Browns Bristol

Seriously cool. Like seriously. It's hidden in the middle of…read morethe Bristol Harbour Hotel, and I would have had no clue it was there if I wasn't staying. All I'm saying is I'm glad I did. What a find! I was literally the only one in there (on a Monday) which was a shame as I imagine when the word gets out about this place, the cocktail crowd will flock here of a weekend. Some great sounding cocktails on the menu, along with plenty of classics. I went for the brass money, which was a deliciously delicate and smooth combo of Monkey Shoulder, PX sherry, aperol and grapefruit bitters, perfectly blended for one of the most moreish cocktails I've had in a while. Prices are dece too - talking £9 a pop for the specialities and £7-8 for the classics. Well worth a visit and a cracking addition to the growing Bristol cocktail scene

Very cool decor

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As good a pic of the menu as I could get...

Harveys Cellars

5.0(1 review)

0.3 mi

Great food, didn't realise they did food until I ordered from them on meals.co.uk. Always great…read moreservice and great delivery times. Restaurants on here are so much better than Just-Eat.

Welcome Drinks

Extensive cocktail menu

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Premium spirit menu

Cosies'

4.6(9 reviews)

0.9 mi

Cosies Wine Bar has a few different faces. It's located in stateley Portland Square, and during the…read moreday it maintains a quite respectable face. At this time it pulls in office workers and other up-standing member of society sorts. They have a good lunch menu, and the place could pass as a reasonably high end restaurant. Things degenerate (or improve, depending on your point of view) as night draws in. Cosies is also a night club and dubstep, afrobeat, and hip-hop nights, along with various others. Very cool in the evenings, this is about a million miles from Syndicate et al. not so far away in the centre. The different between the its night and day time faces is quite a contrast and makes Cosies worth two visits. Down in a basement, it has a cosy feel to match its name. The best time to vist in the day time is when its a bit cold and damp. During the evening just make sure to get there early to avoid disappointment.

There seem to be a few places around Bristol that have a bit of a cavey feeling, due to their…read morebasement locations. Cosies is another place to the trend, situated in the basement of one of the grand Georgian houses in St Pauls' Portland Square. It's open all day and night, catering to the office workers of the square in the daytime, and turning into one of Bristol's in-the-know clubs as night falls. Some of the best djs can be found playing here, spanning genres from Dub and Reggae to Drum'n'Bass and hip hop. The seats outside, carved out beneath the pavement, are maybe where the place gets its name from, as there's a really great 'cosy' atmosphere in one of those seating hubs. As a result, it makes for quite a smokers paradise, and there's definitely a hint of a few blind eyes being turned. Walking past in the day there's always a board offering some sort of exotic food (always below a fiver, so good value), proving a real temptation to descend the rickety stairs mid-afternoon. Also, there's late evening grub on offer to help the pints go down, the last time I was there goat curry was being sold around 11. You might have to pay a few pounds to get in on a weekend, but I'd safely guarantee you'll have a night worth remembering.

Down these unlikely stairs is Cosies

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The Quadrant

4.4(8 reviews)

0.6 mi

Although it looks very much it from the outside this is not a pub but in fact a wine bar. The main…read moredifference is they have a slightly larger wine list and a wine cellar downstairs. Probably a few less students and old men as well. It's got a prime Clifton village location, and many a time has there been when I've trudged past to go to work and jealously looked in on the drinkers. It's a treat when I do get to go. Just the right side of sophisticated, without being a bit too ridiculous and Cliftonish. I prefer it in the basement, where you're not on display to people like me walking past (if you're a bit of a poser this would probably be the place to do it). Down here you can drain a bottle of wine without being too aware of the time (and thus not feel quite so guilty about how long you've stayed there). It's certainly not bad up the top though and you'll be sure to have an enjoyable evening at The Quadrant whether you're upstairs or down.

