please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
MWarner - would it have been too much for your friends to have asked before they engorged?I hesitate to say it, but I think they were somewhat previous in their actions.
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Awful staff.... avoid at all costs! Terrible service!! We were having a beer in the beer garden when we were very rudely asked to come inside as they were closing the outside part of the venue by being approached by a horrible female bar staff saying ' you aren't even smoking so you need to go inside!' not exactly wat we were expecting... awful service!
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I have been going to this pub quite regularly, mainly because of the vicinity to university and their good choice of beers. However, yesterday friends of mine were thrown out of the pub for committing the crime of eating food which they did not order at this pub. Why? They were hungry and wanted to order food at the Highbury Vaults, but since the kitchen closes at 8.30, they decided to get food somewhere else and bring it back to eat it in the courtyard. They had had been drinking there for a while and were simply hungry. What a crime to commit. The way they were treated is a disgrace and I will boycott this place from now on. Apparently the landlord is 'liberal' and open minded. Yesterday's experience proved otherwise. very very poor!!!
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Gem of a pub - unchanged in decades and oodles of character. Owned by Wells & Youngs, but don't let that put you off - along with their dull offerings they offer a good selection of guests from local breweries. On the expensive side but, nonetheless, highly recommended.
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My first visit and I don't know why I haven't been here before - what a super little pub! Lovely "dark" interior with a tiny little bar at the front and a larger room at the back (split in smaller drinking areas). Courtyard at the rear; bar billiards table; food and a good range of beers despite being a Youngs pub. We had Bath Gem and Spring Tide from Teignworthy. Very cheery young lady behind the bar and although quiet when we visited this would be a great pub at anytime and will become a regular when we next go to Bristol. It is not that far from Clifton Down station or there is a bus nearby but make the effort and give this pub a visit - I think you'll be pleased you did!!
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A pub at the top of st michaels hill , if you don't fancy the walk a number nine bus will get you there.
A youngs pub with a few guests a large range, if again somewhat limited.
I had teignworthy reel ale.
I wouldn't say i was a regular in this pub , but the Kingsdown/cotham area in Bristol is as good as anywhere for real ale and this pub is a must if you decide to visit the area .
The quality of ale is always good in this pub.
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The kind of pub thats worth a visit even if you couldn't have a drink. A youngs pub , ive acquired a taste for the banana bread bitter "lush" an absolutely gorgeous barmaid . Am I in paradise
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My first visit to this excellent pub, but I hope it won't be my last. Good choice of well-kept beers and a friendly landlord. Watch out for the step down to the front door if you don't want to look like an idiot when you leave, though...
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back down in Bristol for the bank holiday weekend and went on a pub crawl of thearea in a group of ten.
glad to say the Highbury Vaults is as good as ever, very friendly and efficient service, even though the pub was packed on Sunday evening from the side effects of teh Party On The Hill.
Was very surpised and happy to report that on the asking of ten pints, the barman suggested giving us a couple of jugs. Top work sir.
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Not been in for years for some strange reason. Nothing had changed though, well kept beer, well priced meals and still the same landlord. Well worth a visit if you are in the area and don't be put off because it's a Youngs pub as the the guest ale range is always interesting including the ever present Brains SA.
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Lively, busy pub with a good selection of beers. Does the simple stuff well.
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Nice pub. Visited on a busy friday night. Good mixed crowd. Bar Billiards, great beer and fantastic character make this a great little pub.
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As other's have said, a great pub with plenty of character. A small snug at the front, and then several rooms leading on to an attractive walled garden at the rear. It's very plesant at night with some imaginative lighting, overhead trellis work and plants.
Good choice of seven or eight beers on tap, plus Blackthorn & Addlestone's cider.
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A great pub, especially when the students are away. The staff are always very friendly and jovial and the selection of guest ales is increasing. I counted four guests on when I was there last week.
The decor is second to none, in my opinion.
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Free of the emotional baggage that CJG evidently carries for the place this once was, I found it to be a great pub when I visited last Friday. I was a number of pints into a session by the time I got there, but I remember having a good pint, and finding the place welcoming and atmospheric, with a very interesting layout.
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GREAT pub , choice of beers at reasonable prices, I stuck to young's special , . was in there yesterday about 15.30 onwards , and it was quite busy for that time of day , Barman very hospitable.
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Our first time here, and I did have a Youngs beer, but I found it an interesting pub to wander round. A train was running round on lines along the back wall. Lovely division of rooms. Didn't have time to eat, but the food smelt and looked great and didn't cost a fortune. Loved the beer list with real ales listed followed by "begrudgingly" for the list of lagers etc. Would come back on my next visit to Bristol.
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Good pub if you like weirdos and "don't focus on the whole of society, rather sections of it". Quoted from a patron of the hostelry during my visit and just about sums up the place. Shan't be returning.
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In many ways the Vaults is still a wonderful pub. Indeed, in most British cities it would easily rate as the best of pubs. The Vaults though, to me at least, is spoilt by a deep sadness for what it once was and no longer is. The beer is still well served and still includes the remarkably hard-to-find in Bristol Brains SA. Youngs doesn't travel that well though and the Bedford-brewed 'London' ales are rather poor imitations of the Wandsworth stuff. Moreover, when Smiles ran the pub the Brains and Smiles were joined at the bar by an ever changing roster of interesting guest beers. I remember on one fateful day walking into the then wonderfully cosy front bar - the plaster has since been removed from one of the walls exposing the cheap-looking brickwork that built much of Bristol, it looks nasty and cold, please render the wall again, please - to find Nethergate's Umbel Magna and Welton's Pride and Joy. How many Bristol pubs would be as brave as to serve two such unusual beers - at the same time?
