Bristol Neighbourhood Guide: Clifton

Bristol Neighbourhood Guide: Clifton

Posted on: 05 Apr 2023

We’re back with our guide to Bristol’s diverse and vibrant neighbourhoods – with some cherrypicked spots to showcase just how much is going on in each corner of the city.

 

This week, we’re taking a look at the grand Bristol neighbourhood of Clifton with its grand Georgian townhouses and elegant surroundings featuring chic boutiques and cafes as well as leafy open spaces.

 

Read on for our guide to all the nightlife, food, shopping, cultural and historical highlights of Clifton…

 

Nightlife:

 

First up on our nightlife rundown for Clifton is The Barrelhouse (pictured below), a popular student hangout inspired by the classic dive bars of the southern states. The result is a hybrid venue that combines this aesthetic with that of a classic British pub.

 

Featuring great cocktails, internationally sourced beers, delicious Detroit-style pizzas, regular live music events and a rooftop sun trap terrace, this venue has all the ingredients for a long night of eating and drinking!

Next is a real cult pub: The Coronation Tap (pictured below) is the only cider house in Clifton village and Bristol’s oldest purveyor of the West Country’s favourite beverage. A historically significant boozer, The Cori Tap was one of the first properties in Clifton and is a popular drinking destination to this day.

 

Cider heads are able to sample the best offerings out there with a range of other beverages available. The pub is also an award-winning music venue that welcomes exciting artists from around Bristol and beyond - the likes of Michael Kiwanuka and Ian Matthews of Kasabian have played at The Cori Tap in the past!

Boasting beautiful panoramic views of the famous Clifton Suspension Bridge and the epic Avon Gorge below it, Hotel du Vin is the perfect spot for a luxurious drink in stunning surroundings. For years known as the Avon Gorge Hotel, this Grade II listed building was built in 1898 and was originally the Grand Clifton Spa and Hydropathic Institution which took water from the hot springs beneath Clifton. These days it is not only a luxurious hotel, but it’s also a restaurant and bar dubbed Goram & Vincent - inspired by the myth of the two giants who forged the Gorge.

Just over the road from this magnificent building is a somewhat more diminutive venue, The Portcullis. A pub since 1821 that boasts a downstairs bar and an upstairs lounge, this is a cosy spot that is part of a Georgian terrace not far from the Suspension Bridge. With a rotating roster for beers, an impressive Sunday roast, quizzes every first and third Thursday and Sunday film nights during winter months, this is something of a Clifton hidden gem.

Finishing off this impressive rundown of Clifton’s pubs and bars is The Bristol Fringe. Another small venue that hosts regular free live music events (often jazz-orientated) in the front bar with intimate gigs taking place in the backroom every couple of weeks. Pop by this welcoming venue for quirky decor, good beer, top-quality music and just a generally good evening.

Food:

 

Clifton is a Bristol area well known for its high-end restaurants and boutique cafes and we’ve picked a few of the best. The Clifton Sausage (pictured below) is one such renowned spot, boasting a warm, friendly, candlelit atmosphere.

 

The restaurant adds a touch of class to a variety of sausages as well as a seasonal menu of classic British dishes. With an extensive beer and wine list and a delicious selection of puddings to boot, Bristolians should not sleep on this Clifton favourite!

Bristol Lido (pictured below) is a real pleasure, a 21st-century take on a Victorian institution with the restaurant overlooking the pool from the original viewing gallery. This award-winning venue is the perfect space to sit back, relax and enjoy beautifully crafted food in a relaxed and stylish setting.

 

Lauded by renowned food critics such as Jay Rayner, The Lido menu is updated daily and takes inspiration from Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisine. The chef uses only the best local, seasonal produce, some of which is grown in The Lido’s kitchen garden just over the bridge in Pill.

Located on Princess Victoria Street, The Giggling Squid (pictured below) is all about capturing the spirit of Thai cuisine, serving plentiful dishes, exotic ingredients and bold flavours to be enjoyed with your nearest and dearest.

 

With a range of Thai favourites available, The Giggling Squid’s adventurous menu’s most popular dishes include Thai Green Curry, Pad Thai and their signature Salt & Pepper Squid. This is a vibrant restaurant with bright interiors, bold florals and a spacious outside area.

