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Bristol Bars

ALL BAR ONE
47 Corn St, BS1 1HT. Tel: 0117 930 4762 • A new glass front door makes this Corn Street stalwart an even more inviting prospect for some quality drinking and dining. Drop in for an impressive drink array taking in Paulaner, Duvel, Erdinger, London Pride, Estrella, Leffe Blonde, Kasteel Cru, Peroni and Innis & Gunn across draughts and bottles. Cider comes in the form of Aspall on tap and Westons Organic in the fridge. Seriously tempting grub comes in the form of burgers - made from British beef and New Zealand lamb - they proclaim proudly to be Bristol’s best alongside tapas and mains. There’s a mighty 40 wines all available by the glass and regular entertaining, informative tasting evenings. Over-21s only. Outside porch under which to puff away. Housed in a listed Georgian building (once a bank).

AMOEBA
10 Kings Rd (off Boyces Ave), Clifton, BS8 4AB. Tel: 0117 946 6461, web: www.amoebaclifton.co.uk • The name might suggest something very small indeed but the beer selection here is anything but, with 40 varieties from across the globe on offer. From British banana bread beer, Bavarian smoke beers and Belgian fruit beers to Jamaican stout, New York Vienna-style lager and Californian steam beers, there’s a world of choice. New cocktails arrive monthly, into which go top-notch spirits - rums and gins in particular - from a significantly increased range. Lively events schedule offers cocktail-making courses, spirits seminars and regular open mics on Wednesdays and live music Sundays when Three Colours Blue take the stage. Art exhibitions enhance the appeal of a hidden gem (round the back of Clifton Village’s WH Smith) functioning as a café by day (when food - sarnies, soup, scrambled eggs on bagels - is done) and bar by night. Students get a 10% discount after 5pm, two-for-one cocktails Mon-Fri 5-10pm. Hot tubs out back for garden parties, new ‘Rah card’ for those living or working in Clifton.

ANTIX
44 Park St. Tel: 0117 925 1139, web: www.barantix.com • Two venues in one: Antix, the ground-level café/bar, and Attix, the first-floor club and cocktail bar. Mightily impressive drink selections across draughts and bottles takes in Staropramen, Leffe, Hoegaarden, Blackthorn, Stella, Beck’s, London Pride, Tyskie, Magners, Zywiec and more, beside Moet champagne cocktails, classics, wines, spirits and shooters. Excellent food ranges from cake with your coffee to a fine three-course meal. Attix-goers can smoke on the terrace while those in Antix enjoy an awning and heating by the big front windows so you’re still part of the party. Recommended by the tourist board as one of Bristol’s safest venues.

THE APPLE
Welsh Back, BS1 4SB. Tel: 0117 925 3500, web: www.applecider.co.uk • Bagged a Venue Top Banana on debut in 2006 and continuing to up the ante when it comes to downing the juice of the apple. The adventurous - or foolhardy - may go for the local farmhouse Old Bristolian cider weighing in at a hefty 8.4%. It’s only sold in halves so you can’t go that mad. If that’s not quite your glass of scrumpy, there’s around 40 others - as well as perry - from which to choose. In keeping with the drinks’ rural nature, food comes in the form of innovative ploughman’s lunches, available as set meals, or resurrect memories of Woolies by going for the pick and mix option across a mighty fine range of local meats, bread and cheeses. Cider ice lollies may appear for the summer, with umbrellas under which smokers can shelter from the intense sunshine/rain. Heaters too for when it’s chilly. Had a stall at the recent Vegan Fair. If you’ve yet to discover this converted Dutch barge at the end of King Street, be prepared for it to become the apple of your eye. May well serve a wider cider range than any other bar on earth.

AQUA
Welsh Back, BS1 4RR. Tel: 0117 915 6060, web: www.aqua-restaurant.com • With its great location overlooking the water, Aqua is the perfect venue for all occasions. The stylish lounge bar opens onto the riverside terrace where you can enjoy heated alfresco drinking and dining until late into the evening from mid-April. On draught you’ll find Peroni and Amstel, with bottles taking in Gem, Gaymers cider, Hoegaarden, Tiger, Budweiser, Corna, Peroni and more. Menus are thoughtfully tailored using locally sourced produce: the Aqua Classics menu offers great-value choices at a fixed price of £11.99 for two courses or £14.99 for three, and the extensive a la carte includes the likes of salads, calves’ liver, pork chops, chicken curry, ‘done to death’ duck breast and homemade burgers plus pizzas and plenty more besides. Sunday lunch features excellent-value roasts (two courses £14.50, three £16.50) and papers over which to pore. Free wine with two-course classic menu offer Mon-Sat until 8pm in place as we go to press. Monthly champagne draw. Heated smoking area. Ten years at the top of its game and the local dining rankings.

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AQUA ITALIAN RESTAURANT, BAR & PAVEMENT TERRACE
153 Whiteladies Rd, Clifton, BS8 2RF. Tel 0117 973 3314, web: www.aqua-restaurant.com • Offering similar food to its Welsh Back older brother, this bambino brings a slice of the Italian good life to Whiteladies Road. Its front terrace catches more rays than Rimini, all wines are either Italian or Australian and there’s Peroni in bottles. Grade II-listed building home to Italian wines, cocktails, aperitivos, grappas and espresso.

ARNOLFINI
16 Narrow Quay. Tel: 0117 917 2300, web: www.arnolfini.org.uk • That harsh red décor of a few years ago is now a distant memory at the Arnolfini. Drop in today and find calming tones making for relaxation whether the sun’s shining through the windows by day or the tea lights are twinkling by night. Manager Tia Sturgess’s impeccable iPod selection enhanced our chap’s visit, while if you’re sitting outside, the clanking of masts upon the water is similarly pleasing to the ear. As pleasing to the palate are draughts Amstel, Budvar, Budvar Dark, Bath Ales’ Spa, Guinness and Stowford Press, with bottles including Sagres and Moretti plus Westons Organic and Gem and Wild Hare. Pimms and sangria jugs plus Fernando Messias’s cocktails or a glass of Verdicchio make for sublime drinking. Soulful fado (Portuguese blues) singer Claudia Aurora is set to perform here. Chef Carol Haines formerly worked at Kensington Palace.

BANCO LOUNGE
107 Wells Rd, BS4 2BS. Tel: 0117 908 6010 • Once a Lloyds TSB branch, as with all the others in the Lounge family this is laid-back, friendly and relaxed (so not very much like a bank, then). Where once you would have found bankers’ drafts, you’ll find Hoegaarden, Leffe, Staropramen, Beck’s Vier, Bristol Beer Factory’s stout and Stowford Press cider on draught. Bottles include Stella, Leffe Blonde, Westons Organic, Bath Ales’ Gem plus Bristol Beer Factory’s Gold. Also in the fridge is Orchard Pig cider, quite the accompaniment to food, apparently. Six-strong summery cocktail menu just launched. Good food and daily specials served all day every day with offers including Monday’s burger and brownie discount and similar value on Tapas Tuesday. The wine cellar here was the bank’s vault.

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BAR 100
Bristol University Students Union, Queens Rd, Clifton, BS8 1LQ. Tel: 0117 954 5858 • While the upstairs EPI Bar can be still be hired for events, it’s this downstairs Bar 100 in which 2009’s studes - and members of the general public - are spending their time when not at study. It’s open 12noon-11pm daily so drop in for Butcombe, Ashton Press, Strongbow, Foster’s, Kronie and Carlsberg. Alas, Bar 100 does not have its predecessor’s impressive balcony but there is an outside terrace for alfresco quaffing. Sunday quiz.

BAR CELONA
91 Regent St, Kingswood, BS15 8LJ. Tel: 0117 961 9311, web: www.bar-celona-bristol.co.uk • Stylish bar offering excellent food and drink with service warmer than a Catalan sunrise. A real find, and a place which has upped Kingswood’s rep no end. Quaff Stella Extra Cold, Flowers IPA, Bass Smooth, Newcie Brown or something by Brothers or Bulmers, or savour a choice from the sizeable wine list. The sangria’s better than you’ll find on your hols. Roof garden with canopies currently open only until 6pm. They’re trying to build up a portfolio of people interested in attending dating events, so don’t be shy if you’re interested. Karaoke on Thursday.

