Venue > Eating Out West > Bristol Cafes

ADAM & EVE
7 Hope Chapel Hill, Hotwells, BS8 4ND
Tel: 0117 929 1508
Appropriately enough, the Adam and Eve is run by a couple, with husband-and-wife team Karen and James Thompson in their second year at this most attractive of pubs nestling at the bottom of Hope Chapel Hill. The food gives anything found in the Garden of Eden a run for its money, with dishes including old spot sausages, roasted butternut squash and gorgonzola risotto, Thai wild mussels with naan bread, crispy belly of pork with bubble and squeak and the renowned 28-day-aged steak with garlic butter and hand-cut chips. Sandwiches, bar snacks and puddings ensure all bases are covered. Food served Tue-Sat 6-9pm, Fri-Sat 12noon-3pm, Sun 12noon-4pm.

ALBION
Boyces Avenue, Clifton, BS8 4AA
Tel: 0117 973 3522
Pub dining doesn’t get better than this, with a mention in a certain tyre company’s dining guide, plus the Good Food Guide proof of the quality of fare served here. Our man sat down to a starter of British shellfish in cider, parsley and cream he found ‘perfectly prepared and delicious’. His main of Gressingham duck breast with puy lentil puree, black figs and foie gras ‘tasted as good as it looked’. The menu depends entirely on what’s available from suppliers and uses local best produce, but the Bath chap is a must-try signature dish if you’re an inquisitive carnivore. It appears periodically, so if it’s not around when you visit, you’ll just have to return. After the success of last summer’s cider festival, July and August are due to host a beer festival, cider festival and wine fare. Booking necessary at least a week in advance for Fri, Sat and Sun dining. Food served Tue-Sat 12noon-3pm & 7-9.30pm, Sun 12noon-3pm.

ALMA TAVERN
18-20 Alma Vale Rd, Clifton, BS8 2HT
Tel: 0117 973 5171
If Sally meets Harry at the Alma Tavern, you’d better give her plenty of room. Our chap chose the chocolate puddle pudding to complete his meal here and was told by the barman: “The chocolate just oozes out of that, I’ve had women come just describing it to them.” Items appearing earlier on the menu (the culinary equivalent of foreplay?) included pub classics like chicken kiev, toad in the hole and battered fish & chips standing beside posher totty such as tapas, quail baked in flat bread and squid, chorizo and sweet potato salad. The salmon teriyaki might not be orgasmic but it is organic. Our chap’s confit of duck leg was ‘well cooked and accompanied by a mound of pleasingly crisp sugar snap peas’. The Alma might be seeing him in future: ‘Much like the ladies of Clifton, I’d definitely come again.’ Breakfasts include house-mixed muesli, the summer will see salads and sharing platters, there’s a quiz every Monday, cable and terrestrial sports on TV, and continuous productions in the first floor theatre. While there’s acting upstairs, there’s no faking at the tables. Food served Mon-Fri 12noon-2.30pm & 6-10pm, Sat-Sun 10am-10pm.

ANCHOR
323 Gloucester Rd, BS7 8PE
Tel: 0117 924 1769
An atmospheric venue in which to catch the footy in the heart of UWE stude land. Traditional pub grub includes lasagne, all-day breakfasts, sausage & mash, steak & ale pie, chilli, burgers, chicken tikka masala, wraps and desserts. Two-for-one offers. Food served Daily 12noon-9pm.

APPLE
Welsh Back, BS1 4SB
Tel: 0117 925 3500, web: www.applecider.co.uk
The Apple nabbed golden Top ’Nana in 2006, stocking, quite probably, more ciders than any other boozer on earth. ‘Pipes with attractive curvature beside rivets, girders and portholes beneath a cobalt and honey ceiling lend downstairs a funky functionality,’ wrote Venue’s One For The Road man. Our chief foodie, a self-confessed ‘West Country boy who grew up on the murky 20p-a-gallon farmhouse stuff with added rats’ piss’, knows his onions when it comes to the fermented juice of the apple. He also knows his grub, smartarsedly identifying the Tom Murray’s pork pie in his ‘all excellent’ farmhand’s banquet. Chief foodie’s better half found her Somerset Caesar salad ‘really, really tasty – as good as anything she’d had in any restaurant all year’. The pair dined from the Apple’s winter menu, which is to be replaced with a summer version whereupon fresh, zingy options will include treats like risotto, sandwiches and salads, to join the retained Sunday roasts. A smaller selection from the main menu is also offered on Sunday. Plans are for cider ice lollies. There’s plenty of non-apple-based booze if you’re nonconformist. Open (summer) Mon-Sat 12noon-12midnight, Sun 12noon-10.30pm. Food served Mon-Thur 12noon-3pm & 5-10pm, Fri-Sun 12noon-8pm.

BANK TAVERN
8 John St, BS1 2HR
Tel: 0117 930 4691, web: www.thebanktavern.co.uk
New management arrived in September and oversaw a refurb, making this modestly sized 255-year-old boozer ‘much nicer’ with William Morris patterns and a picture of the Queen – just watch out for the fake khazi door. Pieminister pies include chicken of Aragon and matador varieties, while the pub has its own range of pickled eggs. Quiz Tuesday, popular with the pre-club crowd on DJ-enhanced Fri and Sat evenings. Food served Mon-Sat 12noon-4.30pm, Sun 1-7pm.

BELL
Hillgrove St (off Jamaica St), BS2 8JT
Tel: 0117 909 6612
Stokes Croft institution where carnivores and veggies cop for excellent food choices. Mains include fajitas with beef or veg chilli, spinach and cream cheese lasagne and fish pie. The baguettes, which can be toasted, are equally inventive proof of the extra thought given to the basics here. The soup’s always vegetarian, with French onion an example of the flavour changing twice weekly. Nachos come in beef or vegetable chilli varieties, as do the jackets, there are ploughman’s and lighter touches as well as burgers, and a tasty avocado and bacon salad. DJs spin 9.30pm-12midnight on weekdays and ‘til 1am on weekends. Food served Daily 6-10pm, Sun-Fri 12noon-2pm.

BISHOP’S TAVERN
Cheltenham Rd, BS6 5QP
Tel: 0117 944 5169
‘Studes and sport-watchers plus ladies who lunch and business types gravitate to their favourite part of this sizeable beauty,’ wrote our man. The fine people here are pleased to see this array of punters added to by young mums with prams amid a family-friendly feel until 6pm (when it’s bedtime for the nippers anyway). Live music fans will also be dropping in on 19 April when DJ Derek does his stuff. Dishes like lasagne, jackets, steak pie and fresh bread sandwiches feed this diverse clientele, with marvellous Sunday roasts and a new kids’ menu. The 12” stone-baked pizzas can be eaten in or taken away, and varieties include Hawaiian, barbecue chicken and quatro formaggio. The Wi-Fi’s free and the coffee isn’t much more. Executive suite available for private hire with buffet and waiting service. Studes enjoy 25% off food and drink on Mondays and 15% off drinks at other times. All major sports shown on 50-inch plasma. Sun quiz. Food served Mon-Sat 12noon-8pm, Sun 12noon-6pm, pizzas until 11pm.

BRISTOL FLYER
96 Gloucester Rd, Bishopston, BS7 8BN
Tel: 0117 944 1658
Bagged a bronze in 2006’s Top Bananas. Boss Desra Barrett has created a blueprint for the future of drinking and eating, from the neat blackboard in the entrance detailing the nicknames of the staff on duty to the beer garden out back, due to be made even better for summer 2008. Between stands homage to the happiness of feeling at home, with fat seating from which to watch the sport, books and board games, a craft corner perfect for whiling away time, and a resident Alaskan Malamute, Teg, who’s a deal bigger than when EOW 2007 was written. Films are shown on Sunday nights, with none-more-80s ‘Lost Boys’ and ‘Top Gun’ putting numerous backsides on comfy seats. A smartening-up of the toilets is in the offing, with the Beano and Simpsons wallpaper now gone. Monday has a ‘really cheesy’ quiz, but it was the ‘sumptuous’ halloumi ciabatta which our fellow found cracking. The main menu changes four times annually but expect to find sarnies like cod fillet fish fingers, steak, ham or hummus with roast vegetables. Mains have taken in delights like lamb chop with bubble & squeak, beef casserole with garlic mash and ham, eggs & chips, with the handmade burgers and top-selling fish and chips permanent fixtures. Food served Mon-Sat 12noon-11pm, Sun 12noon-9.30pm.

CADBURY HOUSE
68 Richmond Rd, Montpelier, BS6 5EW
Tel: 0117 924 7874
Montpelier institution where the newly installed Curly Wurly (Cadbury = Curly Wurly – geddit?) kitchen menu looks set to start a new chapter in its chowing-down history. Toasties and omelettes are served lunchtimes only, with the former coming with fillings like bacon and cheddar as well as cheese and red onion, while the latter’s varieties are ham, cheddar and mushroom or tomato, cheddar and mushroom. Main courses are served all day, and with this being boho Montpelier, veggies are catered for admirably. Burgers come in beef, jerk chicken, spicy bean and vegetable varieties, all-day brekkies are meat or veggie affairs, there’s chicken pie, sweet potato pie, vegetable stew and sausage & mash in meat or vegetarian options with peas, mashed potato and red onion gravy. Even the nachos come with either beef or Quorn chilli.

