Star and Dove, Bristolback to pub details please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Decent enough surroundings-but seems a little cold and soulless-good selecton of ales
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A Very "Gastro" type affair which isn't to every ale drinker's cuppa tea/pinta ale,however i was very happy with my visit last month. The Caledonian 80' and Adnams Lighthouse were very well kept and the service friendly. 7/10
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Not been here for a long time as we felt there was something missing but having now read previous reviews can agree with the pub seemed to lack drive or what it was really trying to achieve?
On this visit I'm pleased to report all has changed, Gem & Doom Bar available and both were very good. The pub was quite busy but it never felt too packed and there was a good ambience about the place. I think I now understand what is meant by a 'community pub'! Lots of locals who seem to have this place as a venue to eat, drink and talk not just a drinking hole or a place to eat and leave empty by 9-30 as so many pubs are these days. Very welcoming and friendly place, more so inside than out as the exterior has no real frontage so it looks a bit of a old fashioned style pub?
Well worth checking out on a more regular basis
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One of the only places (apart from the "up and coming" Oxford) in Totterdown where you can have a relaxing beer in comfortable surroundings... The New Found Out is a bit like the wild west and the Shakespeare is a tad filthy and in need of some tlc... Recommend the Star & Dove or The Oxford
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The new management is getting it right - good selection of beer and wines - one bar has been converted to a dining room serving imaginative and well presented food. Well worth a visit.
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I understand that the chef who worked with Jamie Oliver has now left, and there are new people running it. So bear that in mind in relation to some of the earlier comments.
It seems a decent pub with a reasonable food selection, although we didn't sample any. There were a selection of breads and cakes available on the bar which was unusual. Very good choice of wines chalked up on a board, with several available by the glass.
Three beers on tap, Doom Bar, Gem and Otter (although two seemed to have run out, so maybe things haven't changed that much...). Also Stowford Press & Addlestones cider.
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I could write three hundred words on this place and 70 of them would be positive, the rest would be heading downhill very fast. But still I quite like the S&D - so bear that in mind as you read this...
1. No beer. They notionally have three ales - in reasonable condition too. Except all three have run out on the two times I've visited. They also ran out of most of the lagers and both ciders too, both times.
2. The staff don't have a clue. Or most of them don't seem too, and they change constantly. They don't know which menu is on, if the restaurant is open, which beer is on, which table is which or how the till works. And they can't add.
And that is the ones who care. Some of them don't seem to care either...
3. The food is good. Confused but good. There are so many menus and nights that it seems all over the shop but it is all pretty nicely done.
4. The retro furniture and gastro-dressings are nice enough and the atmosphere is pleasant and relaxed. That might be because it is also mostly half empty.
Basically it is a basket case. It really doesn't know what it wants to be. Or, it did know but that business model didn't work. It is exactly the place that you see on Hell's Kitchen - it could be good - when someone sorts it out but at the moment it is pretty poor. Sorry.
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I thought this place was great. Cool decor and furniture, really good vibe. Have a jazz night which was awesome. Really cool place to be and have a drink.
Haven't eaten there yet in the pub or the restaurant upstairs but I heard the food is really good. The head chef used to work with Jamie Oliver so it must be good food.
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Used to be a beaten old dump called the Cumberland, this place has been thoroughly scrubbed and remodelled as a gastropub (I never thought I'd see the day when Totterdown had or needed a gastro, but there you go!).
It's actually not a bad effort, though the 'distressed' furniture is a bit w@nk really, some of it looks skeletal. Otherwise, it's a fair place to have a drink.
Ale-wise, there were a couple of good choices, my Bath Gem was served well. The food sounded interesting but didn't sample.
Worth dropping in if you're visiting the Shakespeare up the road, or if you've taken a walk through the park opposite.
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