BAR HUMBUG
89 Whiteladies Rd, BS8 2NT. Tel: 0117 904 0061, web: www.barhumbug.co.uk • Slap-bang in the heart of Whiteladies mayhem lies this vibrant cocktail haven. There are 18 on offer, but if that’s not your glass of elderflower Collins, pick something from the bottles, where you’ll find the likes of Corona, Budweiser, Peroni, Tiger, Asahi, Leffe, Bulmers, Addlestones, Brothers, Spitfire or Guinness, with Beck’s and Peroni among the draughts. Moroccan chef serves moreish Bedouin-based dining perfect for enjoying on the suntrap terrace out front, where there’s space for 20. Heated and covered smoking area. Warm, friendly and cheery atmosphere keeps punters coming back

BAR SALT
4-6 North St, Bedminster, BS3 1HT. Tel: 0117 953 1446 • Bright and breezy bar boasting a lovely patio and ace garden area to make the most of the outdoor feel with heaters and covers for the smokers. Corrs Light, Budweiser, Carling, Grolsch, Stella and Blackthorn are on draught, with Gem and an organic cider among the bottles. Relax on one of the many sofas or while away an hour or two over a game of pool, nibbling on the extensive menu. Bank holiday barbecues. Four plasma screens and one big screen showing Sky and Setanta. Monday sees a popular quiz night; DJs play Thur-Sat. This Salt, taken regularly, actually lowers your blood pressure.

BEESES BAR AND TEA GARDENS
Wyndham Crescent, Bromhill, BS4 4SX. Tel: 0117 977 7412, web: www.beeses.co.uk • This place just keeps on getting better, and it was pretty darned marvellous when host and hostess Phil and Lindy took over here a few years ago. There’s a new decking area, slate floor in the bar and refurbed gents, with a monthly seafood gourmet night also new for 2009. Expect dishes like squid and chorizo salad plus barbecued lobster with chilli and wild garlic linguine. Great Western Brewing Company’s ‘Bees Knees’ beer proved an irresistible name when the couple were looking to add to their beer suppliers, with Bristol Beer Factory and Wye Valley Brewery also joining stalwarts like Bath Ales and Butcombe. Beeses’ fourth beer fest runs from 11-13 September, with around 20 ales and eight ciders plus some must-catch blues, Texas boogie, C&W and big-name acts featured, but before then there are open mics and quizzes on alternate Thursdays, comedy nights and other gigs one Friday monthly. The simple things are done well here, with fine ingredients, great music and hardworking staff making customers feel welcome all part of the Beeses mix. Open: Wed 4-11pm (school summer holidays only), Thur 4-11pm, Fri-Sat 12noon-11pm, Sun 10am-7pm. A relaxed but respectful atmosphere ensures young to old enjoy themselves in a beguiling setting.

BIJOU
135 Whiteladies Rd, BS8 2PL. Tel: 0117 970 6589, web: www.barbijou.co.uk • Stylish and intimate lounge/bar. As the name suggests, premises are small but perfectly formed, with opening hours on the petite side too - Thur 10pm-2am, Fri 10pm-3am and Sat 9pm-3am. This free-entry spot can also be hired for free for private parties during and before these hours and on other days, so there’s no need for the fun to stop. Local DJs spin choice choons Fri and Sat as punters enjoy around 40 cocktails, champers and bottles like Tusker, Staropramen, Tiger, Bulmers and Brothers. Local bar staff drop in when they finish work, so you know it’s good.

BOCABAR
Paintworks, Bath Rd, Arnos Vale, BS4 3EH. Tel: 0117 972 8838, web: www.bocabar.co.uk • Our chap and guest had a fantastic night here earlier this year, where top-notch pizzas, Scarlet Miss Charlotte and mojito cocktails, a glass of Moretti, some sublime desserts and skillful saxophone playing made for a swinging time. Class is everywhere, from draughts like Grolsch Blonde and Weizen, Paulaner and Addlestones through bottles like Innis & Gunn, Casteel Kru, Alhambra Reserve, Brugse Zot and Vedett. The decked area is wonderful for smoker and non-smoker alike, while the spacious layout means whole starting grids of pushchairs can be lined up when the young mums gather for coffee by day. Janie’s a genius in the kitchen whether she’s conjuring up breakfasts, bruschetta, mains or the aforementioned pizzas. Salsa Mon, Brazil nights on Thur, live DJs Fri, live music Sat - and it’s all free!

BORDEAUX QUAY
V-Shed, Canons Way, BS1 5UH. Tel: 0117 906 5550, web: www.bordeaux-quay.co.uk • This extensive operation extends over several areas on two floors, and within its walls you’ll find around 310 wines, free to be savoured in the downstairs bar. Larger glasses get filled with everything from Bath Ales’ Gem or organic blond lager, Bristol Beer Factory stout, Erdinger, Kasteel Cru, Peroni, Duvel and Kwak to Ashton Press sparkling cider. Café, cookery school and deli also on site. Nibbly grub available every day. Generous covered smoking area. Cognac masterclasses and Isle of Jura dinner representative of a varied events calendar.

BRISTOL BEAR BAR
2-3 West St, BS2 0DF. Ffi: 0117 955 1967, web: www.bristolbearbar.co.uk • Britain’s first bespoke Bear Bar (that’s a place for hairy gay men, for those who didn’t know); compact one-room bar in the middle of Bristol’s gay village that gets phenomenally busy at weekends. Open until 2am at weekends.

BROWNS
38 Queens Rd, BS8 1RE. Tel: 0117 930 4777, web: www.browns-restaurants.com • Bold building, modelled on Venice’s Doge’s Palace with attractive front terrace as suited to alfresco drinking and dining as it is to sparking up. The wine list is 40-strong, the Martini hours run from Sun-Thur from 4pm and the bottled beer selection is equally impressive, with Innis & Gunn, Peruvian Cusquena lager and Meantime Brewery’s raspberry, chocolate and pale ale varieties among others. Draughts offer up Pilsner Urquell, Peroni, Staropramen, Aspalls and Old Speckled Hen. Decidedly affordable food, too. Baby grand piano tinkled from 6pm on Thur and Fri and from 3pm Sun.

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BSB CORN STREET BRASSERIE & LATE VENUE
41 Corn St, BS1 1HT (opposite Nat West). Tel: 0117 911 4950, web: www.bsbbars.co.uk • Business crowd by day and slinky chicks and dressed-up dudes with smiles on their faces and hands in the air when DJs take the party into the small hours. Top cocktails and extensive beer selection plus food to keep the partying hearty. An instant Corn Street classic.

BSB THE WATERSIDE BRASSERIE & LATE VENUE
U-Shed, Canons Rd, BS1 5UH. Tel: 07595 200555, web: www.bsbbars.co.uk • Sleek and stylish yet accessible bar where you’re equally at home getting coffee (loyalty cards done), a lunchtime pint or several later on, with bottles and cocktails to widen your options. Themed parties, planned VIP area plus grub like all-day brekkies, burgers, bangers and steaks. Setanta, Sky Sports and six plasma screens on site. • Views across the harbour complete this ace place’s appeal.

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BSB WHITELADIES BRASSERIE & LATE VENUE
93-95 Whiteladies Rd, BS8 2NT. Tel 0117 911 4950, web: www.bsbbars.co.uk • The conversion of the former Henry J Beans sees the BSB group with a presence at three of Bristol’s top leisure locations. Whether chilling, meeting up or throwing shapes on the Strip, Corn Street or the Waterside, you can now do it amid the accessible style for which the BSB name is famous. • Extensive cocktail options for maximum partying.

BURGER JOINT
32 Cotham Hill. Cotham, BS6 6LA. Tel: 07766 318995, web: www.theburgerjoint.co.uk • High-end burger bar set to open around the end of July. Homemade burgers such as beef, lamb, chicken and vegetarian will be accompanied by homemade chips and milkshakes with soft drinks also available. Peroni, Corona, a guest beer and local cider will be served in frozen glasses, with several wines enhancing your choice. Burgers can be taken away or enjoyed in the restaurant with its laidback mood and contemporary feel brought by attractive wooden décor. Expect to hear tunes from the 60s and 70s plus more recent band numbers in a spot that makes for the perfect end-of-evening bite - and nightcap. Open daily 12noon-12midnight. • Free food! Check the website for an eat-for-free-pay-for-drink offer as part of the Burger Joint’s opening week.

CAFÉ BAR @ THE TOBACCO FACTORY
Raleigh Rd, Southville, BS3 1TF. Tel: 0117 902 0060, web: www.tobaccofactory.com • Principal outlet for the rather fine Beer Factory No 7, from sister company the Bristol Beer Factory. The quality menu has a distinctively Med feel, with excellent-value mezze. Decent selection of organic and Fairtrade drinks, including Westons cider and natural blond lager, as well as Budvar and Hoegaarden, all on draught. Popular with a young, funky crowd as well as locals and theatregoers. Contemporary-chic warehouse design and Sunday-chill atmosphere. Look out for their range of summer drinks, including jugs of Pimms and cocktails. Outside area with open yard and covered terrace. Children welcome in the cafe-bar till 9.30pm. Highchairs and baby-changing facilities available.

