City Centre:
All Bar One – Posh bar to ‘do lunch’ and chat about the Stock Market
Academy - Indie heaven, with a parade of black skinny jeans, black fringes and Topshop ensembles. One of the major gigs venues in Bristol and hosts Ramshackle, the most popular student indie night.
B Side – Phat drum and bass nights, wicked pre bar to get you going!
Bibas – Swanky posh bar by the Hole In The Wall, jazz-hands tastic.
Bierkeller - Frequented by the goths and punks who wouldn’t be seen dead at Ramshackle, The Bierkeller’s weekly rock night ‘Phuct’ on a Friday is not for the faint hearted.
The Bunch of Grapes – Great pub hidden away behind the Hippodrome
Commercial Rooms - A Wetherspoon’s. A good Wetherspoon’s.
The Crown - A rock/punk pub with a younger crowd and scarily cheap food.
The Hatchet - Bristol’s oldest pub; beautiful building, worth seeing just for that. A cheap drinks-rock-alterna pub, it’s open till 2am on the weekends and does free barbeque for all punters on Thursdays.
Mother’s Ruin - A kind of Goth-vintage-cocktail bar. Does that make sense?
Mr Wolf’s - Small, intimate live music venue that stays open late and does the most delicious spicy noodles.
Native - Literally a couple of doors down from Timbuk2 this place has a similar scene but slightly smaller and more intimate.
O’Neils – Just like every other O’Neils; Irish style and good for sport.
Panache – Always busy, loads of student nights!
Que Pasa – Ludicrously decorated with zebra striped armchair but serves a mean cocktail.
Reflex - There are Reflexes everywhere and the hardly enlightening atmosphere, middle-aged clientele and 80s cheese tunes sounds like a recipe for horror… but it’s actually all rather enjoyable.
The Rummer – The ultimate is posh boozing.
Shamus O’Donnell – Fantastic, proper Irish bar where the black stuff even come out the taps.
Slug and Lettuce - Cheap drink deals when you produce a copy of Suit Yourself at the bar!
Soho – Quality little club buried deep underground. Good mix of music nights.
Start The Bus - Huge, trendy, electro-style bar.
The Stone House – Jongleur’s Comedy Club upstairs, overpriced, rowdy affair downstairs.
Syndicate - Acclaimed rashly by some as Bristol’s ‘superclub’, this place still has some way to go before it proves itself, however it caters aptly for the R’n’B enthusiast, and has recently acquired one of Bristol’s biggest indie nights in Propaganda.
Tantric Jazz - Odd odd odd little place, boasting an inexplicable mix of jazz music and tapas dishes and definitely aimed more at the middle-aged crowd.
Timbuk2 - Pay your money at the door and descend down a shady stairwell into an amazing cave-like club of the best drum’n’bass, breakbeat and dubstep around, frequented by the trendy set.
Vodka Revolution - Good outside patio and big fat jugs of vodka-based cocktails.
Walkabout – Well it’s another Walkabout, but one of the best atmospheres for those big games on the big screen.

Waterfront:
Arnolfini Café Bar - A huge art gallery/performance space, there are often interesting things to see here for cheap or free. The café/bar is a little bit overpriced but it is right on the water and in the summer it is one of the best drinking-outside spots we have.
Bordeaux Quay - More upmarket than its neighbours, the best thing about this restaurant/bar/cookery school is the tiny bakery tucked away inside. Fetch yourself a pastry to eat by the river.
BSB – Trendy in the week, train-wreck on the weekends
Llyods - A meat market. Good place for a hen night.
Oceana – The biggest and most hideous club in Bristol, and pretty much everywhere else.
The Pitcher and Piano - Just along from Lloyds and almost identical to it, if you are doing a football-songs, collar-up night, you may as well stagger between the two.
Red Room – Funky bar space available to hire.
The River – Perfect for a chilled cocktail and a nipple by the harbour – sorry – nibble by the harbour.
The Waterfront Pub – Nice enough pub but muchos expensive due to Jury’s Hotel right next door.
Watershed - A posh-ish bar upstairs and an ace independent cinema.

