At the very top of Whiteladies Road/Blackboy Hill, looking out to the downs, this bar was whispered…read moreto be a secret exclusive establishment which was very hard to get in to. My friends and I had long been planning a trip to try it out and finally made it last weekend. To get in you have to ring a doorbell and wait for the door to be opened - they assess the look of you from the video camera that's situated just above the front door. If they judge you worthy enough, you'll enter a bar that is extravagantly furnished and really well set out. The space is quite narrow, with a long bar along the right hand side, and comfy seats and tables on the left. The bar staff are cocktail wizards; there's an extensive menu of cocktails organised by the predominant ingredient. From champagne cocktails to whisky sours you'll be bound to find something that appeals. At £6 it's well priced - they could charge upwards of £8 in a place like this. The clientele are clearly the rich and beautiful of Bristol - if you want to know what a Cliftonite is then come here for some animal observation. It's no bad thing in my opinion though, as it just plainly suits the place. It's not as secret as it's rumoured to be, especially as they've started leaving flyers in equally high class establishments across town. If you're after a sizeable helping of class with your drink, Hausbar is the place to come.

Rumour had it that there was a secret bar at the top of Whiteladies road. A couple of months ago, a…read morefriend and I drove past the entrance, which is underneath an Indian Restaurant called Rajpoot. It took til last night to get around to actually visiting but we weren't disappointed. Hausbar, I have since learnt, is based on the Berlin cocktail lounges and is very popular with the upmarket Cliftonites. Having lived in Berlin for several months, I can see the similarities. When you arrive (only groups of less than 5 unless you've booked) you ring the door buzzer and are surveyed by the camera outside. We weren't particularly smart but we got in anyway. My cocktail was strong and delicious and not too expensive at £6. I'd come again, but I think I'd have to dress a little smarter to fit in with the affluent crowd.

Formerly Hush Hush, The Bootlegger is a massive improvement and one of the newest and coolest bars…read moreon the Cheltenham/Gloucester Road stretch. My girlfriend and I were on our way to one of the other bars on Gloucester road, but couldn't walk passed Bootleger as it looked and sounded really cool from outside. The open front, tables on the street and electro-swing music were a perfect combo to draw us in. It is pretty unbelievable what they've done with the place. From being a pretty terrible club that was mainly used for birthday and drum and bass parties - it is unrecognisable and really cool! It is a really narrow space but every inch has been used really well. The staff were really friendly and you could tell try we're pretty excited to be working in the new bar on such an infamous party street! The draught options are pretty basic but good enough. They have a couple of really nice pale ales that they were happy to let me 'try before I buy'. We shared a Mac n cheese which was good. I'd say a little more seasoning was needed; it way lacking a little umph! But we demolished it in seconds! I'm really interested to try the rest of the menu coz it sounded great, if not a little familiar. Bristol seems to a breeding ground for pulled pork and American style dining/menus at the moment! All in all a great place and an incredible turn around from its former self. They should be proud and I can see them doing it well. It was busy enough when we were there, so it looks promising!

Sat with my friends having a few dark and stormy cocktails. Listening to blues music and watching…read morethe world go by on Gloucester road. This place is awesome and their food menu looks great, although I haven't eaten here - yet, but I will, soon!

Had a good laugh in here drinking out of a toilet looking vessel. I think I had a Thomas Crapper…read morecocktail but was a lot less *you know what* than it sounds! The place is decked out as you might expect it to be. Complete with telephone boxes, nice furnishes and it is comfortable in there. The criticism for me is the weak cocktails. Really hoping for something more potent....especially out of the toilet!