CAMBRIDGE ARMS
Coldharbour Rd, Redland, BS6 7JS
Tel: 0117 973 9786
Fullers’ ace ales end up in the grub here, with that lovely London Pride enhancing the steak & ale pie’s gravy and Discovery added to the batter for a better fish (hake) & chips dish. Other favourites include homemade burgers, pork loin, ham, egg & chips, sausage & mash, and Cajun chicken salad, with liver and onions appearing on the specials board from time to time. Food served Mon-Fri 12noon-3pm, Sat all day, Sun 12noon-4pm (roasts) & 4-8pm (main menu.)

THE CLIFTON
16 Regent St, Clifton, BS8 4HG
Tel: 0117 974 6321
‘I disagree with the sign outside proclaiming it’s “like the Tardis, but without all that time travel”,’ our man wrote. ‘While La Piper is sadly absent, the decor within takes you from the 30s to the 70s, then back again, in three steps, so, über hot Pipester or not, time travel exists here,’ he concluded. Things doubtless got hotter still in November when a fireplace was fitted in a venue where the food takes in roast chicken, burgers, Caesar salad, fishcakes and sharing plates whereupon you’ll find delights like kebab skewers, wedges and falafel. An open kitchen brings theatre, even if it’s only the humble sarnie being knocked up. Numerous bottles and draughts include Peroni and Aspels cider with Clifton Ale from those lovely Bath Ales people appearing as an occasional guest. Tue sees the puntastically named Clifton Factor quiz, with live music on Thur. Food served Mon-Fri 12noon-3pm & 5-10pm, Sat 12noon-10pm, Sun 12noon-9pm.

NEW
COLSTON YARD
Colston St, Bristol, BS1 5BD
Tel: 0117 376 3232
‘It’s probably heresy to admit as much, but I never really cared for Colston Yard’s previous incarnation,’ wrote our admirably honest chap. ‘The Butcombe refurb is actually more of a rebuild, and the pub is unrecognisable from its time as the Tap, (but) the commitment to decent beer should be enough to keep CAMRA members happy.’ He noted the biggest change on the food side. ‘There are separate bar and restaurant menus (with some crossover), and between them they cover everything you might want from a pub or a restaurant: fish & chips, sausage & mash, burgers and pies on the one hand; scallops, confit of duck and Exmoor venison on the other, plus a smattering of sandwiches, salads and jacket potatoes.’ Local, organic and free range emphases keep your conscience as happy as your stomach. Chap and good lady went for salmon and beef mains. ‘These were pub portions of restaurant quality: the baked fillet of salmon looked good and tasted better. The fillet of organic beef was thick and chunky, but that didn’t stop the knife gliding effortlessly through its pink interior. I seriously doubt that it could have been bettered,’ enthused our man. ‘If Colston Yard can keep this up, it’ll be right up there with the very best of Bristol’s foodie boozers in no time.’ Monthly quiz, open mic night planned. Food served Mon-Sat 12noon-9.30pm, Sun 12noon-9pm.

COTTAGE INN
16 Baltic Wharf, Cumberland Rd, BS1 6XG
Tel: 0117 921 5256
Traditional and homecooked food enhances the homely ambience at this harbourside wonder. A full menu and specials include dishes like beef, ale & mushroom pie, cod & chips, bangers & mash, and pork loins. It’s a beautiful spot for a Sunday lunch, whether eaten indoors beside the fire or enjoyed outside overlooking the water. Friendly staff, too. Food served Mon-Sat 12noon-9.30pm, Sun 12noon-9pm.

CROSS HANDS
1 Staple Hill Rd, Fishponds, BS16 5AA
Tel: 0117 965 4684
‘Originally a coaching station, a pub has stood here for 200 years, but today it’s the two-legged visitors enjoying refuelling,’ wrote our chap. Ten real ales quench the thirst, while some decidedly civilised food offerings prepare you for any onward journey. Expect to find dishes like roasted red pepper and tomato soup, confit of duck leg with sweet potato puree and chorizo as well as ricotta and spinach ravioli in a white wine and cream sauce. Menu changes monthly. Food served Tue-Sat 12noon-9pm, Sun 12noon-3pm. Restaurant section open Fri-Sat 6-9pm.

ELDON HOUSE
6 Lower Clifton Hill, BS8 1BT
Tel: 0117 922 1271, web: myspace.com/eldonhouse
Homecooked food is in the hands of a “spankingly good” chef here, according to bar manager Emma Harper. Drop in to find a Bath Ales brace of Gem and Spa on draught, beside Butcombe Gold, alternating guest, good juice range and a reputation for top grub. ‘One diner travelled from Reading while a couple from Oz declared the seven-vegetable Sunday lunch the best of their year in the land of the Ashes holders,’ said our man in the time when that was a reference to England. Emma and team are all ex-veggies, so there’s been a change of direction in the kitchen to healthier eating, with more vegetarian dishes also arriving. Salads come in several varieties, including chicken and pesto as well as avocado, hummus and beetroot (bacon can replace beetroot in the latter). Similarly, enchiladas come in meat or veggie varieties, with fish & chips, sausage & mash, jackets, omelettes, chips and cheese, chilli, wicked homemade burgers and the equally eminent Tom’s pies offering further variety. The plan is for an extension to create space for four more tables in the big room around about June time, without harming the character of an old and homely favourite. Musical Sundays bring all manner of delights. Food served Mon-Sat 12noon-2pm & 6-9pm, Sun 12noon-4pm.

FARM
Hopetoun Rd, St Werburghs, BS2 9YJ
Tel: 0117 944 2384
Specials change daily-to-weekly here, with spicy carrot soup, jerk chicken, chilli, fish & chips, nut loaf and gammon, egg & chips being the grub up for grabs on the day of going to press. The main menu features ‘retro baskets’ wherein you’ll find loveliness like scampi, calamari and whitebait. Veggies cop for an ace falafel & pitta platter and veggie burgers & mash, while carnivores have a meaty version of the same plus a cleverly titled ‘St Werburger’ homemade beefburger. The Wiltshire ham ciabatta sounds pretty ace, and EOW is assured the Sunday lunches, in varieties like lamb, pork, chicken, nut roast and Cajun nut roast, are legendary (and usually sold out by 3pm). Kids’ menu. Fun and games like St Werburghs city festival, bonfire night party and plans for live music. Very friendly bar staff. Food served Tue-Fri 12noon-3pm & 5-8pm, Sat 12noon-4pm, Sun 12noon-sold out.

FULL MOON & ATTIC BAR
1 North St, Stokes Croft, BS1 3PR
Tel: 0117 924 5007, Myspace: myspace.com/atticlivesessions
Multi-functional operation offering dozens of beds for visiting backpackers (for whose exclusive enjoyment it’s ‘way too good’, concluded our sans-Karrimor chap). He’s visited on several occasions, the latest of which saw him and good lady dine on dishes from a main menu mixing pub classics given an upmarket twist - wild boar sausage & mash, steak with sautéed potatoes - within organic/free range/sustainable emphases. (Breakfast is done from 12noon-4pm, so he was never going to get here early enough for that.) The main menu changes every three or four months. For starters they shared a plate of organic hummus, bread and salad with a sweet balsamic dip. ‘Everything in front of us tasted fresh and vibrant and healthy, and the olives were about as fat and juicy as you can get.’ Mains saw The Wife have double mutton chop while our man chose pan-fried barbary duck breast. The mutton ‘had a sweet, almost nutty flavour, served with an intensely rich red wine gravy as dark as the night, offset by a light, creamy mound of champ potatoes. The pink sweetness of the duck was a perfect foil for the sharpness of the braised rhubarb, and a stack of dauphinoise potatoes delivered on creamy moistness’. Regular live music in the Attic includes Devil Kicks Dancehall, a monthly rockabilly-burlesque night. Plans are for a wood-fired pizza oven in the courtyard to cook the pizzas and keep punters warm. Food served Mon-Sat 12noon-9.30pm, Sun 12noon-4/6pm.

GREYHOUND
32 Princess Victoria St, BS8 4BZ
Tel: 0117 973 4187
‘Class is permanent at the Greyhound, a friendly Clifton local with a track record going back decades, and Elizabeth Taylor, Sean Connery and Peter O’Toole among former visitors,’ wrote our chap. A refurbishment in recent years brought in modern-traditional décor and has attracted a new, younger crowd and more women. A change in emphasis in the kitchen here sees paninis, hot dogs and all-day breakfasts very much doing the business, with the Sunday roasts taken off the menu. A garden refurb is in process as we go to press. The quiz mooted in EOW 2007 may yet arrive. Having a top time is always the safest of bets with this Greyhound. Food served Daily 12noon-9pm.

HARE ON THE HILL
Dove St, Kingsdown, BS2 8LX
Tel: 0117 908 1982
Here, Hare, here! Themed food nights at the Hare bring mighty fine mains for a mere £4.95. Ruby Tuesdays celebrate curry while the job’s a good ’un on Thursdays, with Italian cuisine blowing the bloody doors off and then some. Licensees Paul and Dee Tanner serve up a roister of a roast come Sunday and do a Christmas Day dinner worthy of Santa Claus himself. An awesome main menu offers paella, piri piri chicken and jambalaya, while the only thing that’s hotter here than the outlaw chilli were the goodtime burlesque girls dropping in recently (come back soon, ladies, and give your minder the night off). The long-awaited homage-to-ham ‘Scratching The Itch’ tour - a pub trot honouring pork scratchings and Bristol’s historic pork butchers - is promised for later this year (and that’s now in writing). Monday night shows slapstick and classic silent movies while Halloween’s beer festival heralds silent horror and spooky food. The invite is out there for dealers keen to stage record fayres on Saturdays, while there’s live music on Sunday nights. Throw in perfectly-kept Bath Ales brews and it’s apparent the Hare is a prince of a pub. Food served Mon-Sat 12noon-2pm & 6-9pm, Sun 12noon-4pm.

