The Student Guide to Bristol Bars
Posted on: 19 Sep 2017If there's one thing to be said about student life in Bristol it's that you're never short of options when it comes to having a drink. Whether you go to a pub for the music, for the atmosphere, the decor or anything else, you're sure to find a place to call home when you just can't wait for that cold pint of your usual after a long day of missing lectures. Whether you live central, in Clifton, on Gloucester Road or anywhere around the city you can rest assured that there's somewhere you'll rate within a stone's throw of your front door. Here's a list of some of Bristol's best bars and pubs to get the ball rolling:
Located in Bishopston towards the top end of Gloucester Road, The Anchor is a popular spot for students living in the area. They offer £2 Carling on a Monday and Wing Wednesday isn't one to be missed - mini chicken wings at 25p a time with a solid selection of sauces to go with them. With nine TV and projector screens The Anchor is also one of the best spots in the area to catch sporting events.
.jpg "Anchor")
Here’s another gem in the very student friendly Gloucester Road area. The Bristol Flyer is a huge pub which specialises in local ciders and real ales; offering cosy booth seating and a patio garden.
Located right next to the bear pit at the bottom of Stoke's Croft, Full Moon is a backpackers' hostel that doubles up as a bar/live music venue. A great place to go for a drink any time of the day, the bar is always rammed on weekends and hosts live music and DJ sets in the Attic Bar across its' courtyard. Especially good when the sun's out thanks to a huge outdoor area, Full Moon is a regular spot for students and locals alike who keep coming back for its' relaxed atmosphere and good prices.
The Apple is a hit with new and returning students and it's no surprise - with outdoor and indoor seating, a secondary outside bar area and great student prices alongside the river in a perfect city centre location, The Apple ticks all the boxes. Add to this the availability of 8.4% 'Old Bristolian' cider for only £1.50 and you're onto an instant winner. You can find The Apple at the end of King Street in the city centre.
As 'Spoons buildings go, this one has got to be right up there with the best of them. The Commercial Rooms is situated in a grand location on Corn Street in the city centre, and looks like the sort of place you should be going to to smoke cigars and make business deals rather than getting merry on £2.50 pints. It gets pretty busy some evenings and on weekends - it can be a major effort trying to gather four or five empty chairs together at times - but if you're looking for a place to have a few drinks without making much of a dent in your hard-earned loan then you can't go wrong.
Another popular Gloucester Road bar, The Gallimaufry boasts a spacious outdoor seating area, perfect for watching the world go by when the sun's out. Another good spot to watch sport, it may not be one of the cheapest places on this list, but still brings in a decent amount of people on the weekends. Standout menu item - Black Rat cider for £3 a pint.
If you’re after history and you want to visit a public house which is steeped in it – try one of Bristol’s oldest pubs which is The Hatchet Inn. It’s an old 1606 Tudor-style pub which features rock and heavy metal nights in the upstairs bar. It also has a nice beer garden and is often full of students before they go onto a gig or a club night at the O2 Academy across the road. No current website but it’s situated on Frogmore Street.
.jpg "Hatchet")
This a simple, relaxed and traditional style pub which offers some really tasty and filling food. Students can often be seen here at the start of their bar crawl and the staff are known for being very friendly.
Gloucester Road is not shy of student friendly bars and this is another one of the top offerings. Having just undergone a refurbishment this summer, it’s known for being lively and and is a good choice of venue for watching sports. Cheap pints are fairly hard to come by along Gloucester Road but The Cider Press is arguably the most competitively priced in the area with a good range of beers and ciders that won't break the bank.
.jpg "The Cider Press offers a wide range of beers and ciders at decent prices")
One of those places you never really think to go to but always have a good time at, Mr. Wolf's is a cult favourite among Bristol students. Not really known for a particular vibe, it attracts a fairly diverse crowd and is in a great location. As well as being one of the top bars in Bristol it also hosts live music regularly.
Based in Clifton on Whiteladies Road, this groovy place offers much entertainment in the form of cocktail singers and DJs in a lovely relaxed setting with a nice garden. 365 Bristol awarded this place as the ‘Best Cocktail Bar in Bristol’ so it must be good! They offer cocktail making sessions and you can enjoy spirit tasting workshops. Happy hours are regular here.
Situated on the Clifton Triangle, this very busy bar is open seven days a week and a very popular attraction for students. Happy hour and free entry all night from Sunday to Thursdays have turned Mbargo's into something of a Bristol institution, one of those places that you kind of have to go to at least once during your time here. You can also catch some live music every Sunday from 10pm.
.jpg "Mbargo")
This is a 17th-century bar which is situated near Cabot Circus and it has a lovely garden and offers a nice selection of food and drinks. It’s the sort of place that is nice to chill in once you have hit the central shops in the city.
This popular venue used to be known as Vodka Revolution and is very central as it’s on St Nicholas Street. It’s known for its vodka mixes and shots but be aware that this place gets rammed, especially on a Friday and Saturday night.
This friendly contemporary cocktail lounge has been in Whiteladies Road in Bristol for 18 years and has two bar areas plus a stone front terrace, which offers snacks and pizzas. Being in Clifton, it is rather nicely elegant but is popular with anyone who wants to drink in a relaxing atmosphere and savour the time they have with friends.
Article by:
Kelly worked as a journalist for the BBC for 12 years before she changed careers and went into the field of marketing. Having worked at BBC 6 Music for several years, she is passionate about many different genres of sound. Her other interests include theatre, comedy, books, food and days out with the family (she has a young daughter who she describes as a "whirlwind of fun.") Kelly is married to Vik who is a true Bristolian to the core! She is also studying nutritional therapy.
