please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Marvellous! My first ever visit to the Hillgrove accompanied by Mrs Monk and our friends who are extremely lucky to live 10 minutes away. My kind of pub. The beer was excellent as was the range. The Dawkins Bristol Best was superb, also tried the RCH Steam and the Goffs Dark Knight. All good but far and away the best was the Best! Even Mrs Monk liked it. Wish I lived 10 minutes away. 9/10
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Once a CAMRA pub of the year this used to be one of our favourite haunts: candlelit, friendly and cosy. The beers are still good but the candles are gone, the fire no longer lit, the furniture gets shabbier by the day and the staff are surly. All you can hear is the blare of the blender from the kitchen. On a steep decline with fewer customers every time we visit.
ZaraB - 21 Nov 2013 10:59 |
Love the pub but unfortunately I don;t always find the ale quality top notch. The Arbor Ales (one of their single hop variety) was served flat and lifeless and the Dawkins Mild had a hint of vinegar about it - definitely past its best. If you are going to charge these prices, please serve a decent product.
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A very good choice of Beer, with a strong Dawkins presence, well it is a Dawkins pub. Good quality Ale what more can I say.
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Still a cracking pub, the Hillgrove is going from strength to strength. Jamie has managed to introduce a decent and very affordable food menu, without changing the atmosphere of the place at all. One of the best cask ale ranges in Bristol, and some excellent music played at a decent volume.
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Can't really fault this place - characterful pub with excellent beer. Owned by Dawkins so on the pricey side, but, nonetheless, highly recommended.. The equally excellent Hare on the Hill is up the road.
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A great Bristol pub, and well worth the steep climb for the decent pint of ale you'll get up here.
Always a great choice of beers, and a real cider and real perry is usually on as well.
Price ,well as the fat Train conductor, sorry fat Beer Badger says , like the climb a bit steep , but they do a card for discounts off their own products.
Food is served here, obviously you'd have to check the times.
If your a visitor to Bristol, and want a great view across the city you won't do a lot better than this pub.
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Popped in for my maiden visit a couple of weeks back during it's beer festival.Quite a decent variety of ales to choose from either tapped up or served straight from the barrel in the beer patio,friendly chap serving but quite pricey (�3.20 av pint), Still deserves a 8/10 though
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very pleasant pub with a good beer range - a bit quiet for a Friday night when I was there, but hopefully I just caught it on a bad day.
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So Matthews now owned by Dawkins, my GBG out of date - was confused by these 'Dawkins' beers. 10 ales & 2 ciders, sweet paradise - 3 or 4 were from said brewery, the Brass Knocker was top as was the Cheddar Totty Pot porter. Plain wooden pub with a friendly landlady and cellarman. Music was varied but not obtrusive. An excellent pub.
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OK so a little pricey, other than that flawless 10 real ales, 2 real ciders, interesting music piped out to the punters. Run by people who really seem care about their pub, a real ale paradise!
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Cheddar Ales Totty Pot Dark Porter, Goat�s Leap IPA & Gorge Best, Three Castles Saxon Archer, Plain Ales Inspiration, Beartown Bearskinful, Goffs Camelot, Matthews Brassknocker (I have a note saying the pub owner, Mr Dawkins, also of Portcullis, took over that brewery?). Upper walls are decorated with old pumpclips, lounge area rear right has leather sofas (grrr), but not bad if you commandeer it in a group; bookcase, board games, a variety of brewery trays & other breweriana. Left to covered smoking arbor & picnic sets. Expensive, but the barmaid was very friendly & offered tasters of the beers.
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Another visit to Bristol and I made the journey up here on my own, a bit too much of a climb for my husband. There was only 1 new beer on for me this time, but I bought Batemans Jester IPA and Yeovil Posh IPA to take back with me in bottles so hubby could have some later too. Got asked if I was beer police doing some testing, but it was all perfectly innocent. I can go seeking beers providing I bring it back to share. Prices still the highest I found in Bristol though.
