BITE user comments - downender
Comments by downender
Visited for the first time in many years. Hop BacK Autumn Glow and New Year's Ale were in top condition and the Bateman's Miss Scotland was pretty good too. Clean bar and toilets and efficient service. I should come here more often.
30 Jan 2010 17:36
Visited December 2009. Easy going atmosphere, laid back service and beers were drinkable enough. Certainly on the best form I have experienced, and I have been visiting on and off for 10 years.
20 Jan 2010 22:41
The Golden Heart, Winterbourne Down
Has a sign outside claiming to be a traditional Somerset pub. Top marks for attention to detail.
20 Jan 2010 22:23
Two Moor ales available on my visit on 2 January - I stuck to the cider and enjoyed the Abbey Hell's Bells and Thatcher's. Friendly barman and fellow customers. Worth a visit when in central Bristol.
3 Jan 2010 20:51
Visited this afternoon. Seven ales from seven breweries on offer, and the Wolf and Glastonbury beers I sampled were top notch. Looking a bit cleaner than previously and the landlord had things well under control. Hard to fault.
18 Nov 2009 17:41
Stroud tom Long, Budding and Organic Ale on offer, all in good nick. Food was pretty decent too.
11 Nov 2009 19:48
"To let" sign on display when I passed last week, although still trading.
11 Nov 2009 19:46
Early impressions suggest a huge improvement. Great pints of Arbor Brigstow and Codrington Codger and friendly staff too. Keep it up!
5 Nov 2009 02:22
Very good for a Wetherspoons - clean tables, plenty of staff behind the bar and they were serving customers with a smile. Beer quality was decent also. Well done.
31 Oct 2009 17:05
Now run by the couple who used to be in charge of the nearby Live & Let Live. Much improved beer quality - I really enjoyed my pint of the guest beer, Thornbridge Jaipur.
7 Oct 2009 22:27
As long as it's not a cans of Natch type of cider pub. One Myrtle Tree is quite enough........
18 Aug 2009 22:07
Visited on a Wednesday afternoon and was pleasantly surprised to see all ales on offer at �2 a pint. Good choice too from Dark Star, Wolf, Harviestoun and Sharps. Barman and landlady were friendly. Will visit again.
24 Mar 2009 18:35
I visited during the recent beer festival and enjoyed the ales on offer from Alehouse, Acorn and Oakham. Looked clean and tidy and the staff were friendly.
24 Mar 2009 18:33
I have to agree with the post below.
Service was interminably slow, a lock has indeed not been put on the toilet door after the redecoration of many months ago, and the beer choice and quality is nothing like it used to be. I don't see the point of having 10 ales on offer when most are bog standard bitters from the likes of GK, Wells & Youngs or Sharps.
A sad decline.
24 Mar 2009 18:30
Nice conversion of the old "Shoots" floating restaurant. Bristol Beer Factory ales were in good condition, staff friendly and decor good. Always wonder how many times the tall barman has hit his head on the roof..........
6 Feb 2009 13:45
The current incarnation of the Pump House is far superior to previous ones. Not cheap, but my fish and chips was of high quality and the Old Peculier was in good knick.
6 Feb 2009 13:31
Seems to have acquired a reputation as THE cider venue in Bristol - at least according to tourist guides and websites like Ratebeer. Not up to the standard of the Orchard or Cotham Porter Stores in my opinion, but still worth visiting at least once.
6 Feb 2009 13:28
Sausage & mash was great value for a fiver. Enjoyed my Gwynt y Ddraig cider (a huge improvement on Westons). Barman was friendly and efficient.
6 Feb 2009 13:25
Had a couple of decent pints during the recent Scottish beer festival. Cosy candlelit pub which was pleasantly busy for an early evening.
6 Feb 2009 13:23
Pretty good Butcombe pub/bar. A rare outlet for Sierra Nevada on draft and the Butcombe beers were in good nick. Would visit again.
6 Feb 2009 13:21
Beer selection had improved on my last visit - Arbor Festive Porter and Dorset Adventageous went down very nicely. The Berkeley still has a bit of a down at heel atmosphere though, more so than most other JDWs.
6 Feb 2009 13:17
Recently visited for the first time in a couple of years. Landlord and barmaid were friendly, as were the regulars sat at the bar. My pints of Brains and Bath Gem were in good knick. Pretty good.
6 Feb 2009 13:13
The Rising Sun, Frampton Cotterell
Beers now dominated by those from the owner's Great Western Brewery, which is a good thing.
9 Dec 2008 23:22
When I visited yesterday, the beers on offer were the same as noted by Oldh, which rather proves his point. A shame. The Dick Whittington no longer stands out from the crowd. Indeed, the Regal JDW had a more interesting range of beers on offer.
29 Jun 2008 15:03
Closed, thankfully, as this was a terrible pub with poor products and neanderthal customers.
17 May 2008 14:29
Now the site of Arbor Ales brewery. I enjoyed my pint of Old Knobbley in a fairly typical pub
15 Jun 2007 20:03
The Golden Lion, Frampton Cotterell
Greene King pub with usual dreary beers and shed-like interior. There are much better pubs in Frampton.