BYZANTIUM
2 Portwall Lane, Redcliffe, BS1 6NB. Tel: 0117 922 1883, web: www.byzantium.co.uk • Regarded as one of the South West’s premier nightspots, Byzantium offers quality cuisine in sumptuous surroundings with first-class entertainment. Now heading into its eleventh year, there’s a candlelit bar and lounge area on the ground floor and a spacious dining room above, linked by a sweeping marble staircase. Enjoy pre-dinner drinks and their unique two-tier starter lantern served in the lounge. Entertainment comes from belly dancers, a table magician, flamenco guitarists or, later in the evening, a DJ. The extensive wine list covers both old and new world varieties, there’s a compact but neat classic cocktail list and the bar is also stocked with some more unusual and interesting aperitifs, spirits and liqueurs. • The atmospheric dining room is complemented by the backdrop of St Mary Redcliffe church, illuminated at night, and the theatre of the open-plan kitchen.

CAFÉ BAR @ THE TOBACCO FACTORY
Raleigh Rd, Southville, BS3 1TF. Tel: 0117 902 0060, web: www.tobaccofactory.com • The quality menu has a distinctively Med feel, with excellent-value mezze. Draughts are Fallen Apple cider, Foster’s, Grolsch and Hoegaarden with Bristol Beer Factory’s Summer, Number 7, Red and stout, with bottles offering Bath Ales’ Gem, Westons Organic and Brothers’ Pear among others. Pimms and fruit smoothies scrummy for summer. Popular with a young, funky crowd as well as locals and theatregoers. Contemporary-chic warehouse design and Sunday-chill atmosphere. Outside area with open yard and covered terrace. • Children welcome in the cafe-bar till 9.30pm. Highchairs and baby-changing facilities available.

CAFÉ ROUGE
85 Park St, BS1 5PJ. Tel: 0117 929 2571 • Chilled, candlelit, authentic French café/bar/brasserie/restaurant embodying a certain ‘je ne sais quoi’, serving English/French food from breakfast through until later. Drinks include Stella on draught with bottles holding Brittany cider, Peroni, Leffe, Hoegaarden and more. Great selection of French wines, many available by the glass. The Prix Fixe menu offers a great deal to early diners. Canopy covers a couple of smokers out front. Excellent disabled facilities, including braille menus. Members’ offers. • National Snail Month has just been and gone! Look out for 2010’s arriving slowly.

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CHE*S BISTRO
3 Welsh Back, BS6 6JY. Tel: 0117 930 4034 • There’s been a bloodless revolution on the waterside with Havana Café Bar becoming Che*s Bistro since last year’s guide. As the name suggests, there’s a bistro-like feel to proceedings as well as Cuban artwork and posters of the eponymous icon. Toast victory with draught Peroni and San Miguel or raise your bottles of Corona, Grolsch or Bulmers in triumph. Grub is enchiladas, omelettes, chilli, nachos etc (with evening food offer run Thur-Sat 5-8.15pm), with two terraces on which to eat and drink. • The name change came about partly to avoid confusion with another eatery.

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CHIMP HOUSE
232 Gloucester Rd, Bishopston, BS7 8NZ. Tel 0117 944 3092 • The emphasis in getting people through the door - rather than taking the shirt off their back - at the Chimp House means you’ll enjoy surprisingly low prices on some decidedly high-quality drinks. Over 30 wines are stocked, with bin ends bought in so punters get bargains. All this said, quality is another driving force, with the owner building carefully to ensure the desired mood is created. Medal-winning Cheddar Ales beers like Potholer and Gorgeous George are on draught along with Grolsch and Stowford Press. Bottles offer up Hobgoblin, Old Speckled Hen, White Shield (believed to be Britain’s oldest microbrewery), Desperado, Peroni, Michelob, Casteel Kru and Westons Organic. A third company aim is to serve the local community, and anniversaries, 30th and 40th birthdays and group celebrations are proof of success. Locally sourced ingredients go into set menus, tapas and more. Currently open Mon-Sat 6-11pm with extended opening likely. • Sizeable garden has decking and heated gazebo.

CLIFTON WINE BAR
4 Richmond Terrace, Clifton, BS8 1AB. Tel: 0117 973 2069 • Stylish, warren-like institution with a relaxed atmosphere, good food, a smattering of real ales and an extensive wine list. • Mind your head on the door (unless you’re Tom Cruise).

COSIES
34 Portland Sq, BS2 8RG. Tel: 0117 942 4110, web: www.cosies.co.uk • Small but perfectly formed Bristol stalwart where Portland Square Wine Bar’s daytime suits tuck into salads, paninis, curries, homemade fish pie and specials while the evening’s cool crowd often cop for authentic carnival cuisine Fri-Sun from 10.30pm onwards. If you haven’t done a night at Cosies you haven’t done Bristol - shuffle up to a random drinking mate and put the world to rights over draughts and bottles including Wolvers and Mount Snowdon ales, Bulmers, Guinness, Kronie, Corona, Tiger, Jacques, Katy and Bira Moretti. Ex-Venue man Del (relation of Toots) Hibbert, a star at the turntables, is spinning 11 July. Open Mon-Wed 10am-10pm, Thur-Fri 10am-2pm, Sat-Sun 8pm-2am. • Small door charge, usually no more than a couple of quid, Thur-Sun.

DECO LOUNGE
50 Cotham Hill, BS6 6SJ. Tel: 0117 373 2688 • The fourth in the ever-expanding Lounge empire, with a relaxed, comfortable vibe and a quirky split-level layout. Five specials change every two weeks, with pea and mint risotto and pan fried chicken breast representative of what you’ll find when dropping in. While you’re here, choose from a drinks selection which includes Bath Ales’ Gem, Stowford Press, Staropramen, Hoegaarden, Beck’s Vier, Westons cider, Leffe and Orchard Pig cider across draughts and bottles. Food served daily 9am-10pm. • Thinking caps on for the Monday quiz.

DOCKYARD CAFÉ BAR
Harbourside, nr ss Great Britain, BS1 6TY. Tel: 0117 926 0680 • This cafe-bar has one of the most attractive views in the city, nestling in the shadow of Brunel’s landmark ship. The cafe seats plenty inside and out, and offers good-value meals and a variety of teas, coffees and soft drinks. If you’re after something a little stronger, choose from five wines or bottles like Stella, San Miguel, Newcastle Brown, Magners and Butcombe Gold. The car park and ferry platform right next to the building mean this place is easily accessible - perfect for a lunchtime jaunt or a pre-dinner drink. Open daily. • July sees a 1920s picnic as the grand old ship celebrates her birthday.

THE ELBOW ROOM
64 Park St, BS1 5JN. Tel: 0117 930 0242, web: www.theelbowroom.co.uk • Trendy, friendly, laid-back pool bar featuring dimmed lighting, classy, cheesy and reggae tunes and some of the city’s most tempting drinks offers. Stella, Staropramen, Budweiser, certain wine and cocktails are 2-for-1 from 5-8pm daily, with 2-for-1 cocktails all night Sunday, double vodka and Red Bull yours for £2.50 Thursday, double Sailor Jerry and Coke £2.50 Sunday, Jaeger bombs £2.50 Monday to Wednesday and one lunch item free per hour of pool between noon and 3pm daily. Our man visited recently and concluded: “This place remains ahead of the pack when it comes to a lounging vibe. There’s an air of living large brought by the cocktails and spirits savoured by the young professionals chilling earlier and dancing later through nights when DJs spin.” For such an undoubtedly cool place the staff - and punters - are refreshingly down-to-earth and the menu doesn’t take itself too seriously either. Finger food like rustic chips, barbecue chicken wings, mozzarella cheese sticks and mini vegetable spring rolls fuels the partying. Bar tab for pool competition winners. Open until 2am Sun-Thur, and until 4am Fri-Sat. • Amy Winehouse got extensively refreshed here several years ago.

FERRY STATION
Moored on Narrow Quay, BS1 4QA. Tel 0117 376 3942, web: www.ferrystation.co.uk. • “Set aboard a replica Severn trow moored slap-bang in Bristol’s heart, the Ferry Station’s understated décor - above decks and below - lends a casual, comfy and classy air blending it into a continental-style cobbled quayside,” wrote our man. They’re covering many angles here, from bacon sarnies setting you up for the day to bike hire for an hour upwards to the offer of a function venue where your party’s quirkiness or otherwise is limited only by your imagination, with hen parties and thirtieths the stuff of fond memories. Wholesome and homely grub comes in lasagne, fishcake, chicken breast, ham, free range egg and chips and daily specials forms among others, with drinks including Zatec, Peroni, Sol, Magners, Grolsch and wine, with tea and coffee if you’re here for the cake. • Watch the waterfront get busy from across the water.

FLAMINGOS
23-25 West St, Old Market, BS2 0DF. Tel: 0117 955 9269, web: www.flamingosbristol.com • Bristol’s largest gay nightclub, with a range of popular theme nights, occasional live PAs from some of the country’s leading dance acts and the odd stripper night too. Check out the website for regular drinks and cheap entry offers. • Implicated in the recent Jordan/Peter Andre brouhaha.

