Home to Dancing Jesus! IYKYK. Ok if you don't know, I'll tell you. They've got a huge mural that's…read moredubbed "Dancing Jesus". It's a favorite spot and fixture in Stokes Croft to grab a pint and something to eat. Sitting outside lends to great people watching. Soup and toastie of the day is my go-to for lunch when in the area. Everything is locally sourced meaning fresher ingredients. A toastie may sound just like a toastie but there's something about the way they grill it here. A perfectly crisp bread with properly melted cheeses. I like that they use butter for pan-frying the toasties. Some places use mayo and that's a big ew for me.

This place has confused me for a long time…read more... Firstly I just thought it was a big disused office building where the drunk, jobless people would hang out at all hours of the day. Then they put massive amounts of scaffolding up (carefully avoiding Banksy's 'Mild, Mild West' piece) but yet again, more people would congregate outside it with pints of beer and glass of wine in hand. Then the scaffolding came down, but apart from a new graffiti piece on the side wall I couldn't see any difference. I must visit I thought to myself. I was pleasantly surprised (and slightly ashamed that I thought it was a communal area for the homeless). It's a large bar area with enough seats to hang with your mates and put the world at rest, yet small enough to retain a good atmosphere. There are some comfy sofas if you fancy a coffee and weirdly (in what is essentially a pub) a bookcase with second hand books and magazines. It's a bit of everything but it works. I am not exaggerating when I say that everyday it is packed to the brim so they are obviously doing something right!

Described by the NME many years ago as "a floating toilet", the Thekla has thankfully had a few…read moremakeovers since and is now quite possibly the best club and gig venue in Bristol. The downstairs main room is fairly small and generates a great atmosphere, and there are also balconeys overlooking the dancefloor and stage, which are great for gigs. Moving upstairs, there's a decent bar which is open during day times and has a daily happy hour and food offers. On sunny days, though, you're better off taking your pint/burger out on the open air deck, which is heated, has plenty of seating and offers great views across the harbour.

A club on a boat! The Thekla (I don't know if that's the name of the boat as well as the club) is…read moremoored up in Bristol harbour with a few good nights and live music as well. There's no need to worry about sea sickness, the boat doesn't sway or anything. Its over two floors (decks?) and has an outside area at the bow of the ship. The upstairs bar is open all week and the bottom opens for club nights (Socialism, electro-indie on Saturdays is my favourite). Being on a boat, things are a bit crowded, but theres plenty of space on the bottom floor (in the bowls of the ship?) to dance. The staff (bouncers and bar staff) are friendly, and there's always a good atmosphere. There's no premium for floating whilst you drink, with the nights I've been too, priced around a fiver. A novelty that's a good night out too.

My Dad has been going here for years and tries to go to as many gigs as possible…read more The selecton of artists that come to this venue is amazing, usually before they become big like Ed Sheeran, The Decemberists and Rodrigo y Gabriela. I recently saw the HoneyHoney bad that have been touring with Joe Buggs and it was a brilliant night. Not the best looking venue but certainly the best atmosphere

If not the best venue in Bristol, certainly the most civilised. Over the years they've managed to…read moreput on some absolutely amazing acts, either at the start of their careers (Iron and Wine, Sufjan Stevens, Joanna Newsom, The Decembrists), or more mature artists who rarely tour but when they do venture out want to appear before their fans in a small, intimate venue with immaculate sound (J D Souther, Buddy Miller) and comfortable surroundings. Nice, friendly, helpful people, all ages welcome and reasonably priced drinks as well. Utterly fantastic.

