Juliet: one more reason to visit Stroud

Since opening in autumn last year, Juliet in Stroud, Gloucestershire has received nothing but raves. From Grace Dent in The Guardian and Tim Hayward in the FT to William Sitwell in The Telegraph who gave it five stars and declared it “a marvel of non-poncey, classic dining”, the chic bistro has found favour with critics and customers alike. Why not make it your starting point for an exploration of the Cotswolds?

Juliet is now offering 50% off food, exclusively for CODE members, on Tuesday nights—all the more reason to start planning a trip. Ophélie Théberge, Juliet’s general manager and one of CODE Hospitality’s Women of the Year 2025, tells us more.

For people who don’t know Juliet, what can they expect?

I’d say it’s a real continental bistro, the kind you’ve seen on your travels throughout Europe. It’s mainly French and Italian, with a lot of Spanish produce. Simple food, simple cooking, but the best quality ingredients. That’s really what we aim for.

What’s the story behind it?

The owner is Daniel Chadwick, who also owns The Woolpack, the sister pub-restaurant up the road. He’s the son of a very famous artist Lynn Chadwick and he grew up as an artist and engineer but has always seen hospitality as something very important. He spent a long time in Paris so for him it was quite important that Juliet had this French twist.

What’s on the menu?

It’s very seasonal, so obviously at the moment we have asparagus on. We have red mullet with the first Datterini tomatoes with mussels; we have pan con tomate with anchovies; and a staple is our steak tartare with our famous pommes allumettes. Every day we do a plat du jour with a pairing which this week was steak frites and a glass of red from Valencian producer Pago de Tharsys.

And what do you have on the wine list?

The theme of it is that it’s very sustainable. It’s also mainly European winemakers. They’re mostly French and Italian, some Spanish and Austrian. The word ‘natural’ is still quite scary for the countryside but basically, the story behind the bottles and the people behind the bottles are is really important. They’re mostly from small wineries, growers that I either know personally or I know from friends. I use quite a few suppliers such as Modal Wines, Déjà Bu in Bristol, Passione e Vino and Les Caves de Pyrene. I tend to have a very small list with a lot by the glass for people to try. 

For newcomers to the area, where else would you recommend they do while they’re there?

Definitely go up to The Woolpack. It’s a very typical country pub, completely different from Juliet, which feels kind of industrial and European—you’re looking out on graffiti on the other side of the road. It’s an easy walk of about 45 minutes, which takes you to the top of one of the Five Valleys, so you have this stunning view. The outside space is lovely. You can go for some nibbles from the bar menu with some beers or have a pub lunch or dinner. Even though we’re sister restaurants, it feels totally different. Other than that, there are a lot of beautiful walks around—there’s a beautiful walk if you just follow the river—and there’s a famous market on Saturdays, just the other side of the road from Juliet. Stroud has a very special feel. There are a lot of artists, quite a few galleries, bookshops, and charity shops. It feels very hippy, very musical, very arty.