 |
|
Bristol Pubs
ADAM & EVE
7 Hope Chapel Hill, Hotwells, BS8 4ND. Tel: 0117 929 1508 • Fabulous old-fashioned pub, complete with wooden floors and tables and perfect for idling away the afternoon and enjoying chef-quality home-cooked food. Management team Karen and James serve beers such as Bath Ales’ Gem and RCH’s Pitchfork alongside Addlestones, Stowford Press, San Miguel, Foster’s and Amstel, plus keg beers, a full wine list and a fair selection of spirits too. Cosy, non-pretentious atmosphere, within 10 mins’ walk of the centre. Smoking area within a small courtyard. • Pub quiz every Monday evening.
ALBERT INN
1 West St, Bedminster, BS3 3NN. Tel: 0117 330 8624/07500 936437 • Reopened in October 2007 with a new look and music in the form of disco and karaoke on Tue, Fri and Sat live acts and disco on Sun. Drop in for Bath Ales’ Gem, Courage Best, Amstel, Kronie, Stella and Stowford Press with Wild Hare among the bottles. Heated and covered smoking area. Open Mon-Wed 6pm-12midnight, Thur 4pm-12midnight, Fri 4pm-2am, Sat 2pm-2am & Sun 12noon-12midnight. • Has its own piano.
ALBION PUBLIC HOUSE AND DINING ROOMS
Boyces Ave, Clifton, BS8 4AA. Tel: 0117 973 3522, web: www.thealbionclifton.co.uk • Rightly renowned for the quality of its grub - which has brought recognition from the chubby tyre fellow - The Albion has booze to match. Arbor Ales’ Brigstow bears the City of Bristol crest and lines up on draught alongside Otter Bright, Doom Bar and Butcombe from across the South West. Lagers are Beck’s Vier, Amstel and Stella Artois, with Cheddar Valley and Addlestones bringing cider options and Peroni and Leffe Blonde among the bottles. Admirably diverse wine choice - 25 each of red and white - with 30 whiskies too. Whatever you’re drinking the snug bar - all exposed brickwork, open fire and comfy leather seating - offers a stylish setting, with the pretty courtyard boasting parasols, tables, heaters, fairy lights and hanging baskets to make your smoke an even more sublime experience. • May’s late bank holiday saw a cider festival but look out for more drink-related festivities later in 2009.
ALMA TAVERN
18-20 Alma Vale Rd, Clifton, BS8 2HY. Tel: 0117 973 5171 • The only pub in Bristol with its own theatre, the entertainment here ranges from productions running Tuesday to Saturday upstairs plus cable and terrestrial sport on TV with Monday quizzes for the cleverly inclined. The grub is worthy of its own standing ovation, with five-hour belly of Gloucester old spot pork representative of some marvellous mains. Drink options taking in San Miguel, Kronie, Spitfire and Doom Bar plus Olde English and Addlestones ciders go well with a sly snout smoked in the small enclosed courtyard out back. • You want drink in your dining? Starters have included grilled single Gloucester and Doom Bar rarebit with Sharp’s finest also going into the batter for the fish and chips.
THE ANCHOR
323 Gloucester Rd, BS7 8PE. Tel: 0117 924 1769 • Upbeat sports pub in the heart of UWE stude land where drinks include Bombardier and Old Speckled Hen, Amstel, Kronenbourg, Foster’s and Heineken while cider lovers get Strongbow. Food is traditional pub grub taking in bangers and mash, chilli, burgers and more. Super giant umbrellas shelter you while you smoke fore or aft. • Students get some drinks for £1 on Mondays.
ANNEXE
Seymour Ave, Bishopston, BS7 9EQ. Tel: 0117 949 3931, web: www.the-annexe.co.uk • A cricket lover’s paradise, attached to the Sportsman (see below), with around five or six real ales on and tasty tucker coming in the form of wings, nachos and similar dishes. Popular with visiting fans before - and after - matches at the nearby County Ground. • Housed in a converted skittle alley.
APPLE TREE
27 Philip St, Bedminster, BS3 4EA. Tel: no landline in place at time of going to press • Dinky, unashamedly traditional backstreet boozer that’s so laid-back you’d be forgiven for thinking it’s not open. It is! Venture in to find some rarely spotted ciders like Pheasant Plucker (careful how you ask for it after a few) from Broadoak Cider in Clutton as well as Happy Daze from near Pontypridd. More mainstream offerings come in the form of Cheddar Valley, Natch, Taunton and Blackthorn and there’s John Smith’s, Kronenbourg and Stella Artois if you’re not a fan of the juice of the apple. One bar, no food and not much more in the way of furniture to get in the way of your scrumpy appreciation. • Secluded, partly-covered garden ace for summer (and smoking).
AVON PACKET
185-187 Coronation Rd, Southville, BS3 1RF. Tel: 0117 987 2431 • Friendly, characterful hangout, with traditional bar games (dominoes, cribbage, snooker and bar billiards), pool table and TV with Sky Sports. They’ll be the showing the Ashes; a while back the pub organised a trip to see a Test in the Windies! Drinks-wise expect Courage Best and Bass ales, lagers, Guinness, Murphys and plenty of cider. Hot meat rolls on Sundays or when demand dictates. Fascinating toy car and key ring collection to pore over indoors with covered and heated smoking area out back. • Boasts a rare tiled exterior and beer garden - with duck pond!
BAG O’NAILS
141 St Georges Rd, Hotwells, BS1 5UW. Tel: 07717 846560, web: www.bagonails.110mb.com • The name comes from ‘bacchanalia’ - meaning drunken feast - and the extraordinary array of ales on offer here makes it entirely appropriate. A dozen different draughts are up for downing weekly, with around 25 more obscure bottled beers bringing more options and the 60-80 festival brews (November being the next date for your diary) bringing yet more. It’s little wonder it was CAMRA Pub of the Year in 2000 and has local regulars plus drinkers from California, Texas, Germany and China among its appreciative following. The pickled eggs (with gynaecological-looking tongs) have been joined by Clark’s pies and pasties, rolls and a creditable bar snack range (including Twiglets!) within the food offerings. An absolute treasure. • Look out for the gas lighting and the floor’s portholes.
THE BANK TAVERN
8 John St, BS1 2HR. Tel: 0117 930 4691, web: www.thebanktavern.com • A pub has stood here for 225 years. Compact, friendly, and a wonderful alternative to the many big-name chains nearby. William Morris patterns, a picture of the Queen and its own range of pickled eggs enhance the distinctive ante. Popular with the pre-club crowd on DJ-enhanced Fri and Sat evenings. Four real ales on offer plus 10 cider choices, four of which are on tap, with Katy among the bottles. Decent selection of lagers too. Small wine selection. Plans are in place for a beer festival/summer fete in August which may see the road outside closed. • Beware the fake khazi door!
BARLEY MOW
39 Barton Rd, St Philips, BS2 0LF Tel: 0117 930 4709 • The Dings was once an area of tightly packed terraces but slum clearance in the 1930s saw most of its inhabitants moved elsewhere and today only 117 households remain. This history is crucial to appreciating the Barley Mow, the locale’s last remaining pub. Its origins may explain its survival; it was purpose-built as a boozer (so the cellar’s beneath the bar), with the first licensee back in 1828. CAMRA notified the Bristol Beer Factory of the danger of its closure some time before Drinking Out West 2008’s publication and, thankfully, 2009 finds the Barley’s new incarnation having taken root. A nod to all this history comes via the Cut Blaster - a beer brewed in celebration of the Feeder Canal’s bicentennial - on draught as we go to press. Expect to find Bristol Beer Factory brews Number 7, Sunrise, Red and Milk Stout on offer, with Grolsch, Beck’s and Stowford Press also on draught. Bottles include tipples like Staropramen, Peroni, Sol, Westons Organic, Thatchers Gold and Brothers Pear. Food takes in the traditional - pies, sausage and mash, ham, egg and chips as well as some classy homemade tarts. Sunday barbecues planned. Thursday quiz, with entertainment such as karaoke, DJs or live bands on Saturdays. Smokers get some coverage in the courtyard. • The name ‘Barley Mow’ came about via an administrative error.
THE BEAR
261 Hotwell Rd, BS8 4FF. Tel: 0117 987 7796 • A real mix of clientele in this popular venue, from students and locals to visiting musicians. Beers: Courage Best (and Smooth), Doom Bar and Butcombe, plus Stella, Guinness (cold), Blackthorn and Foster’s. Suntrap courtyard and accommodation available. Good pub grub served lunchtimes, including pasta, fish, steaks etc. Covered and heated smoking area. • Renowned bebop jazz club with international acts every Fri evening, live music occasionally Sat, and early Sun evenings nine weeks out of ten.
BEAUFORT
21 York Rd, Montpelier, BS6 5QB. Tel: 0117 955 5216 • A warm welcome awaits when you step through the doors of this cosy family-run pub. Twin-barred, mid-terrace and packed with character and characters who, alongside the jukebox stuffed with blues, reggae and Irish standards, provide the entertainment while you enjoy a pint of Butcombe, Blackthorn, Beck’s, Stella Artois, Kronenbourg or Foster’s. Large selection of rums and spirits. Enjoy your ciggie in the pub’s heated driveway. • Be prepared to sing along with the locals.
BEAUFORT ARMS
23 High St, Clifton, BS8 2YF. Tel 07813 115753 • Landlady Debbie, here 11 years, must be approaching Bristol institution status and her tavern isn’t far behind. She converted the Beaufort Tap into the Beaufort Arms cider house and ensures this backstreet boozer’s charm remains unspoiled. Real ale options are Butcombe, London Pride and Doom Bar with Thatchers, Thatchers Gold and Taunton Traditional among four draught ciders and Katy and Natch in bottles. Sunday lunch is now sold all year round, with bangers and mash, liver and onions and fish and chips among the grub served Tuesday to Friday lunchtimes. Darts, pool and board games bring bona fide boozer bonhomie while the new paint job outside has not removed the old place’s pleasing homeliness. • Jukebox boasts hits from the 60s onwards.
BEEHIVE
112 Wellington Hill West, Henleaze, BS9 4QY. Tel: 0117 962 3250 • Colony collapse disorder may be a major threat to our buzzing little friends but this Beehive is in rude health with a major refurb heralding reopening - with a hog roast - as we go to press. New emphasis will be on welcoming families - a no-brainer given the massive beer garden holding more tables than the Rothmans Football Yearbook. Within you’ll find new flooring plus leather sofas creating a lounge feel. The Sportsman’s Bar’s name survives the refurb, but while the darts and pool have gone, Sky Sports is set to return. A function room will open later in the year. Very much in place already are beers from the likes of Courage Best, Bass and Butcombe and a brace of guests. Food to be served 12noon-2pm and from 6pm daily. • Twenty tables outdoors with improved smoking facilities set to arrive.
THE BELL
16-18 Hillgrove St (off Jamaica St), Stokes Croft, BS2 8JT. Tel: 0117 909 6612, web: www.butcombe.com/bell.htm • A classic wood-floored public house with a cosmopolitan clientele. The secluded garden is semi-covered, with halogen heaters on at night time, creating an oasis in the centre of town. The menu features good pub fare at decent prices served at lunchtime and in the early evening as well as a Spanish menu on Wednesday nights starting from 7pm. Prime quality beers include Butcombe Bitter, Gold and Blond plus cold-filtered Premium Blond and Bath Ales’ Gem. Also on draught are Veltins - a 4.8abv German pilsner going down well - plus San Miguel, Foster’s and Ashton Press. Bristol’s best DJs play from Tuesday to Sunday in the back bar, which is also used for parties. • Tiled beer garden with heaters, covers and lighting boasts Jamiroquai-vid chic.
THE BERKELEY
Berkeley Centre, Queens Rd, BS8 1QE. Tel: 0117 927 9550 • Big, busy Wetherspoons pub, one of the first of the ‘super-pubs’ to hit Bristol. Great location and plentiful space has made this a consistently popular choice, especially for students. Drop-down TV screens show all major sporting events, but quiet areas of the pub still remain. Around five or six real ales always on, with Pedigree, Abbot and Butcombe permanent fixtures and an ale festival set for September (they had a wine festival just before DOW hit the newsstands). Other draughts come by way of Kronie, Foster’s, Coors, Carling, Strongbow and Blackthorn, with plentiful food offers like Tuesday steaks and Thursday curries. • Look out for the domed glass ‘globe area’, one of Venueland’s most attractive architectural features.
BISHOPS
Cheltenham Rd, BS6 5QP. Tel: 0117 944 5169 • Due to its location in studentsville, it’s rammed with bright, noisy young things. Drinks: three real ales - two Greene King and one rotating guest - and a wide selection of wines by the glass or bottle. Cheap champagne, too. Heineken, Foster’s and Carlsberg on tap. Good-value food: the stone-baked pizzas can be eaten in or taken away, and students enjoy a whopping 25% off food and drink on Mon and 15% off drinks at other times. All major sports shown. Drink offers change monthly. • Soul Train nights 27 June and for August bank holiday.
BLACKBOY INN
171 Whiteladies Rd, BS8 2RY. Tel: 0117 940 6130 • Relaunch completed around a year ago with the Blackboy Inn now a place of lunchtime food and monthly music. Drinks-wise you’ll find London Pride and Butcombe along with Thatchers Gold and Blackthorn, with lagers Foster’s, Stella and Amstel completing the draughts. Steeped in history and character and serving beer since 1797. • Blackboy Hill is named after this inn, which was probably named after Charles II (who was of a dark complexion), rather than having any direct links with Bristol’s slave trade.
BRIDGE INN
Passage St, BS2 0JF. Tel: 0117 949 9967, web: www.bathales.com • Size isn’t everything when it comes to pubs, as the Bridge and its warm and friendly atmosphere proves. Well-kept and well-served selection of Bath Ales beauties - Spa, Gem and a rotating guest. Ciders offer up Bounders - on tap 14 days at time of going to press - by those aforementioned Bath Ales people as well as Blackthorn and Ashton Press, with Bath Ales’ lager too. Homemade food includes enormous doorstep sandwiches (bigger than some people’s idea of a main meal), jacket spuds, chilli and chips and three weekly specials served weekdays noon to 3pm. Quiz not run as we go to press but monthly events likely. Benches outside for relaxed rolly enjoyment. • One of the city’s smallest pubs.