FOLK HOUSE CAFE-BAR
40a Park St, BS1 5JG. Tel: 0117 908 5035 • Delicious organic and Fairtrade fodder served in this perfect, tranquil haven amid the bustling retail metropolis that is Park Street. All food is made from scratch using organic produce (at least 90% of the main menu is from certified organic ingredients) and the salad is grown out back. Beck’s Vier and Bud on draught with bottles including Bath Ales’ Gem, Natural Blonde and Wild Hare, Bristol Beer Factory’s Gold plus Westons and Sheppy’s ciders. One red, one white. Music on Friday and Saturday, open mic nights may return. • A hidden treasure with a sunny courtyard.

GOLDBRICK HOUSE
69 Park St. Web: www.goldbrickhouse.co.uk • Housed over three floors and two Georgian buildings, and open daily from 9am (10am Sun), Goldbrick House is one of the city’s better drinking and dining destinations. An informal ground-floor café/bar offers coffee, fresh juices, milkshakes and smoothies, with draught beers taking in Leffe, Hoegaarden, Beck’s and Staropramen, Peroni and Gem available in bottles and wines and spirits bringing more variety. Stroll upstairs and you’ll find the elegant two-floor dining room with open roof terrace overlooking St George’s Bristol, decadent champagne and cocktail bar in the first-floor drawing rooms, and second-floor drinking rooms that also serve as state-of-the-art function rooms. Smokers get tables, chairs and covers. Awarded two AA rosettes. • Events in September and November explain how to pair wine with chocolate and cheese respectively, with a wine quiz lined up for October.

HA! HA! BAR AND CANTEEN
Berkeley Sq, The Triangle, Clifton, BS8 1HP. Tel: 0117 927 7333, web: www.hahaonline.co.uk • Gorgeous Georgian architecture combines effortlessly with Ha! Ha!’s modern airy interior. A large courtyard outside ensures that balmy summer evenings are the order of the day. Like their sister outlet in Bath, they’re big on fresh ingredients and wouldn’t touch a microwave with a bargepole. An impressive 25 wines by the glass or the bottle, with cocktails available by the jug, and Stella, Guinness, Beck’s, Peroni, Blackthorn, Westons Organic and Magners among other offerings. Heated and covered smoking area. • Under-14s allowed before 6pm, with their own separate menu.

HALO
141 Gloucester Rd, BS7 8BA. Tel: 0117 944 2504 • Hosted Venue’s Christmas 2008 bash and has made it through to 2009 unscathed. Indeed, this year’s glorious sunshine will have been soaked up by those out in Halo’s glorious rear garden, and there are patio heaters to ward off any late-night chills. A well-stocked bar includes 15 cocktails plus wines, organic cider, bottled Bath Ales’ Gem and Sharp’s Doom Bar, with Amstel and Stowford Press among the draughts and Bath Ales’ Natural Blonde among the bottles. Stacks of stuff going on, including Wednesday salsa, monthly barbecues and regular events featuring the clothes of local designer Charlotte Smith. Excellent food ranges from full breakfasts through lunches, mezze platters and on to mains like pork belly and goat’s cheese tart. • Goes on longer than ‘Gone With The Wind’, with front bar leading to function room and lovely long garden.

NEW
HARVEY NICHOLS
Second Floor, Harvey Nichols, Philadelphia St, Quakers Friars, BS1 3BZ. Tel 0117 916 8898, web: www.harveynichols.com • Silver and pewter-toned beauty opened in September last year, great for a pre-/post-dinner drink or as a venue to hang out in late into the evening. Cocktail masterclasses with champagne, Club Tropicana, classics and fun and fruity themes will run from July onwards, with July also bringing Campari Aperitivo Time, when customers can come to the bar from 6-7.30pm and enjoy two Campari Aperitivo cocktails and a selection of Italian canapés for £15. A range of Italian-themed events will coincide with the launch. Extraordinarily diverse drink options include martini/champagne/house/classic cocktails, wines, champagnes, spirits, non-alcoholic drinks and tea and coffee. Beers are Peroni (plus Gran Riserva), Budvar (plus dark), Little Creatures Pale Ale, Luscombe Farm Organic Cider and Tiger. All forms of drinking life are here; the particularly flash can go for the Hennessy Richard H, a glass of which is yours for £265. If that’s a shade beyond budget, the espresso is a distinctly affordable £1.25. • Bar with stylish atmosphere in Cabot Circus’s flagship store.

NEW
HATTERS
97 Gloucester Rd, BS7 8AT. Tel 0117 330 5740, email: hattersbristol@googlemail.com, web: www.hattersbristol.co.uk • Wilfully eclectic café by day, bar by night run by the irrepressible Charity White. Admirably diverse drink choices include Ciko café executive coffee, a massive herbal tea selection, wines from Nicolas of Cotham, Staropramen, Gem, Asahi, Corona, Peroni and Stowford Press as well as bottled ciders. By night you’ll find a Euro-cultured mood where dappled candle light enhances the quirky décor, perfect for enjoying speciality cocktails like Jagerslut, Last of the Architects and Island Toy straight from the Mad Hatter’s teapot while sharing platters with mates. Mondays and Tuesdays are available for corporate hire and networking, with Hatters also ideal for weekend party hire, when themes like masquerade, beach, carnival and wild west have been staged by a team getting menus, drinks and ambience spot-on. • At the epicentre of the Gloucester Road buzz.

HAUSBAR
52 Upper Belgrave Rd, Clifton, BS8 2XP. Tel: 0117 946 6081, web: www.hausbar.co.uk • Owner Auri, who’s worked in Berlin and Munich, has based Hausbar on the German concept of homely cellar bars, but this chic, stylish addition to Clifton’s night-time scene is more special than that. Intimate, civilised, unpretentious and friendly, it boasts a distinctly grown-up mood with a spectacular spirit range to match. He’s looking forward to Hausbar’s third birthday, when doubtless some of the new cocktails to be added to the menu will be drunk in celebration. One draught beer - Flensburger, brewed in Germany’s northernmost city only 7km from the border with Denmark. Erdinger and Budvar are in bottles. Open Tue-Sat 8pm-2am. • Tastings and cocktail classes run with Corks of Cotham planned.

HERMANOS CAFÉ BAR
55 Queens Rd, Clifton, BS8 1QQ. Tel: 0117 929 4323, web: www.hermanos.co.uk • Tucked away among the bars and shops of Bristol’s busy Queens Road, Hermanos offers up a welcome respite from the hordes and is an excellent place to chill over lunch. Drinks include Corona, Moretti, Budvar, Staropramen and Westons cider, plus 25 cocktails, with two themed cocktail nights monthly. Big leather sofas add to the comfort factor, and there’s also a small heated patio. Food served lunchtimes. • Excellent pre-club stop-off, with DJs Fri and Sat.

THE HILL
31-35 Cotham Hill, Cotham, BS6 6JY. Tel: 0117 973 3793, web: www.barroombar.com • Formerly The Cotham Hill, extensive refurbishment a few years ago brought creamy and woody tones combined with candlelight to create somewhere simultaneously spacious and intimate. Located seconds from Whiteladies Road with just a hint of backstreet secrecy, it lends itself to the essence of a much-loved local. You’d be equally comfortable bringing the better half here for a meal, cheering the footie on the four screens or nursing a pint with mates. London Pride, Foster’s, Kronie, Amstel and Bira Miretti among the draughts. • 2-4-1 cocktails all day Thur, Mon quiz, jazz on Sun.

HOTEL DU VIN & BISTRO
Sugar House, Narrow Lewins Mead, BS1 2NU. Tel: 0117 925 5577 • Winning mix of urban chic and urbane surrounds. One of the best atmospheres in town in the seriously excellent lounge bar. Quality wine list, and a big hit with both Bristol’s fooderati and the national press - very highly rated by the Guardian. Live jazz fortnightly Sundays. • May not be cheap, but it’s a small price to pay for paradise.

HUSH HUSH
233 Cheltenham Rd, BS6 5QP. Tel: 0117 942 2700 • Classy bar with a clubby vibe where our journo had a wicked time when on research duty. Inside Out play deep drum & bass and Nowt 2 Do add house and hip-hop as top DJs from near and far work the cool - but not too cool - crowd. Cool down with draught Foster’s, Kronie, Heineken, Sagres, Strongbow or Bulmers Pear, with bottles including Corona, Desperado, Newcastle Brown, Beck’s, Smirnoff Ice and WKD. Cocktails two-for-one until 9pm. Fine garden out back where goldfish swim and barbecues are occasionally staged. Available for private parties until 10.30pm or all night if that’s what you’re after. Décor includes neat film imagery as well as some vinyl hanging on the wall, with sofas as fat as the bassline adding a dash of decadence. • Put your hands up for adroit turntablism!

