Pubs
Bath Assembly Inn 16-17 Alfred St. Tel: 01225 333639 • Find Sharp’s Doom Bar, Weston’s Old Rosie and Stowford Press ciders at the bar, sturdy, homecooked pub grub on the menu and plenty of live screen sporting action on the gurt big screens at this long-running city fringe fave. Gets very lively on match days
Bath Tap 19 St James’s Parade. Tel: 01225 404344 • Bath’s longest-running gay pub with lively bar and sturdy homecooked food served until around 8pm in a very friendly atmosphere. Late licence at weekends
The Bell 103 Walcot St. Tel: 01225 460426. Web: www.walcotstreet.com • Long-running Bath institution offers a warm welcome, 11 ales, organic beers and eclectic line-up of live music, plus heated backyard, bar billiards, table football and a chill-out lounge. Home to ‘the smallest launderette in the world’, 12noon-10pm daily
Bladuds Head Catsley Place, Larkhall. Tel: 01225 423177. Web: www.bladudshead.co.uk • Good selection of real ales, two bars, occasional live music and complimentary bowls of roast potatoes sitting on the bar during Sunday lunchtimes. The pretty little stream nearby has to be one of the prettiest smokers’ hangouts in Bath
The Boater 9 Argyle St. Tel: 01225 464211 • Three-storey 18th-century pub just opposite the weir featuring a large alfresco area which makes the most of ‘that’ view (and turns it into a smoker’s paradise). Regular drinks promos and big-screen sporting action. Alfresco backyard bar opens subject to demand during summer months
Chequers Inn River St. 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. Sunday roasts are excellent. Nominated as ‘one of the best places to eat in Bath’ by The Sunday Times
Coeur de Lion Northumberland Passage. Tel: 01225 463568. Web: www.coeur-de-lion.co.uk • Tiny, characterful pub, part of the Abbey Ales mini-empire. Even the lunchtime-only menus push all the right buttons. Pavement tables outside. Officially Bath’s smallest pub
Cork & Bottle 11-12 Westgate Buildings. Tel: 01225 330470 • As the C&B is a Marstons hostelry, you’ll find a decent pint of Pedigree on tap among the regular beer and lager selection at this crowd-pleasing city centre pub, popular with sports fans and a younger crowd at weekends. Massive screens show Sky Sports; late licence Fri/Sat
Crystal Palace Abbey Green. Tel: 01225 482666 • Big, bustling city centre pub/restaurant on a pretty cobbled courtyard, with a covered, heated garden out back offering a warm welcome to smokers whatever the weather. Spooky one-hour walking tours leave from the front of the pub every night at 8pm
The Curfew 11 Cleveland Place West. Tel: 01225 424210 • Good beer, homemade food, a warm welcome and a beer garden complete with heated smoking area - this lovely neighbourhood boozer has integrity marinated in the very woodwork of the oak-panelled interiors. Board games (backgammon, chess, etc) available behind the bar
Devonshire Arms 139 Wellsway. Tel: 01225 429593. Web: www.devonshirearmsbath.co.uk • The ‘Devvie’ has undergone a bit of a transformation of late, becoming far more refined than its original incarnation. Sunday lunches positively thrum with good cheer. Steep steps to the side of the pub lead down to the gorgeous Lyncombe Vale
Flan O’Briens 21 Westgate St, BA1 1EP. Tel: 01225 312914 • This Irish-themed people-watcher’s paradise offers an extremely warm welcome, serves up an excellent pint of Guinness and gets absolutely packed when there’s rugby or football on the TV. Late licence allows revellers to party on into the small hours Wed-Sat
Garrick’s Head Sawclose, St John’s Place (next to Theatre Royal). Tel: 01225 318368 • Rustic sensibilities meet urbane, urban chic: food is of the gastropub genre and there’s a massive wine list, four real ales, Weston’s perry and the city’s only supply of Burrow Hill Somerset cider brandy. The Sunday roasts-to-share are legendary
George Inn Bathampton. Tel: 01225 425079 • Chef and Brewer, Cask Marque-awarded period character pub with lashings of friendly charm, situated almost directly on the canal towpath. The big menu features all kinds of crowd-pleasing delights. Canalside gardens are properly picturesque
The Grapes 14 Westgate St. Tel: 01225 310235 • Old-fashioned and often overlooked, this dimly lit little boozer specialises in bar/food promos and live sporting action on the TV. Conveniently located for a pre-cinema pint: Bath’s Little Theatre is to the side of the pub
Green Park Tavern Lower Bristol Rd, Twerton. Tel: 01225 400050 • This spacious, multi-ambient bar/pub/restaurant operates as an unofficial student hall of residence during term time. Robust food, DJs, live acoustic showcases, salsa classes, and quiz/poetry/open mic nights. Heated beer garden
Hare & Hounds Lansdown Rd. Tel: 01225 482682 • Even the word ‘handsome’ doesn’t quite encapsulate this cosy but spacious Lansdown inn with a swoonsome view over the valley and a lovely split-level patio/garden that fully exploits it (with the covered fairy-lit area particularly pretty). Worth checking out for the amazing views alone