BRISTOL FLYER
96 Gloucester Rd, Bishopston, BS7 8BN. Tel: 0117 944 1658 • Sprawling, smart biggie with numerous distinct areas. If you need to meet with a business acquaintance, fancy some romantic seclusion or are just after gathering the gang for a good time, you’ll find the space and a mood that’s spot-on. Fat seating adds a bit of luxury to sport watching, while there are books and board games and a ‘really cheesy’ quiz on Monday. The well-stocked bar’s plentiful draughts include Greene King plus two guest real ales alongside Old Rosie, Aspall’s, Addlestones, Bulmers and Weston Scrumpy ciders plus swish lagers like Kirin, Peroni, Staropramen and Beck’s. Bottles include that ace Innis & Gunn plus Sierra Nevada from California and Mexico’s Pacifico. Food comes from a chef whose CV includes time at Hampstead’s Giraffe rustling up dishes in the ballpark of braised lamb shank with beer and cranberry sauce with cheddar mash as well as lighter options like rustic bread and calamari with lime mango. • Big heated garden out back has plenty of cover for smokers and non-smokers alike, with barbecues planned.
BRISTOL RAM
32 Park St, BS1 5JA. Tel: 0117 926 8654 • A refurb since last year has lightened the place up and extended the bar, making for an even more friendly, relaxed and cosy atmosphere in which you can enjoy some sizeable drink options. Four real ales from Young’s and Wells are always on as are offerings like Peroni, Red Stripe, Foster’s, Staropramen and Amstel with Scrumpy Jack and Addlestones for cider types. Wine types get six whites, six reds, two rosés and some sparklers. Food served daily all day. • Live acoustic music every Friday, some Sundays.
BUNCH OF GRAPES
8 Denmark St. Tel: 0117 987 0500, web: www.thebunchofgrapes.co.uk • The refurb flagged up in last year’s guide duly arrived, making this L-shaped lovely a still more attractive spot for drinking. One natty touch is the sign directing punters to the chip shop next door if they’re after bringing in a takeaway; there’s a reciprocal sign in the chippie pointing their punters pub-wise! Three real ales - Caledonian, Doom Bar and Bombardier - line up on tap alongside Kronie, Foster’s, Bulmers, Inch’s cider and Guinness among other draughts, with bottles including Bulmers pear and original, Jacques, Corona, Budweisrer, Budvar and Newcastle Brown. Music three-four nights weekly with the pub’s own food served Thur-Sat 12noon-2pm and 5-7pm. • Standing in a historic street in a grade II-listed building, it’s been a pub since the 1800s and has always been known as the Bunch of Grapes!
BUSH TAVERN
Wells Rd, Totterdown, BS4 2BA. Tel: 0117 908 6805, web: www.bushtavern.co.uk • Hilltop biggie inexplicably missing from DOW’s pages until 2009. Sport mecca, with six screens (four flat) plus projector showing Sky and Setanta, with beer festivals for the Ashes - come on, England! Seriously good live bands should be playing by the time you read this as this place enters a new era under new management. Draughts include Stella, Foster’s, Kronenbourg, Guinness, Blackthorn, Thatchers and Marstons Smooth and Pedigree, with bottles offering up Addlestones, Corona, Newcastle Brown and Manns Brown Ale among others. Chicago-style pizzas served daily from noon-9/10pm. Three pool tables plus half-covered patio deck running along the building’s entire north side and offering excellent view of Bristol (with heaters for winter). If you’ve never dropped in, then start making up for lost time! • Proper live bands, top beer, pizza, sport and one of the city’s best views.
CADBURY HOUSE
Richmond Rd, Montpelier, BS6 5EW. Tel: 0117 924 7874 • Legendary drinking institution in Bristol’s bohemian quarter, a vital part of the local community and home to a good mix of students, locals and virtual tenants. Always a good place for a hassle-free pint, even on the crowded weekends. Top choice of real ales and ciders, large garden and an outside, covered pool table. Kitchen now in the safe hands of two talented young Bristol chefs, with a world food night every Monday with regional acoustic music. Six pounds gets you a curry and selected drink. • Drop in to check out the food.
CAMBRIDGE ARMS
Coldharbour Rd, Redland, BS6 7JS. Tel: 0117 973 9786 • Cambridge might not be particularly coastal but you’ll find Gales Seafarers ale on draught here thanks to The Cambridge Arms being a Fullers boozer. Quaff away, safe in the knowledge your every sup is contributing to a charity supporting Seafarers UK. There’s an admirable seven real ales always on, including organic Honeydew plus ESB with Carling, Stella, Grolsch, Strongbow, Budvar, Sol and Leffe also available and friendly barmaid Emma assuring DOW she’d drink the alcohol-free lager. Food is particularly good, with fish in Discovery batter, daily specials and lighter bites. The large beer garden is always popular; children welcome with shelter for the smokers. • Cash prize quiz on Sundays, 8.30pm.
CAT AND WHEEL
207 Cheltenham Rd, BS6 5QX. Tel: 0117 942 7862 • Big, busy two-bar pub with pool tables and big-screen sports. Four real ales include Rucking Mole, Bass, Doom Bar plus guest, with Heineken, Kronenbourg, Foster’s, Thatchers Gold and Black Rat cider also on draught and Westons Organic in boxes. Plenty more ciders in bottles plus up to three annual cider fests. Gazebo and awning in the gardens. Open Mon-Thur 2pm-12midnight, Fri-Sat 12noon-1am, Sun 12noon-12midnight. • Thursday quiz going 14 years, Saturday disco, Sunday karaoke.
CHANNINGS HOTEL
Pembroke Rd, Clifton, BS8 3BB. Tel: 0117 973 3970 • That one of the regulars has been coming here for 40 years - he recalls the days of seven landlords ago - confirms this as a place to which you return once discovered. A venerable Clifton institution, its beer garden is a beauty, its interior impressive and its atmosphere ever so slightly aspirational. The wooden panelling and luxurious sofas create a stylish mood for a glass of wine but you’re as welcome nursing a pint when watching the sport. Comedy, quizzes and music bring entertainment almost on a par with the people-watching when the barbecue’s cranked-up. Butcombe, Doom Bar and guest on draught along with the likes of Stella, Beck’s Vier and Strongbow. Fresh pub food includes fish and chips, bangers and mash, hunters chicken plus lime and coriander salmon. • Originally given as a gift to a royal lady-in-waiting to keep her quiet about one of Queen Victoria’s affairs, apparently.
THE CLIFTON
16 Regent St, Clifton, BS8 4HG. Tel: 0117 974 1967 • Admirably attracting an 18-85 crowd, with décor and drinks similarly diverse. An impressive lager range offers quality like Staropramen, Paulaner, Erdinger, Peroni and Fruli, with up to three real ales in the form of Doom Bar and Tribute equally exalted. Clifton Ales from those ace Bath Ales types make an occasional appearance. Addlestones Cloudy and Stowford Press ciders are on draught among the ciders. Good whisky selection but even more spectacular is the ‘Grab my Grapes’ offer on Wednesday from 5pm, with bottles of wine costing £7.95 to £11.95. Tuesday has the Clifton Factor quiz, Thursday live music and Sunday’s Soul Fiesta sees choons from ‘days of yore’ spun. All this plus top food conjured up amid an open kitchen’s theatre within the pub’s laid-back atmosphere. • Cider festival set for the summer.
CLYDE ARMS
129 Hampton Rd, Redland, BS6 6JE. Tel: 0117 923 7936 • Popular, friendly old-fashioned boozer with lovely stained glass windows and a real community feel. Beers include Sharp’s Doom Bar and Butcombe Bitter, plus a good range of keg standards such as Stella, Guinness, Foster’s and Kronenbourg. Quiz night on Tue. Small, sunny patio has umbrellas for when it’s not. Back indoors there’s a darts board, two top pool tables and big and small TV screens showing all Sky Sports and other programmes plus a great jukebox. • Poker night every Sunday, occasional karaoke.
COACH AND HORSES
Highland Sq, Clifton, BS8 2YB. Tel: 0117 974 5176 • Our chap dropped in on a busy opening night to find a right old shindig underway. This characterful former coaching inn overlooks a square, and on a balmy summer’s evening - remember them? - the feel’s not a million miles from drinking alfresco on the terrace of a bar beside an Italian piazza. You certainly don’t pay extra for the setting, with revellers telling our man their wine would cost a load more if drinking on Whiteladies Road a few yards away. Impressive sporting memorabilia includes shirts signed by Messrs Flintoff and Vaughan. Courage Best, Bass and Butcombe, always on, are joined by two guests with Addlestones and Thatchers Gold ciders and lagers in the form of Heineken, Stella and Foster’s completing the draughts. Food-wise, we’re talking dishes like sweet chilli pork belly, lasagne, ploughman’s and half-roast chicken. Open mic Mon, monthly quiz. • A lovely view across the rooftops.
COLSTON YARD
Colston St, BS1 5BD. Tel: 0117 376 3232 • Reopened at the site of the old Smiles Brewery in December 2007, this Butcombe beaut serves rural ambience in a city bar, bringing traditions from home and abroad. Real ales take in Butcombe and guests with other draughts including Menabrea, Budvar, San Miguel and Ashton Press, but it’s the 44 - count ’em - bottled beers from German black lager to a Belgian brew named in reference to the DTs and beyond which truly offer something different. There’s Orchard Pig pear juice if you’ve given up altogether but no cold turkey in the food selection which takes in mains like bangers and mash, fish and chips plus pizzas. Music on the last Wednesday monthly plus a September beer festival promising around 10 real ales and as many continental varieties and more. Cobbles to have been repaved by the time you read this, with heating and cover for the smokers. • Any takers for Samiclaus - billed as the strongest beer in the world (14°)? It’s brewed on one day per year - 6 December - St Nicolas’s Day.
COMMERCIAL ROOMS
Corn St, BS1 1HT. Tel: 0117 927 9681 • Wetherspoons biggie, in what was once an exclusive coffee house where merchants used to discuss stocks and shares (the compass informing of boats making dock is still here). Butcombe Gold, Pedigree, Courage Best, Directors and Abbot Ale are on draught, along with anything up to six guest ales. Five draught ciders include Old Rosie and Vintage Organic. Kronie, Stella, Carling, Foster’s, Guinness, Blackthorn and Strongbow, plus vodka range and modest cocktail menu, keep the variety coming. Food offers all the time. • Wine festival set to run until June 28.
COOPERS ARMS
12-13 Ashton Rd, Ashton, BS3 2EA. Tel: 0117 902 0359 • Small, local Victorian hostelry with Bombardier, Butcombe and Courage Best on tap plus Blackthorn for ciderheads. A proper local drinking hole with comfortable seating, great stained glass and heavy curtains: a real local’s pub with no frills, and all the better for it. Thankfully free of yuppies and lager boys alike, and there’s a nice beer garden out back. Its lack of steps makes it popular with wheelchair users. Heated smoking area. • Dogs welcome out back.
THE CORNUBIA
142 Temple St, Redcliffe, BS1 6AB. Tel: 0117 925 4415 • Serves guest beers from local microbreweries, traditional cider and, occasionally, perry. Up to six ales on, of which up to four can be guests. Tucked away between the old brewery site and offices, where its ambience and atmosphere attracts a loyal following, particularly from Bristol CAMRA. Expect to find cider options covering varieties like Cheddar Valley, Thatchers Gold, Happy Daze, Kingston Black and Hecks with Grolsch among the lagers. The pub has one bar and two rooms with long shelves to rest your drink, and serves a range of food at the bar at lunchtimes and evenings. The first-floor area is also available to hire. Beer festivals and numerous board games. Outside decking, heating and cover expected to arrive. • Once the executive suite/brewery tap for Courage Bristol Brewery.
THE CORONATION
18 Dean Lane, Southville, BS3 1DD. Tel: 0117 940 9044 • Little local, popular with all ages as well as Venue’s main foodie. Charming, chatty landlady Lorna and staff are joined by charming but understandably less chatty West Highland terrier Buster in offering a warm welcome at this down-to-earth local which is set to see a spot of redecoration as we go to press. Lagers are Foster’s, Kronenbourg and Warsteiner, with ales coming in the form of three Hop Back Brewery regulars like Summer Lightning, Crop Circle and Best plus three guests. Permanently-on Stowford Press is joined by a guest such as Westons Traditional or Old Rosie as well as four white and a single red wine. Eating comes via pizzas served daily 6-9am with some seriously tasty cheeseboards available on Sunday lunchtimes and Lorna serving snacks for the old boys playing crib and dominoes of a Tuesday. Numerous awards won by the beer served here are on display. • Considered to be ‘One of a dying breed’ - long live the Coronation!
CORONATION TAP
8 Sion Place, Clifton, BS8 4AX. Tel: 0117 973 9617, web: www.thecoronationtap.com • Not just a local legend - the world-famous Corrie Tap is the only cider house in Clifton and the oldest in Bristol. Home of the infamous Exhibition cider (sold in half-pints only) along with a range of over seven locally produced ciders, including Thatchers, Cheddar Valley and Taunton Trad, plus real ales for those who shun the apple. A much-loved traditional bar: you never know who you might bump into - according to one university hall yearbook, both God and Elvis are regulars. Opens 5.30pm weekdays.• Very popular for live music, making it into the final six of the UK music pub of the year award - the only Bristol pub to do so.
