On November 18th, acclaimed chef Peter Sanchez-Iglesias will open Casa, his new Italian restaurant, on the former site of his Michelin-starred family restaurant Casamia in Bristol.
Casa, meaning ‘home’ in Italian, will see Peter and his family return to cooking Italian food - just as they did when they first opened Casamia in 1999. His parents Sue and Paco launched the restaurant and Peter joined the kitchen brigade when he was just 16. This new opening marks the next step for the Sanchez-Iglesias family, who have created celebrated neighbourhood and destination restaurants in Bristol for over 30 years.
Reimagining their much-loved restaurant, Casa will offer a contemporary, accessible, yet refined take on traditional Italian dining, acting as a sibling to Peter’s Michelin-starred Spanish institution Paco Tapas next door. The 66-cover restaurant will offer a similarly relaxed environment in which to enjoy a dynamic menu created by Peter and Executive Chef Joel Breakwell.
Dishes will be made using high quality ingredients from the very best Italian and British producers, working with many of the same local suppliers that the team have partnered with for years. As a nod to the original Casamia, Peter and Joel will revive beloved dishes, served on plateware archived by the family over the years. A signature potato ravioli will be elevated with the addition of a rich and hearty Lion’s Mane mushroom ragu, and the family’s famed Tiramisu will return just as it always was, to round out the meal in style.
The menu, which will feature handwritten annotations of daily specials, will begin with antipasti bites including Fried semolina with parmesan and Prawn crudo, as well as a selection of premium cured meats and cheeses. This is followed by a seasonal selection of pasta plates, with classics such as Tortellini in brodo sitting alongside seasonally changing double Agnolotti. The Pesce courses will use the best that the South West has to offer, while the Carne courses channel indulgent Italian classics such as slow-cooked Veal Ossobuco and a sharing portion of Steak Florentine, with vegetable sides including Cime di Rapa and Cabbage with pancetta. Along with the house tiramisu, Dolces include Pine nut panna cotta, and refreshing Lemon sorbet.
Casa’s Executive Chef is Joel Breakwell who has directed the kitchen at Paco Tapas for the past 3 years, retaining its Michelin-star since 2019. Joel will continue to act as Executive Chef across both restaurants, supported in this new venture by Head Chef Alex Brownrigg, while Paco’s long standing restaurant manager, James Stavert, will be coming on board with Casa also overseeing both restaurants.
Housed in a listed, former hospital, the interiors will see a dramatic change from Casamia’s previous black interiors – the space will be fully opened up to overlook Bristol’s vibrant harbourside, featuring warm maple and birch finishes (created by skilled local craftspeople), and tables surrounding a busy open kitchen. Diners are welcome to either drop in for a plate of pasta and a glass of wine, or feast at length with the Chef’s Menu, which encompasses the very best of the menu that day. Guests can also prop up at the restaurant’s bar and counter spaces, serving snacks and cocktails. The wine offering has been curated by former Casamia sommelier Tom Lakin, with a focus on Italian grapes, but encompassing expressions of these varieties by producers from around the world.