HEN & CHICKEN
210 North St, Bedminster, BS3 1JF
Tel: 0117 966 3143
A major makeover has seen the pool tables and big screen sports shown the door, replaced by an embracing of a café/bar ambience. ‘There’s an open kitchen and an impressive horseshoe-shaped bar that juts out into the middle of the room,’ wrote our man, who praised the ‘keen and enthusiastic’ staff. The menu majors on mussels and pizzas: for a tenner you can get one of half a dozen different mussel pots while there are a dozen different pizzas from which to choose. Other dishes include fish & chips, steak, burgers, schnitzels, pork belly, seafood risotto, salads, snacks and sides. The refurb is still underway at time of going to press, with July and August seeing still more developments: when all’s finished the suits will cop for presentation technology. If the Robins fly to the Premiership, plans have already been hatched for match day hospitality. Until then, this present incarnation is attracting more locals than ever before. Weekend pizzas served until the witching hour? Now that’s midnight in a perfect world. Food served Mon-Fri 12noon-3pm & 6-10pm, Fri 10pm-12midnight (pizzas only), Sat 10am-10pm, 10pm-12midnight (pizzas only), Sun 10am-10pm. May go to all-day weekday food by summer.

HIGHBURY VAULTS
164 St Michaels Hill, BS2 8DE
Tel: 0117 973 3203
Talk about a sign of the times. This locale used to be where condemned prisoners would spend their last night when awaiting the noose. Today, those frequenting this local are kept in the loop via zeitgeist-defining social network phenomenon Facebook, with groups celebrating Boxing Day, Fridays, cider, hymns, spirituality and the wonders of French reunion attached to the pub. Another group claims Santa drinks here while the main Appreciation Society, declaring the pub’s Bristol’s best, has members in Nova Scotia and Wellington, New Zealand. Lovers of the Highbury, here in person, will find a new patio plus heater alongside the renowned menu including dishes like sausage and mash, pies, chilli (which has been rated by Egon Ronay), curry and nachos, as well as a soup. Most dishes start around £5, with rolls, ‘bargain’ jackets and Sunday lunches. Veggies catered for admirably with offerings like stuffed peppers with couscous and goat’s cheese. Guaranteed to be rammed come August when St Michaels Hill stages its Party on the Hill. Food served Mon-Fri 12noon-2.30pm & 5.30-8.30pm, Sat-Sun lunchtime.

HOPE & ANCHOR
38 Jacob’s Wells Rd, BS8 1DR
Tel: 0117 929 2987
‘An absence of TVs, games machines and pool tables, but the presence of leaded windows and bountiful Worcestershire hops, flags, wooden flooring and a British racing green and English mustard colour scheme lends the front bar a traditional boozer feel,’ wrote our chap. Eclectic specials and traditional English grub offer up everything from pies, pancakes, soups, sarnies and breaded haddock to lasagne, lamb curry, fresh whole trout and organic falafel. A glorious celebration of our nation’s culinary treasure – the Sunday roast – sees them queuing before opening, while ‘equally folkloric are the ploughman’s lunch options, with a tasty trio (of meat and cheese) selected from a staggering 29 different potential components.’ A pub for 165 years, little seems to have changed within, while out back there’s a quirky terraced garden where ivy-covered stumps, runaway creepers and a veritable sewing machine graveyard ensure an ‘icon at Hanging Rock’ mystery in the air. Open Mon-Sat 12noon-11pm, Sun 12noon-10.30pm.

HOPHOUSE
16 Kings Rd, Clifton, BS8 4AB
Tel: 0117 923 7390
‘A £500,000 makeover has transformed this grade II listed great, where there’s new emphasis on food,’ wrote Venue’s One For The Road fellow. His visit, primarily to report on the downstairs pub, followed chief foodie’s visit to the first floor dining room. The same food can be enjoyed on both levels, although there’s table service upstairs and an emphasis on traditional pub classics like sausage & mash, ploughman’s, burgers and sandwiches down below. Although only opened in October, the Hophouse already has a reputation for its extensive old world leanings, with the Clifton wine crowd tracking down this hidden gem (a star of Venue’s former Backstreet Boozers series). A stylish air pervades throughout, with the dining room’s raunchiness contrasting with the demure décor downstairs. Plans are in place for comedy and jazz duos, with live offerings expanded if the hoped-for entertainment licence arrives. Food served Mon-Fri 12noon-3pm & 6-10pm, Sat 12noon-10pm, Sun 12noon-6pm (or until sold out).

INN ON THE GREEN
2 Filton Rd, BS7 0PA
Tel: 0117 952 1391
A refurb seven months ago enhanced what was already a top-notch place. ‘A big, rambling old boozer… (which functions) very much as a proper, solid community pub, without any of that poncy pretentious makeover stuff,’ wrote our food editor of the CAMRA Bristol & District Pub of the Year 2006. The kitchen is run by Owen Tunstall, who presides over a regularly changing, well-executed menu influenced by cuisine from across the world while maintaining British classics (including liver and bacon) and using restaurant-standard techniques. Chap and wife enjoyed steak and goose, the latter ‘thick slices of tender, superbly seared bird nestling against generous dollops of sweet sloe berry jelly’. The steak was mighty fine, too: ‘beautifully cooked, nicely blackened on the outside, with a real depth of flavour’. Lunchtimes see sarnies on a range of Herberts breads, those aforementioned classics and cakes, with food showing its true potential come the evening and Sunday bringing a fine roast. Keep an eye out for the annual beer festival. Sun quiz in aid of charity. Food served Tue-Sat 12noon-3pm & 6-9pm, Sun 12noon-4pm.

JERSEY LILY
193 Whiteladies Rd, BS8 2SB
Tel: 0117 973 9037
New management has arrived at this enduring fave atop Whiteladies Road. The spring/winter menu in place as we go to press will be replaced by greater emphasis on tapas and salads for the summer. A refurb has seen the décor made a little less bright, but the bright (and, indeed, the less bright) are welcome to enter the Wednesday quiz. Food served Mon-Sat 12noon-2.30pm & 5-9pm, Sun 12noon-4pm.

KENSINGTON ARMS
35-37 Stanley Rd, Redland, BS6 6NP
Tel: 0117 944 6444, web: www.thekensingtonarms.co.uk
One of three pubs in the rapidly expanding Kings Club empire, the Kensington has been tastefully refurbished and revitalised. The huge picture window in the dining room allows punters to sneak a peek into the drama going on in the kitchen, where head chef Mike Blundell (who was a runner up in the UKTV Food/Gary Rhodes Food Heroes awards and was previously at the City Farm café) produces what must be some of the best food in this part of Bristol. The supper rooms on the first floor are open from Wednesday for more intimate dining, but meals are generally served in the pub, surrounded by an eclectic mix of framed photographs, advertising memorabilia and happy regular customers. Modern British cuisine with ingredients sourced locally: try the confit duck with creamed cabbage and mash if it’s on the menu (I’d willingly take the mash home and marry it), plus bar snacks, Saturday brunch and Sunday lunch, a great wine selection and a fully stocked bar with a couple of fine real ales. With a small outside terrace perfect for alfresco summers, regular quiz nights and a lovely, relaxed vibe, the Kenny is just what a pub should be. Open Mon-Thur 11am-11pm, Fri 11am-12midnight, Sat 10am-12midnight, Sun 12noon-10.30pm. Food served Lunch and dinner (breakfast from 10am on Sat); bar snacks available through the day. PC: 10% off bill.

KING WILLIAM
20 King St, BS1 4ES
Tel: 0117 926 8672
The top bar is due to open for summer 2008 here, extending the appeal of a boozer which already has plenty to recommend it. Frankly, if you haven’t visited this handsome, historic pub, put it atop your to-do list. Quite possibly unique round these parts, this place has seven draughts, some of which are organic, with vegans and vegetarians quaffing confident in the knowledge their beer’s bona fide. You won’t find branding but you will find a pint for £1.78. Soil Association and Fairtrade approval is on display. Food includes homemade bangers (always on, flavours change) & mash, burgers and steak & ale pie, with over 500 meals served weekly. Cosiness comes via two coal fires (the building as a whole has 15 operational or boarded-up fires over five floors) keeping the business crowd and cash-short studes warm. While there’s still no music, there’s now three pool tables, fussball and a dartboard, so show-offs can score more with three darts than they paid for their pint in pennies. Food served Daily 12noon-9pm.

LANSDOWN
8 Clifton Rd, BS8 1AF
Tel: 0117 973 4949
Cracking little pub on the edge of Clifton Village, where, despite concentration on food, the operation remains ale-led (rather than considering itself a ‘gastropub’, a phrase loathed round these parts). The good, honest fare on a regularly changing menu has seen the food side grow 30% in the last year here. Expect to find treats like sweet potato and coriander soup, burgers, stuffed field mushrooms, salads and more substantial dishes very much doing the business alongside a renowned Sunday roast. The newly installed decked roof terrace will prove to be an attractive suntrap come summer. Bands are invited to gig in the function room, while the quizmaster presiding over the weekly quiz encourages cheating! Hints are dropped to ensure consecutive winning is avoided, offering as refreshing an antidote to teams taking themselves seriously as the fine ales on tap. The Lansdown wins hands down! Food served Mon-Fri 6-10pm, Sat 12noon-10pm, Sun 12.30-4.30pm & 6-10pm.