COTHAM PORTER STORES
15 Cotham Rd South, BS6 5TZ • Gorgeous little mid-terrace pub famed citywide as one of Bristol’s finest traditional cider houses, with plentiful draught ciders including Thatchers Traditional, Gold and Dry, Cheddar Valley and Wilkins (from Wedmore). The P45 - made especially near Burnham-on-Sea - arrived a few weeks back. Weighing in at 7%, it joins DR 10 in being exclusive to this pub, with both accompanied by Legbender, a guest at time of going to press. Bottle selection; Thatchers Katy, Dabinet, oak-matured and perry. Oh yeah, Kronie, Doom Bar and Wickwar’s Long John Silver too. Busy but cosy, with a real community feel, where cricket is loved almost as much as the juice of the apple. Courtyard for smokers. Jukebox. Open daily from 12noon. ’Fraid there’s little to suggest the pub mural was painted by one John Winston Lennon when The Beatles played Bristol. • A plaque and a photograph here pay respect to much-missed cricketers.
COTTAGE INN
Baltic Wharf, Cumberland Rd. Tel: 0117 921 5256 • Fabulous dockside location that’s just made for the sunshine, with great views across the river. A full menu and specials include dishes like beef, ale & mushroom pie, cod & chips, bangers & mash, sweet and sour chicken and vegetarian goulash. It’s a beautiful spot for a Sunday lunch, whether eaten indoors beside the fire when it’s cold, or enjoyed outside overlooking the larks on the water when the warm weather arrives. Four real ales at any time likely to include the likes of Butcombe, Butcombe Gold and Exhibition. Ashton Press is on draught with Magners and Gaymers Pear Cider in the fridge. Lagers take in Beck’s Vier, Stella and Veltins while there’s an extensive wine selection available by the bottle or glass. A real summer hotspot. Smoking area on the patio. • Ferry to the city centre goes from just outside.
THE CROFT
117-119 Stokes Croft, BS1 3RW. Tel: 0117 987 4144, web: www.the-croft.com • The record shop and café - Cherry Picked Records - anticipated in last year’s guide has duly arrived and operates from around 1-7pm until the Croft kicks into evening mode when it becomes one of the finest live music venues in Bristol. Drop in for beers - Bath Ales’ Gem plus Bristol Beer Factory’s Number 7 - alongside lagers like Red Stripe, San Miguel and Foster’s, and Kingston Press, Westons Organic and Stowford Press ciders on draught, with Brothers in bottles. • Plentiful musical offerings already available, food offerings due when the kitchen gets installed.
THE CROSS HANDS
1 Staple Hill Rd, Fishponds, BS16 5AA. Tel: 0117 965 4684 • Ale-led biggie with up to eight of the blighters on offer at any one time plus Heineken, Amstel and Beck’s on draught. Food takes in pizza, pasta and more, with money-saving offers like two courses for £10 Tue-Sat 5-7pm and a bottle of wine for £6 when dining. Known for not showing sport, a policy which may change. Smoking area offers shelter and heaters. • Originally a coaching station, a pub has been on the site for over 200 years.
LA DEMI LUNE
188 Hotwells Rd, Hotwells, BS8 4RP. Tel 0117 927 7112 • Drinking Out West becomes Drinking Out Ouest in the case of La Demi Lune which brings Gallic joie de vivre to Venueland’s drinking and dining scene. Formerly the Spring Gardens, an extensive transformation a few years back saw chef Lionel Seigneur and partner Anna create a bistro feel reminiscent of a hidden Parisian joint to which monsieur le taxi driver may take you if you slip him a pack of Gitanes. That said, Lionel and partner Anna welcome all in for a pint of Butcombe or that fine lady Stella on draught, never more so than on Sunday when Les Rosbifs can enjoy an excellent roast and fish-lovers and veggies also get options. Naturellement, the wine choices are strong, with 10 whites and 10 reds, while Tiger, Beck’s and Budweiser chill in the fridge. Large garden out back for yer Gauloises, enjoyed with nothing coming between you and the great British weather. Open Tue-Sat 4-11pm, Sun 12noon-4pm. • The change of name came about in part in response to people phoning up thinking the Spring Gardens was a Chinese takeaway.
DOWNEND TAVERN
125 Downend Rd, Fishponds, BS16 5BE. Tel: 0117 987 3413 • Old-fashioned, single-bar, street-corner boozer currently serving Courage Best, Doom Bar plus Maiden Voyage alongside a few keg beers and lagers. Small patio area for alfresco drinking, with bar snacks available daily and a decent Sunday carvery. • Live music Thursday, Friday and Saturday weekly.
DRAWBRIDGE
14-15 St Augustine’s Parade, BS1 4UT. Tel: 0117 929 8391 • Formerly the Horn and Trumpet and positioned perfectly beside the Hippodrome for a pre- or post-theatre pint. Bombardier, Foster’s, Heineken, Amstel and Strongbow on draught, with bottles taking in tipples like Corona, Budweiser, Stella, Jacques, Woodpecker and Bulmers. Alas, the rooftop terrace has gone to the big rooftop terrace in the sky, but there’s now more time in which to get a bite, with food served from 11am-9pm. • Easily found (and big) central meeting place.
DUKE OF YORK
2 Jubilee Rd, St Werburghs, BS2 9RS. Tel: 0117 941 3677 • Last year’s CAMRA Bristol and district pub of the year is a lively, fun hangout. You might need to ask a local to get directions but, once found, you’ll be glad you ventured. Yosh Coe is still here after taking over the reins at 2005’s tail. Four rotating real ales, and a huge selection of ciders - up to 12 at any one time. Great games room upstairs has pool, darts, skittle and fussball, while the beer garden has a retractable sail. Open evenings only (Sat from 4pm, Sun from 3.30pm); no food but great atmosphere and a beer festival staged in 2008. Local artists’ exhibitions given admirable exposure upstairs. General knowledge quiz Wed at 8pm. • Check out the fantastic external mural and graffiti art in the toilets.
ELDON HOUSE
6 Lower Clifton Hill, BS8 1BT. Tel: 0117 922 1271, web: www.theeldonhouse.co.uk • Another chapter has been written in the Eldon House’s history since last year’s guide, with Pauline and Alex arriving at this charming boozer endearingly off the beaten track. Some major refurbishment has been in the air but DOW is assured all will be completed by the time you read this. An extended side room will mean greater capacity to expand the food side of operations - expect to find dishes like ham, egg and chips, sausage and mash and burgers plus a spectacular seven-vegetable Sunday roast. Three real ales currently on but plans are for four to be on draught - look out for Barnstormer among the Bath Ales beauties. Their Bounders cider is also available, beside Ashton Press, Bath Ales’ organic lager, Kronenbourg and Foster’s. Poker on Mon depending on numbers, quiz on Tue with the possibility of some live music of a Sun. • If you’ve not yet dropped in, go along and discover!
FAMOUS ROYAL NAVAL VOLUNTEER
King St, BS1 4EF. Tel: 0117 929 1763 • In an age when good customer service is all too rare, hats off to manager David Lee whose aim here is to always exceed expectation. Dating back to 1673 and with an interior modelled on a ship’s captain’s cabin, the Volly remains as popular as ever thanks to some eclectic brews on tap. Regulars Moor Merlin’s Magic, Cotleigh Golden Sea Hawk (almost as rare as the magnificent bird after which it’s named) and Codrington Codger are joined by three guests changing fortnightly. Comfy seats and sofas, a library, separate rooms: whatever you want your pub to have, you’ve got it. Separate function room available to hire. Beer festival planned for time of Bristol’s harbour shindig at the end of July, with live music on the last Friday monthly. Light meals served at lunchtimes with a quick turnaround getting you back to the office in good time. • John Elbridge, the man who founded the BRI, once lived here.
THE FARM
Hopetoun Rd, St Werburghs, BS2 9YL. Tel: 0117 944 2384, web: www.thefarmpub.weebly.com • Funky, laid-back but lively community pub much beloved for generations; before she grew up to pull pints, barmaid Auria was watched by her mum when playing in the adjoining playground back in the day. Regular music is held indoors and out, exhibitions are staged and the quiz is set to return. Weekly guest ales join regulars Gem and Doom Bar on draught, with lagers including Red Stripe and Beck’s Vier. Food offers up British classics beside exotic touches like albondigas - Mexican meatballs - with the Sunday roasts coming with a get-here-early warning. Exterior painted by graffiti artists xenz, busk and sark. Book-swap, board games and free wi-fi. • All-day charity fundraising events and ‘Occasional Cinema’ appearances set for summer.
FORESTERS ARMS
94 Ashley Down Rd, Ashley Down, BS7 9JR. Tel: 0117 924 3852 • Immensely attractive redbrick local popular with the city’s Scottish and Irish community, showing all Celtic games as well as gaelic sports like hurling. A pre- and post-match fave with Gasheads and, given the Reds’ links to the Scottish giants, likely to host a few Liverpool fans ahead of August’s friendly. No food but Butcombe, Blackthorn, Stella and San Miguel across the bottles and draughts. Pool table. • Henrik Larsson is their king of kings.
FORESTERS ARMS
99 Gloucester Rd, Bishopston, BS7 8AT. Tel: 0117 940 1848 • Not to be confused with the identically named pub further up and off Gloucester Rd (so if you’ve been texted by a mate, don’t make the same mistake your author did). No Sky but a pool room upstairs for making your own sport before heading north for Gloucestershire or Gas chasers. Courage Best, Bass, Stella, Kronie, Taunton Traditional and Blackthorn among the draughts. • Blends into Gloucester Road’s bustle but well worth looking out for.
THE FULL MOON AND ATTIC BAR
Stokes Croft, BS1 3PR. Tel: 0117 924 5007, web: www.fullmoonbristol.co.uk • A winning mixture of friendly boozer, jumping live music joint and bank balance-friendly accommodation a stone’s throw from St James Barton roundabout. Drop in to find six real ale pumps with Gem, Golden Hare and Doom Bar on tap as we go to press, with three organic ales also served. Ciders are Ashton Press and Taunton Traditional with lagers lining up in Kronenbourg, Heineken and Foster’s formation. Dub from Atlantis are among the weekend funk and soul merchants, with Guy Calhoun among the acts on the recent bank holiday most-of-the-dayer. Organic pizzas set to add to the food options which change four times annually, with dishes like fish pie and eight-hour cooked tagines representative. • Facebook group celebrates the Full Moon’s much-missed (?) sticky carpets.
GEORGE
228 Wells Rd, Knowle, BS4 2AX. Tel: 0117 949 3314 • Community boozer attracting numerous regulars for its fine selection of draughts and bottles, covering Courage Best, Bombardier, Bulmers, Kronenbourg and San Miguel among others. Heaters and brollies for those sparking up in front. Open Mon-Thur from 5pm, Fri-Sun from noon. • Shane Warne used to drink in here. Shane Warne, fer crying out loud.
GLOUCESTER ARMS
635 Gloucester Rd, BS7 0BJ. Tel: 0117 951 4925 • Family-friendly and much-loved by its regulars, the Gloucester Arms holds a warm welcome for all, with pool, sport on TV and a spot of music on a Sunday afternoon among its attractions. Courage Best on draught, Bulmers pear cider in bottles. Garden front and back, with the rear boasting a children’s play area. Possibility of lager or cider festivals.
• Formerly the Duke of York.
GOLDEN GUINEA
19 Guinea St, BS1 6SX. Tel: 07971 560313, email: info@thegoldenguinea.co.uk • We go to press before all details are confirmed, but new management here has exciting plans for this historic hostelry a stone’s throw from Bristol’s harbour. Expect a pub - not a bar - feel brought by an eclectic interior incorporating exposed wooden floorboards and reclaimed furniture. The pub is entered through a front terrace, with an upstairs area and upper rear terrace and stairs leading down to the main lounge and lower rear terrace which is to have extensive cover and heating for smokers. Real ales and ciders and a couple of wheat beers and lagers will be available, with high-street, big-name brands avoided in preference for more affordable offerings still ensuring quality. A new sound system has been installed and plans are for Latino nights, among others, with punters getting preferential entry to other venues after leaving the pub. Food may or may not arrive, but hopes are for burgers made from local meat, sharing platters and warming winter soups. Currently open daily from noon until midnight, a 2am licence is also being sought. Definitely one to watch. • The inspiration for Venue’s former Backstreet Boozer series.
GOLDEN LION
244 Gloucester Rd, Bishopston, BS7 8NZ. Tel: 0117 924 6449 • Mango Factory, soon-to-be-massive stars of Bristol’s music scene, gigged here recently - proof, were it needed, of the calibre of band you’re likely to find at the Golden Lion. There’s music in the air nightly, be it live acts, open mic action or DJs, and with a repeat of last year’s ‘Glostonbury’ (Glasto comes to Gloucester Road) in the pipeline, the choons are choice here. The artwork’s none too shabby neither, with the pub’s walls adorned indoors and out. Drinks-wise, we’re talking two real ales plus Stowford Press, Thatchers Traditional, Westons Old Rosie and Aspalls plus lagers on draught and Thatchers pear among the bottles. Smoking out front, with benches to rest yer plates. • None-more-wicked mural covers the exterior.
GOLDEN LION
641 Fishponds Rd, Fishponds, BS16 3BA. Tel: 0117 958 6446 • Characterful neighbourhood boozer on the busy Fishponds Road. Beer comes via Rucking Mole and John Smith’s Smooth on draught, with 6X, Newcastle Brown and Old Speckled Hen in bottles, while cider options include Thatchers, Black Rat, Old Rosie and Cheddar Valley on tap, with Brothers’ pear and strawberry varieties and Magners among the choices chilling in the fridge. Smoke out back under the heaters. • Music on Fridays and Sundays and sometimes the first Wednesday monthly too.
GRAIN BARGE
Hotwell Rd, Hotwells, BS8 4RU. Tel: 0117 929 9347, web: www.bristolbeerfactory.co.uk • A former Top Banana when it comes to Bristol bars. A real ale quaffable quartet from the Bristol Beer Factory - Sunrise, Red, Number 7 and Exhibition - is backed up by quality in the lager and cider department, with Grolsch, Beck’s and Stowford Press on draught. Bottles include Westons Organic, Brothers’ pear and Peroni, with a trio of both red and white for wine lovers. Chef Vivi continues to build on her famed cuisine perfected over time spent cooking across the globe. Regular live music. Smoke out on the covered gangway or top deck while admiring the ss Great Britain. • Beer brewed less than a mile away (so is that a carbon fingerprint?).