Kings Street:
The Apple - A bar on a boat, The Apple sells the most staggering array of ciders and does a cracking roast dinner of a Sunday. Another good place to sit out in warm weather.
King William - Lovely, big pub with a warm atmosphere and very reasonably priced drinks, four big pool tables upstairs as well; see if you can find the one on permanent free-play before they fix it!
Llandoger Trow – This fantastic old school boozer is steeped in history, you feel like Blackbeard yourself when squeezing through its awkward, wonky door.
Louisiana - Just across the bridge from the Arnolfini/Thekla, The Louisiana is a highly enjoyable pub with live music upstairs ranging from unsigned local artists to much bigger national acts.
The Mud Dock – Fantastic grub and views upstairs, fabulous bike shop downstairs.
The Old Duke - A really brilliant live music venue. Mostly folk and jazz based stuff, it gets so loud in there that you can easily listen and sit outside at the picnic tables on the cobbled street.
QC’s Style Lounge - Cheap drinks when you show the bar staff that you are an SY reader!
Renatos – Always packed, this bar/restaurant is all about the theatre, darling, and it’s walls are plastered with various black and white photos of famous, wrinkly faces.
Sublime - A cocktail bar amongst all these Olde English pubs, it is actually really nice and chilled out in there.
Thekla - Recommended by just about anyone in Bristol, The Thekla is the boat that’s been turned into a nightclub and is quite simply not to be missed.
Warehouse – Tiny little club tucked away behind Queen’s Square has an equal mix of awful and fantastic nights.

Park Street:
All In One - Distinctly missable.
Antix - If you’ve accidentally started drinking on a lazy Tuesday afternoon, gone out on the lash and suddenly turned around at 3am to find everything else closed, Antix will still be open, doubtless with one or two past-it old harridans still getting ‘down and dirty’ on the dance floor.
Bar Ha! Ha! - Looks nice on the surface, but full of pretentious twats; only really good to use for the toilet if you’re drinking cider on Berkeley Square during a sunny afternoon.
Berkeley - It looks like an old man’s pub, but whether it is for food, laid-back daytime laughs or pre-club drinking, it is constantly full of students.
Bristol Ram - Cosy bar, with a pub-ish atmosphere in the tables in the back, very often hosting local music ensembles and acoustic nights.
The Cooler – Feels like a gas chamber once you’re in there but a fab, friendly atmosphere.
Dojo’s - Small club venue on Park Row, very popular with students on weeknights with a good funk-house soundtrack.
The Elbow Rooms - Friendly bar with two floors, good drinks, an interesting soundtrack and pool tournaments.
The Folk House - An easily bypassed doorway but risk the sinister alleyway and be pleasantly surprised by a large spacious seating area and a consistently varied selection of local music.
Goldbrick House – One for a posh tipple. Somewhat beyond the student’s reach.
Greenhouse - You shall go here on every bar crawl before clubbing. You shall go in fancy dress. You shall try fabulous cocktails at amazing student offers, and then, and only then, feel ready to leave Park Street for a proper night out.
Illusions – A magic bar on the Triangle, where you can watch someone’s back, while they watch someone’s back, while they watch some live magic tricks! You can buy beer in 5ft ‘wands’ though which is very empowering.
Joe Public’s - Only opened a couple of years ago but already attracting a devoted crowd due to a hugely varied musical range (from drum’n’bass to acoustic) and arresting touches such as seating made from aeroplanes.
La Roca - Cheap drinks, mainstream music, a steady but not exclusive inflow of students – your basics for a night out, right on the Triangle, literally next door to Hunger Hatch.
Lizard Lounge - You queue for ages to get into a small underground space of general drunkedness, flirting with everyone you will not want to remember the next morning – but don’t ignore it, you will have quite a lot of trouble calling yourself a student in Bristol if you haven’t visited ‘Lounge’.
Mbargo - A ram packed trendy wine bar, which the young professionals who are not very young and not very professional seem to have taken to heart – loads of sports nights, always busy, and bound to pull!!! Has very cheap drinks.
OPPO - Oppo is a beautifully relaxed place to enjoy either a coffee and a bite to eat during the day, or nurse away some drinks in the evenings, complete with a live music set on Saturdays, live poetry Thursdays and comedy on Sundays.
The Park – A very, very cool little bar on the Triangle. Too little to be honest, there’s only 5 seat in the whole bloody room!
Park Row - This place has just opened and so currently offering deals; it has struggled in its ‘Bar 64’ incarnation ever since it closed down as ‘The Prince of Thieves’ (quite possibly the best pub in Bristol, RIP).
Po Na Na – A beautiful Oriental style décor (they serve shishas!), good drinks, non-trashed socialising and dancing to a mix of mainly mainstream but not predictable music.
Tube - Intriguing, edgy little club, playing an eclectic mix of music, which you will probably return to again.
Versa - A vast pool/sports bar/club, open late but never seems to be anyone in it, but nice enough all the same.
The Woods - Situated in a Victorian building and courtyard terrace, The Woods can be an entirely agreeable place to wile away the hours.
The White Harte - Scream pub, so student-orientated; mixed-indie music, good selection of cheap drinks and food - enjoyable enough for pre-clubbing boozing.
Yia Mass - Greek inspiration (its name means “cheers” in greek) in a bar with interesting drinks and international music.
Zero Degrees – A bit of a bare, cold atmosphere inside its metallic hold but some spectacular views from the balcony and a great selection of beers brewed onsite.