The Hobgoblin 47 Saint James’s Parade. Tel: 01225 460785 • Self-styled as ‘Bath’s home of alternative music’, the Hobgoblin boasts an agreeable spit ’n’ sawdust vibe, pound-stretching bar promotions, pool tables and regular events. Quite possibly the most fascinating jukebox in Bath
Hop Pole 7 Albion Buildings, Upper Bristol Rd. Tel: 01225 446327 • As well as boasting an atmospheric wooden interior and absolutely gorgeous beer garden, the food here puts most restaurants to shame, offering monthly changing mouth-watering menus. Very popular quiz night on Mon
The Huntsman 1 Terrace Walk. Tel: 01225 482900 • By day, it’s an airy, civilised pub with a modern feel, popular with tourists and families. However, there’s a complete transformation after the sun goes down, when club nights/DJs make full use of the late licence. The ‘Bizarre Bath’ Comedy Walk starts here every eve Mar-Nov
King of Wessex James St West. Tel: 01225 303380 • Cask Marque accredited ales (including Abbot, Pedigree, Spitfire and Burton, plus regularly changing guests) and a vast range of ciders and perries. Loud, proud food/beer promotions proliferate. Opens from 9am for boisterous, bargain-priced breakfasts
King William 36 Thomas St. Tel: 01225 428096 • Nationally recognised as one of the finest traditional freehouses in the country, with an excellent wine list, real ales from local microbreweries and proper Somerset cider. Food is seriously gastro - and seriously, seriously good. Both the Guardian’s Matthew Fort and Times foodie Giles Coren have raved about this place
King’s Arms Monmouth Place. Tel: 01225 425418 • Unpretentious, busy boozer offering two real ales, Courage Best and Bass, one guest beer and three ciders. Well-priced pub grub and bargain Sunday roast dinners on the menu, regular live music and quizzes at weekends. Originally a 17th-century coach house featuring a stunning cobbled courtyard
Lamb & Lion 15 Lower Borough Walls. Tel: 01225 474931 • Popular city centre pub, usually packed to overflowing when sporting events are shown on the massive screens (and when the Saturday night stags and hens hit the town). Bargain meal deals at rock-bottom prices. Beer garden.
Litten Tree 23 Milsom St. 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. Licensed to screen Sky Sports and Setanta fixtures
Mandalyn’s Lansdown Rd. Tel: 01225 425403. Web: www.mandalyns.co.uk • Cheerful, independent party pub with a strong gay community vibe and menus that include sturdy pub grub, veggie options and a meaty/meat-free roast on Sundays. Regular karaoke, cabaret, charity events, quizzes and talent shows are always jolly good fun
Marlborough Tavern 35 Marlborough Buildings. Tel: 01225 423731. Web: www.marlborough-tavern.com • Lovely, laid-back watering hole serving excellent, traditional British food alongside local ales and ciders and a fabulously thoughtful wine list, all at very down-to-earth prices. Superb alfresco area
Old Green Tree 12 Green St. Tel: 01225 448259 • Beams, oak panelling, original fireplaces and ancient wooden floors attest to the building’s history, while six real ales and tempting menus offering everything from doorstep sarnies to smoked trout keep contemporary regulars very happy. Maximum capacity 100 (including staff and resident ghost)
Pack Horse Inn South Stoke Tel: 01225 832060. Web: www.packhorseinn.com • Set in an atmospheric, tumbledown 15th-century manor house at the heart of a similarly historic village. Slate floors, sturdy oak tables, a lovely mature beer garden, jolly regulars at the bar and cheerful service. An ancient, sealed tunnel beneath the building runs between the pub and the nearby church
Park Tavern Park Lane, Victoria Park. Tel: 01225 425174 • A suntrap beer garden alongside Courage Best, a guest ale and all kinds of other goodies at the bar, a people-pleasing menu packed with sturdy standards and a pool table. What more do you want? Pick your own apples from the trees in the garden, free of charge
Pig & Fiddle 2 Saracen St. Tel: 01225 460868 • 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). Old-school table arcade features classics like Pacman and Donkey Kong
The Porter 2 Miles Buildings, George St. Tel: 01225 424104. Web: www.theporter.co.uk • Popular with pleasure seekers of all ages, students and Bath fringers attracted by musicians, comedians and DJs who provide entertainment downstairs most evenings of the week, this friendly watering hole specialises in pub grub favourites… of a totally vegetarian persuasion. The sun hits around midday and stays all afternoon
Porter Butt York Place. Tel: 01225 425084 • Live music (from skater-friendly thrash and punk through to traditional Irish folk sessions), a family- (and smoker)-friendly garden, an excellent all-vinyl jukebox, a good selection of ales and stupidly cheap food. Celebrating its 18th birthday this year