THE GREENBANK
57 Bellevue Rd, Easton, BS5 6DP. web: www.thegreenbank.co.uk • Extensive refurbishment has transformed the Greenbank, with wooden floors, 16.8mm acoustic glass and exposed brickwork creating a smart, new and almost unrecognisable look bringing a buzzing vibe. Drink options served from the stylish island bar include imported beers like Erdinger and Budvar, local breweries’ ales and wide spirit choices lining up beside bottled Greenbank cider. Food was due to arrive around the time of going to press; although menu details had yet to be formalised, the Sunday roast was set to raise the bar. Music offerings of undoubted class, with saxophonist James Morton - who’s worked with the legendary Pee Wee Ellis - evincing some seriously high standards. Open mic on Tuesday, function room and table tennis table. • One of Bristol’s most accessible pubs, with train station, cycle path and M32 minutes away.
NEW
GREEN MAN
21 Alfred Place, Kingsdown, BS2 8HD. Tel: 0117 930 4824, web: www.dawkins-taverns.co.uk • After a period of closure, the Green Man flung open its doors in September last year, the name reflecting its MO of serving only organic and natural drinks where possible. Four real ales are always on, with Cornwall’s Organic Brewhouse among the suppliers. Across draughts and bottles expect to find Samuel Smith’s organic lager and cherry beer, wheat beer, Riedenberger organic lager and vegan-friendly Freedom Organic Lager and Dark Lager. Eight each of red and white plus two rosé wines. Luscombe organic drinks provide a quality option to the designated driver. Hearty, organic food comes in loin of venison, smoked haddock and clam chowder, braised rabbit and broccoli cheese bake form. Pub cats George and Mr Bingley are always gently entertaining, the Wednesday evening quiz notches up the excitement levels slightly, with a music licence currently being pursued. • Organic beer festival with other pubs in its group 17-21 Sept.
THE GREYHOUND
32 Princess Victoria St, Clifton, BS8 4BZ. Tel: 0117 973 4187 • A refurb in recent years has smartened up this characterful pub. Regulars retain fond memories of drinking here yonks ago but are as fond of its stylish new incarnation, proof of a sympathetic bit of making over. Heated back garden means there’ll be no shivering like a greyhound when you’re enjoying a smoke. Courage Best permanently on, joined by a guest such as Gem or London Pride. Kronie, San Miguel, Magners cider, Weston Organic and St Helier cider ensure all bases are covered. Food may yet return, with entertainment taking in Sky Sports (come on England!), a Sunday quiz and acoustic live music on Thursdays. Barmaids praised routinely for their friendly nature. Class is permanent at this Greyhound. • Apparently, Elizabeth Taylor and Sean Connery have popped in for a pint in the past.
HARE ON THE HILL
41 Thomas St North, off Dove St, Kingsdown, BS2 8LX. Tel: 0117 908 1982 • Hannah and Alex have arrived here since last year’s guide (DOW hears there are wedding bells on the horizon - congrats!) and have maintained the standards which have seen this Bath Ales beauty listed in numerous pub guides. It was a cover star of 2006’s Pubs & Inns of England & Wales (wherein it’s one of only four Bristol boozers), appeared in Sawday’s Special Places and was CAMRA’s 1998 pub of the year. Draught ales are Spa, Gem, Barnstormer and Golden Hare with occasional guests, with Bath Ales’ organic lager, Budvar, Foster’s and Bath Ales’ cider - Bounders - also on tap. Within the fridge you’ll find the extensive Belgian beer range for which the Hare has long been known, with Leffe, Duvel and Kwak among a big-name range - who says there are no famous Belgians? Fruit beers too. Frobishers’ and Fentimans’ finest give the designated driver some better options. Food is pub grub it’s not worth trying to resist, with rump steak baguettes, homemade chips, bangers and mash, tomato and onion quiche and homemade tomato soup as tasty as they are moreish. Quiz Mon, Sun music booked up until Christmas! • Modern backstreet boozer.
THE HATCHET INN
27 Frogmore St, BS1 5NA. Tel: 0117 929 4118, web: www.thehatchet.co.uk • Lays claim to being the oldest pub in Bristol, established at the beginning of the 1600s, enjoyed by an eclectic clientele here in the mid noughties. A rambling old building with two bars, games room with pool tables and a separate function room, complete with bar, used for club nights and available for private hire. Hugely busy when there’s a decent gig at the nearby Academy or Colston Hall. Butcombe and Courage Best on tap beside Foster’s, Kronenbourg, Heineken, Blackthorn, Thatchers Gold and Bulmers. Bottles include Desperado and Corona. DJ sets sometimes on bank holidays. Open until 2am at weekends. Fully enclosed garden with Stella brollies for tab homage. • Apparently, the door was originally covered in human skin. Ugh!
HEN AND CHICKEN
210 North St, Bedminster, BS3 1JF. Tel: 0117 966 3143, web: www.thecomedybox.co.uk • Your author recently enjoyed an impressive French comedy production at this Bedminster biggie with its upstairs function room. The subject of a complete refurb in recent years, with a café/bar-type feel downstairs within which you can choose from two house beers (Doom Bar and Otter) plus guests such as Bath Ales’ Gem, 6X and Hooky Gold. Cider options include Olde English, Gaymers Pear and Addlestones, with Foster’s, San Miguel, Kronie and Leffe Blonde your lager line-up. Open the fridge door for choices like Tiger, Budweiser and Estrella. Look out for live bands downstairs and food offers on Monday and Tuesday, with grub taking in grills, steaks, pastas, pizzas and more. Ongoing enhancement sees cover due to arrive in the garden. • Comedian Mark Thomas brought his anti-Coca Cola routine here recently.
HIGHBURY VAULTS
St Michaels Hill, BS2 8DE. Tel: 0117 973 3203 • Renowned and highly regarded pub, popular with conversationalists due to the lack of music, with a snug bar for those who want to get away from it all. Seven ales on draught plus the scrummy banana bread beer and chocolate stout in bottles. Terrific-value food. Large rear patio doubles the capacity and is incredibly popular all year round, thanks to numerous heaters. Once the site of a gallows, prisoners were kept here overnight before execution, and legend has it that this was where they ate their last meal. • Every August sees the annual Party on the Hill.
HILLGROVE PORTER STORES
53 Hillgrove St North, Kingsdown, BS2 8LT. Tel: 0117 924 8234 • Cosy, candlelit community pub in the heart of Kingsdown. This is an unpretentious, old-fashioned bar of the highest order, serving real ales including Goff’s Jouster, Cheddar Ales’s Best Bitter and Matthew’s Brassknocker, plus five regularly changing guests. Lager comes from Budvar, San Miguel and Amstel, and there’s Guinness, Erdinger and Thatcher’s Gold cider on tap, plus more in the fridge. Quiz night on Sun. Major rugby matches (Six Nations etc) screened. Open eves only from 4pm, with a nice beer garden; CAMRA Good Beer Guide rated. Beer fest due in summer. • CAMRA Pub of the Year for Bristol and District 2007.
HOBGOBLIN
Gloucester Rd, Bishopston, BS7 8AS. Tel: 0117 942 9534, web: www.hobgoblin-bristol.co.uk • Popular boozer set on two levels with good range of ale (including Wychwood Brewery’s Hobgoblin, naturally), cider and lager (including Strongbow and Kronie) across draughts and bottles, and large front windows from which to watch Gloucester Road go by. Comfy seating perfect for catching the Sky Sports action plus pool table if you’re after creating your own. • All-weather courtyard if you want to get away from the on-screen entertainment.
THE HOLE IN THE WALL
2 The Grove, Queen Sq, BS1 4QZ. Tel. 0117 926 5967 • Historic dockside building providing a beautiful, informal pub and eatery. Drinks include offerings from Timothy Taylor and Butcombe along with Guinness, Strongbow, Aspall and Addlestone’s cider. Plenty of food choices from wraps upwards. Outside seating (and smoking) on the grass. • The name refers to the small window pubs had for customers to keep an eye out for advancing press gangs. The Hole in the Wall has an entire ‘spy house’ on the dock side of the pub, still visible today.
THE HOPHOUSE
Kings Rd, Clifton, BS8 4AB. Tel: 0117 923 7390 • Massive refurbishment in autumn 2007 removed the handsome platform clock, stunning floral displays and pretty much everything else of the Hophouse’s history to create a stylish and contemporary bar and dining room. Expect to find beers along the lines of 6X, Henrys IPA and Wadworth, with Thatchers Gold and Westons Traditional among the ciders. Lagers offer impressive variety, with Kronie, Heineken, Amstel, Foster’s and Bira Moretti among your choices, plus there’s a 30-strong wine list. • The cobbles, still here, can be smoked on.
HOPE AND ANCHOR
38 Jacob’s Wells Rd, BS8 1DR. Tel: 0117 929 2987 • Permanently popular due not least to the astonishing multi-levelled terrace garden out back, with plenty of quirky fixtures and fittings and a pergola at the top in which it’s wonderful to gather, ciggie in hand or not. Home to an admirably eclectic drinks range which makes the Royal Command Performance look lacking in variety. Deep breath: draught ales are Butts’ Barbus Barbus, London Pride, Butcombe Gold, Timothy Taylor, Deuchars and Bristol Beer Factory’s Red or Sunrise with Guinness also on tap. Draught lagers take in San Miguel, Kronie, Heineken and Foster’s, with Ashton Press - the sole draught cider - joined by bottled brethren Thatchers Gold, Oak-Matured, Katy, Cox and Spartan, Bulmers cider and pear cider plus Westons Organic. Bottled lagers are Michelob, Peroni, Corona and the rarely-spotted Bitburger with rioja, merlot, sauvignon and tempranillo in the red corner and chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, pinot grigio and chenin blanc in the white, and rosé for the undecideds. And breathe. The grub has long enjoyed an extensive and loyal following and the bar staff renowned for their friendly service and ready wit. • No machines, pool tables or jukebox, just a warm and relaxing atmosphere.
HORTS
49 Broad St, BS1 2EP. Tel: 0117 925 2520 • A deceptively large pub that seems to go on forever, with lots of nooks and crannies for intimate chats and a quiet meal. A choice of up to five real ales including Young’s Bitter, Bombardier and Bath Ales’s Gem and three ciders - Blackthorn, Thatchers Gold and Thatchers Original. Lagers come in Heineken, Kronie and Foster’s varieties. Baked potatoes, sandwiches and mains are among food options of which the eponymous fellow - see below - would have approved. Smoking area with awning and heaters. • Named after Arthur Hort, an 18th-century bon viveur, writer and artist.
THE IMP
2 Alpha Rd, Southville, BS3 1DH. Tel: 0117 953 5188 • Originally known as the Southville, this is a well-kept neighbourhood pub with decent pub grub - dishes like scampi, burgers etc with specials and everything served daily (apart from Sunday) noon-2pm and 5-7.30pm. If you’re lucky, you’ll win your dinner by way of the meat raffle - you’ve got to be in it to win it. Beers include Courage Best and Doom Bar and the lesser-spotted Toby, with further draught choices coming by way of Blackthorn, Stella, Carling and Foster’s. Quiz Thursday, music monthly. Covered smoking area. • A much-loved locals’ backstreet boozer - as featured in Venue’s bygone series.
THE INN ON THE GREEN
2 Filton Rd, Horfield, BS7 0PA. Tel: 0117 952 1391 • Big, cheerful pub with a fearsome reputation for real ales. There are up to 15 available at any one time, with regulars Doom Bar, Bass and Cornish Coaster beside guests and up to five ciders and perries with a whopping 60 real ales and 20 ciders savoured at the May festival just gone. Kitchen, presided over by Owen Tunstall, serves a well-executed menu influenced by global cuisine while maintaining British classics. Quiz on Sundays. Decent-sized beer garden with umbrellas and heaters. • Won the CAMRA Bristol & District Pub of the Year 2006 - and it’s not hard to see why.
JERSEY LILY
193 Whiteladies Rd. Tel: 0117 973 9037, web: www.jerseylily.co.uk • Historic boozer named after Lillie Langtry where four permanents - London Pride, Spitfire, Doom Bar and Butcombe - are joined by a guest ale and ciders coming in Strongbow, Scrumpy Jack, Bulmers and Taunton Traditional form. Lagers are Kronie, Heineken and Foster’s with Edelweiss a rarely-spotted Dutch white beer. Beer festival in September or October likely. Mains include chilli, lasagne, ham, egg and chips, sausage and mash plus burgers with wraps, sarnies and jackets also done. Mon quiz. Smokers get an awning and Red Bull umbrella and the promise of heaters by the end of 2009. • Clean, crisp, contemporary yet traditional pub.
KELLAWAY
138-140 Kellaway Ave, Horfield, BS6 7YQ. Tel: 0117 924 5368 • The new management referred to in 2008’s guide did not stay long but their successors have now been in place a year and are making an excellent job of restoring the Kellaway to its best. Six real ales take in beers and breweries like Potholer, Cheddar Ales, Wye Valley, Otter, Arbor Ales, Cotleigh and Exmoor. Lagers on draught and in bottles include Kronenbourg, Foster’s, San Miguel, Foster’s, Peroni and Corona, with Newcastle Brown also available and Thatchers Gold possibly going to be so. Five reds, five whites. A lively calendar saw a beer festival and hog roast on the bank holiday just gone, with repeats on the cards. Regular attractions include Tue salsa classes, Wed quiz and four acoustic acts from 8-11pm on Thur, with Fri and Sat taking care of themselves. Food using local products changes every two months, with some innovative offers run. Look out for two rump steaks and wine for £25 and two courses and wine for £15. • Large south-facing suntrap beer garden with gazebo already here and heaters due to arrive. Jug of Pimms, anyone? Kids cop for climbing frame and slide.