Late night cocktails bar has taken over from Charlies Bar and was also called Colour Inn,…read moreunfortunately an epic fail....Down to basics, cocktails are very weak and overpriced, have given this venue two chances now and each time I have been let down by what should a cool speak easy cocktail bar to hang out after midnight. Cocktails arrive with party poppers and sweets and even one inside a gumball machine which sounds cool and good fun but since it consists of 90% ice and mixers you leave totally sober and £30 poorer...seriously just go to Hyde & Co or Hause Bar

inch's pint - sub par at best. atmosphere was meady, service was meh, overall mid experience.read more

The best summer and people watching spot - just got bigger!…read more I love the Blue Lagoon. Have done for ages. It is a welcome change to have the place bigger and spruced up in time for summer. As documented in other reviews, the food isn't that great. I've eaten there a number of times and had the breakfast and brunch; each time was a little disappointing. The cheap, pinkish sausages really let the breakfast down. That said, this is thee best place for a summer Stella. It is right in the middle of Gloucester Road and has an awesome outdoor seating area. Nice long benches cater for small and big size groups. The atmosphere is awesome. It's super casual and appropriately bohemian. Everything you expect from Bristol's coolest road and Europe's longest stretch of independent shops. The owner, Ali, looks like a Māori rugby player with short, pony-tailed dreadlocks. He's really the heart of the Blue Lagoon and you can tell he loves the place as much as his patrons. I know I've moaned about the food, but I'd definitely eat here again. Purely because I wouldn't want to go for breakfast anywhere else that's close. The vibe and views totally make up for it. I'm buzzing for summer and my next afternoon session at the Blue Lagoon.

Had a delightful meal and drinks this evening at Porto Lounge!…read more Being able to order directly from your phone made it super convenient to be able to place an order for whatever you wanted and it would appear at your table quickly and everything was delicious. We had mojitos, tapas, pasta, flatbread and the sticky toffee desert and we were RAVING with how good it was. Highly recommend to any and all that can swing through this delightfully bright neighborhood spot in fishpond! It was so cozy and inviting for a night out and bring your dog along too :)

Came along to the Porto Lounge this morning after being turned away by Melanie's Kitchen…read more Ive always enjoyed a good lounge and The Porto is no exception. A lovely comfy homely decor, that doesn't distract to much. The service was good despite being busy. And when me brekky arrived I wasn't disappointed. Top quality and well priced. I shall be back !

Another one in the lounge local/soon-to-be national chains, Tinto Lounge is at the far end of…read moreGloucester Road in Horfield. It's as good as all the others, which makes me a fan. All on one level, it's glass fronted, looking out on to the not so picturesque road. This is its only drawback though, as the atmosphere, big Lounge style wooden tables and smooth hip music combine to create another success story under the owner's belt. The food is well priced, and the tapas menu, which changes slightly with each location, has a good selection. It's not the largest of premises though, so it can get pretty crowded, especially on the weekends and at lunch time in the week days. Well worth a try though, and gives a bit of life to this end of town.

Tinto Lounge is one of several 'Lounges' in Bristol, the first of which, simply called Lounge, was…read moreopened on North Street in Bedminster over a decade ago. This Lounge was probably one of the first businesses in this area to offer something better than a greasy spoon caff, pound shop or a pawnbrokers, and has probably played a large part in the eventual gentrification of the entire street. I'm not entirely sure if Tinto was the next outlet to be opened, but logic would dictate that it was. Situated on a run down section of Gloucester Road amid sprawling student accommodation and close to the council housing estates of Southmead it is in many ways a north side equivalent to the original south side location. The business has been developed over the years into a small chain, but the fact that it's homegrown and regional makes it a bit different to the Starbucks of this world. All of the Lounges are decorated in a similar way. There's plenty of exposed antique pine that offers a rustic kind of feel. Although the overall guidelines are clearly there, uniformity has definitely been avoided, even in the individual outlets. No two tables are the same, and the seating is made up of mix and match chairs. Local auctions must fair pretty well every time a new Lounge is opened! Prices are reasonable, and the standard of food is always good. If anything, you pay a little over the odds for things, but you can, as the name suggests, stay as long as you want without feeling any pressure to move on. There's always reading material, including plenty of books, so there's almost an invitation from the owners to take root!