Pulteney Arms 37 Daniel St. Tel: 01225 463923. Web: www.pulteneyarms.co.uk • Lovely traditional boozer boasting wooden floors, comfortable banquettes and roaring open fires, a very well-stocked bar and generous portions of good, honest homemade food. Quiz nights during the winter months give way to barbecues when the sun comes out
The Ram 20 Claverton Buildings, Widcombe. Tel: 01225 421938. Web: www.therambath.com • Friendly neighbourhood boozer with screens for live sport in the bar and ‘Founders Room’. Stripped wooden floors, oak beams and furniture, four real ales and an open fire lull you into thinking you could be in a village inn rather than a stone’s throw from the city centre. Pavement tables out front
The Raven 6-7 Queen St. Tel: 01225 425045. Web: www.theravenofbath.co.uk • One of the city’s warmest, friendliest, most welcoming hostelries, The Raven is the place to head for when the pie’n’pint urge hits. Small but perfectly formed city centre oasis. Visit website for details of regular meetings and events including storytelling circles
Ring O’Bells Widcombe Parade. Tel: 01225 448870. Web: www.ringobellsbath.com • The perennially popular Ringo can probably take the credit for being the first gastropub in Bath, but the management are keen on maintaining its reputation as a friendly local hostelry, too. Originally established as an ale house in 1837
Royal Oak 8-10 Summerlays Place, Pulteney Rd, Widcombe. Tel: 01225 335220 • Relaxing, traditional hostelry offering a selection of five real ales (plus a ‘Beer of the Season’), a skittle alley, a dart board, Sky Sports on big screens, free wi-fi access and that all-important alfresco area. Regular quiz night/live music
Royal Oak Lower Bristol Rd. Tel: 01225 481409. Web: www.theroyaloak-bath.co.uk • Ten hand pumps serve up an ever-changing array of microbrewery specials from artisan producers (with taster glasses beside each pump offering you the opportunity to sample before you buy). CAMRA Pub of the Year 2007, Bath and Borders region
The Rummer 6 Newmarket Row, Grand Parade. Tel: 01225 339345. Web: www.therummer.bath • Local ales, homemade food, open fires, major sporting events shown on a big screen … and a lovely view of the weir from the huge picture windows at the front. Hangover? The all-day bacon sarnie deals should sort you out
Saint James’ Wine Vaults 10 Saint James’s St. Tel: 01225 310335. Web: www.stjameswinevaults.co.uk • Atmosphere and a genuinely friendly vibe both go large here. There’s no kitchen, but if the hunger pangs strike, just grab yourself a takeaway menu from the selection kept behind the bar. Charity quiz night every Thur, with cash, cinema tickets and cases of wine up for grabs
The Salamander 3 John St. Tel: 01225 428889. Web: www.bathales.com • Highly recommended Bath Ales pub with its own restaurant upstairs. While Bath Ales dominate, their bottled selection is eclectic and wide-ranging, and they’ve introduced some gastro-delights to the menu. The perfect cold-weather cosy hideaway
Sam Weller’s Upper Borough Walls. Tel: 01225 474910. Web: www.samwellersph.co.uk • Four real ales, good value, all-day food menu and a midnight licence at weekends make Sam’s a popular hotspot for city centre shoppers by day and youthful revellers after sunset. Named after the servant Samuel Weller, who appears in The Pickwick Papers
The Saracen’s Head Broad St. Tel: 01225 426518 • Legend has it that Charles Dickens used to get so sozzled while writing ‘The Pickwick Papers’ in Bath that he’d fall asleep here. Today, this city centre pub packs to the rafters with throngs of big-screen TV sports fans and the odd stag party. Claims to be the oldest pub in Bath
Star Inn The Paragon. Tel: 01225 425072. Web: www.star-inn-bath.co.uk • Grade II-listed cracker of a pub, complete with a virtually untouched, totally charming, authentic 19th-century interior. This real ales nirvana offers as many CAMRA-approved tipples as you can imagine. If the crowd around the bar are looking peckish, the landlord gets the cheeseboard out
Volunteer Rifleman’s Arms New Bond St Place. 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. Heated alfresco smoking area on the neat little traffic-free street outside
White Hart Widcombe Parade. Tel: 01225 338053. Web: www.whitehartbath.co.uk • Distinctive, popular cornerstone of the burgeoning ‘Widcombe scene’: a glorious scrubbed-pine-and-blackboard-menu sanctuary with a lively bar area. Food, meanwhile, is unpretentious but inspired. Make yourself at home in the gorgeous heated courtyard outback
Ye Old Farmhouse 1 Lansdown Rd. Tel: 07969 713219. Web: www.myspace.com/yeoldfarmhousebath • Recently reopened with new landlords bringing back live music. Open lunchtimes and evenings during the week and all day Saturday and Sunday. Heated smoking area