1 Jun 2007 21:31
Visited earlier this week and the pub appears to have perked up after a slight dip. I really enjoyed my pints of Church End, Three Castles and Hop Back Crop Circle and the regulars and landlady were friendly. Well worth a visit.
1 Jun 2007 20:31
There is now a notice on the window of the gutted brewery tap stating that Butcombe has applied for a license. Be interesting to see what they come up with. They certainly have a blank canvas to work with.
1 Jun 2007 20:28
Good food, pleasant atmosphere but woefully slow service. Waiting 20 minutes to get served whilst assorted smoothies were made was too much.
3 May 2007 23:17
Closed as of March 2007 and has been for some months. This is unsurprising as the Pumphouse has little to offer other than waterfront summer drinking. Can't decide whether it's a bar or a pub or a restaurant. As the post below says there are plenty of better options nearby, which explains why it's currently shut.
26 Mar 2007 23:42
The Live and Let Live, Frampton Cotterell
Recently taken over by Bath Ales. Will be refurbished in the next month.
13 Mar 2007 19:10
One of the best pubs in Bristol. Great selection of Bath Ales', Budvar and European bottled beers. A very friendly community pub too - I spent many an evening in there when living in Kingsdown.
16 Feb 2007 14:56
Wickwar beers served in good condition in this place. Take care when descending to the gents!
16 Feb 2007 14:40
Great pub. One of the best in Bristol for cider and good for ale too. Staff are welcoming.
16 Feb 2007 14:30
The Mad Bishop and Bear, Paddington
A good place to wait for your train. The Fullers beers have always been on fine condition when I have visited.
16 Feb 2007 14:04
Huge improvement on the old regime, which presided over the most unwelcoming pub in London IMHO.
16 Feb 2007 13:39
The Tunnel House Inn and Barn, Coates
Enjoyed pints of Hook Norton and Uley in this pub. Not the great of atmospheres but well placed for walking.
16 Feb 2007 11:00
Excellent pub. Beers came straight from the barrel and locals were extremely friendly.
16 Feb 2007 10:58
The White Hart, Littleton on Severn
Best pub in the Bristol area in the 1980s. Sadly has not come close to such quality for a long time. Beer was ok when I visited recently. Would echo comments about griminess.
16 Feb 2007 10:40
The best pint of Uley bitter I have ever tasted. Fish and chips was excellent too. Lovely log fire and friendly staff and locals.
16 Feb 2007 10:34
"It's a scream" student pub housed in former shops. No character and poor range of drinks. There are better places to visit on Gloucester Road.
16 Feb 2007 10:32
Excellent hopback beers. Best pub in this part of Bristol.
16 Feb 2007 10:25
The Cotham Porter Stores, Cotham
Excellent cider house. Full of characters. Also caters for beer drinkers with decent pints from Wickwar/Bath Ales.
16 Feb 2007 10:19
Vastly improved since Dawkins took over. Have tried Goffs, Matthews, Keynsham and Freeminer beers and they were all spot-on in quality terms. Locals are friendly and service efficient.
16 Feb 2007 10:14
Interesting selection of bottled European beers. Much improved.
16 Feb 2007 10:03
Can only agree with the comments about staff. Barmen should realise that they work in a SERVICE industry. Nice views of the gorge though.
16 Feb 2007 10:01
Enjoyed my food and beer tasted good. Didn't go to the bar, so can't comment on the speed of service.
16 Feb 2007 09:57
Always enjoy visiting this place. Beers in good condition, pleasant atmosphere, efficient service.
16 Feb 2007 09:55
Visited once. Beer was ok, but felt unwelcome as a stranger in a pub populated by locals. Won't be returning.
16 Feb 2007 09:51
Hugely improved since my last visit a couple of years ago. Tried Exmoor bitter, Sharp's Doombar and Red Rooster mild. All were excellent. Service was friendly & efficient.
16 Feb 2007 09:44
The Rising Sun, Frampton Cotterell
Used to be my local. Beers served in excellent condition, although the selection can be unadventurous. Atmosphere pretty good too.
16 Feb 2007 09:41
Not bad for a Wetherspoons. I would agree that service can be very slow at times.
16 Feb 2007 09:34
As a neighbour of this pub, I agree with the comments about its atmosphere. Unpleasant.
16 Feb 2007 09:25
Great to see this pub reopened and back on form. The Hidden beers were in top condition, service was good and atmosphere lively.
16 Feb 2007 09:18
Well said TWG. The IOTG was Bristol & District CAMRA's pub of the year 2006, and whilst this doesn't mean that it's for everyone, the low rating is odd particularly to those who recall what it used to be like under the previous landlord: rundown and near empty.
16 Feb 2007 09:06
Inn On The Green, Horfield
My first visit since my critical review below and, on this occasion, things had vastly improved, bringing back memories of when this pub was briefly the best in Bristol.
First thing to note was that not one Sharp's beer was on sale, nor any dull efforts from GK, Wells & Youngs or Bristol Beer factory. Instead the "A" section of the guest beer list was available: Allgates (x2), Arundel (x3), Anglo-Dutch and Atlas. The Arundel Sussex Mild and Atlas Three Sisters were excellent. Butcombe, Bass and Fullers ESB were the other beers. The service was good too - another change for the better.
I will return soon and hope to experience a repeat.
18 Feb 2010 23:24