ILLUSIONS
2 Byron Place, Clifton, BS8 1JT. Tel: 0117 909 3405 • There’s more than a hint of Alan Partridge’s dedicated fan to Illusions, where one regular got a tattoo of the bar’s logo before leaving the city. There’s certainly something special about the place, offering as it does the chance to see magicians perform nightly as you make your glass or bottle of Amstel, Foster’s, Strongbow, Guinness, Corona, Beck’s, Theakstons or Bulmers disappear. Karaoke on Thursday, live music Fri and Sat. This is happy-time central, with one punter ‘Supermanned’ over the crowd during a particularly memorable night. • Ask co-owner Mark to show you his ‘smash-and-stab’ speciality.

JACK’S BRASSERIE
The Pavilion, 1 Hanover Quay, Harbourside, BS1 5JE. Tel: 0117 945 3990, web: www.jacksbrasserie.co.uk • If flying to Porto, Madrid or Rome is beyond your budget this year, the next best thing might be spending summer sat on an outside table on the spacious south-facing terrace here. Stroll along to find Pilsner Urquell on draught and bottles of Peroni, Bath Ales’ Gem and Wild Hare, Westons Organic, around nine reds and eight whites and a decent spirit range. Food is classic British with a European twist. An absolute must-visit during the Harbour Festival, it’s also an extremely popular Christmas meal location with over 1,900 covers served in three weeks last year. Private parties and wedding receptions staged. “It’s two minutes’ walk from the waterfront but a million miles from its Saturday evening mayhem,” said our man. Second location in Portishead. • Be here when the sun’s setting to see the staircase’s metalwork glow sublimely.

JAVA
9 Park St, BS1 5NF. Tel: 0117 930 4561, web: www.javabristol,com • Previously Three, Java’s café-bar offers sandwiches, paninis, jackets, salads, homemade burgers and soup, and is perfect for people on the go. As the name suggests, it’s a fine place for enjoying a fantastic coffee (and delicious pastry) too and if you’re after something stronger draughts are Amstel, Kirin and Heineken with bottles Tiger, Beck’s, Corona, Westons Organic and Butcombe. • Open from breakfast until late.

JOE PUBLIC’S
3 Queens Ave, Clifton. Tel: 0117 973 1249, web: www.joepublics.com • Late-night bar offering everything from electro nights to funk, soul and R ’n’ B on weekends; a mix appealing to varied crowds. An extensive bar means extensive choice but the waiting time is small. Open from 5pm Mon-Fri and from 8pm Sat, closing at 3am. Much of the seating has been put together from car, aeroplane and cinema seats. • Very funky venue - a one-off!

THE LANES
Nelson St, Bs1 2LE. Tel: 0117 325 1979. Web: www.thelanesbristol.co.uk • As much bowlarama and diner as club, much like London sister venue Bloomsbury Bowling Lanes. Fifties sounds rule the roost, both live and on wax alongside fancy dress parties, themed nights and a brand new fancy pants cinema.

LA TAVERNA DELL’ARTISTA
33 King St, BS1 4DZ. Tel: 0117 929 7712 • Late-opening cultural delight enjoyed by regulars from all walks of life. Pick up a mighty fine pizza in the company of celebrities, or eavesdrop post-theatre chat with a pint. Punters have been known to be creative, with a household of honeys spelling out a mate’s name for his birthday with their bodies! The menu proper, with wine list, can be found upstairs or over the road. Home to some of the best bottled beers (Polish, Italian, Belgian and German) in Bristol. Draughts are Moretti, Courage Best, Kronie, Scrumpy Jack or ask for the award-winning Menabrea lager. It comes from Piedmont in northern Italy, the birthplace of the beloved father who headed this much-loved, family-run taverna. • Bar open till 2am.

LAS IGUANAS
113 Whiteladies Rd. Tel: 0117 973 0730; South Building, Anchor Sq. Tel: 0117 927 6233, web: www.iguanas.co.uk • Bristol’s very own dollop of Latin America. Salsa beats, funky decor and cocktails, some two-for-one Tue-Sat 12noon-9pm and Sun/Mon all day. Brazilian sugarcane spirit cachaca - harvested from their own field in Rio - is the basis for most of their concoctions, brimming with fresh berries, watermelon, honey and ginger. Their signature caipirinhas are brilliant. Bottles include San Miguel, Corona, Cusquenha (from Peru) and Gaymers while the authentic food is innovative, fresh and reasonably priced. Some excellent promotions; those turning up with a Cuban flag, T-shirt or passport copped for a free cocktail on Cuban Independence Day (20 May) while all dads here on Fathers’ Day will take away a bottle of chilli sauce. Allocated, covered and heated smoking area at Anchor Square. • Kids’ menu has a phonetic guide to help nippers order - bring dad along for Fathers’ Day (see above)!

LIVING ROOM
Building 11, Harbourside, Canons Way, BS1 5LF. Tel 0117 925 3993, web: www.thelivingroom.co.uk • Spacious, stylish and swinging, the living is large at the Living Room. Choose from a range of sophisticated cocktails - timeless classics or the ‘Living Room Favourites’ speciality mixes. A wide selection of world-class, classic and contemporary wines and champagnes are available by the glass or bottle. On draught you’ll find Kronenbourg, John Smith’s, Foster’s and Guinness, with bottles including Peroni, Budweiser, Sol, Viru from Estonia, the incredibly rare +46 Swedish cider and the not so rare but still thirst-quenching Bulmers. Food ranges from sandwiches, salads and lighter dishes through to hearty, traditional mains. Live music Fri and Sat followed by DJs. Plenty of outside seating from which to watch the harbourside. • Pimms pitchers for summer plus cocktail/poker night on 30 June.

LOUNGE
227 North St, Bedminster, BS3 1JJ. Tel: 0117 963 7340 • An effortlessly laid-back, easy-going vibe, with leather sofas for all-day lounging, wooden tables, ciabattas, steaks, burgers, chalked-up blackboards of daily specials and an awesome range of cocktails, plus spirits, liqueurs and wines. On draught you’ll find Togaman ale, Beck’s Vier, Staropramen and Hoegaarden plus Stowford Press and Guinness, with Bath Ales’ Gem, Bristol Beer Factory Gold, Stella, Leffe Blonde, Westons Organic and Orchard Pig cider in bottles. Outside seating on the front and rear patios. Food - including Venueland’s top brownies - served all day. • Friendly, funky staff behind the bar and on the mic for Monday’s killer quiz.

THE LOUNGE
53 Old Market St, Old Market, BS2 0ER. Ffi: 0117 922 1224, web: www.loungebristol.com • Small bar in the centre of Bristol’s gay village now run by Baz and Dean, formerly at the much-missed Griffin. Open from midday until 11pm daily (until 1am on Fri-Sat), with loads of drinks offers and reduced-price admission to Flamingos. Bingo night on Sunday is a riot. • The only gay pub in the village open all day, every day.

LUNA
Richmond Terrace, Clifton, BS8 1AA. Tel: 0117 973 0986 • No longer members and guests only, open Friday for 70s-90s choons with 80s night on Saturday. Draughts offer Amstel and Kronie with Old Speckled Hen in bottles, but what’s particularly rare is the Mont Saint Michel cider on draught. Medium-dry, it’s usually available in bottles and Luna is believed to be the only bar in the country selling it on draught. • Tasty and stylish, with leather sofas and low tables - even the toilets are beautiful!

MACKIES
84a Stokes Croft, BS1 3QY. Tel: 0117 924 9995, web: www.mackiesbar.co.uk • Whether it’s for a quick lunchtime pick-me-up or to jump-start the weekend, the eclectic crowd and friendly staff ensure a warm welcome for all in a stylish interior designed to blend easy-going days with fun-filled nights. Family-friendly, student-friendly and popular with the locals, weekends bring DJ sets featuring R ’n’ B, club mixes and a dash of the unpredictable. Draughts are Stella, Beck’s Vier, Bass Smooth, Gaymers Pear, Blackthorn and Staropramen with bottles offering Beck’s, Westons, Natch, Magners, Holsten Pils, Leffe and Peroni. Partly-covered smoking area with heaters. May stage live music. • Open until 3-5am at weekends.

MBARGO
38-40 Triangle West, Clifton, BS8 1ER. Tel: 0117 925 3256, web: www.mbargo.net • There’s always a buzz at this cool, stylish bar featuring leather sofas, marble tables and a friendly atmosphere. No real ale but Kronie and Budweiser among the lagers and Stowford Press, Magners, Bulmers and Westons Organic within a strong cider range; wines and cocktails too. Happy hours run Sun-Thur. DJ nights see names like Kevin Real Deal and Swiss Toni spin with acoustic music Sun from Alex Taylot. • 4am licence and usually open until 2.30-3am.

