Playing a game of pool at the pub is all well and good but if you want a bit more peace and quiet…read moreand a reduced risk of spilt drinks and people bumping into you then head to Rileys. They've got loads of well kept full size snooker tables, complete with the overhead lights they have on the games on the telly and a general feeling of people concentrating on their game. It's still fairly pubish though. There's a bar sky sports and this isn't a bad just to come for a drink, especially as its a bit less rowdy than most places on and around Park Street (not that this is particularly hard). Drink prices aren't bad at all either if you can find the special deals. I like Rileys, it's nice to have somewhere where you can get a decent game and I would play all the time if it wasn't for the prices and the demand of membership fee. If I'm desperate for a quiet game I'll just head to a pub on a weekday afternoon or some other quiet time.

Aha Rileys the snooker club, you old fool. I shall now write about you…read more My mate ended up working here temporarily when he first moved to our fair city. Although a temporary appointment, we inevitably ended up coming here a lot for a short period. If you're looking for a certain night, it has everything you need. There are a good twelve American pool tables in the along with a few smaller versions in the main room. This means that you always can grab a table, no matter what time of night you decide to show up. This place is open 24 hours, so if you bowl out of a club at three and are feeling competitive, this is your place. They also serve food through the night, so it's the ultimate 'after club game of pool burger and chips' in Bristol city centre. There's other things that would only interest the interested, like a snooker room, poker tables and the option for poker nights, Worzel staff, pool queues, chalk and bags for hire, locals and yocals in bifocals. Although the place doesn't deserve a top rating as it's pretty bland and chain like, it definitely doesn't deserve less than a three because it serves a purpose and I have always had good nights there if I've been looking for that sort of thing. You have to sign up as a member though, so that's worth knowing. Take an extra fiver if you wanna play.

If you've visited Cotham Hill before you won't be surprised to hear that it's an absolute favourite…read morefor students attending the local university. But if these young pretty things start getting on your nerves, there's one place in Clifton Village you can go to escape them; The Hill. Inside you'll find a relaxed atmosphere, a choice of local beverages and some scrummy stone baked pizza. The prices are quite high for an ordinary pub, but you come to expect that in Clifton. Best avoided when there's a big sporting event, unless you're a big fan of big screen events yourself.

This is a sports bar situated in the heart of studentville, so expect the resulting crowd. It has…read morethe slight feel of a chain, but it's not. If you're into your sports though, this is definitely the place to come, as there's a big screen, along with widescreen TVs dotted all over the place which show all the main fixtures. The pizzas are the main selling point, which are baked in a big stone oven in the corner of the bar, which gives the otherwise slightly boring interior its main focal point. Large comfy leather sofas and popular beers make this an acceptable place to chill out and watch a match in, but apart from a series of drink promotions over the week - 2-4-1 Pizzas on a tuesday, daily drinks promotions before 7, and 2-4-1 cocktails on a thursday night - there's nothing too special to shout about.

Food, service and atmosphere was great. Staff were so friendly and smiley it was really good.read more

Racks is a high end wine bar, on St Pauls road, between the heart of Clifton Village and the bottom…read moreof Whiteladies Road. It's quite a posh place - expect the real, clichéd Bristol Uni and general Cliftonite crowd in here. I'm probably a fan though - the outside seating area is a really nice place to have a drink, even in the evening as it's serviced by a good amount of patio heaters. You've got to come prepared for Clifton prices though, as a drink is going to be quite far the wrong side of £3. They do a good range of shooters - last time I was here I tried the more lethal concoction of Jagermeister, Goldschlagger and Midori, which went down surprisingly well, and at £3.50 was an adequate, but not cheap, price for a shooter like that. They do have a table service, even if you're just drinking, which is quite helpful and surprising, you really don't expect that in Bristol. Also the staff here seem to be unfailingly attractive - I'm sure the management must have some sort of ploy going on, but I'm sure there's not too many complaints. As well as a main menu of good pub type food, they do a range of set menus, including buffets, BBQs and a more gormet set menu. The food is an excellent quality, and I actually think fairly priced for the standard. The only drawback the menus other than the main are only available to large groups, but the main one is pretty wide ranging. Maybe a bit boring, but I advise the burger, a beer, a bit of sunshine and have a chill in the patio area - it'll do your soul good.

Tucked away down a backstreet near central Bristol, you probably know the Seven Stars better as…read more'that place next to the Fleece and Firkin'. There's good reason for this: it's because it's that place next to the Fleece and Firkin. It's at its busiest when there's a gig next door, as people nip in for a pre-gig pint (my mate once saw Rik Witter playing pool in here; I'd just like to make it clear that I wasn't there and that I'd never pay to watch Shed 7). They also do free gigs of their own of the predominately acoustic nature on Sunday afternoons, sometimes with cheap beer offers thrown in. An old man's pub, the place itself is a little olde worlde with ales on tap, an aging clientele and a pool table around the back. Not a place to seek out, but if you're in the vicinity or there's a gig on, it's worth a look for a quick pint.

I only popped in for a quick half five years ago and I've been going back ever since…read more This pub is tucked away in the backstreets of Bristol, and I would never have thought of going had I not been going to a gig at the pub next door. But what you'll find at Seven Stars is a range of ales, a laid back crowd and a relaxing atmosphere. It's not the most exciting of venues, but it's reliably enjoyable - best to visit after 9pm.

