Bistro Pierre, Weston Central, Weston Super Mare

I had no idea this place would be listed on PuG when we visited for dinner on a recent Sunday night, so didn’t take any notes during my stay, only to realise as I left that part of the building is set up as a bar. When we arrived, the ground floor bar area of this prominent circular building just over the road from the beach, was in darkness, presumably suggesting that only diners were being catered for at the time. It seemed like a nice enough spot, with large windows around all sides letting plenty of light in during the day and a large central servery around which plenty of mixed seating had been arranged. Instead, we were whisked upstairs to a similarly sized first-floor restaurant, this time with the bar over to one side, resulting in a more spacious, open plan room which also benefits from an almost 360-degree view. We were lucky enough to get a window seat, of which there are plenty, directly overlooking the pier. They specialise in French food and the dishes we tried were both of a good standard, as was the dessert I somehow squeezed in afterwards. On the beer front, I could see four or five beers on draught but when I enquired, the waitress only listed two options, neither of which were very inspiring and from which I plumped for the Camden Pale. There may well have been other draught beers available on the lower bar, but I didn’t think to look on my way out. Bottled beer comes mainly from Belgium, with Stella Artois, Vedett and Leffe all well represented. I’d not really considered this place as an option for just a drink but can imagine it could be a good option if you’re spending the day on the beach and don’t fancy venturing too far for a cold beer in a pleasant modern building. We enjoyed eating here but the limited beer selection and food-led nature of the enterprise would definitely restrict the circumstances under which I’d consider returning just for a drink.

A relatively recent addition to this rejuvenated part of Weston’s sea front, it’s an unusual, free-standing circular building with the full height windows making the most of the views along the coast. It consists of a restaurant upstairs and a bar downstairs, although there is also food available in the bar judging by the menus on the tables. The circular theme continues inside with the stainless steel topped bar counter forming a large curve, as well as many of the booth seats. Décor wise it has something of a shabby chic feel perhaps with a parquet wood floor, green paint on the timberwork and supporting pillars and distressed wooden boards on much of the back wall, which also had a number of colourful posters hanging on it. The booth seats were upholstered in matching khaki green fabric, whilst further seating was small round tables and chairs, as well as some tall stools at the bar. A couple of chandeliers and low hanging lamps elsewhere created a pleasant ambience. The only beer on tap was Butcombe Original, although there was a second pump that appeared to have run out. Ciders meanwhile were Thatcher’s Gold and Thatcher’s Haze. Do be aware that opening times can be a little erratic – we have gone in at 9:45pm before now, only to be told that they were closing “as it was quiet”.

Official site of Bistro Pierre - www.bistrotpierre.co.uk

Official site of Bistro Pierre - www.bistrotpierre.co.uk