Za Za Bazaar, the UK's first super-restaurant, opens

Bristol gets its very own 1,000-seat restaurant serving an all-you-can-eat buffet from around the world.

When Za Za Bazaar opens its doors to the Bristol public on Thursday, it will officially become the UK’s largest restaurant. Seating nearly 1,000 people, the UK’s first ‘super-restaurant’ will serve an all-you-can-eat buffet of food from around the globe.

Covering 30,000 square feet of floorspace on the city’s harbourside, it even provides diners with a map in case they get lost between courses.

The interior has been designed to replicate the night markets of south-east Asia. Executive Chef Nitin Bhatnagar will manage a team of 35 specialist chefs cooking in open ‘pods’ on the restaurant floor.

You can eat Chinese, Indian, Tex Mex, sushi, pizza, pasta and traditional British (including Irish stew, bizarrely) and there will be a whole section dedicated to desserts.

The bar will serve over 300 different drinks from five continents.

The numbers around the restaurant are as dizzying as the number of dishes available. Every week, it will serve a ton of rice, nearly 5,000 chickens, 60kg of pasta and 1,000kg of beef. It has six fridges, with the biggest 400 square feet.

It will employ 120 staff and estimates they will have to wash 8,000 dirty dishes on a busy Saturday night.

The buffet costs £12.99 on weekdays and £15.99 on weekends. However, under-fives eat for free and it’s half-price for five- to 11-year-olds.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the initial reviews haven’t been particularly positive. The Guardian’s Steve Matthew said it was “Fine if you’re in a brash, austerity-busting party mood”.

It initially reminded us of the scene in The Simpsons where the eponymous family visit a food court. The camera pans down to the kitchen to reveal the same type of meat being dished out to each section, just with a different ‘ethnic’ sauce. But we're sure the cooking at Za Za will be slightly more faithful to its origins.

There are plans to open another seven branches nationwide, with five or six likely in the next year.

What do you think of this? Does it sound like the restaurant from hell? Or just a good, unpretentious night out?

Share your thoughts in the Comments box below.

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