Whiteladies Road:
Alibi - Another average bar on Whiteladies Road, absolutely nothing to make it stand out of the crowd.
Bar Humbug - Small, with an even smaller patio but good music, cocktails and food. One for chilled out, relaxed nights in a friendly environment.
The Black Bear - Stylish, pleasant bar with comfortable furnishings, a great place to start off a pub crawl down Whiteladies or to enjoy an early evening beer after relaxing on the Downs all afternoon.
Blackboy Pub – Great local boozer that’s not really as racist as it sounds.
Deco Lounge – Tucked away on Cotham Hill, part of the Lounge family so a great place to spend a relaxing evening.
Haus Bar - You have to be in the money to appreciate fully the delights of this exquisite little underground cocktail bar that is only accessible by ringing the doorbell, but if you are in the money there’s not much better.
Henry Africa’s Hothouse - A huge variety of cocktails which you will have to wait a while to get since the barmen insisting on spending 5 mins spinning bottles and glasses for every drink.
Highbury Vaults - Beautiful old pub just up the road from The White Bear, and excellent large beer garden, particularly good for those who appreciate their real ale.
The Penny Farthing - Odd pub; seems to be happy with its regular clientele despite being situated in the middle of Whiteladies. God knows what it’s going to do when they kick the bucket which – by the look of them – is presumably quite soon.
Platform 1 – Packed venue, good looking people! Bit of a winner really!
The Ranch – When busy it’s great. Not to be missed on the way down to town.
Roo Bar - The first stop on every self-respecting bar crawl starting from Stoke Bishop, this Australian-style bar has everything: from board games to screens to watch every match.
Sloanes - It would be so easy to be devastatingly horrid about poor, pitiful Sloanes but let’s just say it’s one of the only places on Whiteladies Road that you’re going to get a decent priced drink.
Stark – A huge, extravagant bar right at the top of Blackboy Hill a very cool place to have a drink if your calfs are up to it.
Tequila Max - Annoyingly can’t make up its mind whether it wants to be a bar or a restaurant but can prove to be quite fun all the same; look out for the Tequila girls at the weekends.
The Vittoria – An ancient little, local boozer that has outlived all the surrounding competition.
White Bear - Up St Michael’s Hill from the City Centre but well worth the walk, nice atmosphere and reasonably priced drinks, situated in Kingsdown, a popular student digs area.

Clifton:
Alma Tavern - Not hugely different from many other Clifton ‘real ale’ pubs though it does have its own tiny pub theatre which can provide for an interesting alternative evening’s entertainment.
Ameoba – Laid back café bar with great music and chilled out vibe.
Anson Rooms – The music venue hall of the Bristol Uni SU building is best avoided.
Channings – A busy bar in a hotel lobby but great, fun atmosphere if a little steep on prices.
The Clifton - Used to be tonnes more fun before the ‘TWB’ refurbishment, but looks nice and dandy inside now, despite having opted for a little too much brothel-esque gloom.
Clifton Wine Bar – She’ll be very impressed if you take her here for a date.
Coronation Tap - Everyone knows the Corrie Tap, mainly because of the 8% cider sold only in half pints, but go early on a Friday night because the ridiculously small bar space inside gets filled up fast.
Eldon House – Fun little local to catch your breath as you face the hills it’d got on all sides.
The Hop House – Great pub, difficult quiz!!!
The Lansdown – Great boozer in Clifton, even better grub!
The Mall - You’re not exactly going to find bargain drinks prices here, but you’re paying for a more than satisfying beverage in one of the nicest pubs in Bristol.
The Royal Oak - Definitely worth a visit, good food and warm atmosphere provided by the extremely friendly and pretty barmaids.
The White Lion – Very expensive but worth the treat for the jaw-dropping views down the Avon Gorge and of the Suspension Bridge.