MOREISH
6 Chandos Rd, Redland, BS6 6PE. Tel: 0117 970 6078, web: www.moreishrestaurant.co.uk • Modern European café-bar-restaurant, open for brunch, lunch and dinner, with an emphasis on quality, homemade food. Options across draught and bottles include Peroni, Gem, Wild Hare, Budvar and Leffe Blonde plus wines, ports and liqueurs. Cute alfresco terrace with heating and cover for those balmy summer evenings. • Bright and sunny, with work from local artists on the walls.

MR WOLF’S
33 St Stephens St, BS1 1JX. Tel: 0117 927 3221, web: www.mrwolfs.com • A winning combination of music venue, cafe and bar managing to be still greater than the sum of its myriad parts. Drinks range from Asahi, Tiger, Budvar and San Miguel to South American Desperado tequila/lager mayhem. Bitch and Stitch remains popular, and after the success of last year’s event the ace people here will again be working with other operations on 2009’s Bristol Festival. Live music and DJ sets pretty much nightly, noodles, fajitas, soups, salads and nachos prepared to order in the open kitchen all night long. Open until 4-6am at weekends. Awning for smokers. • It’s all about the music!

MUD DOCK
40 The Grove, BS1 4RB. Tel: 0117 934 9734, web: www.mud-dock.co.uk • Chilled converted warehouse on the dockside. This uber-cool bar-restaurant is located above a bike shop (you can’t miss the frames and other random bike parts hanging precariously from the ceiling) and has gorgeous decor, food and booze. Relax and enjoy a great wine list or something from the extensive draught and bottle ranges wherein you’ll find Tuborg, Birra Moretti, Erdinger, Leffe, Thatchers Gold, Corona, Sagres, Bulmers and Bath Ales. Formerly serving draught in half-pint glasses and four-pint pitchers only, pints are now served - double the fun! Med-inspired dining. Open from 9am Mon-Sat. • Fantastic sun terrace with fantastic view for warm afternoons - new umbrellas set to arrive.

NEW
NIKO’S LOUNGE AND SHISHA BAR
72 Park St (entrance also via Park Street Ave), BS1 5JX. Tel 0117 929 1166/07792 917397 • Formerly Oppo, this innovative shisha bar opened earlier in 2009 and is the brainchild of Parviz Jafari. Being Persian, learning to smoke shisha was part of his growing up, with this spot mixing Iranian and British cultures and already attracting punters from Saudi Arabia and Somalia. Plenty of Bristolians have remarked that it’s like being on holiday, with cream tones, beautiful carpets, traditional Iranian music and a stunning tile painting bringing Esfahan to Clifton. Tobacco is soaked in anything from juice, fizzy drinks or vodka and placed in the shisha with the smoke drawn through the same or another liquid making full flavours and the mellowest buzz. Persian Dawn has a double cola hit with lemon, Orange County uses orange tobacco and juice and a slice of orange while Heavy Smoker combines vodka, lemon and lime. If you’re after just drinking, Kronie. Strongbow, John Smith’s Extra Smooth and Pears Brothers are among the options, but to not give a hubbly bubbly a go is a chance wasted. Food may arrive, along with longer opening hours (currently Mon-Sat 6pm-2am, Sun 6pm-12midnight). • Very much a family operation, named after a family member - who’s 18 months old!

ONE30
130 Cheltenham Rd. Tel: 0117 944 2442, web: www.one30.co.uk • Firmly established as one of the best bar-restaurants in the city, confirmed by Good Food Guide recognition. A true gastrobar, serving excellent modern Mediterranean tapas selections and cutting-edge bistro food, devised by owner Christopher Wicks, owner of Bell’s Diner, and adapted and dished up by chef Johnny Evans, with manager Will Humphrey ensuring a smooth time for all. Lovely, relaxed lounge with ever-changing art on the walls. Food is complemented by a quality wine list plus killer cocktails. Wide beer and cider range across draught and bottles. • Cool cocktails, hot music and first-rate food.

THE PARK
37 Triangle West, BS8 1ER. Tel: 0117 940 6101, web: www.theparkbristol.com • Laid-back, classy and cool, The Park is a great place for that after-work relaxer or an evening living large with friends. Admirably unpretentious, you can throw shapes cheesily here without fear of social alienation. Our man visited on two nights recently, copping for KRS One amid hip-hop heaven before returning with party-frocked fillies for Motown mayhem and northern soul shimmying as the action stayed on the dancefloor until the wee small hours. The expert staff here could mix cocktails in their sleep, with a round of mojitos made to perfection getting smiles from the sheilas. Draughts include Staropramen and Stella, Gem and Thatchers Gold, with Innis & Gunn, Kasteel Cru and Westons Organic among choice bottled offerings. You want a cocktail? They’ll make it, with molecular mixology if they’re feeling flash. The upstairs room is ace for private parties and features wicked Last Supper artwork. Open Mon-Wed 4.30pm-late, Thur-Sat 4.30pm-4am. • Many punters work in other bars so you know it’s good.

PICTURE HOUSE BAR
44 Whiteladies Rd. Tel: 0117 973 9302/973 1529, web: www.whiteladiespicturehouse.com • Continental-style café which takes its name from the original Picture House Café, which was the watering hole of the adjacent (unfortunately long-closed) cinema. The beautifully crafted central bar boasts an extensive selection of excellent spirits and wines, which come into their own when a more mature crowd drop in on weekends for cocktails, conversation, food and the chink of wine glasses. Speciality draught ale and lager plus bottled lager add to the awesome drinks options. • Hip, sophisticated bar offering uncompromisingly high standards of cuisine and drink.

PITCHER AND PIANO
Waterfront, BS1 5UH. Tel: 0117 929 9652, web: www.pitcherandpiano.com • The biggest outlet in the Pitcher & Piano chain, this converted warehouse is a versatile venue for any number of occasions, whether it’s summertime drinks out on the waterfront seating area, hiring the fully functional upstairs bar for a private party or event, a night out in the heart of the city or simply relaxing on comfortable sofas while grabbing a bite to eat. Heaters and covers in smoking area. • Saturday night DJs and fabulous harbourside location. Open until 2am at weekends.

PORTO LOUNGE
765 Fishponds Rd, BS16 3BS. Tel: 0117 902 4567 • Standing 82nd on the AFI’s list of 100 film quotes is “Toga! Toga!” from ‘National Lampoon’s Animal House’. Repeat the quote here - and it’s highly unlikely you’ll be the first to do so - and chances are the staff (who may smile wearily) will get you a pint of Togaman, the Lounges’ exclusive ale. Other draughts include Stowford Press, Guinness, Staropramen, Beck’s and Hoegaarden, with Gem, Leffe and Orchard Pig cider among the bottles. Food takes in ciabattas, paninis, salads, burgers and daily specials. Open daily 9am-11pm. Quiz every other Sunday. • Once a travel agents, named in reference to one of Bristol’s twin cities.

THE PROM
26 The Promenade, Gloucester Rd, BS7 8AL. Tel: 0117 942 7319, web: www.theprom.co.uk • Great reputation for promoting live music, with a recent Mango Factory gig evidence of the local acts you’re likely to catch. Six nights per week are given over to R ‘n’ B, blues, jazz, country and soul, with Sun seeing an acoustic jam - bring your own instrument. Popular Tue night pop quiz. Food is all-day brekkies, salads, mains and more, with drinks such as Gem, Courage Best, Doom Bar, Kronie, Amstel, Heineken, Foster’s, Sagres and Taunton cider. Bottles include Tiger and Westons Organic. • They reckon there are too many features here to choose a best one, but the heated and covered terrace could be a contender.

QUEENSHILLING
9 Frogmore St, BS1 5NA. Ffi: 0117 926 4342, web: www.queenshilling.com • The city’s longest-established gay nightclub goes from strength to strength, with full-on party nights Wed-Sun. Also hosts occasional stripper and foam parties, plus the annual Miss Queenshilling drag competition. • The city’s longest-established gay nightclub.

THE QUADRANT
Regent St, Clifton Village. Tel: 0117 974 1025, web: www.quadrantbar.com • Clifton Village’s old Quadrant restored to traditional wine cellars a la Victorian period. Ground floor is a light, airy bar offering wines, spirits, continental lagers, real ale and always at least one local cider, with bare brick walls and chalkboards a-plenty. Draughts are Amstel, Heineken, Ashton Press, Butcombe Bitter plus Gold with bottles including Peroni, Budvar, Corona, Leffe, Duvel and Westons Organic. Downstairs you’ll find the wine cellar, with some of the world’s best wines on offer at heavily reduced prices for takeaway (the place also operates as an off-licence). Extensive fine wine selection, with over 30 available by the glass. Delicious bar food. • Regular wine tasting events, private parties with superb buffet.