Bristol
Adam & Eve 7 Hope Chapel Hill, Hotwells. Tel: 0117 929 1508 • Fabulous old-fashioned pub, perfect for idling away the afternoon and enjoying chef-quality homecooked food. Pub quiz every Mon evening
Albert Inn 1 West St, Bedminster. Tel: 0782 499 7351 • Music Fri-Sun inclusive taking in folk, country and pretty much anything else. Heated and covered smoking area. Has its own piano
Albion Public House & Dining Rooms Boyces Ave, Clifton. Tel: 0117 973 3522. Web: www.thealbionclifton.co.uk • Famed for its modern British cuisine, fine wines and real ales, with snug bar and courtyard outside. Bath chaps make an occasional appearance on the menu
Alma Tavern 18-20 Alma Vale Rd, Clifton. Tel: 0117 973 5171 • Entertainment here ranges from continuous productions upstairs and cable and terrestrial sport on TV to Monday quizzes. The only pub in Bristol with its own theatre
The Anchor 323 Gloucester Rd. Tel: 0117 924 1769 • Trendy, upbeat sports pub in the heart of UWE stude land. Super giant umbrellas shelter you while you smoke fore or aft. Students get some drinks for £1 on Mon
Bag O’Nails 141 St Georges Rd, Hotwells. Tel: 07717 846560 • Unique one-room boozer with no jukebox or fruit machines, just a fine array of up to eight guest beers at any one time. Look out for gas lighting, the floor’s portholes and 52 brews in November’s fest
The Bear 261 Hotwell Rd. Tel: 0117 987 7796 • A real mix of clientele in this popular venue, from students and locals to visiting musicians. Covered and heated smoking area. Renowned bebop jazz club with international acts every Fri eve
Beaufort 21 York Rd, Montpelier. Tel: 0117 955 5216 • A warm welcome awaits when you step through the doors of this cosy pub with memorable blues/reggae/Irish standards jukebox. Be prepared to sing along with the locals
Beaufort Arms 23 High St, Clifton. Tel 07813 115753 • Tucked-away old-fashioned wonder serving wide cider range. Dominoes and jukebox. Filled rolls in summer, Sunday roasts in winter
The Bell 21 Alfred Place, Kingsdown • Friendly one-bar pub in Kingsdown’s backstreets with carpets, wood panelling and a quirky curtain hiding the corridor to the khazis. Check out the ‘Ne pas fumer’ sign
The Bell 16-18 Hillgrove St, Stokes Croft. Tel: 0117 909 6612. Web: www.butcombe.com/bell.htm • Wood-floored public house with cosmopolitan clientele. DJs play Tue-Sun in the back bar, which is also used for parties
The Berkeley Berkeley Centre, Queens Rd. Tel: 0117 927 9550 • Big, busy Wetherspoons pub popular with students. Drop-down TV screens show all major sporting events. Plenty of food promotions throughout the week
Bishop’s Tavern Cheltenham Rd. Tel: 0117 944 5169 • Due to its location in studentsville, it’s rammed with bright, noisy young things. All-day Sunday roasts, cheap pizzas in the evening. Curry club nights on Thur: curry and a pint of Becks £6.95
Bridge Inn Passage St. Tel: 0117 949 9967. Web: www.bathales.com • Size isn’t everything when it comes to pubs, as this Bath Ales pub and its warm and friendly atmosphere proves. Quiz nights first Mon of the month
Bristol Flyer 96 Gloucester Rd. Tel: 0117 944 1658 • This place has got everything: fat seating from which to watch the sport, books/board games, and a ‘really cheesy’ quiz. The big heated back garden is ace whether you’re smoking or not
Bristol Ram 32 Park St. Tel: 0117 926 8654 • Friendly, relaxed and cosy atmosphere where you can enjoy a variety of wines by the glass and a full range of draught beers. Live acoustic music every Fri, some Sundays
Bunch of Grapes 8 Denmark St. Tel: 0117 987 0500. Web: www.thebunchofgrapes.co.uk • No-fuss, down-to-earth, good old-fashioned pub with no TV and no kids to distract you. Live music four nights weekly
Cadbury House Richmond Rd, Montpelier. Tel: 0117 924 7874 • Legendary drinking institution in Bristol’s bohemian quarter, home to a good mix of students, locals and virtual tenants. Open-air pool table in the deceptively large beer garden
Cat & Wheel 207 Cheltenham Rd. Tel: 0117 942 7862 • Big, busy two-bar pub run with pool tables and big-screen sports. Up to eight real ales served. Hosts up to three annual cider festivals
The Clifton 16 Regent St, Clifton. Tel: 0117 974 1967 • Admirably attracting an 18-85 crowd, with décor and drinks similarly diverse. A staggering ten-lager range. ‘Grab my Grapes’ offer Wed, with bottles of wine worth up to £30 yours for a tenner
Coach & Horses Highland Square, Clifton. Tel: 0117 974 5176 • Characterful former coaching inn popular with students hustling on the pool table, local residents and office workers. Suntrap garden out front is one of Clifton’s best-kept secrets
Colston Yard Colston St, Bristol. Tel: 0117 376 3232 • Real ales take in Butcombe Gold, Bitter and Blond and two regularly changing guests. The food’s no slouch either. Any takers for the strongest beer in the world (14%)?