Hotwells:
Adam & Eve – A little, local boozer that is just brill.
The Cottage Inn – Actually over the river on Spike Island, this pub is right on the river and has fantastic food to rival the fantastic views.
The Grain Barge (Bristol Beer Factory) - Ambitious attempt to mix trendy wine bar, real ale enthusiasts and yet another ‘bar-that’s-a-boat’ novelty factor; kind of works.
Hope & Anchor - Very nice old-fashioned pub with good food and beer garden; you’ll probably bump into one or two of the eccentric teachers from the school up the road during term-time though.
Mardyke - Eccentric pub that’s always thriving outside on sunny days (especially if City are playing), and extremely cheap drinks for an independent.
The Pineapple - Tres gay, tres not very interesting. But new management so lets suck it and see!
Pump House – Very cool inside and one of the best places to enjoy an outside pint right next to the harbour.

Stokes Croft:
Blue Mountain – Legendary D&B club that might not be pretty but is guaranteed to be a good night.
Café Kino – Super arty café to chill in before braving Nine Tree Hill.
Chelsea Inn – Great boozer deep in St Pauls, watch out for the bar staff and their antics – egg and spoon race anyone?
Cosies – Cool little venue just off Portland Square with a fabulous reggae night on Sundays.
The Croft - If you’re in an unsigned indie band with no real prospects you’ll probably have a gig at The Croft soon; one or two gems hidden amongst the rough though. Great bar atmosphere.
Full Moon and Attic - Quaint marketing technique of having two connected pubs having a connected name, but at the same time entirely pointless, The Full Moon has recently been refurbished though.
Hare on the Hill – Great ‘real ale’ boozer with a real local atmosphere and the odd gig.
Jester’s Magic Box – Jester’s mark 2, new and improved.
The Junction – The Junction’s myspace loving describes itself as “serving Bristol’s weirdos since 2004”
Kuvuka – Super cool and super chilled café in the heart of Stokes Croft.
One30 – A little smarter than the usual Stokes Croft bar but nice for a quiet drink.
Pipe and Slippers – A cosy pub that’s not nearly as cool as it would like to be but always busy and always fun.
Tao Bar – A very relaxed affair with some great live music and DJs.

Gloucester Road:
Anchor – A clean, bright and spacious pub offering a beer garden both out front and at the back. The drinks are reasonable and there’s a good quiz on Sunday night.
Bishops - Recently refurbished, this large pub serves some fairly good, cheap food and drinks. Bishops regularly shows sports and has an upstairs room with a large screen available for hire, or for whoever gets there first!
Blue Lagoon – A café by day and bar by night. Events vary from week to week, including bands, karaoke and charity fund raising events. The venue is quite small but cosy, with a heated patio out front. Does a great smoothie!
The Bristol Flyer - A cosy and fashionable boozer, kitted out with eclectic and ramshackle furniture and strings of pretty lights. The food is good and there is a large selection of (expensive) wines and lagers from around the world, as well as a very nice beer garden.
Café Delight – A fabulous, colourful little café, perfect for a slap up after a late night. Beware screaming toddlers though, Saturday morning this is the realm of the under 4s.
Cat & Wheel - Predominantly a local pub, the Cat is not an obvious student choice, but it is in fact very student friendly. There is a pool table, a dartboard and a fair size beer garden out back.
The Foresters Arms - Basically your typical local pub, it hasn’t been decorated in a good few years but the atmosphere is friendly and the staff are welcoming.
The Golden Lion - Managed by the same team as The Old Duke, The Lion hosts live bands and DJ’s throughout the week. Drinks are reasonable and the vibe is typically sympathetic to those with dreadlocks and rocky/retro/drum and bass tendencies!
Halo - Does some lovely food, especially the Sunday Roast, Halo is a lovely place to go for a glass of wine. It has a small but perfectly formed beer garden out back and hosts a diverse array of events, from poetry readings to salsa classes.
Hobgoblin - There is a small beer garden out back, and a pool table inside and serves its namesake ale.
Hush Hush - A very small but very funky little venue! Open until 2am on weekends, it’s a sort of crossover between a bar and a club complete with small dance floor and DJ booth playing mainly retro/funk tunes.
Inn on the Green – Good, standard pub with cheap food and drink and, as the name suggests, is right next to a sprawling park!
The Old Fox - Ever popular with bikers and usually blaring out Metallica or something similar, a no nonsense spit and sawdust type boozer.
The Prince of Wales - A lovely pub with a beautifully graffiti covered frontage and very pleasant beer garden out back. The food is good and reasonably priced, as are the drinks. It’s a student friendly pub and the atmosphere is very sociable.
The Prom - A very music oriented bar, serving good food in the day and hosting bands from 9pm throughout the week, acoustic session on Sunday and a music quiz on Tuesdays. The atmosphere is really friendly and there is also a covered beer garden at the front.
The Rising Sun – Part of the Scream pub chain and aimed mainly at students. Very cheap food and drinks, pool tables, ‘It Boxes’ and a quiz on Sunday to keep you entertained.
Robin Hood’s Retreat – Definitely for those up-market, middle-aged Gloucester Roaders.
The Sportsman – You like sports? You’ll love the Sportsy on Neville Road – The £6 pizzas are a must, even if it does mean ordering off one of the brutal barmaids.
Tinto Lounge – Another Lounge, another great spot for good quality food and drink in a cozy bar.
The Wellington – The realm of the real ale lover and host to the odd live gig.