THE KENSINGTON ARMS
35-37 Stanley Rd, Redland. BS6 6NP. Tel: 0117 944 6444, web: www.thekensingtonarms.co.uk • “A real contender for those end-of-year awards” is what Venue’s Food and Drink editor called the Kenny, “the best example of a gastropub yet to open in Bristol”. Great food, sensibly priced, plus seasonally-changing real ales, Westons or Hereford perry, Stowford Press and Brothers with Heineken, Amstel and Staropramen your lagers. Look out for quite a shindig come July or August, with talk of a road closure as the Kenny takes its partying outside and into the local community. Tons of atmosphere within, decking on the suntrap patio without. • Even the animals like this place, with Smoky the cat appropriately drifting in to check on her adoring fan base.
KING WILLIAM
20 King St, BS1 4ES. Tel: 0117 926 8672 • A very cosy pub spread over seemingly innumerable rooms over several floors, with a romantic feel courtesy of the fitted booths. Samuel Smith’s beers, lager and ciders plus a fantastic, eclectic selection of drinks you’ll probably never have seen before. The ground-floor bar serves up great pub fodder which, like the drinks menu, includes a smattering of organic, fairtrade and vegan options. Friendly, homely and decidedly unpretentious. • After-hours séances have sought the spirits of bygone whores, slaves and children.
NEW
KINGS ARMS
168 Whiteladies Rd, Clifton, BS8 2XZ. Tel 0117 973 5922 • The Bear is dead, long live the King! Or something like that. What had at one time been the Kings Arms before becoming Bohemia, Babushka, Stark and the Black Bear has been taken back to its roots, in name at least by Nick Armitage of Picture House and Kingsdown Vaults fame. Drop in for Bath Ales’ Gem as well as Otter, with Sagres, Leffe, Heineken, Amstel and Stella 4% beside Thatchers Gold and Guinness, with Ramrod by Young’s among the bottles. Wine is a speciality and goes superbly with the flavoursome English cheese and meat selections on a menu offering the dishes of this green and pleasant land. There’s entertainment enough for the eponymous monarch, with Monday quiz, comedy on Tuesday, salsa on Wednesday, live music on Thursday and DJs on Friday and as part of Saturday’s ‘sundown’ slot from 4pm when punters start drifting in from the Downs. Sunday is pretty much a day-long hangover cure with old pub games plus black & white and newly released films to “amuse when you feel bedraggled”. Wi-fi too. • Massive, multi-faceted marvel gets sympathetic makeover to return to glorious bygone form.
KING’S HEAD
60 Victoria St, BS1 6DE. Tel: 0117 927 7860 • Wonderful pub with a long history, dating back to the mid-17th century, with ornate decoration behind the bar and old photographs of Bristol covering the walls. Doom Bar, 6X, Butcombe Gold and Sharp’s Atlantic on tap, plus Thatchers Gold and Stowford Press ciders, Kronenbourg, Foster’s and Guinness. Food - curries, toasties, burgers, Yorkshire puds - served Mon-Fri 12noon-2pm. Small amount of seating out front on warmer days. Monthly quizzes. • Interior, modelled on a tramcar, was featured in ‘House of Elliott’.
KINGSDOWN VAULTS
31 Kingsdown Parade, BS6 5UE. Tel: 0117 944 2528 • Taken over last year by the Picture House’s Nick Armitage with echoes of the offerings enjoyed at the Kings Arms (see above). Three real ales come in Gem, Otter and Hooky form, with Stella 4%, Sagres, Leffe, Thatchers Gold and Guinness also on. A hefty wine list sees 20 by the glass. Food is nibbly dishes like artisan English cheeses, cured meats and vegetable antipasti served within a small but delightfully-formed pub or out in the landscaped courtyard garden. Outdoor cooking likely to bring barbecues, indoor cooking the toasting of marshmallows beside a winter fire, with fondue also keeping out the chillier weather. Board games, book exchange, quiz Monday, live music/open mic on Thursday and authentic Irish music alternate Saturdays. • A home away from home plus fortnightly performances from Avonmouth’s Hibernia Centre.
THE LANSDOWN
Clifton Rd, Clifton Village, BS8 1AF. Tel: 0117 973 4949 • Very friendly little pub on Clifton Village’s edge where extensive outdoor seating easily triples its size, with decking on several levels creating a variety of alfresco sunning opportunities. The marquee makes way when summer comes, making this a year-round fave. Scrubbing of the lines ensures the five real ales on at any one time reach you in perfect condition. Expect to find tipples like Tribute and Potholer, with ciders and lagers treated with similar care and attention. Robust grub cooked with similar diligence and love. Our chap met Dicken and his girlfriend here. Originally from south Devon, Dicken delighted in finding the kind of place to which he’d become pleasingly accustomed. Admirably diverse entertainment includes bands, occasional theatre - a Shakespeare festival is due in July - and impressively random stuff like a pirate convention. Still more impressive is the sports photography on display; it’s to be hoped 2009’s Ashes will bring imagery as impressive (and the same result) as 2005’s glorious series. • Still a pub - not a bar - with a fine garden and even better local clientele.
NEW
LEVEL ONE
41 Colston St, BS1 5AP • Brand spanking new pub and cocktail bar which opened at the end of May 09, based in what was once the much-loved Griffin. Now run by the boys behind the nearby Pineapple. The weekly line-up includes a women-only night (Fri). • Sunday cabaret.
LITTLE GROSVENOR
3 Coronation Rd, Southville, BS3 1AA. Tel: 0117 904 4433 • Doubtless you’ve cycled or driven past this dinky Victorian boozer beside Bedminster Bridge roundabout many a time. Park and stroll in and you’ll find a central bar serving Bass, new Blackthorn, Bulmers, Taunton Traditional, Foster’s, Kronenbourg and more to regulars in its U-shaped drinking area. You’ll also spot local landmarks among the array of photos and see the Premiership’s megastars on Sky Sports. • The word ‘Little’ was added to the name a few years back.
LLANDOGER TROW
1-4 King St. BS1 4ER. Tel: 0870 990 6424 • One of Bristol’s oldest and architecturally distinctive pubs, and the granddaddy of the vibrant King Street district. Built in 1664 on marshland, it was in here that Daniel Defoe met Alexander Selkirk, who inspired ‘Robinson Crusoe’. The pub also provided the inspiration for the Admiral Bembow in Stephenson’s ‘Treasure Island’. Nowadays attached to a Premier Lodge, it retains its dignified charm with distinct drinking areas and restaurant. Outside seating on the historic cobbles, perfect for smoking or schmoozing with the Old Duke’s lot. Three real ales at any one time such as Spitfire, Butcombe and Hobgoblin plus Carlsberg, Carling, Stella, Beck’s, Strongbow and Guinness. • Reached national fame in 2007 when it featured in a ghost hunt on Living’s ‘Most Haunted’ show.
LONDON INN
7 Cannon St, Bedminster, BS3 1BH • As attractive a façade as you’ll see adorning any pub in Venueland. Within, this 18th-century corner beauty has a single, long drinking area and serves Doom Bar, Courage Best, Foster’s, Stella, Carlsberg, Blackthorn and Thatchers Gold. Look out for ongoing offers like real ales from £1.50 and certain brews £2 weekdays 11am-6pm. Pool and darts with karaoke and disco on weekends. Smoke out back under cover. All in all, a capital place! • Name comes from the days when coaches departed for the Big Smoke from outside. Nowadays your best bet’s a train from Bedminster to Temple Meads and onwards.
LOUISIANA
Bathurst Parade, Wapping Rd, BS1 6UA. Tel: 0117 926 5978 • Hosting live music for over 100 years (with landlord Mr Schillace here a mere 22), the Louisiana continues to host rock royalty. The White Stripes, Coldplay, the Strokes and Amy Winehouse are among top acts too numerous to count who’ve gigged in the intimate confines of the upstairs room. Very popular with students (especially at weekends) as well as locals. Downstairs, the environment is hassle-free and welcoming. Beers: London Pride on tap, plus the usual keg selection, Blackthorn and Thatchers Gold ciders, wines, spirits and bottles. The New Orleans-style balcony is fabulous - ideal for smoking between bands. Exterior refurbed recently, possibility of continental dining arriving to accompany the Sunday lunches. •“If I lived in Bristol I would form a band just to be able to play the Louisiana,” said Ana Matronik.
THE LUCKWELL HOTEL
Luckwell Rd, Bedminster, BS3 3EW. Tel: 0117 953 7362 • A huge and dominating edifice housing a pub of which to be proud: a light, bright, airy and welcoming hostelry full of friendly people with a palpable community feel. Sports fans are well catered for, with Sky TV and a huge pull-down screen for major events. Decent pint of Bass and Courage Best. Covered and heated smoking area. • Darts team.
THE MALL
The Mall, Clifton, BS8 4JG . Tel: 0117 974 5318 • Chances are you’ve been to the Mall but, chances are, you might not have discovered its garden. With the favourable summer forecast - correct at time of going to press at least - 2009 is the year to put that right. Drop in for cut-above drink choices befitting this place’s upmarket address. There are around 15 different beers, lagers and ciders on tap at any one time, including Staropramen, Hoegaarden, Peroni and Carling, along with London Pride, Timothy Taylor’s Landlord and regularly changing guest ales, not forgetting Guinness. The cider selection is similarly simply super, with Aspalls, Addlestones and Gaymers pear likely to be found when visiting, and a cider festival and hog roast in the pipeline. For a drop of something different, try the Franziskaner - a wheat beer judged among the world’s best at 2006’s Munich Beer Festival. There are around 30 wines to choose from, and a spirit range taking in everything you can think of and plenty you probably can’t. Partly covered and heated smoking area. Grub ranges from snacks and sharing platters to full meals. Acoustic solo and duo acts Wed, quiz on Thur, bands on Sat. • Two-level comfy, chill-out haven with wide product selection and garden - this Mall’s got everything!
THE MARDYKE
Hotwell Rd, BS8 4UB. Tel: 0117 907 7499 • With the recession doing no favours to anyone, the bargains to be had at this friendly and unpretentious staple may make it your boozer of choice. Courage Best is £1.80 and Foster’s £1.98; at prices like those you’ll have brass left with which to make selections from the quality jukebox. Thatchers also on draught. Open until 12midnight all week; Fri-Sat until 12.30am. Benches outside; smoke and rest at the same time - now that’s multitasking! • There’s no food, but you’re welcome to grab something from the chippy next door and eat it here.
THE MARKET PLACE
20 St Nicholas St, BS1 1UB. Tel: 0117 929 3561 • Laid-back, contemporary pub/dining room specialising in traditional English cuisine with a modern twist, freshly prepared with locally sourced ingredients. What had been the Elephant and then the Ivory became the Market Place in spring of last year when joint proprietors Sam Daffin and Fiona Weir sated their hankering to run a pub of their own, discovering the premises when surfing the net 7,000 miles away. There’s some beautiful shelving housing the bottles here and a lot of it’s needed: 10 reds and as many whites plus two rosés add up to some of the widest wine choices of any Venueland pub. Bath Ales’ Gem and Butcombe are your real ales with Leffe, Hoegaarden, Kronenbourg, San Miguel and Foster’s as well as Mangers and Addlestones completing the draught choices. Rare-tipple-spotters will delight in finding one bottle shaped like Cape Town’s Table Top Mountain. Who’da thunk it? • Value for money in classy surroundings.
MASONIC
110 North St, Southville, BS3 1HF. Tel: 0117 902 0132 • Proper local boozer with a social club vibe, which thankfully does not require you to roll up your trouser leg and put on a silly apron before going in. Untouched by the gentrification of other parts of North Street, you’ll more likely find the local old geezers clutching their meat raffle tickets than soulless new media types propping up the bar, and hurrah for that. Bass and Courage Best, Blackthorn and Bulmers on draught, with Bulmers also among the bottles. Skittles, crib and darts, as in all the best proper local boozers. • Small paved (and covered) seating area out front for smoking.
MERCHANT’S ARMS
Merchants Rd, Hotwells, BS8 4PZ. Tel: 0117 904 0037 • The splendidly-titled Bristol Brass Ensemble - a musical group boasting five regular members - have been known to bring some classy tunes to the Merchant’s. Similar class comes by way of the four real ales always on, with Spa, Gem and Barnstormer joined by something seasonal and the beer offerings now joined by Bath Ales’ Bounders cider. Sagres and Budvar bring further options, with all booze going fantastically with pies - including pork pies - from the Split Tin Bakery. Two rooms, both furnished with dark wood seating. • Play chess, draughts, cribbage, dominoes and other games in the back bar, quiz on Thur.
MINERS ARMS
Mina Rd, St Werburghs. Tel: 0117 907 9874 • Characterful hostelry particularly popular with the local climbing club, with many original features and warmed by an open fire come winter. Don’t expect grub or gimmicks but do expect a green around the back - complete with tables - making this a cracking corner local. Impressive drinks range offers St Austell Tribute, Sharp’s’ Doom Bar and London Pride beside changing guests, as well as 16 wines, 25 whiskies and eight rums, with spirits coming in 35ml shots. ‘Cava Sunday Cup’ pool competition, Tuesday is open mic, Wednesday is pool team night, quiz on Thursday. The three rooms include a quiet, comfy sofa lounge and a games room with 50p pool; room upstairs available for free hire for parties. Sells Venue on site! • Nearly 30 crisps and snack varieties sold - a local record?
THE MOUSE
Waters Lane, Westbury-on-Trym, BS9 4AA. Tel: 0117 940 5554 • Suburban beauty with a friendly, country cottage pub feel, complete with two log fires. Draught options are distinctly bigger than the eponymous rodent with Doom Bar, Adnams, Theakstons, Blackthorn, Strongbow, San Miguel, Amstel and Foster’s yours from which to choose. There’s also an admirable dozen wines. Food is lighter bites like wedges, spring rolls, wings and combos, with the little ones getting their own littler portions. They’ve long proclaimed the beer garden to be Westbury-on-Trym’s best, and that was before the covers and heaters arrived. Wed poker, Thur quiz and monthly music. • Have you seen the view? It’s a beauty!