On the corner of the main drag of Clifton Village, the quadrant is a small wine bar. I quite like…read morethe feel of the place, as it never seems to be too crowded, the atmosphere is just the right tone of upmarket drinking establishment, and the wine cellar beneath the top bar is a cosy place to get to the bottom of a few bottles of wine. Though that might set you back a bit, they do wines (and champagne) by the glass, ranging from £3.50 upwards. They've got a variety of bar snacks, including pizzas, which are good value at £5.50, but I would advise the Nachos, which are surprisingly filling and really good quality. Although the service was a bit slow (our order was misplaced), it was well worth it in the end. The aforementioned cosyness takes on another level in the evenings, upstairs as well, so I reckon the best time to give it a try would be an after work drink on a weekday evening, when you won't run the risk of it being too busy, but you'll get to see the evening atmosphere. The regular wine tasting evenings also provide good value, from £10 a head (sometimes including food), so give it a go for some new found drinking knowledge.

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Taken from their website

The Boneyard Bar

4.0(5 reviews)

0.6 mi

The new kid on the block. The cool one of whom you're a little bit scared, but attracted to all the…read moresame. You sneak out to meet him by the old police station and firestations in the seedy centre of town. Boy, is it exciting. I'm talking about the Boneyard Bar - naughty, funky and a wee bit bad. Brought to us by the Invisible Circus team (makers of the incredible Carny-Ville) and modern art-mongers Artspace-Lifespace, this bar is far out, weird and most of all fun. Walk through the old firestation doors and you're faced with huge art installations and a beautful bar. Opulent glamour of velvet chairs, blood-red drapes and wooden floors sum of the sorts of gin-soaked nights they host: (tasteful) burlesque nights, comedy events, a swing night every Wednesday (that's dancing you grubby people, not wife-swapping). Beers, lounging and visual delights. Not cheap, but worth it for the pleasure.

Achingly hip, from the modern art to the lavish furnishings. This place is clearly run by artisits…read moreand is a visual treat, with big art installations front and centre, burlesque nights, and a carefully chosen array of art adorning the walls. To add to this place's cachet of cool the bars inside the old firestation, giving things a slight industrial feel. Edgy and cool this place is but also a lot of fun, things like the naked mannaquin trying to preserve his dignity will make you chuckle. Whilst there's a buzz to things in the evening, the big fire station doors mean you can lounge here on a warm evening (not that there's going to be one of those for quite a while) as well.

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Taken from their website

Penfolds

3.8(4 reviews)

Penfolds is the sort of bar that you might expect from the Whiteladies Road - posh, upmarket and a…read morelittle on the pricey side. But, it's a reliably relaxing bar to have an after work drink or a lunch time tipple. With a range of wines and spirits it's quite a girlie place to hang out, so don't expect to be chatted up at the bar here ladies!

Penfolds, whilst amongst the slightly lairy bars on Whiteladies Road is a cut above the rest. It's…read morereally quite classy, serving a great selection of wines and also tapas (possibly my favourite type of food at the moment) they're definitely in my good books. It's definitely not a place I could afford to come regularly, at the steeper end of the price spectrum, but certainly worth it for the excellent service and atmosphere.

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Brunel Wine Bar

4.3(3 reviews)

0.7 mi

After a hard day's pottering around the boutiques of Clifton Village, I recently stumbled across…read morethis pleasant little bar. I popped in for a quick pint, only intending for the coupling of bum and barstool to be a brief flirtation, but before I knew it, they were practically married! With its minimalist, Shaker-style interior and friendly service, it's a great place to relax with a few cheeky beverages oiling the wheels of conversation. If you, as I do, have an allergic reaction to the plethora of 'style' bars that are spreading across Bristol like a badly-decorated rash, then this friendly, unpretentious haunt is a great antidote. The food is also delicious with a wide range of tapas dishes that are served in Tardis-like pots - they don't look big but they certainly fill you up! Above all, it's the service that really impressed me. With staff that insisted on lending me their mobile when I needed to make a call, and a manager who plonks free grub down on your table after a few hours of drinking, this is a bar that I look forward to returning to.

This is in a lovely spot overlooking the posh hustle and bustle of Clifton village. It's only a…read moresmall bar but they have a fantastic selection of vinos and it has a nice sophisticated feel. It's the kind of place you could easily come on your own for a drink as the staff are chatty and the stools are set up along the bar. You can also peek out of the windows which open on to the street and spot the totty going by but it's a nice place just to sit outside and drink too. I had knocked back so much wine last time I was there that I had to soak it up with some food and really enjoyed the little tapas plates they do- there's quite a selection for such a small place. Its laid-back vibe reminds me of places in Italy where taking a load off with a glass of wine doesn't have to be a big boozy session and can actually feel quite clean and sophisticated!

