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May 2019: Freddy Bird has left the Lido to pursue his own project, littlefrench in Westbury Park; 2008's MasterChef winner James Nathan has taken over, moving from the St Enodoc Hotel in Cornwall. Nathan is working with Jake Platt (the veteran Bristol chef now in charge of both Lido and Glassboat) and consultant chef Sam Sohn-Rethel (previously at Moro, Bell’s Diner and Manna).
Harden's survey result
Summary
A “quirky”, even “crazy place for a meal” – a “Victorian lido where you sit and watch Bristolians swim lengths in the open air” while you eat behind glass in the former viewing gallery. This “unexpected venue has even more unexpected culinary standards”, serving “rather interesting food with distinctive Mediterranean elements” – a legacy of former Moro chef Freddy Bird, who ran the kitchen here for 10 years – “and service that is friendly rather than professional. The pool and the building are the real stars, though”.
Summary
“Stunning by night when lights twinkle on the water and swimmers glide by” – this “unique” Clifton venue occupies a Victorian Egyptian-style swimming pool whose viewing gallery is now an accomplished Spanish-North African restaurant run by ex-Moro chef Freddie Bird, with a “great tapas menu served downstairs” in the poolside bar. The outdoor heated pool is members-only, but diners can book a swim-and-eat package to work up an appetite before their meal.
Summary
A “great place to take friends who are blown away by the first glimpse of the pool” – this “very unusual” and “very relaxing” Bristol icon is part of a restored and immensely characterful Victorian lido. Ex-Moro chef Freddie Bird’s distinctive Mediterranean/North African slanted cuisine is “equally good in the upstairs restaurant and poolside tapas bar”.
Summary
A “firmly established Bristol classic” – part of a “beautiful” old Victorian lido – where the Mediterranean/North African tapas-style food, by ex-Moro chef Freddie Bird, “is more than good enough” (indeed, for some fans, it’s “remarkable”). “Eating upstairs whilst watching others swim is the real pleasure” (“like being on holiday!”).
Restaurant details
Lido Restaurant Diner Reviews
"Rather interesting food with distinctive Mediterranean-ish elements, and service that is friendly rather than professional. The pool and the building are the real stars, though, especially upstairs."
Prices
| Availability | 2 courses | 3 courses |  |
 |
 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lunch | £16.00 | £20.00 |  |
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Traditional European menu
| Starter | Main | Veggies | Pudding |
|---|---|---|---|
| £9.00 | £16.50 | £3.50 | £6.50 |
| Drinks |
|
|---|---|
| Wine per bottle | £19.50 |
| Filter Coffee | £1.80 |
| Extras |
|
|---|---|
| Service | 12.00% |
Oakfield Place, Bristol, BS8 2BJ
Opening hours
| Monday | 12 pm‑3 pm, 6 pm‑10 pm |
| Tuesday | 12 pm‑3 pm, 6 pm‑10 pm |
| Wednesday | 12 pm‑3 pm, 6 pm‑10 pm |
| Thursday | 12 pm‑3 pm, 6 pm‑10 pm |
| Friday | 12 pm‑3 pm, 6 pm‑10 pm |
| Saturday | 12 pm‑3 pm, 6 pm‑10 pm |
| Sunday | 12 pm‑3 pm, 6 pm‑10 pm |
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