MERCHANTS ARMS
5 Merchants Rd, Hotwells, BS8 4PZ
Tel: 0117 904 0037
Hotwells hop haven. Being part of the Bath Ales family, they naturally take their beer seriously here, with at least three of the brewery’s beers plus guest always on. The food’s top, too, with the handmade pork pies the best this side of Melton Mowbray. In fact, pastry purists have found paradise here, with steak & kidney pies and cheese & onion pasties the perfect accompaniment to a pint or two. Toasties come with fillings like cheese & onion and cheese & ham. Every Thur there’s a quiz in aid of dyslexic children. Open/food served Mon-Thur 12noon-2.30pm & 5-11pm, Fri-Sat 12noon-11pm, Sun 12noon-10.30pm.

MOUSE
Waters Lane, Westbury-on-Trym, BS9 4AA
Tel: 0117 940 5554
This friendly suburban local is a mouse that roars when it comes to serving up a pleasing night (or afternoon) out. Food is lighter bites including potato wedges, spring rolls, buffalo wings, hot and spicy prawns, and chicken and fish combos. The building work forecast last year duly arrived, enhancing a beer garden already boasting a cracking view of Henbury golf course. Wed poker night, live music planned. Food served Sun-Tue 12noon-7pm, Wed-Sat 12noon-9pm.

OSTRICH INN
Lower Guinea St, Redcliffe, BS1 6TJ
Tel: 0117 927 3774
Friendly historical pub standing back from Bristol’s bustling harbourside. A daily curry club offer comes complete with a free drink while ‘golden greats’ celebrating English pub classics give recognition to dishes like scampi, gammon, fishcakes and bangers & mash (surely worthy of a lifetime achievement award?) with a veggie bake ensuring all bases are covered. ‘Megameals’ are just what you’d expect, with a mega mixed grill ready to take on the biggest of appetites. Chicken and bacon melts alongside burger stacks ensure you’d have to put your head in the sand to not find something you like here. Food served Daily 12noon-9pm.

PIPE & SLIPPERS
118 Cheltenham Rd, Stokes Croft, BS6 5RW
Tel: 0117 942 7711
Pipes can be enjoyed in more ways than one, so whether you’re a baggy-shorted sk8r boi or grrl who thinks heaven is half of one or you’re an old boy who thinks they go well with footwear with soles upon which it’s wonderful to write in Biro, you’re equally welcome here. Refreshingly demographic-targeting-free, the Pipe (to its innumerable mates) mixes local pub feel with an impressive drinks selection, ace grub and wicked DJs. Good pub food conjured up in a new kitchen currently includes a range of those sumptuous Pieminister pies coming with mash, mushy peas and onion gravy. Less peckish sharers get tapas options, salads keep the lightness coming, and the charcuterie’s flesh is almost as tasty as that exposed in last year’s nude calendar. Indeed, there’s funkiness in the air here with thoughts of a musical offering to showcase those aforementioned turntablists, and support for a cancer charity as well as Namibia thanks to a staff member’s efforts. Open/food served Mon-Wed 5pm-12midnight, Thur-Fri 5pm-1am, Sat 12noon-1am, Sun 12noon-12.30am.

PORT OF CALL
3 York St, Clifton, BS8 2YE
Tel: 0117 973 3600
Husband-and-wife team Roger and Carol Skuse continue creating some of Bristol’s most diverse pub cooking without shouting it from the rooftops. While their off-Whiteladies Road location doesn’t do them any favours publicity-wise, it ensures a relaxed atmosphere where the world’s cuisine can be savoured at leisure. In previous years these pages have reported on homemade Ukrainian chicken borscht, cullen skink, a traditional Scottish soup served on Burns Night, Welsh trout in bacon on St David’s Day (when the menu was in Welsh) and Irish stew in honour of St Paddy. Day-to-day deliciousness includes toasties, jackets, pies, fish & chips, cheesy chips, scampi and stroganoff, with Sunday roasts in small (£6.95) and large (£7.95) varieties. Food served Mon-Fri 12noon-2.15pm, Mon-Sat 5.30-9pm, Sun 12noon-5pm.

PORTCULLIS
3 Wellington Terrace, Sion Hill, Clifton, BS8 4LE
Tel: 0117 908 5536
Couple Ned Clarke and Natalie-Jayne Tanner celebrated Leap Day with their own big step, opening the doors at this mid-terrace marvel just down from the Suspension Bridge. A changing array of microbrewery beers are kept with painstaking care, with a rather clever device ensuring the extensive wine selection is similarly supreme. The couple aren’t doing anything by halves, aiming, as they are, for a menu of 100 board games. Monday film nights will show everything from Japanese animation to the comedic oeuvre of Chevy Chase. This new incarnation sees the upstairs room relieved of its earlier restaurant role, ensuring greater use of space in what is one of Bristol’s smallest boozers. A bristling Facebook group confirms the pair’s popularity, with pub Jack Russell Daisy already making friends herself. As we go to press, the food situation here is ‘serious rolls’ and pork pies, but by date of publication it’s hoped locally sourced good pub nosh will include bangers & mash, soups and Sunday roasts – just let these ace people find their feet. If Nats has her way they’ll be stocking Dairy Milk in the fridge, but if Nats has her way it won’t be there for long. Open Mon-Fri 12noon-2.30pm & 4.30-11pm, Sat-Sun 12noon-11pm.

POST OFFICE TAVERN
17 Westbury Hill, Westbury-on-Trym, BS9 3AG
Tel: 0117 940 1233
While many post offices nationwide face an uncertain future, the Bristol tavern so-monikered goes from strength to strength. Indeed, there’s ironic incongruity here, as while doubtless many diners and drinkers carry mobiles on which calls can be made and emails can be sent, this bright, lively boozer features a fully functioning red phone box. A daily-changing menu features dishes like gammon hock, swordfish steak, pork fillet, coq au vin and moules mariniere, with a two-for-one offer on Mondays when pizzas are served. Food served Mon-Sat 11am-2.30pm, Mon-Fri 6-9pm, Sun 12noon onwards.

PRINCE OF WALES
5 Gloucester Rd, BS7 8AA
Tel: 0117 924 5552, web: www.powbristol.co.uk
‘Good, rich, nourishing fare as suited to the season as it is to the culinary senses,’ said our head foodie. There’s emphasis here on dishes served in keeping with the calendar, as would have been the case decades ago: the monthly changing specials can, ironically, be checked out on the website. Brunch runs Mon-Sat 10am-4pm and includes a frankly irresistible serving of double bacon & double egg (does that make four times the deliciousness?). Adhering to the Soil Association’s Food, Service and Catering Code of Practise requires them to disclose the origins of anything they’re using in the kitchen. Quiz on the month’s first Monday in aid of Cherry D. Food served Mon-Sat 12noon-9.30pm, Sun 12noon-4pm.

PRINCE OF WALES
Stoke Lane, Westbury-on-Trym, BS9 3SP
Tel: 0117 962 3715
Lively, friendly local where a rugby-loving clientele scrums down for scrummy chow within an old, classic-style pub mood. Dishes hearty enough to feed a prop include beef & ale pie, fish & chips, ham, egg & chips and Thai green curry, while wingers stay flight of foot with lighter dishes like Cajun-style chicken salad, Thai-style crab cakes, fresh breaded brie wedges and vegetable spring rolls. Potato skins and tortilla chips offer nibbling opportunities. TV in garden, summer barbecues. Food served Mon-Fri 12noon-2pm, Sat 12noon-2.30pm.

PUMP HOUSE
Merchants Rd, Hotwells, BS8 4PZ
Tel: 0117 927 2229
Handsome dockside boozer enjoying a new incarnation with Toby Gritten, formerly head chef at the Albion, cooking for upstairs restaurant operation and downstairs gastropub. Expect to find top-notch nosh like 8oz rump steak, seared Cornish squid, lemon sole, braised mutton, fish & chips, a lovely drop of soup and mighty good Sunday roast on the pub side of affairs. Outdoor seating will be particularly welcome for summer’s barbecues, but back indoors you’ll find jazz on the last Wednesday monthly and black and white classic films shown. The restaurant upstairs will be re-launched with a new name at the end of 2008. Food served Daily 12noon-3pm & 6-9.30pm (booking advisable for Sunday lunch). IDC: CMC. PC: 15% off bill.

QUADRANT
2 Princess Victoria St, Clifton, BS8 4BP
An immaculate wine cellar restored a la Victorian period and a light airy groundfloor bar, not to mention quality bar food and regular wine tasting sessions, make this a popular Clifton destination for anyone with a taste for the grape.

QUINTON HOUSE
2 Park Place, Clifton, BS8 1JW
Tel: 0117 907 7858
That big old sports day affair later this year has a rival on its hands with the Quinton looking to stage its traditional Olympics event on the green outside this L-shaped lovely. The top-notch food here, incorporating choice ingredients, celebrates British greatness via gammon, burgers, toasties, toad-in-the-hole, jackets and Cornish pasties. If it’s laundry day, stick it on at the laundrette up the road, drop in for some grub, then go back to collect – the job’s a good ’un. Hopes are for weekly theme nights showcasing Caribbean and Italian food at their best. The Sunday roasts are worthy of gold medals. Food served Daily 11.30am until evening.

