Bristol’s Harborside’s beloved cafe back on the market after more than 40 years

A much-loved outdoor cafe on Bristol’s Harborside, which has often been hailed as serving one of the best ham sandwiches in the city, is up for sale. A staple of the area and located meters from the water and the M Shed, the little hatch at Brunel’s Buttery has been serving tea and sandwiches since the 1980s.

And now the popular ‘landmark’ cafe, known to many Bristolians for its bacon sandwiches as well as homemade cakes, is on the market with an asking price of between £200,000 and £500,000 including stock, and the rent is £100,000. 27,000 per year. It has a prep kitchen, storage area and, according to the sale ad, “no other coffee shop can trade from a 200m area”.

Its founder Colin Nutt, who ran the cafe and takeaway with his wife Joan, died in 2022. Colin and Joan had decided to hang up their aprons in August 2012 and pass the cafe on to a new family after more than 30 years , retiring at the age of 76. and 71 respectively. After his death, his family issued a statement describing how the open front hatch was “Colin’s scene”.

Read more: Tribute to Brunel Buttery founder Colin Nutt following his death

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They added: “All the regulars were treated like family, there was always time for a chat or a bit of banter or quite often Colin broke into song.” Colin – who died after a long battle with dementia – is survived by his wife Joan, son Stephen and daughters Samantha and Melanie. Joan and Melanie both worked in the shop together with the help of some of the grandchildren.