This club is a private members club so it doesn't run public club nights or anything, however one…read moreof my friends hired out the place for her 21st birthday and I went along to this and I thought it was a great little venue - perfect for this kind of occasion! The place itself is located in Berkley Square at the top of Park Street, so in a pretty posh place really, and this is reflected through the club... you go down some stone steps to the entrance and then you are met by an interior of classy slickness, and a really cool cocktail bar! All the staff are dressed incredibly smartly which adds to the posh ambience, and you really feel like you are in a top notch place - with brilliant service! At the back of the club there's a cool spiral staircase which leads to an upstairs dining area where they serve food, I've never eaten here personally but I've heard it's great! I have been up to the terrace however, which is pretty cool. I'd probably say this is the smartest venue I've been to in Bristol, and if you are looking for somewhere to hold a special occasion or business do then it's definitely worth a look and I'd give my recommendations!

The square club is a private members club so its not somewhere you just drop in for a quick pint…read more It is a lovely venue and is also home to the Square Gallery. I went to a private view here held by the artist Jim Starr (http://www.jamesstarr.co.uk/) When I visited Jim's work was to be seen throughout the Square Club, it looked amazing on the walls of this elegant Georgian house. It makes for a great gallery space. Outside there is a fantastic Terrace, it is an ode to zen like tranquility with wooden furniture, ambient lighting, out door art and chill-out music filtered through speakers, making it difficult to believe you are actually in the heart of the city. Drinks are however rather pricey but if you are after a nice drink in a refined tranquil atmosphere it is worth it. If you want to come here for an interesting evening (and don't want to become a member), the best thing to do is join The Bristol Explorers who regularly have talks here. The last Bristol explorers drinks evening had a talk by Monty Halls about his six months spent in the Outer Hebrides! So if there is an adventurer in you, definitely look our for the next Bristol Explorers evenings at the Square Club. http://bristolexplorers.com/

The Southville Centre, housed in a grade II listed Victorian building about a fifteen minute walk…read moreaway from Bristol city centre, is a community-oriented centre offering all sorts of classes and events for children and adults. Used mainly by local Southville residents, there are scheduled classes that anyone can join, such as aerobics, yoga, nutritional therapy, piano classes, circuit training, drama courses, pilates and Taekwon-Do - amongst others. It also organises the annual Southbank Arts Trail (which usually takes place around May each year). The centre also offers family services such as an after school club and holiday playschemes for children, and there's a cafe just opposite the reception area, serving daily specials, homemade cakes and good coffee. The centre was recently awarded a licence to perform weddings, too, and has space for receptions as well.

Elbow room has everything going for it; it's got a well stocked bar, good location and a cool name…read more But I am really not a fan. Not to sound like a Park Street snob but this bar is usually packed with people who wouldn't normally enjoy the quirky retro chic of the other bars up and down the hill. On more than one occasion I've walked in to find people passed out on the floor or crying in a corner - not a great start to any one's evening! I'd recommend coming here during the day when the pool tables are empty and the aforementioned undesireables are yet to come out and play.

I don't like this place. It's halfway up Park Street and gets rammed with a slightly 'Trevory'…read morecrowd. It's half bar, half pool hall, but the bar part isn't big or unique enough to keep you interested and the pool tables are those big American ones and are expensive to hire (you pay at the bar for a certain amount of time, not by the game). Also, despite the name, it's not really big enough, which is pretty ironic, though considering the Stateside focus of this unspectacular place, they probably wouldn't understand this. The only time I've vaguely enjoyed this place is on a Sunday afternoon watching the footie, as it's less crowded then and they have some cheap drinks offers.

The Paintowrks is a fantastic artistic hub. As you enter…read moreyou are welcomed by the Bocabar, a brilliant Cafe/resteraunt, quite a big space and often has exibits on the wall. One I saw recentley was brilliant, it was called '44 Walks' by Hannah Sullivan, she marked out various walks she had taken through Paris and presented them very imaginativly and beautifully. You can also find numerous photographers, website designers, sculptors, architects, a drawing school, a record company. It seems like anybody who is anyone comes a sets up camp at the Paintworks. The website is fantastic and keeps you informed of whats going on at the Paintworks. If you have a free afternoon I recomend going to Bocabar, having a coffee and a little chat with who ever's there and find out what's going on.