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Loved the beer choice at this pub, but could not believe the pricing as every beer was �3 a pint ot over. Even the 3.8% beer was �3 a pint. The choice is great as is the quality, but if this a pubco marking up the beers it is a shame. We looked it up as it is in the Good Beer Guide and it does deserve its place. There is a beer festival there this weekend too 40+ beers.shared with the Green Man.
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First of all , bristol being my adopted city , being born in north som , and this being one of bristol's best known pubs , this is not the easiest pub to find , but well worth it , has an excellent and but perhaps , i'd have to say ,not quite as interesting choice , as the portcullis . 8/10
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Alcoves with leather armchairs, good selection of ales, including one from Brentwood Brewing Company that was top-notch (impressive amount of Essex ales in Bristol recently!), an inviting spot.
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My favourite pub in Kingsdown. Always an excellent beer range and usually in tip top condition. The landlady, Doreen is always friendly and often with bonus sarcasm too.
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Slightly dissapointed after many glowing reviews that I had heard. True, there was a great selection of beer but the pub did feel a little down at heel. On a Tuesday night there was nobody else in there, so maybe it was the lack of atrmosphere.
There's a small outside patio area but this is quite tatty with a lot of rubbish lying around. Staff were friendly enough though.
Thatcher's Gold and Westons Scrumpy on tap.
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Brilliant ale house. Been my local for years. Always try to keep eight ales on including at least one dark one. I haven't often noticed beers being in below 'good' condition. If your beer wasn't up to scratch I'm sure there would be no difficulty obtaining a replacement. This pub was deservedly CAMRA pub of the year Bristol and district 2007.
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Went in recently and they were having a Welsh theme with the ales. The only problem was the beers were not in best fettle (not bad enough to take back, just not great either) - the only one in really good condition was brassknocker.
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Friendly bar staff and a great selection of ales. Lovely stuff.
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Friendly welcome and excellent beer in both choice and quality. Recommended!
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One of the best ale pubs in Bristol, with a fine range (and decent condition on my visit).
Staff and punters were friendly, and enjoyed the small square that constitutes the beer garden.
Interior is nice, with some quaint touches (see pics).
Highly recommended. Don't be put off by the high-rise flats opposite, they're fine.
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Great pub with great beer and a friendly barmaid.Highly recommended along with the Hare on the Hill down the road.
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Bristol CAMRA Pub of the Year 2007. A fine choice.
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Rejuvinated under the current owners and tenants. This once unremarkable Ushers' pub - may that fine Trowbridge brewery be forever remembered by those short term profit grabbers - now offers an ever-changing array of fine local micro-brewed ales served in tip-top condition. A good atmosphere too.
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Pity that this place is often very quiet (particularly on weekdays) as they are making a real effort with it. 6 or 7 real ales, guest beers from micro breweries, nice atmosphere and friendly staff. Only slight criticism is that the beer isn't always in great condition - maybe because not enough punters to drink it!!
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Yeah visited last night,nice range of ale,Matthews Brassknocker particularly good. Beer of the day (�1.95 a pt,even on sundays!) was HIDDEN Potential. The pub supports small local breweries,indeed I think its the policy of the mini-chain that owns it. Not too difficult quiz Sunday nights. Landlady and barman pleasant. Bogs fine.
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A pub that always appeared entirely average when I was a student in Bristol in the mid-'90s. Despite visiting over 150 different boozers in 3 years, I never made it to the HPS. No regrets about that, but in the last year it has been overhauled by a new owner, and as he is now free of tie, he has filled his bar with a vast and intriguing range of ales - many more than would've been available under its old Ushers regime.
The pub is a cracking local, with friendly punters and staff, and it is a real joy to see somewhere mediocre take on a new lease of life and render itself far more appealing to a greater number of customers.
A very different experience to the Hare just down the road, but different in a good way - the 2 don't overlap which is a positive thing and both are worthy of considerable attention for the serious pubgoer/ale connoisseur.
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Tucked away on a sidestreet, but well worth seeking out for the large range of beers. It makes a handy pair with the nearby Hare on the Hill.
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