Reviews

The Hobgoblin - Bristol Food Review

Posted on: 2016-04-11

Friendly staff, a laid back vibe and such gut-bustingly prodigious portions at a fiscally friendly price easily ranks The Hobgoblin as one of the best beer and burger joints in town.

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Loosen those belt notches and brace yourself for some of the finest, fulsome and most flavoursome burgers in the city -The Hobgoblin on Gloucester Road in Bristol has a menu that's a pure and simple patty-based paradise.

The whole American diner and 'dude food' craze has proliferated through the city at a pretty exponential rate over the past few years, with the likes of Grillstock, MEATliquor and Five Guys exploiting the city's meat-hungry masses' insatiable desire for burgers, chicken wings, ribs and pulled pork.

The Hobgoblin has taken that concept and ethos, upped the ante and taken the whole experience to another, genuinely taste-tastic level and dishing up portion sizes even the host of Man vs Food would exclaim, "No way, man, that's just too much!"

Pretty unassuming from the outside, inside the pub has a pleasant, chilled out, contemporary quirky edge, decorated with hot dog signs, graffiti murals and TVs of serene images (on my visit, a static cornfield scene). There was also a steady sonic soundscape of cool tunes emanating from the speakers which included Madness, Red Hot Chilli Peppers and The Specials. Outside there's also a small paved beer garden for smokers but which must also be pretty popular during the summer for quaffing an ale or two in the sun.

Talking of which, drinks on offer include an alternating range of real ales such as Bath Ales Gem, St Austells Tribute and (of course) Hobgoblin, and fermented apple fans can soothe their throats and quench their thirsts with Old Rosie, Stowford Press and Thatchers. 

The menu, however, is an absolute corker, consisting as it does of burgers, sandwiches, sharing platters such as nachos and chicken wings along sides and extras. The sharing section is prefaced with the warning 'not recommended as part of a calorie controlled diet', but in all honesty that could apply to everything on its list of finger-licking lusciousness. Vegetarians, lentil worshippers and anyone keeping a close eye on their weight should just walk on by.

My brother and I kicked off with a sharing platter of Dirty, Dirty Fries; a massive basket loaded with a titanic pile of seasoned fries topped with pulled pork, spices, blue cheese, Cheddar cheese and coriander mayo (£9.95). Epic and heart-palpitatingly delicious, it was an incredible combo of complimenting flavours, the piquant cheeses melting divinely into the succulent pulled pork which in turn blended ecstatically with the spices and coriander mayo. 

With our tongues salivating and our gustatory senses ramped up, it was time to hit the burgers. All of The Hobgoblin's burgers are made using beef from Ruby and White butchers on Whiteladies Road and smoked in-house over hickory, while the sesame seed sourdough buns are from Hobbs House Bakery. Already, without even having a morsel pass your lips, you know you're in for something pretty darned special.

My Cow and Chicken (£10.95) was a succulent, moist, masterfully cooked burger topped with pungent, unctuously melting brie, salty, crispy smoked bacon and generous chunks of fried chicken. The bun was soft and firm and could barely contain the sheer magnitude of the gastronomic colossus sandwiched between it, the contents on the verge of spilling out after one thoroughly energetic chomp. It didn't last long enough for any amount of absurd, excessive mess though, the perfectly judged tastes and textures gobbled up with the alacrity of a man who hadn't eaten for three weeks. The accompanying fries were awesomely thin and crispy and were perfect for dipping into the small side pot of smokey, tangy chipotle mayo.

Forever a man with a cast-iron palate and an occasionally disarming proclivity for ingredients hot enough to make your head explode, my brother went for The Mephistopheles (£8.95), a burger crammed with fresh chillies, spicy onions, hot sauce and Cheddar cheese. The smoked BBQ flavour of the soft and succulent burger with a mass of melted cheese and hot onions were lip-smackingly good, and the chilli sauce and fresh chopped chillis were a satisfyingly punchy addition. The side of homemade coleslaw had plenty of light, refreshing bite and crunch.

In the true Man vs Food spirit, hungry punters can also throw down the gauntlet to tackle some Herculean food-based challenges. The Kraken will set you back £25 and you'll have 45 minutes to polish off - wait for it - a triple patty with bacon, cheese, hash browns, a full portion of dirty dirty fries, 8 super hot wings, side of coleslaw, pickles and sauces, and chilli cheese fries with blue cheese. 

Or how about the Death Wing Challenge for a tenner, where you have to sign a disclaimer before you get your nom on and have to wear blue plastic gloves before gnashing your way through seven spicy chicken wings in seven minutes. Succeed and you'll get your name and photo on the Wall of Fame (and in the case of The Kraken, you'll get the meal for free too).

There aren't any puddings. You couldn't manage one even if there were. You'd simply explode in a wildly unpleasant self-indulgent orgy of over-strained organs and intestines. 

To say you need a big appetite if you dine at The Hobgoblin is a massive understatement. Publicans James Ayliffe and Julia Connolly like to feed their patrons, and they like to feed them well. Friendly staff, a laid back vibe and such gut-bustingly prodigious portions at a fiscally friendly price easily ranks The Hobgoblin as one of the best beer and burger joints in town. 

5/5

Reviewed by Jamie Caddick with photos by Andrew Caddick for 365Bristol.com - The leading events and entertainment website in the city

The Hobgoblin is located at: 69-71 Gloucester Road, Bristol, BS7 8AS. For further info visit their Facebook page and give it a like!

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