One of Clifton’s most renowned eateries, Nutmeg (pictured below) is a vibrant, independent Indian restaurant founded in 2016 by Raja Munuswamy and Arvind Pawar. The pair met whilst working in restaurants in Bristol and were drawn together through their love and passion for their home country and its food, and a desire to share it with the city they’ve come to see as home. Inspired by the diversity of India and its 29 states, Nutmeg boasts a diverse menu featuring seafood, meat and vegetarian dishes.

Culture:

 

Like much of Bristol, Clifton is also a hub of culture with the world of theatre in particularly centred around the area. First up is the Alma Tavern and Theatre: a popular pub, theatre and restaurant, the upstairs performance venue has been running for 20 years now and boasts a busy schedule of small-scale productions. As a pub, The Alma Tavern (pictured below) serves a range of classic pub grub, delicious stone-baked pizzas and a rotating roster of alcoholic beverages.

Opening back in 2012, The Bristol Improv Theatre is the UK’s first full-time dedicated improv theatre venue. Since its inception, the theatre has aimed to create, teach and perform spontaneous works that are accessible, creative and entertaining - hosting the best troupes from around the UK and beyond in the process. The company’s Clifton home houses the community theatre group, the Unscripted Players; hosts a monthly improv jam; and offers improv classes - all with a friendly smile.

Our final culture highlight is one of the UK’s most successful drama schools, Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. Renowned the world over, the school attracts the top theatrical talent in terms of both students and staff.

 

Opened by the legendary Sir Laurence Olivier in 1946, the likes of Sir Daniel Day-Lewis, Olivia Colman, Sir Patrick Stewart, Theo James, Josh O’Connor and Deputy Artistic Director of the RSC, Erica Whyman have all graced the halls.

History:

 

Clifton is an area steeped in history with its Georgian surroundings and legendary bridge and The Downs (pictured below) are one such point of interest. There is an Iron Age hill fort on Observatory Hill, the area was used as farmland in the Middle Ages and it also housed lead mines in the 18th century!

 

Since 1861, wealthy organisation, the Society of Merchant Venturers, have owned The Downs and since then the green spaces have been a popular recreational location as well as the venue for massive festivals such as Forwards and Bristol Pride.

Situated on The Downs is Clifton Observatory (pictured below). An iconic feature of Bristol’s landscape, the site was originally home to a windmill (built in 1766), which was eventually ruined in a fire and transformed into an observatory by William West in 1828. With beautiful views over the Avon Gorge and Clifton Suspension Bridge, the Observatory now features a rooftop bar/cafe and a lot more besides.

Indeed, beneath the Clifton Observatory is the famous Giant’s Cave (pictured below). In 1835, while excavating the foundations of the site, West discovered a series of natural caves and began the task of linking The Observatory to The Giant’s Cave - a natural cave in the limestone face of St Vincent’s Rocks in the Avon Gorge.

 

Two years later the cave opened to the public with an entry cost of just one shilling and it has been open ever since, even being used by The Home Guard as a communications base during World War Two.

Another legendary feature of Clifton is The Slidey Rock (pictured below), natural limestone rock slide on the Avon Gorge next to the Suspension Bridge. Thrilling, fun, free and used by Bristolians of all ages, this strip of rock has been polished by countless bottoms over the years with records of people using it going as far back as the early 1900s.

Finally, we have The Clifton Suspension Bridge. Often seen as Bristol’s most iconic landmark (we prefer The Slidey Rock), the structure was designed by Brunel at only 24 years of age and took 33 years to complete before it was eventually opened in 1864.

 

Brunel did not live to see his construction finished and, when it was, the construction was vastly different to his original plan. Multiple construction workers also died during the building of what has become the worldwide emblem of the city.

So, there it is. 365Bristol’s guide to Hotwells and Cliftonwood. It’s impossible to round up all the nightlife, food, shopping, cultural and historical highlights in less than 1,000 words. Please get in contact with us here and let us know your favourite hangouts or locations.

 

Images: Patrick Bate

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Article by:

Stanley Gray

Stan is a born and bred Bristolian, recently graduated from studying English Literature in Sheffield. His passions are music and literature and he spends the majority of his time in venues all over the city, immersing himself in Bristol’s alternative music scene. A lifelong Bristol City fan, Stan’s Saturdays are spent watching his team both home and away.