RACKS WINE BAR
St Pauls Rd, Clifton, BS8 1LX. Tel: 0117 974 1626 • Clifton landmark since its inception in 1982, with a lively bar and popular patio complete with heaters for when the sun goes in. Draught lagers are Beck’s Vier, Stella Artois (4% and 5%) and Hoegaarden with permanent real ales Sharps Doom Bar and Bath Ales’ Gem currently joined by Bristol Beer factory’s Sunrise. With Addlestones, Leffe and Guinness also on tap, a winning array is completed by Pimms on draught, not found elsewhere in Bristol. Around 20 wines and solid spirit, champagne and shot offerings with bottled beers adding names like Magners, Brothers, Tiger, Peroni and Corona to proceedings. Food is continental and English faves, with calories stated in January and February for the post-Christmas waistline-conscious. Talking of which, they’re already taking Crimbo 2010 bookings. • Expect crowds when the Lions are on the screens.

THE RANCH
59-61 Whiteladies Rd, Clifton, BS8 2LY. Tel: 0117 973 7727 • The fodder’s done a runner but it’s set to return. Until then, visit for extensive happy hours and wide drink selections. Draughts are Stella and Stella 4, Beck’s plus Blackthorn with bottles offering Peroni, Corona, Gem, Gaymers and Brothers’ strawberry. People-watching patio out front with covers. • Why not belt out a few numbers in their separate karaoke bar, also available for private hire?

REVOLUTION
Old Fish Market, St Nicholas St, BS1 1UA. Tel: 0117 930 4335 • Part of the national vodka bar chain, this stylish bar-restaurant (set in a former fish market, hence the address) offers quality bar food and weekend DJs alongside admirable drinking options. Around 50 vodkas make this place’s range one of Venueland’s widest, with premium spirits ensuring sublime cocktails. Draughts are Staropramen, Beck’s Vier, Stella and Stowford Press, with bottles bringing Westons Organic, Kopparberg and more. Licensed until 2am (12.30am Sunday), the mezzanine bar is available for private hire. Smoke in the garden - covers and heaters in place.
l Seriously killer bloody marys.

RISING SUN
86-90 Gloucester Rd, BS7 8BN. Tel: 0117 989 2471 • Extraordinarily wide drinking options here mean you might spend the evening in the Rising Sun but there’s a cat-in-hell’s chance you’ll surface to see dawn’s version. Draughts take in Carling, Red Stripe, Heineken, Beck’s, Stella, Fruli, Guinness, Tetley, Blackthorn, Bulmers, Magners, Old Rosie and Westons Organic. Bottles bring Beck’s, Peroni, Budweiser, Corona, Sol, Bulmers, Green Goblin cider, Jacques (berry and original), Magners (pear and standard), Brothers’ strawberry, lemon, festival strength and toffee apple, St Helier blueberry and Aspalls Blush. Sun quiz, garden with heaters and covers.
• Excellent video jukebox and pool tables (though your shooting ’em up and potting may be a smidgeon awry if you’ve worked your way through the above).

THE RIVER
1 Canons Rd, The Watershed, BS1 5UH. Tel: 0117 930 0498, web: www.theriverbristol.com • Smart, sophisticated yet laid-back and arty, The River serves up Greek/Cypriot food, live music on Thur and Fri and drinks to keep the party going. Draughts are Kronenbourg, Foster’s, Guinness, John Smith’s, Strongbow and Gem. In the bottles you’ll find Corona, Peroni, Tiger, Budweiser and Thatchers. Smoke (or dine or drink) under cover. • Stalwart of the city’s waterfront scene.

RIVERSTATION
The Grove, BS1 4RB. Tel: 0117 914 4434, web: www.riverstation.co.uk • At the forefront of the Bristol restaurant scene since opening in 1997, setting standards in cooking and service that are high and never compromised. Upstairs you’ll find a restaurant serving 30 reds and as many whites, the downstairs bar having eight of each. Butcombe is on draught, with bottles including Erdinger, Sagres, Kasteel Cru and Peroni Grand Reserva. Classic cocktails and excellent Illy coffee bring further variety. Boasts an extremely popular extended dockside terrace and restaurant balcony where smokers get cover. • The latest Good Food Guide said: “This modernist eatery remains one of the city’s most consistent places.”

ROO BAR
Clifton Down Station, Whiteladies Rd, BS8 2PN. Tel: 0117 923 7204 • Housed in a converted railway station originally built at the beginning of the 1800s, with crocodiles and other Aussie paraphernalia on the walls inside. This spacious venue is very much a sports bar, with numerous screens to show all the important matches, plus two pool tables. Along with the well-stocked bar, they serve food every day. Open from 12noon, seven days a week. Heated and covered smoking area. • Popular Sun night quiz has a top cash prize of £100.

NEW
SASPARILLA
65 Whiteladies Rd, Clifton, BS8 2LY. Tel: 0117 973 0574 • The institution that was Henry Africa’s is no more, replaced by cocktail bar venue Sasparilla. An extensive refurb has brought a distinctive purple, brown and gold exterior and a new look indoors. It’s largely as-you-were in the kitchen, with American-type food like nachos, quesadillas, wings, skins, duck spring rolls etc plus mains, grills, salads, desserts and more. Draughts are Foster’s, Heineken, Bulmers and Guinness, with bottles including Budweiser, Desperado, Smirnoff ice and more. Numerous pint, mixer and cocktail offers. • Over 60 cocktails on offer.

SEVERNSHED
The Grove, BS1 4RB. Tel: 0117 925 1212, web: www.shedrestaurants.co.uk • Provides a large dose of dockside chic, catering for Bristol’s mediarati and style gurus with excellent dining and drinking. Cutting-edge art exhibitions, special nights celebrating places and cuisine like the Caribbean and Mexico plus live music on Sunday add to the concept, the moveable bar (placed in the centre or at the back of the room) making it a venue for all seasons. The bar has an identity of its own, separate from the restaurant, with food served from midday. At night the bar becomes a chic lounge serving around 50 cocktails. Licensed until 2am. Covered terrace for alfresco socialising and relaxed smoking. Drinks include Budvar, Beck’s, Corona, Peroni, Old Speckled Hen, Bombardier, Westons Organic and Addlestones. • Happy hour daily 5-8pm.

SHORE
Narrow Quay, Harbourside, BS1 4QF Tel: 0117 923 033 • Stylish bar attached to the Bristol Hotel (formerly Jury’s). Set on two chic, open-plan levels, large front windows let you keep track on the comings and goings across Pero’s Bridge as you enjoy morning coffee, a spot of lunch or unwind after work with wine and food. Guinness, Heineken, Blackthorn and Grolsch among the draughts, with Westons Organic, Sol, Peroni and Bath Ales’ beers some of the bottles. The wines span the globe while the food ranges from a bowl of olives through wraps and jackets and onto mains like fish and chips, chicken breast and potato gnocchi, with sharing platters for sociable nibbling. Open to non-residents. • Everything from coffee to cocktails covered with class.

SLUG AND LETTUCE
41 Corn St, BS1 1HT. Tel: 0117 952 9900 • Open-plan building, comfortable leather sofa zones and muted decor all mean one thing - city centre drinking in style, with a range of bottles and draughts taking in Stella, Peroni, Magners, John Smith’s, Amstel, Beck’s and Strongbow among others. Reliable grub options from sandwiches to mains like fish and chips and scampi. Wednesday wine night offer sees a bottle for less than a tenner. Sizeable alfresco area with heaters and canopies. • Pitchers of Pimms £9, all cocktails £3 daily 5-8pm and all night Friday.

SPIKE ISLAND CANTEEN AND BAR
133 Cumberland Rd, BS1 6UX. Tel: 0117 934 9077, web: www.spikeisland.org.uk • The wide range of drinks reported on in last year’s guide has shrunk somewhat. All draughts have blown away but bottles offer Tiger, Moretti, Estrella Damm, Orchard Pig cider plus Bath Ales’ beer. Food is jackets, salads, soup, sandwiches, burgers and specials. Open Mon-Fri 9am-5pm, Sat 11am-4pm. May host events.
• Premises formerly housed Brooke Bond’s operations.

SPYGLASS
Welsh Back, BS1 4SB. Tel: 0117 927 7050, web: www.spyglassbristol.co.uk • Summer wouldn’t be summer without Spyglass, Bristol’s barbecue boat, perfect for those long, lazy summer evenings. Mediterranean-themed bar serves Sagres, Birra Moretti and Bulmers on draught, with Corona, Peroni, Modello, Westons Organic and Gem among the bottles. Pitchers of lager, cider and sangria served to save your mates a trip to the bar. Rotating cocktails of the week, one red, one white. Umbrellas and heaters are on hand for the smokers. Food is unpretentious, tasty and very reasonably priced. It might be a grill, but it’s not all about the meat: there’s a great selection of tempting vegetarian options available too. • Get there early to get a table in summer.