ROBIN HOODS RETREAT
197 Gloucester Rd, BS7 8BG
Tel: 0117 924 8639
A 2007 Top Banana runner-up, the name’s appropriate here because this sanctuary serves comfort food, albeit “comfort food done with elegance, hearty and slow-cooked”, according to renowned chef Nathan Muir. His is a “French-British gastro pub” where dishes like beer-braised pheasant with bacon, leeks and prunes, potato and garlic soup with confit of rabbit, and warm chocolate tartlets convey indulgence so extreme it ought to be outlawed. Such wickedness naturally came to the attention of our main foodie and his Maid Marion, and they were not disappointed when visiting. The spiced aubergine and pigeon breast starters set the scene for ‘brilliant’ mains of smoked haddock, sea bass and crayfish chowder and slow-braised brisket in stout with horseradish mash and parsley dumplings. Dishes change daily and food is seasonal so, for example, expect to find Thumper on the menu three or four times annually. Decked garden area is due to open around the time of EOW’s publication, with enough timber to give Robin and co a feel of their famous forest. Eat extremely well here? You Sherwood. Food served Mon 12noon-2pm & 6-9pm, Tue-Sat 12noon-3pm & 6-9.30pm, Sun 12noon-4pm. PC: 20% off bill.

ROSE OF DENMARK
6 Dowry Place, Hotwells, BS8 4QL
Tel: 0117 940 5866, web: www.theroseofdenmark.com
‘When God invented pubs, he created the Rose of Denmark as a temple of excellence: a big, shouty, friendly neighbourhood boozer with bags of atmosphere, good beer and unpretentious but top-quality cooking. The distilled essence of what a British pub should be: in an ideal world, they’d all be like this,’ wrote our gongmeister when chucking a golden Top Banana this way in 2006. Landlady Jess Spavins and hubby Gary are “after doing food and drink to the best of (their) ability” and take an honest approach to grub. Chips aren’t French fries here, but moules mariniere and tagliatelle lend European touches within a menu that’s English with a modern twist. Expect to find dishes like roasted belly pork, chicken breast, lamb shank, grilled halloumi cheese and smoked haddock scotch eggs. Early doors offer gets you a pint and food for £7.50 Tue-Fri 5.30-7.30pm. Tue shove ha’penny (with tournament in the spring), Wed open mic, Thur quiz. Food served Tue-Sat 12noon-2.30pm & 6-10pm, Sun 12noon-4pm.

RUMMER HOTEL
All Saints Lane, BS1 1JH
Tel: 0117 929 0111
The Rummer became a renowned Bristol spot over decades, so when it reopened a few years ago its new incarnation had a lot to live up to. The gradual introduction of food here aligns with its returning to institution status. Autumn 2007 saw the kitchen slipping into second gear, and when Sunday lunches arrive for summer 2008, the food situation will be in its stride. Our Let’s Do Lunch chap breezed in during the colder months, with ‘Mrs LDL plumping for the Spanish tortilla - a generous slab - fresh and yielding, mixing the egg’s gentle gooeyness with the taters’ crisp and crunch. (His) lentil and chorizo hotpot was a rich and chunky winter warmer: great thick oodles of puy lentils nuzzling soft, fluffy strands of chorizo, with carrots, potatoes and a goodly dash of paprika forming a lively chorus line.’ Had the couple visited on an evening, they would have found equally impressive tapas choices. Expect legend status to arrive before too long. Food served Mon-Fri 8-11.30am, 12noon-3pm & 5-8pm, Sat 11am-5pm, Sunday lunches set to arrive in summer.

SCOTCHMAN & HIS PACK
20 St Michaels Hill, BS2 8DX
Tel: 0117 929 1327
One of (probably) only two pubs so-named in the country, the other being passed during the Clarksonesque drive from Manchester to Sheffield through the Peak District. Bristol’s version has grub enough to get Jezza similarly excited, most notably a 16oz mega burger with double cheese and double bacon – top gear indeed. Lasagne, ham, egg & chips, chicken tikka massala and cottage pie keep the hearty fare coming. You can get a pint of real ale for £2.25 – value-for-money enough to get the eponymous Caledonian just as happy. A staggering 16 cider options (five of which are on draught) are among the city’s most diverse. Tuesday sees an Irish music session, Wednesday brings a quiz, but the real star of the show is pub cat Monty, whose Facebook appreciation society is nearing its half-ton of members as we go to press. Food served Mon-Sat 12noon-3pm & 6-8pm.

YE SHAKESPEARE
78 Victoria St, BS1 6DR
Tel: 0117 949 7708
Famous Bristol oldie with an impressive history and some fascinating architectural quirks. Food is your standard bar faves, with paninis, chilli and lasagne plus vegetarian options such as mushroom stroganoff and vegetable pastito - a dish resembling lasagne. Brekkies now served throughout the working week and include beans on toast and scrambled eggs, while everything done is available to be taken away. Food served Mon-Wed 9am-3pm, Thur 8am-3pm, Fri 8am-2pm.

SHIP INN
7-9 Lower Park Row, BS1 5BJ
Tel: 0117 927 6646
New boss John arrived from Bury at the end of 2007 and already has his own Facebook groupies within ‘John is the captain of my Ship’ appreciation society, and a scurvy-ridden bunch they be. Immensely popular with students, local universities’ caving, ju jitsu and real ale societies meet here to enjoy pie & chips, fish & chips, full Englishes, baguettes and pizzas (including seafood, obviously). A full-on party atmosphere has seen punters and staff donning army, Halloween, heroes and villains, gorefest and, natch, pirate clobber, with a staff brainstorming sesh coming up with Rubik’s cube and come-as-your-partner/opposite shindig ideas. There’s even talk of pub golf (the mind boggles). Plans are in place to open until midnight during the week and until 1am on weekends. Expect bleary eyes for first lectures. Food served Mon-Sat 12noon-3pm, Thur-Sat 5-8pm.

SOMERSET HOUSE
11 Princess Victoria St, Clifton, BS8 4BX
Tel: 0117 973 6831
‘Alas, not a themed boozer celebrating the greatness of Sirs Viv and Ian and Big Bird, but an equally wonderful pub recently acquired and refurbished by Rose of Denmark stars Jess and Gary Spavins,’ wrote our chap when dropping in.’Visitors to both pubs will recognise echoes like the handsome woodwork, reclaimed slate, Brasso optic and platform clock, with a similar mood prevailing. “We tolerate no nonsense and expect civilised behaviour. Kids are good - it’s the parents who are a problem!” said Gary.’ Suitably flounce-free food made fresh in house includes all-day breakfasts and hearty dishes like steak & ale pie, stew, quiche and curry plus an equally no-nonsense Sunday roast. Open mic Tue, live music Fri. Food served Daily 9am-3pm.

NEW
The Spotted Cow
139 North St, Bedminster, BS3 1EZ
Tel: 0117 963 4433, web: www.thespottedcowbristol.com
South Bristol’s newest local pub has rapidly established itself as a great little boozer, with a well-stocked bar (including Bath Ales and Wickwar BOB) and simple menu based around classic British grub. As well as Pieminister pies, sausages & mash and lighter bites like cured meats with rocket and parmesan, find absolute staples like steak and chips with garlic butter and, on Sundays, a hearty roast. Great sun-trap beer garden, too. Open Mon-Wed 4pm-12midnight, Thur-Fri 4pm-1am, Sat 11am-1am, Sun 11am-12midnight.

STAG &s HOUNDS
74 Old Market St, BS2 0EJ
Tel: 0117 929 1407
Comfortable, centuries-old city centre pub (complete with rumours of ghostly visitations) offering a menu that ranges across classic pub grub, from ham, egg and chips to a fine home-cooked Sunday roast, and incorporates quick bits and paninis for those in a hurry.
Open Mon-Thur 11am-11pm, Fri-Sat 12noon-12midnight, Sun 12noon-10.30pm.

STAR AND DOVE
75-78 St Luke’s Rd, Totterdown, BS3 4RY
Tel: 0117 300 3712
‘Pipes of peace resound (metaphorically) through south Bristol following the Cumberland becoming the Star and Dove,’ wrote our man of what’s proved to be a south Bristol success story. The aim to create a traditional pub serving up real ale, games and fires, with a restaurant operation upstairs, has come good magnificently. Irrespective of where you’re from, you owe it to yourself to drop in. The downstairs menu takes in traditional pub grub, so expect to see dishes like homemade spag bol, lamb burgers and pizzas. A fortnightly quiz ups the quirky ante, there’s jazz every Tuesday, and the function room, which can be rented out for business meetings, parties and weddings, doubles as an art gallery. All this cleverness attracts art trail types, girls en route to town, old cider blokes and young mums. Food served Mon-Sat 6.30-10pm, Sun 12noon-4pm. IDC: 25% off. PC: 15% off tab Sun-Thur & 10% off tab Fri-Sat.