NOVA SCOTIA
Nova Scotia Place, Hotwells, BS1 6XJ. Tel: 0117 929 7994 • Dockside drinking den, providing a cosy bar or great alfresco seating if you prefer. Sups include Bass, Courage Best plus two guest ales, Thatchers Traditional, Blackthorn Kronie and Foster’s. The specials change throughout the week, and the food is a hearty mix of traditional English pub grub with slight continental influences: chicken breast served with chorizo, hot and cold doorstop sarnies plus Sunday roasts. Traditional interior with original maritime memorabilia - look out for the maps and ships’ charts featuring Bristol and Portsmouth harbours used as wallpaper. Smoking area with heaters and covers. • Rock ‘n’ roll on last Friday monthly.
OLD CASTLE GREEN
46 Gloucester Lane, Old Market, BS2 0DU. Ffi: 0117 330 9140, web: www.oldcastlegreen.com • Busy little pub in the city’s gay village, open until 4am at weekends, with regular entertainment/theme nights. • Has nine letting rooms, available from just £35.
THE OLD DUKE
King St, BS1 4ER. Tel: 0117 927 7137, web: www.theoldduke.com • They’ve recently started doing regular Saturday afternoon hip-hop and indie rehearsal and jam sessions at this popular and highly esteemed traditional jazz and blues pub, which hosts live music nightly and Sunday lunchtimes. Whether the acts are jamming or gigging, there’s free admission, so dig deep when they pass the hat around and expect large numbers whatever day you choose to visit. Real ales include Courage Best, Directors, Doom Bar and Gem, with four ciders on draught plus Guinness. Massive courtyard out front where kids are welcome. You can easily spend a day reading the jazz ephemera which paper the walls throughout. An institution. • Annual jazz festival over the August bank holiday weekend.
OLD ENGLAND
Bath Buildings, Montpelier, BS6 5PT • The Old E, as it’s affectionately known, is a large old community pub set a little back from the health centre, with a diverse clientele, from social workers to students, artists to artisans. Well-kept draughts on offer include 6X, Red Stripe and Stowford Press, with the well-served Guinness going down a treat. TV sports plus games room with two pool tables, table footie and darts. The MP3 jukebox’s 4,000 songs include choice reggae and ska tunes which drift over the terrace, perfect for outdoor drinking in summer. Bar snacks served lunchtimes and eves. Heated smoking shelter. Occasional summer weekend barbecues. • Probably the country’s only pub with its own cricket nets, replacing ones in which WG Grace practised. WG Grace, fer crying out loud.
OLD FISH MARKET
Baldwin St, BS1 1QZ. Tel: 0117 921 1515 • From the beautiful hanging baskets to the bold fixtures and fittings (look out for the fireplace and stunning dockside mural) to the fine booze range and on to the fact that this place’s name is not disingenuous - it used to be a fish market - it’s hard to not find something to hold dear about this big ole beaut. Indeed, it boasts a host of regulars - rarely the case with city centre pubs - who support fishing, racing and football trips. Ones that didn’t get away, nags which came good and last-minute winners can be celebrated with five real ales on tap including Fullers’ London Pride, Discovery, Honeydew and ESB plus Butcombe, with bottles offering up Fullers’ 1845, London Porter, Golden Pride and Vintage Ale before now. Its standing among the ale-lovers and its hefty dimensions see CAMRA use it to sell tickets for their beer festivals. There’s organic lager plus Carling, Grolsch and Stella plus a couple of ciders and getting on for 20 wines. Westernised Thai fusion and pub grub accompany the drinks. Big-screen sport shown in a passionate but well-behaved atmosphere. • A tunnel, part of the original market, still runs beneath the pub and onto the river.
OLD FOX
301 Gloucester Rd, BS7 8PE. Tel: 07950 203675 • Single-bar Gloucester Road stalwart which in years gone by had a Harley Davidson as part of its décor. Drop in today for a pint of Butcombe, Blackthorn, Stella or Carling while listening to something from the varied jukebox, enjoying a game of arrows or hustling at the pool table where it’s 50p a game. • This part of Gloucester Road used to be called Russell’s Fields.
OLD MAIL HOUSE
56 High St, Staple Hill, BS16 5HW. Tel: 0117 956 6654 • Licensees Alan and Tracey Kershaw spent big on refurbishments when arriving a couple of years or so ago, and have since raised mega bucks via an innovative treasure hunt initiative. A regular’s brainchild, one saw around 20 cars leave the pub at 9am for a spin through Bristol and South Gloucestershire, with £600 presented to Macmillan and an engraved trophy presented to the winners. Good work, people. Draughts include Butcombe, Sagres, Kronenbourg and Blackthorn. Music on Thursday and Saturday, with Sky Sports recently arrived. Heated and covered smoking area enjoyed by those warmhearted regulars. • June 28 is the next Macmillan event.
OLD MARKET TAVERN
29 Old Market St, BS2 0HB. Ffi: 0117 922 6123 or www.omtbristol.co.uk • Just undergoing a change of management as this issue of Drinking Out West was being written (June 09). Traditional real ale pub with a fantastic beer garden. • Good food served lunchtimes.
THE OLD TAVERN
Blackberry Hill, Stapleton, Bristol, BS16 1DB. Tel: 0117 965 0491 • It’s called the Old Tavern but it got a new lease of life in spring when reopening after a period of closure. Ales are Courage Best and Bass, with other draughts Stella, Carling, Blackthorn and Thatchers Gold, Bulmers pear in bottles and Natch in cans. Doubtless a few swigs of Jagermeister help lubricate the tonsils ahead of Tuesday’s karaoke, with live bands playing Fri-Sun. Pub grub will be served when the kitchen is ready (which might be by the time you’re reading this), from which time opening will be from 11am daily. Several TV screens show Sky and Setanta, kids get a slider, swings and free lollipops, smokers get a cover, sporty types get pool and darts, music lovers get a jukebox while the brave - or the foolish - get free tarot readings from one of the friendly barmaids. •“The people coming in make the place.”
THE ORCHARD
12 Hanover Place, Spike Island, BS1. Tel: 0117 926 2678 • If cider’s sudden trendiness and apparent need for ice gets you seeking something a bit less disingenuous, get theeself to the Orchard where it’s long been the tipple of choice. This small one-bar pub, 100m from a fascinating dry dock, offers a mighty fine 15 varieties, with rough, Mendip, Black Rat, Janet’s, Kingston Black and Thatchers among your options. The blackboard even tags up forthcoming attractions, so bring your diary when dropping in or use your mobile’s planner. Real ales at time of going to press were Gem, Arbor Ales mild and Bristol Beer Factory’s Cut Blaster. Five wines. Grub is classics like double egg and chips, ploughman’s, burgers and those much-loved Clarks pies. Open Mon-Sat 12noon-11pm, Sun 7-11pm. Your author once bagged bacon and eggs in one of the Orchard’s fine meat raffles. Quiz Tue. • Morris dancers on Thursday nights.
THE OSTRICH
Lower Guinea St, BS1 6TJ. Tel: 0117 927 3774 • Characterful, unspoiled dockside Courage house serving you a fine pint of Pedigree, Brains SA, Kronie, Foster’s or whatever else you fancy. Selected house doubles a quid extra. Great food, including marvellous Sunday roasts. Expect the crowds from the booze cruises to descend at any moment, though. Food served all day in summer. • Seating outside for 500 overlooking the water.
THE PALACE
1 West St, Old Market, BS2 0DF • Traditional gay pub with a raft of theme nights throughout the week, including cabaret and the obligatory karaoke. Bristol’s former Gin Palace has been lovingly transformed by owners Gareth and John into the city’s most opulent and campest gay bar. • Newly launched members-only club, Underground, housed in the basement.
THE PINEAPPLE
37 St George’s Rd, BS1 5UU. Ffi: 0117 930 0844, web: www.pineapplebristol.com • Traditional gay pub in what’s known on the gay scene as the West End. Lots of theme nights (karaoke, bingo and DJs etc), cabaret every Sunday. • Plenty of drinks offers.
PIPE AND SLIPPERS
118 Cheltenham Rd, BS6 5RW. Tel: 0117 942 7711, web: www.thepipeandslippers.com • Credit to the people at the Pipe who maintain the solidity of a dear old boozer while constantly bringing in new ideas. They’re rightfully proud of the meat hand-reared on Windmill Hill starring in some of the dining here, but equally worthy of note is the Weihenstephaner beer coming out of a brewery which claims to be the world’s oldest. Since it was founded in an eye-wateringly early 1040, they might have a point. Still more eye-catching is the revealing photo gallery which is destined to be incorporated into a 2010 calendar. Thing is, amid all this quirky funkiness is a serious drinks selection taking in drops like Bristol Beer Factory’s Exhibition and Sunrise (and hopefully their stout too), Lowenbrau, Carlsberg and its Export cousin, San Miguel, Addlestones, Stowford Press and Westons. In the fridge you’ll find Bath Ales’ Gem and Wild Hare plus BBF’s Number 7 as well as a dozen ciders. Beyond all this, DJs play on Fri and Sat, there’s poker to resume in the none-too-distant and wholesome, home-cooked grub very much already in place. The name, then, is slightly misleading; while ‘Pipe and Slippers’ may suggest dotage, this place remains in Venueland’s avant garde. Cover in front for smokers. Quiz Tue. Open from 5pm weekdays, noon on weekends. • Sister pub the Windmill across the city.
PORT OF CALL
3 York St, BS8 2YE. Tel: 0117 973 3600 • Slightly off the Whiteladies Road beaten track, this place has a wonderfully relaxed atmosphere. One room boasts lobster pots and fishing nets (husband-and-wife team Roger and Carol Skuse always wanted a pub by the sea). Food sees a specials board full of homemade goodies and often celebrates national cuisines from around the world. A beer drinker’s paradise with around seven ales always on and up to 300 varieties served annually - expect to find the likes of Doom Bar, Cornish Coaster, Bass and Caledonian Deuchars, with San Miguel, Foster’s and Thatchers Gold also on draught. Open lunch and evenings Mon-Fri and all day Sat, with a cracking Sunday roast (closed Sun from 5pm) much approved by our man when dropping in. Heated back garden recently refurbished. • There’s been a pub on the site since 1788, trivia fans.
PORTCULLIS
3 Wellington Terrace, Clifton, BS8 4LE. Tel: 0117 908 5536 • Just down from the Suspension Bridge and set on two levels, this is fast becoming Clifton Village’s top beer-drinking destination. Ditch the motor and get to this boozer for eight ale and one cider pumps, three major beer festivals annually, over a dozen Belgian beers, a soon-to-open garden seating 35 and a whopping 300 - count ’em - different ales sold in the last year. Publicans Ned, Nats and pub Jack Russell Daisy go from strength to strength, with the Portcullis’s popular Facebook group continuing to grow (though Daisy might be as big as she’s ever going to get). Sport’s shown upstairs and there’s a quiz on Thur, with film nights and live music still part of future plans. Smokers set to get jumbrellas, those with appetites get Pieminister pies. • Faultless beer-keeping; there’s quality in everything done here.
POST OFFICE TAVERN
Westbury Hill, Westbury-on-Trym, BS9 3AG. Tel: 0117 940 1233, web: www.post-office-tavern.co.uk • The POT at WOT (to its many friends) is a bright, lively, air-conditioned pub, pulling in a good local clientele, with five real ales on at any time. Expect to find Courage Best, Butcombe, Otter, Gem and Bass among your options. Other tap choices include Stowford Press, Foster’s, Heineken and Kronenbourg. Decent food choices. Regular pizza, quiz and poker nights; heated and covered decking area. • There can’t be too many boozers with a red phone box (sans phone, sadly) in the bar.
PRINCE OF WALES
5 Gloucester Rd, BS7 8AA. Tel: 0117 924 5552, web: www.powbristol.co.uk • The eponymous heir to the throne might have his forthright views on architecture, but it’s art that energises the good people here. The pub’s lefthand room (upon entering) boasts a gallery displaying three artists’ work and a cabinet for installations. Of course, this place is also known for the calibre of its drinks range, with all wine organic, as are the guest beer and the Westons bottled cider. Five ales are always on - Butcombe being a regular, with other draughts including Ashton Press, Taunton Traditional, Sagres, Heineken, Kronie, Amstel and Foster’s. The food has long been renowned, with all meat free range and from the noted Tom Murray butchers. The covered, heated garden offers some of Venueland’s best smoking facilities, with long benches making for a communal, open spirit. • It’s possible the garden’s mural is set to be changed.
PRINCE OF WALES
Stoke Lane, Westbury-on-Trym, BS9 3SP. Tel: 0117 962 3715, web: www.princeofwales-butcombe.com • Butcombe-owned boozer popular with local sporting teams watching the action, especially the oval ball variety, on three indoor screens. Quantity and quality are held in equal regard here, expect to find Butcombe’s finest on draught alongside similarly choice lager and cider selections. Extensive wine list. Grub covers numerous bases from cajun-style chicken salad, crab cakes, chicken wings and onion rings to good old fish and chips. Large garden. • They’ve been told their purpose-built smoking area, with outdoor TV, is Bristol’s best.
PUMP HOUSE
Merchants Rd, Hotwells, BS8 4PZ. Tel 0117 927 2229 • Handsome dockside boozer where renovation in recent years has restored original features like brickwork and wooden beams and brought in a classic British racing green colour scheme. Three real ales are always on - expect to find offerings like Greene King IPA, Theakstons Old Peculier and something from Bath Ales or Butcombe. Beyond these you’ll also find San Miguel, Kronebourg, Foster’s, Thatchers, Hoegaarden, Peroni, Corona and Budvar across draughts and bottles. The modern English cuisine recently won an award. The setting makes it perfect for alfresco dining and drinking - summer barbecues may appear and it’s a wonderful spot to visit when the harbour festival is on. • Bath chap is a permanent menu fixture, all that changes is how it’s done.
