Casamia to open two more restaurants

Michelin-starred restaurant Casamia is to open two more Bristol venues in the new year.

The restaurant, which is currently relocating from Westbury-on-Trym to its new city centre location at the General development, reopening in January 2016, will also open Paco Tapas and Pi Shop. Both venues will be adjacent to the new Casamia premises and will face the pedestrianised Lower Guinea Street and the waterside.

Pi Shop has been inspired by Casamia's roots, when the restaurant originally served Italian pizzas. The new 40-seat pizzeria will feature an open-plan kitchen and wood-fired oven, serving a "simple and affordable" menu of sourdough pizzas in a relaxed atmosphere. It is set to open in March 2016.

Meanwhile Paco Tapas, named after owner Peter Sanchez-Iglesias's father, will serve constantly changing menus developed by Casamia's chefs. The Spanish dishes will be matched by an extensive sherry list. The restaurant is due to open in April 2016.

Peter Sanchez-Iglesias, who ran Casamia with his brother Jonray until he passed away aged just 32 in November this year, said: "It is amazingly exciting for us to be able to let people know about our two new restaurants Paco Tapas and Pi Shop. They will offer distinctly different options to guests, but in different ways both have been inspired by Casamia's past.

"Whilst Casamia will continue to offer a fine dining experience, Paco Tapas and Pi Shop guests can expect to find a more casual place to eat, where you can grab a simple lunch or dinner made from the best ingredients around. We have also just launched our new Sanchez Brothers website [LINK: www.sanchez-brothers.co.uk], where you can find information on all three restaurants and have started taking online bookings for Casamia, so it's an incredibly exciting time - we can't wait for all three restaurants to be open."

In November 2015, City & Country, owners of the General, received planning approval to fully pedestrianise Lower Guinea Street. Part of the redevelopment of the former hospital includes a number of commercial units in the hospital's lower ground level, which Casamia, Paco Tapas and Pi Shop will soon occupy.

Casamia went straight into number four in the Sunday Times 100 Restaurants list when it was released in November this year.

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