Stop Press!
May 2019: Freddy Bird has left the Lido to pursue his own project; 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
“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!”).
Summary
“Eating in a Victorian lido watching people swim is a lovely experience” and seals the “romantic” appeal (“slightly depending on the pool’s clientele that day”) of this “very unusual” venture. The Mediterranean/North African food from an ex-Moro chef is “reliably very good” too (“and the downstairs café is also a very good option – the tapas selection is first-class”). Top Menu Tip – “gorgeous ice cream”.
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."
"What a quirky lunch spot, set in a victorian lido you sit and watch the swimmers doing lengths. Delicious food with quite a spanish influence. Service is friendly."
Oakfield Pl, Bristol, BS8 2BJ
Opening hours
12 - 2.45pm, 6 - 9.45pm
Last orders: 10.30 pm , Sun 10 pm
Best Mediterranean restaurants nearby
Mediterranean restaurant in Bristol
Mediterranean restaurant in Malvern
Mediterranean restaurant in Stow on the Wold
Best similarly priced restaurants nearby
British, Modern restaurant in Narrow Lewins Mead
British, Modern restaurant in Bristol
British, Modern restaurant in Bristol