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Strawberry Thief

3.8(4 reviews)

•£££

The beer is fantastic. The food is fantastic. And the service is fantastic!…read more It can be pricey but bristol is not as cheap as it once was and its worth evey penny!

Visited these guys on their soft opening night, so I'm not sure how much the decor etc will change,…read morebut I was impressed with the menu - they had an extensive selection of Belgian beers - wheat beers, fruit beers, sours and saisons were all represented, and with a mix of prices points which was nice. As well as bottles they also have a handful of beers on draught, which didn't seem to expensive either. At the moment they're not doing food but plan to in the new year, which I think would suit the vibe of this place better, as it is table service only, and the seating makes it feel more like a wine bar. However, it's not far off the vibe a lot of bars in Belgium and Holland go for - it could just be a bit more snug in my opinion. I liked the framed patterns (the name of the bar comes from that of a pattern by William Morris, who has a mural dedicated to him in the old printing works across the road), the colour scheme and the general look of the place, but think some moodier lighting and softer seating would make this place a bit more of a destination, or a place to linger. I'll definitely be back though - my cravings for cherry beer will see to that, and they have my favourite (Kasteel Rouge) on tap!

Sampling the sours... Probably the weirdest beer I've ever ordered! Think sour cherries meet Guinness but fizzier.

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The Clifton Wine Bar

3.2(13 reviews)

0.4 mi

Although on street level, Clifton Wine Bar is below a raised promenade, which means stone walls and…read moreceilings and not much natural light. The result is you feel a bit like you're entering a wine cellar. Those as tall as I am will have to stoop, and it can be a bit dingy. With those disclaimers made, I really like the experience here. It's snug, somewhere good to go on a grey winters day, and sitting in a comfy chair here you feel a million miles away from the hustle and bustle of Bristol city centre, say. They do a good trade in after work drinkers, and I think thats why. Clifton Wine Bar is an escape. With the words 'Clifton' and 'Wine Bar' in the name you wouldn't expect this place to be particularly cheap, and it's not. Neither is it somewhere to go for a part, things are civilised here. Worth the money anyway, in my opinion.

I might be being a bit harsh with my rating, because there is nothing actually wrong with Clifton…read moreWine Bar. It is clean, the food is edible and there is plenty of seating. But where it falls down for me is on its lack of soul and atmosphere; the interior is pretty bland and unattractive and it all has a rather unwelcoming effect. It is a huge bar and I have had some great nights in there sat around a table chatting with friends. As a place to just be with your friends it is perfect. But if you want to watch the sport, get a table early. Perhaps it's because of the low ceilings and positioning of the Telly's, but the view can be restricted. That said it is great that they show all the football and rugby and I do enjoy watching it there, I'm just obviously not alone there. It doesn't offer much else for me, I wouldn't go there to listen to music, soak up a cool atmosphere or try a tasty cocktail but it is known as being a big favourite with recruitment consultants and estate agents. And if you smoke, there is a fantastic garden for that.

Dimly lit

Cubby's

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Our Garden

Funky Greek Bar Taverna Club

1.0(1 review)

This Greek restaurant/bar was stumbled upon in the midst of a hunger walk, me and my partner…read moredesperately searching for dinner in town. We passed this restaurant that looked quite alright, and thought that since we never have tried Greek food properly, maybe that night was the night to try it. The decor was funky, lots of patterns in the chairs and wallpaper, and all clean lines and slick furniture. Friendly waiters brought over the menu which looked great. Dishes are centered around mezze's, somewhat like the Spanish tapas idea; many small dishes. The food came; chickpeas, stewed potatoes with lamb, rice in vine leaves and various other dishes and dips. From the quantity of the dishes to the taste of them, I was disappointed. The meat served was dry, and everything else simply lacked any depth in flavour. Needless to say, we left very, very dissatisfied, and won't be going back again.