Harden's says
Chef Elliott Lidstone, previously of The Empress in Hackney, moves from the Big Smoke to Bristol's harbour side with a new solo venture. The tiny (just 14 cover) restaurant sits in the city's first retail yard made entirely out of old shipping containers. A couple of Lidstone's old Empress faves appear on the regularly changing, modern British menu.
Harden's survey result
Summary
“Small restaurant – great food”; that’s still the deal at Elliott Lidstone’s 14-seaters in two shipping containers at Bristol harbour’s Cargo development. There’s an à la carte menu of affordable modern bistro cooking, or you can go the whole hog and opt for their seven-course unwritten tasting menu, which costs £55 per person (with optional wine flight at £40 a head).
Summary
“Tiny restaurant but amazing food!”. Elliott Lidstone (ex-Ortolan and Hackney’s The Empress head chef) and his wife Tess opened their 14-seater spot “in two shipping containers at Bristol harbour’s Cargo development” in 2016, and it has become one of the city’s gastronomic highlights, earning national fame. Their 45-bin seasonal wine list is also a winner (with bottles available on a retail basis).
Summary
Elliott Lidstone, ex-of the acclaimed L'Ortolan and Hackney gastroboozer The Empress, upped sticks to the West Country for this tiny (14-cover) venture in a pair of shipping containers belonging to Bristol harbourside's Cargo development. His produce-led British menu is “always a winner”, with equal amounts of commentary dedicated to the “exceptional wine list”.
For 33 years we've been curating reviews of the UK's most notable restaurant. In a typical year, diners submit over 50,000 reviews to create the most authoritative restaurant guide in the UK. Each year, the guide is re-written from scratch based on this survey (although for the 2021 edition, reviews are little changed from 2020 as no survey could run for that year).
Have you eaten at Box-E?
Unit 10, Cargo 1, Wapping Wharf, Bristol, BS1 6WP
Restaurant details
Box-E Restaurant Diner Reviews
"Brilliant cooking in a container "
"Excellent, imaginative food and wine in an unpretentious, if not overly comfortable, setting. Extraordinary value for money."
Prices
 Drinks |
|
|---|---|
| Wine per bottle | £26.00 |
| Filter Coffee | £3.00 |
 Extras |
|
|---|---|
| Service | 10.00% |
Unit 10, Cargo 1, Wapping Wharf, Bristol, BS1 6WP
Opening hours
| Monday | CLOSED |
| Tuesday | CLOSED |
| Wednesday | 5:30 pm‑11 pm |
| Thursday | 12 pm‑3 pm, 5:30 pm‑11 pm |
| Friday | 12 pm‑3 pm, 5:30 pm‑11 pm |
| Saturday | 12 pm‑3 pm, 5:30 pm‑11 pm |
| Sunday | CLOSED |
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