Commercial Rooms Corn St. Tel: 0117 927 9681 • Wetherspoons biggie serving extensive range of beers and lagers, plus five draught ciders, eight vodkas and modest cocktail menu. Food offers all the time
The Cornubia 142 Temple St, Redcliffe. Tel: 0117 925 4415 • Guest beers from local microbreweries, traditional cider and, occasionally, perry. Beer festivals planned. Hard to find but worth seeking out
The Coronation 18 Dean Lane, Southville. Tel: 0117 940 9044 • Little local, popular with all ages. Friendly, welcoming community pub with up to six different ales on tap. Cheap homemade pizzas available eves only till 9pm
Coronation Tap 8 Sion Place, Clifton. Tel: 0117 973 9617. Web: www.thecoronationtap.com • The only cider house in Clifton and the oldest in Bristol. Home of the infamous Exhibition cider. Celebrity spotters will not be disappointed
Cotham Porter Stores 15 Cotham Rd South. Web: www.cothamporterstores.co.uk • Gorgeous little mid-terrace pub famed citywide as one of Bristol’s finest traditional cider houses. A plaque and a photograph here pay respect to much-missed cricketers
The Croft 117-119 Stokes Croft. Tel: 0117 987 4144. Web: www.the-croft.com • Live music venue serving Bristol Beer Factory’s Number 7 and Kingston Press and Stowford Press cider. Entry free before 10pm
Drawbridge 14-15 St Augustine’s Parade. Tel: 0117 929 8391 • Perfectly placed beside the Hippodrome for a pre- or post-theatre pint. Rooftop terrace for those up for lighting up. Easily found (and big) central meeting place
Duke of York 2 Jubilee Rd, St Werburghs. Tel: 0117 941 3677 • Lively, fun hangout, with four rotating real ales, a huge selection of ciders and great games room upstairs. No food but great atmosphere
Eldon House 6 Lower Clifton Hill. Tel: 0117 922 1271. Web: www.theeldonhouse.co.uk • Wonderful community pub with hearty homemade grub. Entertainment could be anything from live bands or open mic to Breton folk
Epi Bar Bristol University Students Union, Queens Rd, Clifton. Tel: 0117 954 5856 • Theme nights all week, twice-annual beer festival, covered smoking balcony. Cheap, cheap, cheap drinks for card-carrying students and their friends
Famous Royal Navy Volunteer King St. Tel: 0117 929 1763 • Historic city centre beauty with six cask ales on, comfy seats and sofas, a library, separate rooms: whatever you want, you’ve got it. Separate function room available to hire
The Farm Hopetoun Rd, St Werburghs. Tel: 0117 944 2384 • Funky, laid-back but lively community pub with large garden next to city farm. A country boozer in the city. The outside of the building was painted by a local graffiti artist
Full Moon & Attic Bar Stokes Croft. Tel: 0117 924 5007. Web: www.fullmoonbristol.co.uk • Fantastic, ethical food and drink at this backpackers’ hotel and adjoining bar. Check out the courtyard when it’s sunny
Golden Lion 244 Gloucester Rd, Bishopston. Tel: 0117 924 6449 • Music and art are this pub’s strengths, with bands up to five nights weekly and DJs when there’s not. None-more-wicked mural covers the exterior
Grain Barge Hotwell Rd, Hotwells. Tel: 0117 929 9347. Web: www.bristolbeerfactory.co.uk • All aboard for floating boozer doing good traditional pub food. Smoke out on the covered gangway while admiring the SS Great Britain
The Greyhound 32 Princess Victoria St, Clifton. Tel: 0117 973 4187 • Smart refurb at this characterful pub a few years ago continues to attract an appreciative clientele. The back garden is now open and heated
The Griffin 41 Colston St. Tel: 0117 908 6731. Web: www.thegriffinpub.co.uk • One of the most important venues in Bristol’s gay scene since time began. Bristol’s longest-serving gay pub
Hare on the Hill 41 Thomas St North, off Dove St, Kingsdown. Tel: 0117 908 1982 • Classy but down-to-earth pub with great range of real ales, cider and around 40 whiskies. Cover star of 2006’s Pubs & Inns of England & Wales and much praised by CAMRA
Hatchet Inn 27 Frogmore St. Tel: 0117 929 4118. Web: www.thehatchet.co.uk • Rambling old building with two bars, games room and a separate function room, complete with bar. Apparently, the door was originally covered in human skin. Ugh!