Paintworks, the rightful home of Bristol's creative innovators, plays host to ground-breaking and…read moreprogressive heavyweights such as 3E, Wildfire, and Tangent Books. Wildfire are the creators of the beautifully produced 0117 annual review of all things original and contemporary in Bristol, featuring designers such as Derek Edwards of Patwa Design, who also rents space at Paintworks (and is who is responsible for introducing me to 0117 - thanks, I owe you!) Tangent Books are a little longer in the tooth. An off-shoot of Faragher and Jones in Bath, they came to Bristol about four years ago, when Richard Jones decided that he wanted an office a little closer to home. Being a resident of Totterdown for many years, it was a no-brainer for Richard to decide to rent space at Paintworks. I really love visiting this peaceful creative haven, just far enough out of the city centre for it to enjoy a calmness all of it's own, but still very easy to get to. I always call into Bocabar for at least a coffee, but if I have time I indulge in a meal. I've been to quite a few events at Paintworks, held in their cavernous rentable space beneath Bocabar. From fabulous art exhibitions by Jimmy Galvin to incredible expos by the people who brought us Style88 and Migoi Music. www.faragherjones.com www.wildfirecomms.net www.tangentbooks.co.uk www.migoi-music.com/

The Watershed is a welcome break on that row of bars and clubs by the waterside. Where all the…read moreother venues simply exist to be a bar where the rowdy Saturday crowd revel in, the Watershed is more focused on socialising, good food, and screenings of movies with depth and intelligence. Much like the Little Theatre is to Bath, the Watershed is a must -go for more alternative, independent films. I love coming here to watch films because you are ensured that every film being shown is a good film, and not something brainless that you might waste your money on. The cinema rooms are a fraction of the size of a big cinema like the Odeon, which just adds more charm to the movie watching. It feels much more intimate, comfortable and private. Much like you're watching a good secret. Prices are good too, if you come here for a film before 4pm, rates are £4.50 (£3.50 concessions), which is a real good price for a good film. After 4pm, prices go up to £7 (£5.50 concessions). They have movies and documentaries for children too, during their Cinekids days, where kids pay £2 for a movie, and £3.50 for accompanying adults. Plus their Cinebabies days (which I think is such an amazing idea), where parents can bring their under 12 month old babies to watch a movie! The Watershed provides great facilities like a place to change nappies, and even a bottle warming service! This is super for parents to enjoy a film with their newborns, and get to know other new mom's around. The watershed is such a great place, all the years I've been going here, it's never disappointed me in terms of the films they screen, or the friendly service they give you when you're here.

The Watershed function spaces are great for small to medium conference events. They are…read moremultifunctional; the three cinema rooms (seating 43, 102 and 198 respectively) offer comfortable, air conditioned lecture spaces and the watershed 1, 2 and 3 rooms can be used individually or joined together to create a large space. The cafe/bar/restaurant sits between the cinemas and function rooms, offering food, drink and free wireless Internet. The staff are extremely hospitable; catering for all of your needs throughout the running of the event; from setting up spaces, to catering and even running last minute photocopying or printing. The Watershed is newly refurbished, clean and welcoming and in an ideal central location.

This somewhat decripit building was definitely due for a refurb and looks all the better for it. It…read moreis doing an excellent job in serving its local community, which stretches from the Burghs to Lawrence Hill and Easton. It runs a huge swathe of classes for people of varying backgrounds and seems very inclusive. I've attended some fantastic yoga there and although the room was small, the teaching was excellent and the classes very cheap. There's all kinds of things going on here, from silver jewellery making to Alexander Technique and Tai Chi. It also provides a meeting place for lesbian and gay forums, AA meetings and sessions for Asian families who have children with special needs and disabilities. It's well worth checking out their very varied programme and going along to a session.

I love St Werburghs Community Centre. Everyone is very friendly, the place is modern, clean and…read morefull of life. There are some excellent classes held here too.