THE SQUARE
15 Berkeley Sq, Clifton, BS8 1HB. Tel: 0117 921 0455, web: www.thesquareclub.com • The Square club is the first and only lasting private members’ club in Bristol. Set in the beautiful boutique Berkeley Square Hotel, it offers exclusive decadence to its members, from the fine dining restaurant serving some of the best modern cuisine in the city to the award-winning cocktails in the funky lower-deck cocktail bar. The introduction of the new Square terrace brings long-awaited alfresco enjoyment of the highest calibre to Bristol, a ‘secret garden’ hidden from its hustle and bustle providing unrivalled standards of food and service. The Square club continues to host some of the most exclusive members’ parties and events, ranging from jazz evenings to petanque afternoons and from social networking events to poker games. • Now open for lunch Tuesday to Saturday.

START THE BUS
7-9 Baldwin St, BS1 1RU. Tel: 0117 930 4370 • Breezed a Top Banana in its first year, this part pub-with-great-food, part adult-youth-club hangout offers everything from eclectic live music to DJs, quizzes and pub bingo. Extensive draught options across beer, lager and cider include Red Stripe, Peroni, Gaymers, Westons Organic, Westons Scrumpy, Hoegaarden, Erdinger and Leffe. Among the diverse bottles you’ll find Grolsch, Pacifico and Newcastle Brown, while there’s a dozen wines if it’s the grape you’re after. Accessible comfort food (fish finger sarnies, burgers, cottage pies etc) for when you’re feeling puckish. • Enjoyed by Bristol’s scene-setting musos, none-more-emo indie kids and pretty much anyone who’s anyone creatively.

STONEHOUSE BAR
28 Baldwin St, BS1 1NG. Tel: 0117 946 8160 • Below Jongleurs comedy club, this stylish bar-restaurant serves up drinks like Kopparberg, Bulmers, Jacques and Brothers - so fine cider choices then - plus Carling, Coors, Kronie and Foster. Smokers enjoy a cordoned-off area with brollies, lights and heaters. • Dependable grub fuels the partying.

SUBLIME
31 King St, BS1 4DZ. Tel: 0117 929 3470, web: www.sublimebristol.com • Smart, stylish and welcoming. Drop in for draughts such as Peroni, Beck’s, Heineken, Stella, Staropramen, Thatchers Gold and Guinness, with bottles offering Tiger, Budvar, Peroni, Corona, Magners and Bulmers. Seven cocktails plus a cocktail of the month and you’re free to ask the skilled bar staff to shake up your fave. Kitchen planned to open promising basic, decent British/European-flavoured fodder. Smokers get a cover. • Chilled by day, funkier tunes after dark.

SURREY WINE VAULTS
8-9 Surrey St, St Pauls, BS2 8PS. Tel: 0117 942 8196, web: www.surreywinevaults.co.uk • This must-discover drinking and eating spot has Bath Ales’ Gem and Spa on tap alongside Stella, Guinness, Beck’s Vier and Stowford Press. Regular cider tastings are held, with 8-9 bottled varieties likely to offer up Katy, Westons Organic, Addlestones and perry options, and Old Rosie appearing on and off. Pub food includes Pieminister pies. Smokers (and alfresco drinkers and diners) get a suntrap terrace out back which will be covered and heated come winter. • Friendly staff!

TANTRIC JAZZ CAFE
39-41 St Nicholas St, BS1 1TP. Tel: 0117 940 2304, web: www.tantric-jazz.co.uk • A Soho jazz den in the midst of the bustle of Bristol’s business district, with quality live music - anything that’s not mainstream pop - nightly when open. In summer that means Wed-Sat but it could be six nights weekly nearer Christmas, with admission free and the fun lasting from 6pm-3am. Mediterranean tapas take in around 13 vegetarian and seven non-vegetarian dishes. Wash it all down with tipples like San Miguel, Sol, Red Stripe, John Smith’s or Bulmers cider, or plump for a cheeky wine. Open ten years - doesn’t time fly when you’re enjoying yourself? • Like a music/jazz bar in your own lounge.

THEKLA
East Mud Dock, The Grove, BS1 4RB. Tel: 0117 929 3301, web: www.theklabristol.co.uk • Brilliant live venue which also houses an excellent, chilled bar serving draughts such as Tuborg, Carlsberg Export, Thatchers Gold, San Miguel and Guinness. In the bottles you’ll find all of the Brothers range, with pear, lemon and strawberry among them as well as Smirnoff Ice and Westons Organic, with Strongbow and Red Stripe bringing further options. Bath Ales represented by Wild Hare and Gem. Happy hour 5-7pm daily. Grub takes in butties, burgers and bangers plus fish and chips, with oil used getting converted into biofuel. Covered deck area heated on evenings, beneath which you can - der, der, derrrr, der, der, der, derrr - smoke on the water! • It’s a boat! It’s a Bristol music institution!

TINTO LOUNGE
344 Gloucester Rd, BS7 8TP. Tel: 0117 942 0526 • Tinto has long been integral to Gloucester Road’s dining and drinking diversity. Hugely popular with groups of friends, families and couples, it’s relaxed, stylish, comfortable and welcoming. Reclaimed church chairs sit under battered wooden tables, and the chunky leather sofas are perfect for Sunday afternoon paper reading. There’s Staropramen, Beck’s, Hoegaarden, Togaman, Pipe Smoker and Stowford Press on draught, plus good food and daily specials served all day, every day. • Awarded Top Bristol Bar in Venue’s 2005 Top Bananas.

WATERSHED CAFÉ BAR
1 Canons Rd. Tel: 0117 927 5101, web: www.watershed.co.uk • One of Bristol’s most relaxing and welcoming venues with a light and airy loft space, harbourside view and lively buzz. Locally sourced, free range, organic and nutritional foods are at the heart of Watershed’s philosophy and the bar stocks local favourites such as Westons Organic Cider, Natural Blond Lager, Arbor Ales and Bath Ales with three beers always on. With three cinemas showing the very best in independent film, free wi-fi to check out the digital exhibition programme and a friendly and helpful team, you don’t need to be anywhere else. Open from 9.30am during the week (10am at weekends and 11am Mon) and licensed until midnight Fri-Sat. Hosted Venue’s 25th birthday bash - we’re still recovering. • New balcony at top of entrance stairs with outside seating.

WHITE LION BAR AND TERRACE
Avon Gorge Hotel, Sion Hill, Clifton, BS8 4LD. Tel: 0117 973 8955, web: www.theavongorge.com • Probably the best view in Bristol. Sup something from a draught range including Kronenbourg, Heineken, Foster’s, Bulmers, John Smith’s and Guinness or bottles bringing Peroni, Corona and pear Bulmers among others as you unwind on the vast terrace (complete with umbrellas and heat lamps) and gaze out over Clifton Suspension Bridge and the Avon Gorge. Three red, three white and one rosé. Food served noon-9pm daily plus bank holiday barbecues and hog roasts. Drop-down big screen for sports fans. • That view. Enough said.

THE WOODS
1 Park Street Ave, BS1 5LQ. Tel: 0117 925 0890 • They might have a staggering 94 whiskies on for savouring but you don’t have to be a spirit connoisseur to love this place. You’re equally at home sporting an Oregon T-shirt in the style of Dave Grohl and asking the legendary management to crank up the Eagles to cheese away to to your heart’s content. Smart bar with a gentlemen’s club ambience and an ace heated garden (with heating and cover). Very female-friendly, not remotely laddish. Stella and Stowford Press on draught, with extensive, eclectic bottled beer range taking in Innis & Gunn, Peroni Grand Reserva, Meantime Union, Fullers’ Honey Dew, Fraoch as well as Little Creatures just arrived from Australia. Draughts served in half-pint glasses and two- and three-pint pitchers so come here when not very thirsty or with mates or with lots of mates for the 20 cocktails on offer. Daily happy hour 5-8pm, new drink menu due September for this ace place’s fourth birthday. Monthly whisky tastings, quiz may return. Trust us, just drop in, you’ll love it. • Open until 4am Fri night/Sat morning, until 6am Sat/Sun. Come for the whisky, stay for the mood.

ZERODEGREES
53 Colston St, BS1 5BA. Tel: 0117 925 2706, web: www.zerodegrees.co.uk • European-influenced restaurant fused with a microbrewery and stylish bar, all in one venue. It’s all about fresh, award-winning beers like pilsner, pale ale, wheat beer, black lager and fruit ales such as pear or mango. Cider is Gaymers Orchard Reserve and there’s also wine and champers. Our man and guest loved the grub - his pizza and her first ever taste of mussels, with pasta also on a reliable menu. Stunning architecture includes 3m-high tanks and glass flooring with pipes visible below - a veritable Pompidou Centre in praise of the pint. Distinct restaurant and four terraces plus main area a people-watching paradise. Live music may return. Happy hour Mon-Fri 4-7pm sees pints for £2 - it’d be rude not to. • In Reading and Cardiff as well as at original Blackheath SE3 site if you fancy a brewery crawl.

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