Hen & Chicken 210 North St, Bedminster. Tel: 0117 966 3143. Web: www.thecomedybox.co.uk • There’s a cafe/bar-type feel here, with weekend pizzas served until the witching hour. Upstairs comedy club
Highbury Vaults St Michaels Hill. Tel: 0117 973 3203 • Renowned pub popular with conversationalists due to the lack of music. Snug bar for those who want to get away from it all. Once the site of a gallows, prisoners were kept here overnight before execution
Hillgrove Porter Stores 53 Hillgrove St North, Kingsdown. Tel: 0117 944 4780 • Cosy, candlelit community pub open eves only from 4pm, with a nice beer garden. CAMRA Pub of the Year for Bristol & District 2007
Hobgoblin Gloucester Rd, Bishopston. Tel: 0117 942 9534. Web: www.hobgoblin-bristol.co.uk • Popular boozer with comfy seating and good beer. Free jukebox Sundays. Sky Sports shown, with small all-weather courtyard if you want to get away from it
Hole in the Wall 2 The Grove, Queen Square. Tel. 0117 926 5967 • Historic dockside building providing an informal pub and eatery. Outside seating (and smoking) on the grass. The name refers to the window pubs had for customers to watch out for press gangs
Hope & Anchor 38 Jacob’s Wells Rd. Tel: 0117 929 2987 • No machines, no pool tables, no jukebox. But loads of food and beer: always six real ales on tap. Astonishing multi-levelled terrace garden out back
Horts 49 Broad St. Tel: 0117 925 2520 • Deceptively large pub that seems to go on forever, with lots of nooks and crannies for intimate chats and a quiet meal. Large function room available for meetings and parties
The Inn on the Green 2 Filton Rd, Horfield. Tel: 0117 952 1391 • Big, cheerful pub with a fearsome reputation for real ales - up to 16 available at any one time. Won CAMRA Bristol & District Pub of the Year 2006
Jersey Lily 193 Whiteladies Rd. Tel: 0117 973 9037. Web: www.jerseylily.co.uk • Food is pub grub plus specials; smokers get an awning and Red Bull umbrella. Historic boozer named after Lillie Langtry.
Kensington Arms 35-37 Stanley Rd, Redland. Tel: 0117 944 6444. Web: www.thekensingtonarms.co.uk • Great gastropub right on the money when it comes to food, drink and service. Smoky the cat sometimes joins Jack Russell Molly here in inter-species harmony
King William 20 King St. Tel: 0117 926 8672 • Very cosy pub, thanks to the real coal fire crackling away, with a romantic feel courtesy of the fitted booths. Samuel Smith’s ales on draught. Food/drink includes a smattering of organic, Fairtrade and vegan options
King’s Head 60 Victoria St. Tel: 0117 927 7860 • Wonderful pub with a long history, with ornate decoration behind the bar and old photographs of Bristol covering the walls. Interior, modelled on a tramcar, was featured in The House of Eliott
The Lansdown Clifton Rd, Clifton Village. Tel: 0117 973 4949 • Very friendly little pub on Clifton Village’s edge where extensive alfresco seating easily triples its size. The smoking facilities remain among Bristol’s best
The Lion Church Lane, Cliftonwood. Tel: 0117 926 8492. Web: www.thelion.biz • Extensive wine list and fresh, homecooked food, served by much-loved bar staff. Sunny courtyard. ‘It oozes class,’ according to The Guardian
Llandoger Trow 1-4 King St. Tel: 0870 990 6424 • One of Bristol’s oldest and architecturally distinctive pubs, and the granddaddy of the vibrant King Street district. It was here that Daniel Defoe met Alexander Selkirk, who inspired Robinson Crusoe
Louisiana Bathurst Parade, Wapping Rd. Tel: 0117 926 5978 • Excellent live music venue, with plenty of top local/touring bands performing each week in the room upstairs. Landlord Mr Schillache has been at the helm for 21 years now – ‘life imprisonment!’
Merchant’s Arms Merchants Rd, Hotwells. Tel: 0117 904 0037 • Part of the Bath Ales clan, so expect to find Gem, Spa, Barnstormer and either Festivity or Wild Hare. Light bar snacks. Play chess, draughts, cribbage, dominoes and other games in the back bar
Miners Arms Mina Rd, St Werburghs. Tel: 0117 955 6718 • Popular locals’ hostelry (particularly with the nearby climbing club), with 25 whiskies, eight rums and 16 wines. Nearly 30 crisps and snack varieties sold – a local record?