Part of the problem also stems from the fact that the long-suffering Brad rarely displays his sense of humour anymore. On one recent visit he all but physically assaulted us for asking about his opinion of the fact that a Bristol landmark pub was now dominated by beer brewed in a factory in Bedford. He's a lovely guy but, so it would seem, torn apart by the manifold tragedies that have befallen the pub through the misadventures of Smiles and Youngs.
It's a sad and sorry tale. I now tend to avoid the place which in so many ways is heartbreaking.
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Lovely pub but run by the surliest owners I have ever met - funny characters but I get the impression they'd rather be running a pub in the middle of nowhere. Cheer up you miseries!
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Properly nice pub - cheeky staff, great enclosed outside drinking area, higgledy-piggeldy inside, and proper ciders and ales on tap.
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There are about half a dozen other pubs in walking distance (climbing if you've just ascended St. Michael's Hill) but once you're inside the Highbury there doesn't seem to be any good reason to go anywhere else. TWG sums this excellent boozer up precisely. I'll just add that if you want to sit in a corner in a conspiratorial way like a character from Conrad this is the place. Also good for chortling at post grad's and their interior designer career anxieties and also having some real conversation with the urbane but walnut faced guys at the bar. Actually doesn't have to be just guys...I'll get me club.
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Nice Young's Beers,Nice Friendly Service,Nice Beer Garden,MMM Nice, 8/10
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This pub also lets kiddies in the back garden - which is cool even in winter as the outdoor heaters are usually turned on!
Great butternut squash for sunday lunch
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A good little ale-house, with 6 handpulls (Youngs plus guests) in dark and (a little too) dingy surroundings, I get the feeling that every day could be a Sunday in here, unless the students are in town.
Also boasts a beer garden (very modern and at odds with the interior). Food certainly looked cheap, but had just eaten!
Worth going back.
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Great pub. Never changes very much even after Smiles sold it. Nice walled garden. Food v. cheap.
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The Highbury is likely to become a classic favourite for most locals or students who come to know it. Its interior isn't as aged as it might first appear, but nevertheless its well-worn patina and shelves full of old artefacts such as Wills cigarette packets creates a uniquely cosy and welcoming haven that has no "town v gown" enmity.
It can get busy. But that is a testimony to its enduring popularity with so many kinds of people. When I was a regular as a student in the '90s, the pub was a Smiles house but selling a good rotating selection of guest ales. When taken over by Young's it lost the guests in favour of what can only be described as poorly-travelled Young's beer. Smiles in its true form is no more and they pulled it not long ago - but replaced it with guests once more, so it shows that when they want to, Young's can respond to local tastes and allow other beers on their bar. Needless to say it is very pro-real ale and it is all well-kept.
The food is a legend in its own lounge room. A consistent but varied mix of good home-cooked food is available for very keen prices. When I first came here in '95 (the same year the current manager took over) chilli-con-carne was on for around �2. Last year it was still under �4, although on my last visit it had vaulted to �4.25! Even so, pretty competitive.
Really, anyone who enjoys good beer, cheer and a lively, genuinely characterful atmosphere should enjoy the Highbury. I recommend the front bar which can often be found empty and can be taken over for a damn good piss-up! I had numerous memorable sessions in there with old pals whilst at the Uni and still do when I revisit!
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Good as ever when I popped in on Saturday, but the bar billiards have been replaced by a table-top 80s arcade machine! Why?! Cash machine is a useful addition if a bit out of place since they don't take cards here.
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excellent Brains SA and great place for a banter
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Nice little pub, good selection of beers. Bar Billiards table has not been there during my last few visits, although they might hide it away at weekend evenings. Nice partially covered beer garden. Gets very crowded in the evenings.
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not bad for what it is, but generally overrated. proximity to the uni is good.
anonymous - 23 Nov 2005 15:43 |
This is the all time perfect pub, fantastic atmosphere, intimate and cosy - almost every seat is in its own alcove. Since the demise of Smiles it continues to offer other great beer - the Youngs ales plus Brains and others. Bar billiards too, home cooked grub and a heated garden. Apparently prisoners were brought here in the middle ages for their last meal before facing the gallows - if I had to have a last pint I'd choose this pub anytime.
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Cool staff, good choice of real ales, previously respectable grub has improved with new kitchen staff - chillis are usually fairly hot!
Now selling St. Austell Tribute and Bath Ales' Gem as regulars.
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Top pub, good games and beer. Excellent food and a really nice beer garden. Shame it's up a hill!
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Sold by Smiles to Youngs.
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Brains and Smiles on tap. Billiards table. Pub garden (heated in the winter). Lovely wood panelled interior. Sign saying 'Don't ask silly questions'. Top stuff. The food's a bit dodgy at times, but not bad if you're really hungry. All in all, a great pub and extremely close to the Bristol University English Department, which was convenient for me in my time there.
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Brilliant Pub, Friendly staff. Excellent beer!
Traditional pub, dark wood with tat on display. Excellent Snug bar which fits about 6, nice place for a quiet chat with friends. Some rather funny graffiti in ladies loo on last visit.
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Crackin pub, if only for the fact that I can get a decent pint of Brains SA which reminds me of my Cardiff student days.
There's a decent selection of well kept ales, with the obligatory Smiles (the brewery is about 500 yards down the road, what do you think they're going to sell ...)
The best feature, to my mind, is the garden out the back, patio heaters galore and a huge space for while away the hours.
Teiresias - 5 Sep 2004 12:15 |
Fantastic traditional pub. Dark and dingy inside, with a courtyard if you prefer to see what you're drinking. Too many Smiles beers for my taste, but a nice selection of Young's, and usually a few other guest beers. Gets a little crowded if you go just after work on a Friday.
robert - 31 Aug 2004 02:28 |