THE RETREAT
16 West St, Old Market, BS2 0DF. Ffi: www.retreatbristol.com • Fab, tastefully renovated gay pub, split over two floors, and handily situated opposite the city’s biggest gay club, Flamingos. Regular events include a Tuesday night quiz and Wednesday night student offers. • Monthly Come to Daddy bears night.
ROBIN HOOD’S RETREAT
197 Gloucester Rd, Bishopston, BS7 8BG. Tel: 0117 924 8639 • With up to eight regularly changing real ales on draught here, it’s not surprising Robin Hood had such merry men. Drop in regularly and you may sample a score of different varieties in a month. Lager and cider choices are none-too-shabby either, with Amstel, Red Stripe, Grolsch, Heineken, Leffe, Stowford Press and Addlestones alcohol enough to make the least comely damsel look like Maid Marion. Sol, Peroni and Beck’s among the bottles. The food has long been highly regarded and there’s talk of a 10-course taster offering which would be way too good even for a sheriff of Nottingham. Excellent garden out back with covers already in place and heaters likely to arrive. • Modern European cuisine freshly cooked.
RISING SUN
Alfred Rd, Windmill Hill, BS3 4LE • Hidden away on Windmill Hill’s backstreets you’ll find one of the city’s best smoking areas. Purpose-built, with logs crackling, an outside fireplace and cover from grapevines, it’s probably the pub’s best feature. There’s been a major refurb indoors since DOW 2008 which has given the place a smartening-up. Courage Best, Blackthorn, 1664 Cold Premiere, Guinness, Foster’s and John Smith’s Smooth on draught, with bottles offering Gem, Newcastle Brown, Corona, Budweiser and Bulmers, and Natch in cans. Disco and karaoke monthly, pool table, pub dog Lila. Open Mon-Thur 4-11pm, Fri-Sun all day. A real locals’ pub. • Stunning exterior mural as impressive a piece of art as anywhere in Venueland.
ROPE WALK
5 Nelson Parade, BS3 4JA • Mid-terrace marvel housed in a lovely old Georgian building where unpretentious décor and a warm welcome await. Draughts include Bombardier and Young’s, Kronie, Red Stripe, Carling and Foster’s, Bulmers and Brothers. Refurb in the offing, music planned and home-cooked pub grub set to appear. Crackling fires, function room plus covered smoking area in the beer garden. • Over-21s only, so bring your passport if your youthful looks get you ID’d when buying a lottery ticket.
ROSE OF DENMARK
6 Dowry Place, BS8 4QL. Tel: 0117 940 5866 • The Rose won Venue’s Top Banana award in 2006 and it’s not hard to see why. There’s a genuine family-orientated feel in this community pub where the inviting ambience and big-hearted bonhomie are enhanced by lovely open fires and chunky handmade tables. Three real ales at any time might include tipples like Bass and Butcombe and guests like Doom Bar or Tribute. Stella, Carlsberg, Thatchers and Blackthorn also on draught with the restaurant serving up quality food at sensible prices. Sunday lunch sees a roister of a roast and a fine nut roast for the less carnivorous. Open mic on Wednesdays. Enclosed smoking area. • Bigged up by the Observer as one of eight south of England establishments offering great food at tasty prices.
THE ROYAL OAK
50 The Mall, Clifton, BS8 4JG. Tel: 0117 973 8846 • The only Clifton pub in CAMRA’s 2007/8 Beer Guide and also listed in this year’s boozing bible. Friendly, 19th-century, one-bar pub, an exemplar of a dying breed, where all punters and their dogs are welcome (the pub has two golden retrievers of its own). Four real ales - currently London Pride, Courage Best, Doom Bar and Butcombe - as well as many ciders and three lagers. Grub served daily 12noon-2.30pm, Sunday roast with veggie option. Smoking deck. • Just as well satnav is a modern creation: this pub’s name changed from St Vincent’s Rocks Inn after the war, with The Mall formerly known as Portland Place.
THE RUMMER HOTEL
All Saints Lane. Tel: 0117 929 0111, web: www.therummer.co.uk • The name refers to a large glass and there’s an extraordinarily large range of drinks waiting to go into your glass - large or otherwise - at this classy spot which has gone from strength to strength since reopening at the end of 2005. For starters there are around 100 rums, 30 reds, 30 whites and 30 cocktails as well as a total spirit range that’s 400-strong. Bottled real ales include some choice offerings from Bath Ales, Wickwar and Greenwich’s Meantime Brewery, with rare-booze-spotters getting out their notepads for the Nigerian Guinness, Vietnam’s Hue beer, black lager, Dunkerton’s Black Fox cider and Spain’s Alhambra 1925 Reserve. It’s like being a kid in a sweet shop, so it is. Chesterfield sofas surround the huge fireplace, creating a genuinely classy but not up-itself atmosphere maintained by a door policy ensuring no idiots can spoil it for the rest. Fine food served from breakfast through brunch and lunch and on to dinner, with the best and freshest ingredients used. A quality act. • There’s been an inn on this site since 1241, with September 2009 due to see a downstairs bar open as a separate entity.
SCOTCHMAN AND HIS PACK
20 St Michaels Hill, BS2 8DX. Tel: 0117 929 1327, web: www.thescotchman.co.uk • One of only two pubs with this name in the country, its moniker comes from the wedges used in olden days to prevent vehicles careering down St Michaels Hill. If you sample even half of the pub’s 16-strong cider range, it will probably be you careering down to the top of Christmas Steps. Ales include Doom Bar, Tribute and Reverend James. Decent drink and food offers include beer and a burger for a penny shy of a fiver (with non-alcoholic option for the designated driver). Speciality curry and beer for a quid more on Thursdays. Wednesday quizzes and Tuesday Irish music sessions bring entertainment. The veranda/roof terrace is a sun-catching delight - watch Bristol bustle by while enjoying traditional pub food at decent prices. The mega burger weighs in at 16oz - eat that baby and you won’t be going anywhere quickly. • Pub cat Monty has his own Facebook appreciation group.
SEAMUS O’DONNELLS
St Nicholas Market, BS1 1UE. Tel: 0117 925 1283 • A taste of Temple Bar in the heart of St Nicks. In this 250-year-old building, you’ll find a genuine, very friendly Irish bar serving great Guinness along with Caffrey’s, Carling, Heineken, Foster’s and Stella and a decent cider range - choose from Thatchers Gold, Katy and pear, with Magners pear in bottles. Around 20 Irish whiskies. Pub games include giant Jenga with more entertainment by way of one or two live acts monthly. Bar snacks sold and you’re allowed to bring in food from outside, although whether that extends to the incomparable Dara Ó Briain swanning in with his 56 packets of Tayto cheese and onion - Google it, you’ll be glad you did - remains to be seen. • Try the 70% poteen - as made in the hills - if you dare.
SEVEN STARS
1 Thomas Lane, BS1 6JG. Tel: 0117 376 3970, web: www.7stars.co.uk • The rather wonderful news coming from the rather wonderful Seven Stars is that May saw the unveiling of the plaque here marking Landlord Thompson and Thomas Clarkson’s vital contribution to the abolition of slavery. Indeed, defiance seems built into the building’s very fabric, with neither the Luftwaffe nor the vagaries of city centre planning able to stop this hidden gem from serving, which it’s been doing since the late 1600s. Eight ever-changing real ales are always on, with Otter, Hopback, Sharp’s and Otley among some of the numerous breweries whose draughts find their way here. Non-ale aficionados get Amstel, Kronenbourg, Foster’s, Blackthorn and Thatchers Gold. They proudly sell ‘dirty’ snacks - anything that’s high in fat like chocolate, pork scratchings, pork-based products and crisps, as well as the infinitely healthier pickled eggs. • Take the time to discover this building’s immense historical importance while noting the iron-bound pavement edges outside.
THE SHAKESPEARE
Henry St, Totterdown, BS3 4UD. Tel: 0117 907 8818, web: www.theshakey.co.uk • Traditional pub serving five real ales, with that figure doubled when there’s a beer fest on. Bulmers, Stowford Press and Blackthorn for the cider set. Plenty going on, including poker on Tuesdays, quizzes on Wednesday, DJs Thursday and Friday, live music on Saturdays and open mics on Sundays. Locally sourced Sunday roasts served September until spring. Open fires with comfy couches indoors, heated and covered smoking area outdoors. • Look out for the summer barbecues.
THE SHAKESPEARE
Lower Redland Rd, BS6 6SS. Tel: 0117 973 3909 • Traditional pub popular with all ages here for the beer, with four always on. The two bars bring a cosy feel, along with a small garden out back, which provides a little respite from the crowds. Huge pride taken in the quality of their pints, from cellar to glass, with Marstons Pedigree and Banks among the brews. Pub food - lasagne, fish and chips, ham, egg and chips - served all day (until 4pm on Sunday, with roasts also available). Open 12noon-11pm, Sun until 10.30pm. Smoking area has parasol and lamp facilities. • Win a drinks hamper in the Monday quiz.
THE SHAKESPEARE TAVERN
Prince St, BS1 4QD. Tel: 0117 929 7695 • Good old-fashioned Greene King pub, which offers five real ales plus Old Rosie, Heineken, Amstel and Foster’s also on draught. Hearty pub food served as well as themed dining - Pieminister on Wednesday, fish and chips on Thursday, roasts on Sunday. A 17th-century pub with traditional features; regulars include dockers and boatmen relaxing after a hard day at work. Nice patio out front, heaving in the warm weather. • Open until 12midnight on Fri and Sat.
SHIP INN
7-9 Lower Park Row, BS1 5BJ. Tel: 0117 929 4390 • There’s been quite a makeover at this Ship since last year’s guide, creating ‘a traditional pub with an updated feel’, although the unpretentious and easygoing mood loved by many for years remains. Spread across numerous nooks and crannies over several floors, it boasts cosy hideaways, maritime-related memorabilia, comfy sofas, pool and a new patio ready and waiting for this summer’s sun. Drinks-wise, expect to find Doom Bar, Old Speckled Hen and Butcombe, along with Kronenbourg, Heineken, Foster’s, Blackthorn, Bulmers and Stonehouse. Filled rolls, burgers, bangers and mash, Sunday roasts and more are going down a treat, as is the entertainment: Mon folk, Thur open mic plus Sky Sports on the screens. Never poor nor moderate, the forecast is always good for this Ship. • Good beer served with a smile to all who come in.
SOMERSET HOUSE
11 Princess Victoria St, Clifton, BS8 4BX. Tel: 0117 973 6831 • The flag of St George adorning the exterior of this popular neighbourhood pub confirms the patriotism of ace couple Gary and Jess, also of Rose Of Denmark fame, who’ve been raising this place’s game for a while now. Eye-catching woodwork, reclaimed slate and a characterful platform clock make this a handsome boozer in which to enjoy a drop of London Pride, Doom Bar, Butcombe or Courage Best. Other draughts take in Kronenbourg, Foster’s, Heineken and Amstel along with Bulmers and Strongbow. Bottles include Budvar, Budweiser and alcohol-free Beck’s. Open mic on Tuesday, Friday’s live music, wi-fi, Wii and a pub piano bring the entertainment. Robust, wholesome food takes care of the biggest appetite via all-day breakfasts, pies, stew, curry and devilled kidneys. Front awning keeps the smokers dry. • Half-time grub during Six Nations matches - make a date for 2010.
THE SPORTSMAN
Seymour Ave, Bishopston, BS7 9EQ. Tel: 0117 942 7525 • The name kind of says it all: big Victorian pub that’s a mecca for sports fans, with a dozen pool tables, five plasma screens showing as many different sports channels at a time and a jukebox. Gem and Doom Bar on tap along with Budweiser, Amstel, Red Stripe and Foster’s, with bottles bringing Beck’s, Corona and Peroni. Grub is nachos, wedges, wings and more. Pizzas available to be eaten in or taken out from 5.30pm until close on weekdays and from 4pm until close on the weekend. Covers and heaters in the courtyard. • Within a mightily-hit six of the County Ground, expect bona fide cricket fans for the Ashes.
SPOTTED COW PUB & GARDEN
139 North St, Southville, BS3 1EZ. Tel: 0117 963 4433, web: www.thespottedcowbristol.com • Opened to immediate success at Easter last year. Our chap dropped in shortly after, predicted greatness and was not surprised to see a bronze Top Banana come its way at Christmas. The brainchild of Bristol music scene stalwarts Dave Smeaton and James Savage the classy outside - check the gold-leafed Bath stone - is complemented by some stylish drinking provision, with an extensive whisky and rum range featuring in a small cocktail line-up (they can make what you’re after if it’s not listed) and around eight or nine reds and whites on the wine list (with a 30% discount if taking away). You’re equally as comfortable, mind, nursing a beer, with Wickwar Bob, Gem and Butcombe joined on draught by Red Stripe, Kronie and Foster’s and Thatchers Gold and Addlestones weighing in for the ciders. Food changes fortnightly but expect to find the likes of hotpot, ham hock terrine and butternut squash and blue cheese croquettes representative of the dishes on offer. DJs, quizzes and art exhibitions are among the entertainments. • Garden big enough to keep several friesian herds.
STAG AND HOUNDS
74 Old Market St, BS2 0EJ. Tel: 0117 929 1407 • Gay-friendly traditional pub in Bristol’s gay village, with food served lunchtimes. Steeped in history and sprawling over several floors. • Several real ales on tap.