Nova Scotia Nova Scotia Place, Hotwells. Tel: 0117 929 7994 • Dockside drinking den, providing a cosy bar or great alfresco seating. Plenty of real ale, including a couple of guests. Regular live music, including a Mon-night folk club
Old Castle Green 46 Gloucester Lane, Old Market. Tel: 0117 330 9140. Web: www.oldcastlegreen.com • Popular L&G bar, open until 4am at weekends, with Wi-Fi access. Barbecues in the beer garden on Suns (weather permitting)
Old Duke King St. Tel: 0117 927 7137. Web: www.theoldduke.com • Popular and highly esteemed traditional jazz and blues pub hosting live music nightly and on Sun lunchtimes too. Annual jazz festival over the Aug bank holiday weekend
Old England Bath Buildings, Montpelier • Large old community pub with a diverse clientele, from social workers to students, artists to artisans. Probably the country’s only pub with its own cricket nets
Old Fish Market Baldwin St. Tel: 0117 921 1515 • Attracts a diverse following, from the young things to the more mature folk, and considers itself the only city centre boozer with regulars. They might be crazy about the big-screen sport here, but they don’t behave like idiots
Old Market Tavern Old Market St. Tel: 0117 922 6123 • Fabulous old-fashioned boozer with good-quality ales and a seasonal guest as well as cheap homecooked food. Office workers by day, part of Bristol’s thriving gay scene by night
Old Tavern Blackberry Hill, Stapleton. Tel: 0117 965 7309 • Fine old boozer serving five draught ales from the on-site microbrewery – no wonder it’s got CAMRA’s thumbs-up. Claims to have ‘Bristol’s best ladies’’ (the facilities, rather than people)
The Orchard 12 Hanover Place, Spike Island. Tel: 0117 926 2678 • Small one-bar pub 100m from a fascinating dry dock, offering five draught and four bottled ciders to quench your thirst. Cider Sundays with morris dancers sometimes
The Ostrich Lower Guinea St. Tel: 0117 927 3774 • Characterful, unspoiled dockside Courage house serving you a fine pint of Pedigree, Bath Ales’s Gem or whatever else you fancy. Seating outside for 500 overlooking the water
Pipe & Slippers 118 Cheltenham Rd. Tel: 0117 924 7711. Web: www.thepipe andslippers.com • Admirably diverse pub incorporating tapas. Sister pub the Windmill across the city
Portcullis 3 Wellington Terrace, Clifton. Tel: 0117 908 5536 • Two-level boozer just down from the Suspension Bridge, with an extraordinary range of 25 beers on offer. Ales kept with almost obsessive care – some Hindu deities get less reverence
Prince of Wales 5 Gloucester Rd. Tel: 0117 924 5552. Web: www.powbristol.co.uk • One of Bristol’s best boozers, with an extensive range of organic food and drink. Covered, heated garden for a bit of alfresco dining and smoking
Prince of Wales Stoke Lane, Westbury-on-Trym. Tel: 0117 962 3715. Web: www.princeofwales-butcombe.com • Butcombe-owned boozer popular with local sporting teams. They’ve been told their purpose-built smoking area, with outdoor TV, is Bristol’s best
Pump House Merchants Rd, Hotwells. Tel: 0117 927 2229 • Handsome dockside boozer enjoying a new incarnation with top-notch nosh in the upstairs restaurant. Monthly live jazz and regular Sunday sounds
Red Lion Worrall Rd, Clifton. Tel: 0794 148 6726 • A proper pub just yards from the Whiteladies strip, popular with rugby and footie fans and local students alike. Live music to become more frequent
Rising Sun 86-90 Gloucester Rd. Tel: 0117 989 2471 • This bar puts the emphasis on well-lubricated evenings, with deliberately striking decor adding to the party feel. Student mecca, as low prices and drinks promos are the name of the game. Excellent video jukebox, pool tables
Robin Hood’s Retreat 197 Gloucester Rd, Bishopston. Tel: 0117 924 8639 • Cosy, comfortable and friendly ambience, excellent service and weekly guest ales on tap. Decked garden out back. Head chef Nathan Muir has earned a fearsome reputation for his food
Rose of Denmark 6 Dowry Place. Tel: 0117 940 5866 • Community pub where board games, chess, shove ha’penny and piano help create an all-inclusive atmosphere. Great food at tasty prices
Rummer Hotel All Saints Lane. Tel: 0117 929 0111. Web: www.therummer.co.uk • Chesterfield sofas surround the huge fireplace, with cellars available for very swish private dining. There’s been an inn on this site since 1241
Scotchman & His Pack 20 St Michaels Hill. Tel: 0117 929 1327. Web: www.thescotchman.co.uk • The veranda/roof terrace is a sun-catching delight. Pub cat Monty has a bristling Facebook appreciation group