SURREY WINE VAULTS
8-9 Surrey St, St Paul’s, BS2 8PS
Tel: 0117 942 8196, web: www.surreywinevaults.co.uk
When Broadmead’s new incarnation’s foot-weary shoppers need some respite, this characterful, attractive pub will offer relaxation on hand. Until then, Surrey Wine Vaults is home to blackboard dishes like lamb shanks, cottage pie and scampi, plus Pieminister’s finest, speciality salads in season, lasagne and paninis using that lovely Herbert’s bread, which can be taken away. Sundays will see Sunday roasts arrive. Emphasis is on local sourcing, so Bath Ales’s magnificent Gem is now on tap. Good work, people! Wine-tasting and cider-tasting experiences can cater for up to 60 in a group with food packages available. A resident band plays jazz every Thursday. Weekend opening due to arrive around the time of publication. Food served Mon-Fri 12noon-2.30pm, Mon-Thur 6-8pm, weekends will see food served Sat 12noon-3pm & 6-8pm, Sun 12noon-4pm.

THUNDERBOLT
124 Bath Rd, Totterdown, BS4 3ED
Tel: 0117 373 8947, web: www.thethunderbolt.net Myspace: myspace/thethunderboltpub
The Thunderbolt reopened in October under new owners David and Sophie McDonald. David’s numerous musical connections have already seen the Christians making many a Valentine’s Day here, with Martin Stephenson and Rita Lynch gigging among others and local stalwart Gerard Langley having a weekly DJ residency. EOW remains sworn to secrecy over the big name David’s hoping to attract some time in 2008. Ray Charles, Joe Strummer, Jim Morrison, the Beatles and Sid Vicious are some of the names to appear here in the pub’s popular film nights, with monthly comedy adding to the enticements. Food details are sketchy as we go to press, with homecooked pub grub on the horizon. Summer may see barbecues out back. Bath Ales’s Gem among strong beer options. Open (winter) Mon-Thur 7-11.30pm, Fri & Sat 5pm-12midnight, Sun 5-11pm. Longer opening due in summer.

WELLINGTON HOTEL
Gloucester Rd, Horfield, BS7 8UR
Tel: 0117 951 3022
Stalwarts like the renowned organic Welly burger, sausage & mash and a mighty fine lasagne represent the gastro end of English pub grub at this Bath Ales beauty named after one of our great leaders. What’s more, there’s a 100-strong army marching on their stomachs thanks to the century of roasts served up every Sunday. The specials change daily but always offer plenty of variety like pan-fried mackerel, tiger prawns, faggots and Madras curry, with ciabattas and sandwiches maintaining similar standards. Everything’s fresh and homemade from locally sourced ingredients. Redevelopments over the next 12 months will see first a bar refit (due for completion before publication) followed by new gents and ladies (plus a disabled toilet) before a glass conservatory arrives out back. Sounds like thirsty work but at least the builders are in the right place for a refreshing drop of beer. We go to press ahead of the DVD snail racing planned for St Paddy’s Day: let’s hope no stewards’ inquiries are needed into go-slows. From gastropub to gastropods – giddy up! Parties and buffets catered for, live music Sundays. Food served Mon-Sat 12noon-2pm & 6-9pm, Sun 12noon-4pm. Food may be served all day on summer Sundays.

WINDMILL
14 Windmill Hill, BS3 4LU
Tel: 0117 963 5440
This place was always going to be popular, replicating, as it does, the formula of sister pub Stokes Croft’s Pipe & Slippers in a bit of Bristol craving a community boozer. Things have been kept in the family: The Pipe nabbed pub Top Banana in 2004 while younger sis got a silver in 2006. The Windmill’s seasonal food offers plenty for everyone, with the hotpot making an occasional appearance on the specials board and Spanish and Greek tapas loveliness bringing bites like stuffed vine leaves and feta-stuffed peppers. Pies, salad, mezze plates and soup keep the variety coming, with charcuterie adding an appetising slice of indulgence and summer heralding salads. Kids get their own wide-ranging menu and they’re welcome in the pub until 8pm: the family room has toys and board games. The drinks selection is what you’d expect of a bar. Wi-Fi connection. Mon quiz fortnightly. Food served Daily 11am-10pm.

BATH TAP
19 St James Parade, BA1 1UL
Tel: 01225 404344
More changes are afoot at Bath’s longest-running gay pub, as it’s up for grabs again at the time of writing. Still, until the current owners flee the nest, expect sturdy homecooked food (served until around 8pm) in a very friendly atmosphere. Open Mon-Wed 12noon-11pm, Thur-Sat 12noon-2am, Sun 12noon-10.30pm.

BELL
103 Walcot St, BA1 5BW
Tel: 01225 460426, web: www.walcotstreet.com
One of Bath’s longest-running good times institutions, offering live music at least three times a week, a courtyard for warm days, a games room, real ale, friendly staff, lovely regulars, a well-stocked bar, and ‘the smallest launderette in the world’. Munch on sturdy, freshly filled rolls - often with vegan fillings - while you’re spinning your smalls; they may not be gastropub fare, but your pint of thoroughly decent ale (and your laundry) is definitely too wet without one. Open Regular pub hours, occasional late license. Launderette 12noon-10pm.

BLATHWAYT
Lansdown, BA1 9BT
Tel: 01225 421995, web: www.theblathwayt-bath.co.uk
Big, stylish boozer (and hotel) right next to Bath Racecourse. Food is served either in the conservatory, on the covered alfresco terrace or in the slightly more formal dining room (featuring a big log fire), and menus run the full pub grub gamut, from lunchtime sandwiches, salads, jacket spuds to fish/steak & chips and posh versions of classics such as beef bourguignon. Meanwhile, braised Moroccan lamb, sea bass, pigeon and roast fillet of pork make regular appearances on the specials board. Puds go large here and Sunday lunches are reliably good, while the kids get their own menu. Open Regular pub hours, food served 12noon-2.30pm & 6-9.30pm.

BOATER
Argyle St, BA2 4BQ
Tel: 01225 464211
Revamped 18th-century pub just opposite the weir featuring a large alfresco area which makes the most of ‘that’ view and offering a sturdy menu featuring hearty, filling, homemade favourites and classics, alongside some unexpected contemporary specials and a superb Sunday roast. The atmosphere is always lively, and it gets absolutely rammed on rugby days. Open Regular pub hours. Food served Daily 12noon-3pm.

CHEQUERS
50 Rivers St, BA1 2QA
Tel: 01225 360017, web: www.thechequersbar.com
Smart, stylish and relaxed, with locally brewed ales nicely placed among a well-stocked bar selection and serving food of the upper-crust, locally sourced variety, revolving largely around modern British/Gallic influences. A la carte menus change daily, Sunday roasts are excellent, and you can choose to either pig out in the cosy, candlelit bar area or go upstairs’n’elegant for the full-on dining room experience. The Sunday Times called Chequers one of ‘the best places to eat in Bath’; if it’s good enough for AA Gill, etc…

COEUR DE LION
17 Northumberland Place (off High St), BA1 5AR
Tel: 01225 463568, web: www.coeur-de-lion.co.uk
Part of the Abbey Ales mini-empire and officially Bath’s smallest pub, the Coeur de Lion doesn’t have to leap the gastropub bandwagon in order to secure local legend status. Nestling calmly behind lunchtime-only menus that push all the right pub grub buttons (sturdy sarnies, full-on roast dinners, homemade pies, sausage and mash, etc), there are the kind of sourcing details that most other pubs make a stomach-churning screech about: Bath Bakery bread, Bath Soft Cheese Company cheese, Bartlett’s meat, Sausage Shop bangers, FishWorks fresh fish: local pub, local grub - but hey, no fuss! The ploughman’s/fish and chips are highly recommended. Open Regular pub hours. Food served 12noon-4pm.

CRYSTAL PALACE
Abbey Green, BA1 1NW
Tel: 01225 482666
Big, city centre pub/restaurant on a pretty cobbled courtyard, with a covered, heated garden out back. Popular with office workers and tourists alike, food ranges from sturdy sandwiches and filled jacket spuds to paella, fish & chips, big salads and hearty specials. Open Regular pub hours. Food served Mon-Fri 12noon-9pm, Sat-Sun 12noon-8pm.

DEVONSHIRE ARMS
139 Wellsway, BA2 4RY
Tel: 01225 429593, web: www.devonshirearmsbath.co.uk
Fledgling gastropub alert! The origins of this traditional neighbourhood boozer date back to 1841, but the ‘Devvie’ has undergone a bit of a transformation of late, becoming far more refined than its original incarnation. At lunchtime, seafood pancakes and black pudding with red wine jus nestle up alongside baguettes and jacket potatoes, while evenings are given over to warm duck salads and trios of smoked fish followed by locally sourced slow-roasted shoulder lamb, braised pork belly, etc. Meanwhile, Sunday lunches positively thrum with good cheer. Open Regular pub hours. Food served Tue-Sat 12noon-2.30pm & 6-9.30pm, Sun 12noon-5pm.

CORK AND BOTTLE
11-12 Westgate Buildings, BA1 1EB
Tel: 01225 330470
Crowd-pleasing city centre pub with pool tables and big screens for sporting events serving well-priced grub of the fish & chips/lasagne/jacket spud variety. Open Regular pub hours, late licence most weekends - call for details, events & promotions.