Paid a deposit of £65 for a table for 6 and entry for 1 for the Fury Usek fight and received…read moreconfirmation that the deposit was redeemable against drink or food arrived at the prescribed time shortly before the fight advised by staff that they would not honour this stating it was for entry despite producing the emai. Due to the event time reluctantly stayed.Please be aware and book elsewhere

Booked a table well in advance of an international game. Paid deposit upfront. Arrived early, but…read morebar staff unable to give me a table and confused why there wasn't one allocated. Really poor service and I won't be coming back.

I nipped in here on Saturday night. I wasn't personally bothered but a lot of my mates wanted to…read morewatch the non-event England qualifier (for a tournament they'd already qualified for) and this was one of the few pubs that was screening an internet stream. I didn't realise it had been done over as I haven't been here for years, but it's much nicer now, with a large bar to one side (with loads of ciders) and everything's been stripped back to a basic wooden finish. They also have a sport-focused TV, while the biggest improvement is the addition of a second room which acts as an overspill for footie fanatics. A cut above your average sports bar.

One of the few Clifton pubs with sky sports, The Greyhound is a little bit more down to earth than…read moremost places round here. It's recently undergone a refurbishment, ripping up the carpet and giving everything a bit of a clean. The result's a much nicer pub, with lots of wood on display. There's two rooms, with the back room often a bit quieter when I've been there. Nice to have the choice and it means the place can still be bearable if its full of football fans. Add the beer garden on sunny days and you can be sure of finding an atmosphere to suit your mood. They do live music every now and then. It's a nice venue for something quiet, but obviously all depends on whether they manage to pull in a decent act. Although with a good selection of beers on offer you might end up not minding too much whatever is played. Looking a bit fresher but still retaining plenty of character, The Greyhound is a lovely Clifton pub.

One of the other reviewers described it best as a "three star pub with an eleventy billion star…read morereview." We were visiting and staying in the Clifton area for just one day, and several friends recommended checking out the historic suspension bridge, then going to the "shit pub" next to it for some lunch with the view. While I was expecting a dive, the indoor dining area was more like a nicer restaurant. It was a colder November day, and we wanted to sit on the large patio to enjoy the views. The female server seemed to very stressed and unnerved. She seemed to get angry at us when we tried to order at the bar, but also didn't want to seat us ("NO! You need to tell me your table number and THEN I can place your order. I need the table number first! I won't know where to send it out!") when we didn't know the process. Throughout the ordering process, she just seemed annoyed by us. She rushed us, didn't even show us the full menu (I didn't see it until I was outside) and we were looking forward to going outside just to get away. I was happy to see Patron XO Café on the shelves and ordered that with coke and lime, and we took our drinks outside to wait. We took pictures with the scenic background, and waited, and waited. Finally, after 45 minutes (no one else was being brought food either), I went inside and asked the male server (I didn't want to deal with her anymore) about our order. He apologized profusely and told us he would check on it. We explained that we had limited time before going back to our hotel and if they hadn't started on the food yet, just to cancel the order. The order was brought out a few minutes later, and he offered us another round of complimentary drinks, which was nice. The food was actually very, very good! We ordered a cheese plate and a French onion soup, which was better than any of the French onion soups we'd ordered in France. Because of the location and view, I'm sure this place attracts plenty of patrons as it is, but it has potential to be so much more.

3.5 stars A modern…read morepub on the edge of Clifton Village with a great terrace that overlooks the Suspension Bridge. The open plan layout attracts families on the weekend lunchtime. The food is ok - pies with chips and mushy peas, soup of the day with bread. Nothing to shout home about really. Come on a sunny day and hang on the terrace may give this a 4-star rating, but we came on a rainy Boxing Day 2012.

- With all the hype surrounding the new Union bar, I was expecting a Mount Olympus style abode,…read moreworthy of the gods themselves. It does have everything you'd imagine a bar would need - sofas, pool table, sky sports tv and a smoking terrace, but it just lacks any kind of atmosphere or charm. The lighting is so dim that you can't see much, and the coke is always flat (a big let-down for me). It's a decent place to go if you are meeting people at the union or fancy a game of pool if you're in the building. However, there are far better places to go just round the corner.

No question, 5 stars from me. I love Amoeba!…read more If you're unfamiliar with Amoeba (shame on you) then it is a little hidden gem tucked away in a backstreet of Clifton Village. They have an incredible beer selection, but for me, this place is all about the cocktails - and boy do they do good cocktails! Amoeba is small. It is set over 3 levels; ground level with a few tables, the bar is upstairs and then downstairs you'll find a few more tables and nice terrace area. The decor is dark red and it's nice and dimly lit. They have a large blackboard on the wall with a list of all of their beers and an amazing selection of spirits behind the bar. I've felt instantly comfortable and every time Ive been to Amoeba. It always has a great atmosphere and it isn't what you'd expect from a cocktail bar in Clifton. It's nowhere near as pretentious or uninviting as Hausbar up the road. There's no door knocking here! They had a decent DJ (although he was sat down, ha) and the staff were great. I said I wanted a gin based cocktail with some kind of berry influence - I got exactly that! I've no idea what it was called, but it was GOOD! This is one of the best bars in Bristol, in my eyes!

Seeing as it's national poetry day I thought I'd do my review as a poem…read more Amoeba is a cosy cafe bar If you're in Clifton you would go far To find a better cocktail Or even a tea would never fail The decor is dark red and antique Fabulous and oblique There's plenty to look at And not only that The bar staff know every liquor And they'll make a perfect drink quicker So if you were um-ing and ah-ing Amoeba has the perfect thing!