Seamus O’Donnells St Nicholas Market. Tel: 0117 925 1283. Web: www.seamusodonnells.co.uk • Genuine, very friendly Irish bar serving great Guinness. A splendid pre-club meet-up point. Try the 70% poteen if you dare
The Shakespeare Henry St, Totterdown. Tel: 0117 907 8818. Web: www.theshakey.co.uk • Traditional pub serving five real ales, with that figure doubling come August’s bank holiday’s beer fest. Look out for the summer barbecues
Ship Inn 7-9 Lower Park Row. Tel: 07800 768909 • Large single bar pub, popular with students’ social societies getting up to dressing-up themed night larks and more. Bristling Facebook appreciation sites
Spotted Cow Pub & Garden 139 North St, Southville. Tel: 0117 963 4433. Web: www.thespottedcowbristol.com • Recently revamped boozer with DJs and great wine and beer selections. Garden big enough to keep several friesian herds
Star & Dove 75-78 St Luke’s Rd, Totterdown. Tel: 0117 300 3712 • Fortnightly quirky Monday quiz, live music Tuesdays, DJs Fri and Sat. Cut-above grub and back courtyard. ‘Buster’s bangers’, made on site, named after landlord’s son
Star & Garter 33 Brook Rd, Montpelier. Tel: 0117 940 5552 • Lively, friendly, multicultural inner-city pub that affords a warm welcome and great prices, and an experience not to be forgotten. The coolest reggae and ska sounds
Sugarloaf 51 St Marks Rd, Easton. Tel: 0117 939 4498 • Traditional pub with three pool tables and a clientele reflecting the diversity of the area’s inhabitants. A stone’s throw from Stapleton Road station (and its ace murals)
Tap & Barrel 43 Dean Lane, Bedminster. Tel 07852 406353 • Large, turn-of-the-century community pub very much student- and family-orientated. Perfectly positioned for a trip to Dame Emily Park
Thunderbolt 124 Bath Rd, Totterdown. Tel: 0117 373 8947. Web: www.thethunderbolt.net • Regular live music, popular film nights and monthly comedy. Housed in a historic tollbooth
The Victoria 40 James St, St Werburghs. Tel: 0117 941 3682 • Recently refurbed fun and friendly community pub attracting a vast variety of regulars. Boasts a well-stocked bar and bar staff “to die for”. RESIDENT DJS FRIDAYS PLUS MUSIC 9PM TILL LATE
The Victoria Southleigh Rd, Clifton. Tel: 0117 974 5675 • A 19th-century street corner pub with civilised air, excellent service, attractive décor and well-kept beers. The Clifton Lido, set to be restored to its former glory, stands behind the pub
The Vittoria 57 Whiteladies Rd. Tel: 0117 330 9414 • Rugby central where the locals scrum down over a pint of Courage Best, Doom Bar or Spitfire. Sky Sports on the screens. Essential stop-off for any Strip pub crawl
Walkabout 40 Corn St. Tel: 0117 930 0181. Web: www.walkabout.eu.com • A huge Australian theme bar in a converted bank, with a never-ending party atmosphere. Large televisions show all the sport you could want
The Wellington Gloucester Rd, Horfield. Tel: 0117 951 3022. Web: www.bathales.com • Bath Ales boozer with great beers and increased focus on wine following refit a few months ago. Annual beer festival in spring
Westbury Park Tavern Northumbria Drive, Henleaze. Tel: 0117 962 4235 • Big and friendly, and handy for the rather wonderful Orpheus cinema. Exterior was famously used as The Young Ones’ local
The White Bear St Michaels Hill. Tel 07949 592314 • Popular student hangout, due partly to proximity to the uni, but also to the relaxed, friendly atmosphere, copious drinks offers and food. Ace flashing sign brings drink offers daily 5-7pm
White Hart Lower Maudlin St. Tel: 0117 926 8747 • Lovely old pub with occasional karaoke and umbrellas outside. Boasts the oldest pub cellars in the country, dating from 1190
White Lion Colston Ave. Tel: 0117 925 4819 • Small one-bar pub right in the centre of the city, serving six ales at any one time. There’s part of the original city wall within the decor here
The Windmill 14 Windmill Hill. Tel: 0117 963 5440. Web: www.thewindmillbristol.com • Community pub with arts trail connections, fortnightly quiz, and covers and heaters on the terrace. Buy some tokens at the bar for the jukebox
Ye Shakespeare 78 Victoria St. Tel: 0117 949 7708 • Old Bristol establishment with impressive history and interesting architecture. Four tables outside with umbrellas. A human thigh bone was found in the cellar wall during renovations in 1950
Student Guide
- Bristol and Bath's best guide to all you need around town, plus tons of free vouchers.
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