THE FAIRFIELD ARMS
1 Fairfield Park Rd, Bath, BA1 6JN
Tel: 01225 310594
Spruced-up, friendly traditional boozer with a genuine neighbourhood feel. There’s a beer garden, a massive plasma screen TV for major sporting events, open fires and food to match the ambience: substantial quantities of traditional pub grub (homecooked chilli, curry, lasagne, steak and ale pies etc) alongside lighter bites, all of which the owners are happy for you to take away if you want to. But why would you? If the food doesn’t keep you staying put, regular quiz, karaoke and live music evenings most definitely will. Open Mon-Thur 12noon-3pm & 5pm-12midnight, Fri-Sat 12noon-1am, Sun 12noon-11.30pm. Food served Lunchtimes & occasional evenings according to demand.

GARRICK’S HEAD
St Johns Place, BA1 1ET
Tel: 01225 318368, web: www.garricksheadpub.com
The second Charlie and Amanda Digney venture (a little prince for the acclaimed King William), refurbished to their impeccable, classy but classless standards. Inside, rustic sensibilities (chunky wooden furniture, hotchpotch kitchen knick-knackery etc) meets urbane, urban chic. There are sofas for lounging in the bar, those all-important tables on the pavement outside for smokers to moan at, and food is of the locally sourced, daily changing, top-notch gastropub genre. Sunday lunches are spectacular. Open Sun-Wed 12noon-11pm, Thur-Sat 12noon-12midnight. Food served Mon-Sat 12noon-3pm & 6-11pm, Sun 12noon-3pm.

GEORGE INN
Mill Lane, Bathampton, BA2 6TR
Tel: 01225 425079
Chef and Brewer, Cask Marque-awarded period character pub where lashings of friendly charm attracts a loyal army of locals and walkers alike. The big menu features all kinds of crowd-pleasing delights, from traditional, well-sourced British classics (including a spiffing Sunday roast for £8.40) and regular fresh fish specials to easygoing contemporary favourites with a Mediterranean flavour. In summer, the grassy canalside gardens really come into their own. Open Mon-Sat 12noon-11pm (Sun 10.30pm). Food served Summer: Mon-Sat 11am-10pm, Sun 12noon-9.30pm; Winter: Mon-Sun 12noon-10pm (9.30pm Sun).

HARE & HOUNDS
Lansdown Rd, BA1 5TJ
Tel: 01225 482682
This handsome, spacious Lansdown inn enjoys a swoonsome view over the valley and a great split-level patio/garden that fully exploits it (with the covered fairy-lit area particularly pretty on summer evenings). Traditional pub food, fresh fish and imaginative specials keep the crowds coming, not to mention the excellent Sunday carvery. Open Regular pub hours. Food served Mon-Sat 11am-3pm & 6-10pm, Sun 12noon-8pm.

HOP POLE
7 Albion Buildings, Upper Bristol Rd, BA1 3DH
Tel: 01225 446327, web: www.bathales.com
As you’d expect from a Bath Ales brewery, the Hop Pole pulls an excellent pint. But whatever you do, don’t overlook the restaurant: locally sourced, imaginative fare-with-flair and some very ‘cheffy’ inspiration at the heart of the matter, all of which have combined to earn the kitchens a glowing reputation for well-priced, gastropub goodness. There’s live jazz on Sunday evenings, a regular quiz night on Mondays and a lovely garden out back, too. Open Sun-Thur 12noon-11pm, Fri-Sat 12noon-12midnight. Food served Mon-Fri 12noon-2pm & 6.30-9pm, Sat 12noon-2.30pm & 6.30-9pm, Sun 12noon-3pm.

KING WILLIAM
36 Thomas St (off London Rd), BA1 5NN
Tel: 01225 428096, web: www.kingwilliampub.com
Nationally recognised as one of the finest traditional freehouses in the country, offering award-winning British food, an excellent wine list, four fantastic real ales from local microbreweries and proper Somerset cider. Food is seriously gastro, in surroundings to match - seriously, seriously good. Open Mon-Thur 12noon-3pm & 5-11pm, Fri 12noon-3pm & 5pm-12midnight, Sat 12noon-12midnight, Sun 12noon-11pm. Food served Mon-Sun 12noon-2.30pm; dining room open Wed-Sat 6-10pm; bar menu available Mon-Sat 6.30-10pm. Private dining facilities for parties up to 25.

LITTEN TREE
23 Milsom St, BA1 1DE
Tel: 01225 310772
Spacious, bustling city inn with an open plan bar, sofa/lounging areas and a view of sporting events on huge plasma screens from wherever you sit. Food is of the doorstep sandwich or steak/pie/fish with chips variety, and all portions go large. All-day two-for-one main meal offers (currently two for £7.95), regular promotions (curry night, steak night, etc) and macho Sunday roasts. Open Daily 12noon-11pm. Food served Mon-Thur 12noon-9pm, Fri-Sun 12noon-8pm.

MANDALYN’S
Lansdown Rd, BA1 5DX
Tel: 01225 425403, web: www.mandalyns.co.uk
Cheerful, independent party pub (with a strong gay community vibe) with menus that include sturdy fare like rump steaks and cannelloni as well as veggie options and a meaty/meat-free roast on Sun. Hot dogs (£2.50) make perfect bar snacks, and regular karaoke, cabaret, charity events, quizzes and talent shows are always jolly good fun. Open Mon-Wed 4pm-1am, Thur-Fri 4pm-2am, Sat 3pm-2am, Sun 1pm-1am. Food served Until 9pm every day.

MARLBOROUGH TAVERN
35 Marlborough Buildings, BA2 2LY
Tel: 01225 423731, web: www.marlborough-tavern.com
The owners insist that the Marlborough Tavern is not a gastropub, preferring instead to describe it as ‘a community hostelry’. But whatever you want to call this lovely, laid-back watering hole, they happen to serve excellent, traditional British food alongside local ales and ciders and a fabulously thoughtful wine list, all at very down-to-earth prices in welcoming surroundings. Expect to find goodies such as fresh River Fowey mussels, chunky halibut, roast belly pork, perfect sausages & mash and homemade tarts of both the sweet and savoury variety on a menu that covers all bases and flaunts a glorious roast come Sunday. Open Mon-Sun 12noon-11pm. Food served Mon-Sat 12.30pm-2.30pm & 6-9.30pm, Sun 12.30-4pm.

PACK HORSE INN
South Stoke, BA2 7DD
Tel: 01225 832060, web: www.packhorseinn.com
Set in an atmospheric, tumbledown 15th-century manor house at the heart of a similarly historic village and offering reassuringly short but well-paced monthly changing menus, The Pack Horse is at once traditional (hearty pies, beer-battered fish & chips, steaks, Sunday roast, carb-laden puds, etc) and eclectic (gourmet burgers, interesting seafood and salads). Meanwhile, slate floors, sturdy oak tables, a lovely garden, jolly regulars at the bar and really cheerful service keep everybody happy, resulting in ineffably cosy, 500-year-old minimalist chic. Open Regular pub hours. Food served Mon-Sat 12noon-2pm & 6-9pm, Sun 12noon-4pm (6pm in summer).

PIG & FIDDLE
2 Saracen St, BA1 5BR
Tel: 01225 460868, web: www.thepigandfiddle.co.uk
Known locally as an extension of Bath University’s Student Union bar, this busy, friendly boozer appeals largely to a young crowd (and smokers who dominate the heated outdoor tables at the junction of a busy traffic island). On the scoff front, regular wallet-friendly specials concentrate mainly on traditional pub grub - scampi & chips, speciality burgers, etc - and beer-accompanying nibbles such as nachos and onion rings. Open Mon-Sat 11am-11.30pm, Sun 12noon-10.30pm. Food served Mon-Fri 11am-8pm, Sat 11am-6pm, Sun 12noon-6pm.

PORTER
George St, BA1 2QS
Tel: 01225 424104, web: www.moles.co.uk
Popular with pleasure seekers of all ages, students and Bath fringers attracted by a whole host of musicians, comedians and DJs who provide free entertainment downstairs most evenings of the week, this pleasant, lively, old school pub specialises in good old fashioned, pub grub favourites… all of a totally vegetarian persuasion. The reliably satisfying fare perfectly suits the Porter’s laid-back atmosphere: all-day breakfasts/full-on veggie roasts sort late risers and lazy weekenders out in style, while lasagne, curries, shepherd’s pie and various bar snacks (excellent nachos, natch) keep weekday workers going, all at very reasonable prices. Free live music Mon-Thur, plus comedy to accompany your mastication on Sunday evenings and live DJs Fri-Sat (call ahead for details). Open Mon-Thur 11am-11pm, Fri-Sat 11am-12midnight, Sun 12noon-10.30pm. Food served Daily 11am-9pm (breakfast until 6pm weekdays/2pm weekends, Sunday roast 12noon-4pm).

RAM
20 Claverton Buildings, Widcombe
Tel: 01225 460426, web: www.therambath.co.uk
Traditional boozer with a welcoming feel, bravely defying the sudden influx of gastropubs proliferating along the Widcombe Strip (yes, that’s what the locals call it). Lunch menu includes sausage & mash, cottage pie, fish & chips, pasty & chips, ham, egg & chips and the famous Ram breakfast (with chips, of course, should you feel the urge). Real ales, real pub, really good fun. Open Regular pub hours.

