Bristol's Za Za Bazaar to be UK's biggest restaurant

Britain's largest restaurant is set to open in Bristol next week, with a capacity for nearly 1,000 diners.

Za Za Bazaar Bristol, which will open on 1 December, is the first of a planned national chain, combining a lounge bar with a buffet restaurant offering a variety of global cuisines at a fixed price.

The restaurant is owned by Maricksons, which aims to roll out the concept nationwide with up to six sites planned for the next 12 months.

Za Za Bazaar restaurant manager Phil Maddock told Caterer and Hotelkeeper the restaurant was centred on offering a "high end" buffet and was targeting a niche market that didn't currently exist in the UK.

"We're convinced it will work because it offers something for everyone, including families and large groups of diners," he said. "We have the intention to roll Za Za Bazaar out intensively across the country and hope to have five or six sites in the next 12 months. We're looking at 15,000 to 40,000sq ft sites in locations with high footfall, including retail areas."

Set on Bristol's waterfront, in the former Baja nightclub site, the £3m restaurant will be spread over two floors with an area of 30,000sq ft in total. It will feature a lounge bar for up to 290 guests on the ground floor as well as a 700-cover first-floor restaurant.

The lounge bar will serve an extensive drinks menu with beers, wines and cocktails as well as a casual-dining menu offering dishes from around the world.

Meanwhile, the upstairs restaurant will feature six different live kitchens where around 30 chefs will prepare food for customers to order, buffet style. Interiors will reflect a street market, featuring neon signs and concrete floors.

Overseen by executive chef Nitin Bhatnagar, each kitchen will be dedicated to a different cuisine, including Indian, Chinese, Tex-Mex and European as well as dedicated salad and desserts sections. The buffet will be priced at £12.95 during the week and £15.95 at weekends, and customers will be able to order as much food as they want.

Maddock explained: "Customers will be able to choose their ingredients and then the chefs will prepare their dish freshly for them. For instance in the Indian section, diners will pick their nan dough, a protein and sauce and the chefs will then make their curry for them from scratch."

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By Kerstin Kühn

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