Southville, Bedminster & Ashton:
The Albert Inn – Good music, crazy pub, yellow, yellow, yellow.
Bar Salt – Decent pub, Bedminster side of East Street.
Bar BS3 – Proper old boozer with a skittle alley and everything!
Fiddlers – Technically in Bedminster, this live music venue is as old as the hills and a great spot to catch some frantic folk.
Hen and Chicken - Rooster infested boozer with an upstairs comedy club, looking its best following its latest re-incarnation. Plenty of choice when it comes to tipples and pizzas.
The Lounge - Lair of the Yummy Mummy by day, go in the evening and sample something delicious or take part in the epic weekly quiz if you’ve got two hours and your dignity to spare. Alternatively, prop yourself up in a cosy window seat and drink too much foreign beer.
Spotted Cow - Grab a pint of deceptively wholesome tasting, violently strong cider and head outside to the amazing garden. Spacious, green and with plenty of seating it’s the perfect place to wile away a sunny afternoon. Weekends are busy with various DJs supplying the mooosic (sorry).
Tobacco Factory - This red brick beauty has an ace little theatre upstairs and a bar downstairs perfect for stuffing your face with tapas whilst wilting into the leather sofas or bean bags. The yard outside offers seating and protection from the elements for smokers (hey, they’ve already got cancer and social derision to deal with) beneath the Babylon 5 awning. Live music on Sundays or stop off during the week for DJ’s or just to talk about the art, man.

Best of the Rest:
Area 81 – The best rock venue in Bristol, proper dingy downstairs where only true rockers come out to play – this place quite literally ‘Rocks Bristol’!
Bar Celona – Kingsdown - Good grub in this Spanish influenced bar.
The Black Swan – Stapleton Road, Easton – Grimey pub that hosts legendary D&B nights out the back.
Bocabar – Paintworks, Totterdown – This new bar is the place to be seen at the moment.
The Cadbury – Richmond Road, Montpelier – Consistently voted one of the very best pubs in Bristol. Great beer garden,
The City Farm Café – St Werburghs – Fantastically original concept and great local, organic food.
The Fleece and Firkin – Off Victoria Street, Over Bristol Bridge - Famous across the South West for its astonishing variety of musical acts, The Fleece is undoubtedly one of the best venues in Bristol to appreciate live music.
The Horseshoe – Downend – Real friendly pub with great music.
Kensington Arms – Stanley Road, Redland – The Kenny has recently re-invented itself to cater for the poshos of Redland and it does it very well.
The Sugar Loaf – St Marks Road, Easton – Classic Bristol boozer. Are you local?
Thunderbolt – Bath Road, Totterdown – One to watch, this pub gets better every sip.
Trinity Centre – Old Market – Long time favourite on the Bristol scene, great venue for gigs, markets and even the odd club night still (if they’re allowed).

Natalie Burns, Pat Cash, Anna Freeman, Anna Leon, Morgan Matthews, Matthew Whittle www.matthewwhittleblog.blogspot.com