RAVEN
7 Queen’s St, BA1 1HE
Tel: 01225 425045, web: www.theravenofbath.co.uk
When the pie’n’mash urge hits, there’s no better place to head for than the Raven. This small but perfectly formed city centre oasis (guaranteed always TV/loud music-free) keeps a gaggle of established followers very happy, and always offers a warm welcome to newcomers. There’s an excellent wine list alongside a classic bar selection both at the long, street level bar and upstairs in the cosy supper room, with taster-size measures of real ales to help you decide what your personal Sup of the Day might be. But oh, those pies! Sumptuous, cockle-warming beauties one and all, courtesy of those lovely Pieminister folk, served with mash or chips and your choice of gravy. Call in or visit the website for details of regular fascinating meetings and events (storytelling circles, a publishing group/science café, beer festivals, campaign groups, occasional live music, etc). Splendid. Open Mon-Thur 11.30am-11pm, Fri-Sat 11.30am-12midnight, Sun 12noon-10.30pm. Food served Mon-Fri 12noon-2.30pm & 6-8.30pm, Sat 12noon-8.30pm, Sun 12.30-4pm.

RICHMOND ARMS
7 Richmond Place, Lansdown, BA1 5PZ
Tel: 01225 316725, web: therichmondarms.netfirms.com
Recently refurbished well-heeled Georgian pub with a light, modern airy feel and a charming beer garden, known to regulars as the ‘Lansdown local’ and serving top-notch but down-to-earth homecooked food. Open Tue-Thur 12noon-3pm & 6-11pm, Fri-Sat 12noon-3pm & 6pm-12.30am, Sun 12noon-3pm & 7-10.30pm. Food served Tue-Sat 12noon-3pm, Tue-Thur 6-9pm, Fri-Sat 6-9.30pm, Sun 12noon-2pm.

RING O’BELLS
Widcombe Parade, BA2 4JT
Tel: 01225 448870, web: www.ringobellsbath.com
The perennially popular Ringo can probably take the credit for being the first gastropub in Bath. Lots of polished wood, sturdy kitchen furniture and a friendly atmosphere provides the perfect setting in which to enjoy polished, sturdy, friendly food, mainly based around a modern British theme but with plenty of Franglais twists and turns to keep things contemporary. Fantastic puddings, too, and always an excellent range of nibbles, platters and specials to keep everything lively. Also boasts a well-stocked bar (great range of wines, conti-beers, etc): no wonder the Ringo maintains enduring a-peal. Private hire. Open Mon 5-11pm, Tue-Sat 12noon-11pm, Sun 12noon-4pm. Food served Mon 6-9.30pm, Tue-Sat 12noon-2.30pm & 6-9.30pm, Sun 12noon-4pm.

ROYAL OAK
8-10 Summerlays Place, BA2 4HN
Tel: 01225 335220, web: www.theroyaloakbath.co.uk
When the former landlord of the ever-popular Ram returned from a short antipodean adventure, he fortunately still had the energy to transform this formerly careworn little boozer into a fabulous, family-friendly real ale haven, all comfy seats and stripped wood floors, with a great outdoor area for summer months. It’s now a great, traditional pub, with a cracking selection of five real ales, regular charity quiz/live music nights, sporting events on big plasma screens and free Wi-Fi access. Don’t let all that distract you from the food, though: reasonably priced homemade pub favourites, from soup and jacket spuds to rib-eye steaks, sharing platters and a superb Sunday roast. Open Regular pub hours. Food served Lunch Tue-Sat 12noon-2pm, Sun 12noon-3.30pm; Dinner Mon-Sun 5.30-9pm.

RUMMER
6 New Market Row, BA2 4AN
Tel: 01225 339345, web: www.therummerbath.co.uk
Open fires, homecooked food, robust Sunday roasts and real ales, all just a stone’s throw away from Bath weir and the picturesque Pulteney Bridge. Gets very busy when there’s live sporting action on the big screen or at the rugby ground, just across the river. Open Mon-Sat 11am-11pm, Sun 12noon-10.30pm. Food served Daily 12noon-4pm.

SALAMANDER
3 John St, BA1 2JL
Tel: 01225 428889, web: www.bathales.com
No TV, no fruit machines, no fuss - just nice folk, a good atmosphere and a cosy feel: exactly what we’ve come to expect from a Bath Ales pub. Originally a ‘steak and ale chop house’, now a refreshingly straightforward pub bar at street level and a cosy supper room (with gallery kitchen) on the first floor. Food is locally sourced and imaginative - and if you can’t be bothered making your way upstairs, chef is happy to have your choice sent down to the bar.Open Mon-Sat 11.30am-11pm (12midnight Fri-Sat), Sun 12noon-10.30pm. Food served Daily 12noon-2.30pm (3pm Fri-Sun) & 6.30-9pm (9.30pm Fri-Sat).

SAM WELLER’S
Upper Borough Walls, BA11RH
Tel: 01225 474910, web: www.samwellersph.co.uk
Popular, buzzing, bustling city centre hotspot specialising in hearty food (steaks, fish & chips, pie & mash, Sunday roasts, etc), a good pint (or three!) and a welcoming atmosphere. Open Daily, regular pub hours. Food served Mon-Sat 12noon-9.30pm approx (according to demand), 5.30pm Sun.

SARACEN’S HEAD
Broad St, BA1 5LP
Tel: 01225 426518
Ancient boozer with a fascinating history (Charles Dickens apparently once fell asleep at the bar here), slightly marred by concessions to tourists, sports fans and stag dos, serving traditional and reasonably priced fare like beef & ale pie and Sunday roasts with some veggie options. Open Regular pub hours. Food served 12noon-9pm.

STAR INN
Vineyards (opposite The Paragon), BA1 5NA
Tel: 01225 425072, web: www.star-inn-bath.co.uk
A grade ll-listed, CAMRA-endorsed, fruit machine- and music-free real ales corker with a history that dates back to the 16th century, 19th-century wooden interiors and a well-stocked bar courtesy of local brewery/proprietors Abbey Ales. While there’s no menu as such, the pub’s well-stuffed rolls and generous complimentary bar snacks (from quail’s eggs and sausage rolls to big cheeseboard selections) make this truly original gem worthy of a mention here. Open Mon-Fri 12noon-2.30pm & 5.30-11pm, Sat 12noon-11pm, Sun 12noon-10.30pm.

VOLUNTEER RIFLEMAN’S ARMS
New Bond St Place, BA1 1BA
Tel: 01225 425210
Small, welcoming pub (it’s a good job the regulars are so friendly – it often gets very packed at the bar) offering excellent, homecooked traditional pub grub and a great selection of traditional local ales alongside standard bar goodies. Open Mon-Thur 11am-1am, Fri-Sat 11am-2am, Sun 12noon-11pm (but may close early on week nights, according to demand). Food served Daily 12noon-3pm.

WHITE HART
Widcombe Parade, BA2 6AA
Tel: 01225 338053, web: www.whitehartbath.co.uk
Once a down-at-heel pub-cum-hostel, now a distinctive, popular cornerstone of the burgeoning ‘Widcombe scene’ (and chic traveller’s rest): a glorious scrubbed-pine-and-blackboard-menu sanctuary with downhome dining rooms, a lively, buzzing bar area and a gorgeous urban oasis in the lovely courtyard outback. Food is unpretentious but inspired - a real ‘go with the flow’ affair, from the ‘signature’ rough pesto/mint and lemon hummus bar platter/starters to gert big homemade puds. Lush. Open Mon-Sat 11.30am-11.30pm, Sun 12noon-10-30pm. Food served 12noon-9pm daily.

MILL AT RODE
Rode, Somerset, BA11 6AG
Tel: 01373 831100, web: www.themillatrode.co.uk
In the historic village of Rode on the river Frome, The Mill’s surrounded by landscaped gardens. Once a prosperous grist mill, it retains much of the character of its past, including the original waterwheel. Relaxed bar and dining area with seasonally changing menus. Food served all day: the 7 till 7 menu offers two courses for £7.77 from 12noon-7pm, and the two-course set dinner will set you back just £14.95. The wine list offers lots of taste tips to guide the inexperienced, and kids are well catered for: there’s a selection of organic kids’ meals, and the play den is an absolute godsend. IDC: 25% off.

WHEATSHEAF
Combe Hay, nr Bath, BA2 7EG
Tel: 01225 833504 web: www.wheatsheafcombehay.co.uk
‘Even I, the Princess of Prattle, was moved to quit the inane babble for a moment in favour of a bit of quiet contemplation as the sun set on one of the most divine visions of pastoral paradise in the West Country,’ wrote Venue’s Princess of Poetry when wafting into the Wheat. Nestled in gorgeous countryside, this beautifully preserved inn - now a contemporary gastropub - started life as a private house in 1576. Real ales, hard-to-find Japanese lager on tap, an outstanding wine list and a huge, frequently changing menu that ranges from a small but great-value bar food selection (including their famous ploughman’s) to a delicious a la carte menu specialising in game (in season) and fresh fish. The attention given to the mains carries through to the imaginative dessert menu and its cheese counterpart, upon which you’ll find French fromage and its English cousin. It’s the perfect place for a Sunday roast and, if you can’t bear to tear yourself away, there’s accommodation too. Large summer beer garden with 30 tables. Open lunch and dinner (occasionally extending to all day during the summer), with lovely locally brewed ales and ciders.

Eating Out West - Bristol and Bath's best restaurant guide, including extra sections on Pubs, Bars, Sandwich Shops, Takeaways, Wine Merchants, Caterers, Dining Clubs and Cookery Schools. To order your copy

ring 0117 942 8491. Only £5.95. Yum.