It’s goodbye to Greek restaurant Entelia at 50 Whiteladies Road this summer – because POLPO Bristol is arriving.
Set to be opened in August by owner Russell Norman and his business partner Richard Beatty, POLPO Bristol will be the 10th restaurant for the brand, with the others found in London and Brighton. The brand is modelled on the scruffy wine bars of Venice with urban, rustic and stripped-back decor, with interiors that feature rusted tin ceilings, reclaimed timber flooring and signature deep red leather banquettes.
The new restaurant will seat 60, with a further 20 outside. It will be open from 11.30am to 11.30pm Monday to Friday, 10am to 11.30pm on Saturdays, and 10am to 10pm on Sundays and Bank Holidays. Diners will be able to make reservations between 12pm and 5pm, with tables after this time allocated on a first come, first served basis. There will also be unreserved dining at the bar.
POLPO Bristol, like its sister restaurants, will be a bacaro: a Venetian word that describes a humble restaurant serving simple food and good, young northern Italian wines. Signature dishes on the menu include cicheti, priced from £3, that include chopped chicken liver crostini, arancini and fried stuffed olives. The range of small plates starts at £4 and includes pizzetta bianca, sliced flank steak, fritto misto and spicy pork and fennel meatballs, while there’s also a fantastic-looking dessert list including a flourless chocolate and hazelnut cake, tiramisu pot, gelato cone and affogato al caffe, priced from £4.
The earlier opening times at weekends are so that POLPO can serve brunch: you’ll be able to choose from options such as ‘frittole’ (sweet ricotta doughnuts rolled in cinnamon sugar), a brunch pizzetta with Italian sausage, wild mushroom, Parmesan and a soft egg, and more.
The wine list will be exclusively Italian – including POLPO’s own label wines – and you’ll also find options such as Aperol and Campari, along with Negronis and Bellinis.