THE STAR AND DOVE
75-78 St Luke’s Rd, Totterdown, BS3 4RY. Tel: 0117 300 3712 • The times they are a-changing at the Star and Dove. After being awarded Venue’s golden Top Banana for Best Bristol Pub at Christmas last year, a change of management has seen a stalwart of the Thekla take the reins. She’s already made her mark on the events front, with yoga run upstairs on Mondays and a family room with kids’ play area and DVD player. There’s food for thought of an alternate Monday by way of a quiz too. Drinks-wise, she’s offering Gem, Butcombe and Doom Bar, Amstel, Kronenbourg and Foster’s, as well as Stowford Press and Addlestones on draught, with Bulmers pear and original and alcohol-free Beck’s found in bottles. Give the lady time - and feel free to tell her what you like and don’t - and there may yet be more gongage to be grabbed by the Star and Dove’s new incarnation. • Affordable, quality pub grub covering an interesting range and changing daily.
STAR AND GARTER
33 Brook Rd, Montpelier, BS6 5LR. Tel: 0117 940 5552 • A legendary Montpelier institution - and rightly so. Lively, friendly multicultural inner-city pub that affords a warm welcome and great prices, and an experience not to be forgotten. Decent range of lagers, plus Courage Best and at least one guest ale. The coolest reggae and ska sounds abound, whether live or DJ-spun. Food done when there’s live music. Check the ‘coffin’ table. Open from 9pm daily with door charge on Fri and Sat. • Reggae is the main thing here with glass amplifiers making for a lovely vibe!
SUGARLOAF
51 St Marks Rd, Easton, BS5 6HX. Tel: 0117 939 4498 • Traditional pub with three pool tables and a clientele from age 20 upwards reflecting the diversity of the area’s inhabitants. Everyone gets on with everyone else! An admirable cider range sees six draughts including Cheddar Valley, Black Rat and Addlestones, but its cider house credentials are confirmed by the presence of Thatchers Ice Gold. Boasting technology of which Q himself would be proud, a dual action pump dispenses one third of a pint of frozen cider before the rest of the pint is pulled. Real ales come in Easton Ale, Doom Bar and Butcombe form, with San Miguel, Kronenbourg and Beck’s Vier for those liking lager. Four bottled ciders include Westons Organic pear and apple as well as Natch. No food (except for rolls). Covered area out front if you’re lighting up. In the shadow of Stapleton Road station (and its ace murals), so nip up and check when your train’s arriving, then nip down and watch St Marks Road bustle by with a pint. Live music autumn and winter with shindigs aplenty come 17 August’s St Marks Road street party. • Has been in landlord James’s family for 24 years.
TAP AND BARREL
43 Dean Lane, Bedminster, BS3 1BS. Tel 07981 400006 • Large, turn-of-the-century community pub that’s family-orientated and biker-friendly. Wet your whistle with Old Speckled Hen, Stella, Kronie, Natch, Magners, Budweiser, Smirnoff Ice or J20 ahead of a game of arrows or weekend karaoke. Covered smoking area, occasional barbecues. • Perfectly positioned for a trip to the Dean Lane swimming pool or Dame Emily Park.
THREE LIONS
206 West St, Bedminster, BS3 3NB. Tel: 0117 902 0056 • None-more-red City fans fave where Ashton Gate is visible from the garden. Robins memorabilia throughout, just in case you weren’t sure which team the regulars follow. Courage Best, Natch and Blackthorn among the draughts. Three pull-down screens for the action, heated and covered gazebo for the smokers. • Formerly the Three Horseshoes, became the Three Lions to coincide with Euro ’96.
THUNDERBOLT
124 Bath Rd, Totterdown, BS4 3ED, Tel: 0117 373 8947, web: www.thethunderbolt.net Myspace: myspace/thethunderboltpub • The Thunderbolt reopened in October 2007 under new owners David and Sophie McDonald, with David’s numerous musical connections leading to the Christians making many a valentine’s day here last year. Music is central to operations, with a packed calendar and the legendary Don Watts just one of the big names to have gigged here recently. Sharp’s Doom Bar, Bath Ales’ Gem, Abbey Ales’ Bellringer and Thatchers Gold cider are among the draughts you’re likely to find. • Housed in a historic tollbooth.
NEW
TWO MAGPIES
33 Gordon Rd, Clifton, BS8 1AW. Tel: 0117 923 7542 • Opened in June 2008 in the roomy and comfortable space formerly home to the Richmond Spring and Clifton’s Sports Bar. Drop in for Doom Bar, San Miguel, Kronie, Foster’s, Strongbow and Blackthorn, with Bulmers in bottles. Pool and pinball plus live music on Fri - get in touch if you want to play. Food is sarnies, light bites, all-day brunch, salads, burgers and mains taking in dishes like sausage and champ, gammon, double egg and chips, smoked haddock, mussel and cider fish pie, pork chop as well as roasted butternut squash. • Barbecues on the sunny upstairs terrace.
THE VICTORIA
Southleigh Rd, Clifton, BS8 2BH. Tel: 0117 974 5675 • Paul and Dee Tanner, ex of the Wellington, now preside over a land of hops and glory named after another English icon. Six real ales from near and far on draught, while a recent fest featured around 48 beers from every English county with a brewery. Ultra-rare Belgian beers include Maredsous Brune and Duchesse de Bourgogne, with Paul and Dee frequently researching such brews in situ. Kitchen to open soon to be followed by function room hosting Top Gear Sundays, film clubs, jazz and acoustic nights and, possibly, comedy. Weekly quiz and bingo nights, the latter with random and openly rubbish prizes (often swapped by unlucky winners). Bar snacks offer hand-raised pork pies with relishes, cheese and olives. Expect dry mouths accompanying the landlord’s dry wit when a party celebrating all things ‘salty-snacky’ is staged. Light and airy in summer, intimate and cosy with a real fire in winter - if you ask nicely, they might let you chuck on some coal. • Recently refreshed the Clifton Lido’s fashion show’s models. Paul said: “I’ve never sold so many Diet Cokes!”
THE VICTORIA
James St, St Werburghs, BS2 9US • Part of St Werburghs’ very fabric and somewhere cider fans get a particularly wide choice. Bottles and draughts take in Natch, Foster’s, Kronie, Blackthorn, Aspalls, Old Speckled Hen, Abbot Ale, two Bulmers varieties, Gaymers and Addlestones. Make yourself comfy on the padded benches to watch TV or chat with one of the Victoria’s numerous regulars. Brollies for those sparking up. Open noon until midnight daily. • If you wannabe my luverrrrr! Pub sign now depicts Vicky Pollard, not Victoria Beckham.
THE VICTORIA
20 Chock Lane, Westbury-on-Trym, BS9 3EX. Tel: 0117 950 0441 • Lovely little Wadworth’s pub made from rock hewn from nearby slopes. Its ambience is akin to the warmest guesthouse; there ought to be a beach and some sea just beyond the front door. No piped music or jukebox; dogs allowed. Keeps some very decent beers, including 6X and Henry’s IPA, plus guests, and has been awarded a Cask Marque every year for the last decade. Homely, wholesome food in keeping with the atmosphere. Smoking shelter. Regular quizzes. • A genuine community pub with own cricket team and golf society plus meetings from hockey teams, scout leaders, bellringers and allotment keepers.
THE VITTORIA
57 Whiteladies Rd, BS8 2LY. Tel: 0117 330 9414 • New management at this enduring Whiteladies Road favourite arrived in December and are set to reinstate a traditional boozer feel in place of the rugby mecca it had been in recent years. Up to five real ales can be kept, with Courage Best a permanent fixture and Bombardier and guest also on at time of going to press. Food details sketchy at the moment but greater offerings may feature. • Photos of old Bristol adorn the walls.
WALKABOUT
40 Corn St, BS1 1HQ. Tel: 0117 930 0181 • A huge Australian theme bar in a converted bank, with a never-ending party atmosphere. Large televisions show all the sport you could want, with DJs keeping the party mood going Thur-Sat. Terrace to the rear is a pleasant suntrap and leads to the Walkabout Hotel, with en suite double rooms under £50 a night. • 2am finishes Fri and Sat.
THE WELLINGTON
Gloucester Rd, Horfield, BS7 8UR. Tel: 0117 951 3022, web: www.bathales.com • With a new restaurant extension and garden now open, the Welly has - now more than ever - grandness befitting the name of one of Britain’s greatest leaders. Bath Ales’ beers - Gem, Spa, Barnstomer and Golden Hare - are joined by rotating guests, with the brewery’s organic lager lining up beside Foster’s, Budvar and Sagres. Other draughts are Bath Ales’ Bounders cider plus Guinness and Erdinger. Bottles include Gem, Barnstormer, Dark Hare, Wild Hare, Festivity, Corona, Peroni. Westons Organic Cider and Perry plus Bulmers. Homemade food combines enduring pub faves like the legendary Welly burger and chips and steak and chips with restaurant flourishes such as pan-fried salmon and slow-cooked pork and chorizo stew. Mon quiz, fortnightly music. • Modern and traditional combine to make this a great pub to eat, drink and meet.
WESTBURY PARK TAVERN
Northumbria Drive, Henleaze, BS9 4HP. Tel: 0117 962 4235 • Previously the Cock O’ The North, a refurb a while back created the Westbury Park Tavern, although its inherent and almost unique roundness remains. That said, an online petition exists to restore the old name. Expect to find draughts like Staropramen and Beck’s Vier, plus Bombardier, Butcombe and Courage Best beside around 18 wines, all accompanying the traditional pub grub. Heated and covered smoking area. Big and friendly, and handy for the rather wonderful Orpheus cinema. Live music second Wednesday monthly. • Exterior was famously used as ‘The Young Ones’ local, the Kebab & Calculator.
THE WHITE BEAR
St Michaels Hill, BS2 8BS. Tel 904 9054 • Popular student hangout, due partly to its roximity to the uni, but also to the relaxed, friendly atmosphere, copious drinks offers and excellent food. Lagers are 1664 Cold Premiere, San Miguel and Foster’s, plus there’s Thatchers Gold and Bulmers (Addlestones and Black Rat may arrive) as well as Doom Bar, Otter and Butcombe. Food is Tom’s Pies plus Sunday roasts with entertainment via Monday quiz, Thursday open mic and something along the lines of DJs, live music or karaoke on Saturday. Open Mon-Fri 4pm-12midnight, Sat 3pm-12midnight, Sun 12noon-12midnight. Enhanced smoking facilities to arrive soon - see below • Love shown and clearing up done during a period of closure around the end of July will bring a new floor indoors and smoking area outside.
WHITE HART
Lower Maudlin St, BS1 2LU. Tel: 0117 926 8747 • Lovely old pub, first licensed way back in the mid-17th century, which benefited from a spruce-up a couple of years ago. Beers include Greene King IPA, Abbot, Old Speckled Hen and a guest changing fortnightly. Stowford Press is on draught with Kopparberg in bottles. Food is sandwiches, chilli and Pieminister loveliness from Mon-Fri 11am-7pm, Sat 11am-5pm, Sun 12noon-5pm. Karaoke on the last Saturday monthly. Umbrellas outside. • Boasts the oldest pub cellars in the country, dating from 1190.
WHITE LION
Colston Ave, BS1 1EB. Tel: 0117 925 4819 • Small one-bar pub in the centre of the city serving superb real ales. • Tables out front for smokers.
WHITEHALL TAVERN
30 Devon Rd, Greenbank, BS5 9AD. Tel: 0117 955 6798 • A step back in time, and not only because you don’t have to shout above some god-awful ‘chilled beats’ to make yourself heard here. Loads of character, with individual wooden booths, a free quiz Tue night, and several pints yours for less than two quid, including Gaymers pear, with Blackthorn and Foster’s both £1.98. Add the laid-back and friendly vibe and you’ve a place where that old journo cliché ‘cosy yet uncluttered’ can be used correctly. Heated and covered smoking area, karaoke every other Saturday. • Community pub with a rural feel.
THE WINDMILL
14 Windmill Hill, BS3 4LU. Tel: 0117 963 5440, web: www.thewindmillbristol.com • Windmill, windmill, for the land. Well, Venueland at least, bagging, as it did, a runner-up Top Banana in 2006. Sister to the Pipe and Slippers, unlike Windy Miller’s gaff this place does anything but creak, gliding on thanks in part to an eclectic drinks range offering Bristol Beer Factory’s Number 7, Red, Sunrise (replaced by Cut Blaster as we go to press), Lowenbrau, Carlsberg and its Export variety, Leffe, Bath Ales’ Dark Hare, Wild Hare, organic lager and Barnstormer, Stowford Press, Scrumpy and Westons Organic and plenty more! A community pub with arts trail connections, it offers a fortnightly quiz and covers and heaters on the terrace. Top food too. • What’s that, Windy? The jukebox won’t take newfangled coinage? Better buy some old 10ps at the bar then.
YE SHAKESPEARE
78 Victoria St, BS1 6DR. Tel: 0117 949 7708 • Old Bristol establishment (third oldest pub in the city - 1636, since you ask) with impressive history and interesting architecture. Bath Ales’ Gem and Greene King’s Abbot Ale among the beers here with Newcastle Brown, Gaymers and Natch among the bottles. Draught ciders are Gaymers pear, Olde English, Addlestones Cloudy and Stowford Press. Food is panini, chilli, breakfasts and lasagne (plus veggie version) with everything available to be taken away. Numerous drink offers, with cheeky Vimto on permanent discount beside vodka and Red Bull plus Tuesday night’s offer of a four-pint pitcher for a tenner. Three tables outside with umbrellas. • A human thigh bone was found in the cellar wall during renovations in 1950.
 |
Drinking Out West Guide
- Bristol and Bath's best pub guide. Only 2.95.To
order a copy ring 0117 942 8491.
Eating Out West Guide
- Bristol and Bath's best restaurant guide. Only £4.95.
To order a copy ring 0117 942 8491
.
|
 |
|
 |
Venue Guides |
 |
|
Subscribe to Venue |
|
Get Venue Magazine delivered to your doorstep every week
for only £4.99 per month! Click
here to subscribe
|
Speed Dating |
|
Looking for a laugh, looking to meet new people and maybe
even possibly find romance in the process? You need to have a go at speed
dating then.
Read More
|
