News / New Openings
Bar & roof terrace signals Old Market change
It’s a cafe, it’s a bar, it’s a restaurant, it’s a theatre, it’s a bakery and it has a roof terrace. It’s also a sign of the times for Old Market which has been threatening to transform into the city’s next destination for some time.
The Old Market Assembly, to be opened on November 27 by the team behind The Canteen on Stokes Croft and No.1 Harbourside, will be all of the above – and quite possibly a leading light in the resurgence of the area.
Housed in a former bank on West Street that most recently hosted Hoochie Coochie’s cabaret events, and before that the nightclub Flamingo, the new opening will also be the home of the Wardrobe Theatre.
The Old Market Assembly will be based in the foyer of the building where there will be an open plan bar/cafe/restaurant area, a mezzanine level and an outdoor terrace. The Wardrobe Theatre, which is moving from the White Bear pub in Kingsdown, will be at the back of the bank.
The move follows a number of new openings in on the Old Market strip in the last few years, including The Exchange, run by The Croft’s former promoters, and No. 20 and No. 46 cafes.
In an announcement on Tuesday, the team behind the new venture said punters should expect “freshly baked bread, seasonal lunch and dinner menus from an award winning kitchen and bakery team and a bar stocked with local and ethical beers, wines and spirits”.
The group added: “The team behind the Canteen, No.1 Harbourside and The Harbourside Market are working closely with The Wardrobe Theatre to renovate what used to be the Empire Theatre on West Street and create a brand new shared space to eat and meet, work, mingle, dance and play.
“By day super-fast broadband and locally roasted coffee will help create the perfect working environment, the bakery will be open for business with freshly made bread and cakes, while as the evening falls you could catch a theatre show and live music and enjoy cocktails, local beers, a sustainable wine list and good times.”
Bristol mayor George Ferguson is listed as one of six directors of the Old Market Assembly Ltd, formed earlier this year. He is also a director at The Canteen and No. 1 Harbourside.
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