The Clifton pub in Clifton Village, Bristol, which is owned by Mitchells & Butlers, has ceased trading due to rising costs and a decline in summer footfall.
Leased by Sarah and Tom Watts-Jones, the Clifton opened in July 2023 and was number 70 on the Estrella Damm Top 50 Gastropubs list. It also previously featured in the Michelin Guide.
Sarah told The Morning Advertiser (The MA) the duo had learnt a lot from being at the Clifton: “It is a very tough time to be in hospitality, and the Clifton opened into the middle of that.
“Rising prices for everything, alongside reduced spending by the public, has been very hard to manage.
“The main issue faced by the pub was the huge reduction in summer footfall to Clifton village, alongside us having no outside space at all.
Quiet summer
“Although trade was good in the autumn and winter, it wasn’t enough to see us through such a quiet summer period.”
The operators, which also run the Heathcock and Hare and Hounds in South Wales as part of their company the Hare and Hounds group, announced the closure via social media on Saturday 2 August.
A statement posted to Instagram said: “It is with heavy hearts and the deepest regret that we announce the closure of the Clifton.
“We’ve put our heart and soul into the pub over the last few years, but it’s not been an easy ride.
“If you have an upcoming booking we’ll be in touch, if you have a gift voucher, we’ll be honouring them at our other pubs in Wales, [which] will be staying open as normal and will be unaffected by this.
“Thank you to our wonderful team over the last two years, and to our lovely customers who have enjoyed food and drink with us. We’ll miss being in Bristol and part of this lovely village community.”
Offering support
A spokesperson for Mitchells & Butlers told the MA the pubco was sorry to learn of the Clifton’s closure.
The spokesperson continued: “We were not aware that it had closed until we were made aware of a posting on social media.
“There has been no contact from the tenants to suggest this might be an option or since the decision to close was made. We will reach out to them and see if we can find a solution to support them.”
The food-led pub described itself on its website as a “thriving local watering hole” offering “good quality food and drinks in relaxed and informal surroundings”, with everything from sourdough bread to pasta made inhouse from scratch.
It comes as independent venues and food-led business were found to have borne the brunt of closures so far in 2025, according to the latest Hospitality Market Monitor from CGA by NIQ and AlixPartners.
The report revealed there were 98,746 pub, bars and restaurants operating at the end of June — 374 fewer than at the start of the year amid continuously tough trading conditions.