"If you got the right table, you even got a great view of the Clifton Suspension Bridge.

"Along with places like Jameson's, Michael's, Harveys and Bistro 21, not to mention Keith Floyd's restaurants, Howards was part of a new wave of restaurants that helped to put Bristol on the culinary map.

"A change of ownership five years ago marked the end of an era at Howards and although it remained popular, it seemed to lose its identity and customers started to drift away, perhaps preferring to eat in some of the new Harbourside and Cabot Circus eateries instead of making the extra journey to Hotwells.

"Whatever the reasons for its closure, the fact remains that another significant Bristol restaurant has served its last meal and it will be missed."

The Evening Post was unable to contact Conrad or Simon Lynton-Jenkins or the landlord's agents Beaupre Castle.