10 of us made a much overdue first visit to Urban Standard last week and absolutely loved it…read more It's very understated from the outside. A big black sign sits above the big open widows, but with barely any writing or branding. You'd really have to look for it if you didn't know it was there. Inside the decor is dark with some weird and wonderful stuff on the wall. They had loud house/electronic music on which I loved. The atmosphere was really casual but really buzzy! I've never ordered ribs at a restaurant before. I generally don't think you get enough meat and I'm not a big fan of BBQ sauce. But something felt different in the Urban Standard and I felt compelled to order the half rack. So order I did! And it was one of the most enjoyable meals I've had in ages! The ribs are ridiculously meaty, lots of meat on top as well as in between each rib. The sauce was nice and spicy and not too thick that there was more on your fingers than on the meat! I really liked the fact they gave you a side pot of the same sauce for the chips! The chips were also really good and for a around £9 it was a really decent feed! I had a couple of gin and tonics which was Bombay Safire and tonic. Nothing out if the ordinary. They do have a little micro brewery and if really like to try the ales, I just wasn't in the mood. Next time! This is definitely one of the hottest new places in Gloucester Road. It's a bit different to anywhere else and I applaud them for that! If they keep the same music at the same volume, I'll definitely be a regular!

We stumbled across this little place whilst thinking of a venue to have birthday meal. Formally an…read moreamusement arcade this little place has undergone extensive refurbishment. You are now greeted with a very hip establishment with bench seats and local arty farty works adorning the walls. They have a very interesting but expensive drinks selection. Including some very fine Orchard Pig cider £4.20 a bottle.But tonight for me was about the grub. I opted for a burger with cheese. And it wern't all that bad. But it wern't as good as Start The Bus ! I like my burgers with plenty on juice and for me this was just a tiny bit dry. Others opted for the Pulled Pork Mac and cheese which was pretty good, and decent sized portions. Overall it was a nice plesent dining experience. But then again i've had these in the cafe at tesco, so I wont personally be hurrying back.

Venus Bar is a difficult place to assess, and by this I mean that it's hard to know where it's…read morecoming from... With a name like Planet Venus you'd probably expect it to be all pink and frilly, frequented by nail technicians and hairdressers, serving overly dressed cocktails at ridiculously inflated prices. But the reality couldn't be further from the image that the name conjures up. True, in recent years the place has had a facelift. Gone is the peeling ultra pink and black paintjob and dilapidated signage. In its stead is a snazzy black sign with the words Venus Bar in silver. The rest is painted in black gloss; a look that suggests twenty something male, single, with a slick car, bachelor pad, and a firm footing on the career ladder. But, step inside, and you enter an entirely different world. As far as I can tell, not much has been done to the interior since the revamp. It's still dark with a Spartan, and slightly dingy appearance. Being an old building, I'm sure that it'd be difficult to make the inside look as modern as the front, unless an inordinate amount of money was spent. Judging by the estimated level of business the place has generated over the last few years, this would neither be warranted or feasible. I've never seen Venus looking particularly busy. Venus is frequented by a staunch bunch of regulars, who all know each other pretty well, and like to have a good laugh. They are friendly enough, and so don't make the place feel exclusive. They drink moderately priced large and watch sport on large screens... often quite noisily. Despite the dour appearance, this is a lively place that borrows most of its charm from the clientele. This is a perplexing review to write. Having drawn all of the key features quite accurately, I know I still don't have a 'fit'. Venus... blackness... boxing on tele... blokes in casual attire... not a woman in sight... could this be a gay bar? It's hard to tell. There's not the slightest suggestion of campness that usually gives a gay bar away within a nano second... Perhaps you'd like to go there and let me know what you think?

I've mostly been to this bar for birthday parties, spending many a merry hour in the large room…read morebehind the main bar. Would thoroughly recommend the place for functions like this. You get your own big space, clean white walls, a real wood floor, and a garden. I'm afraid I never asked my friends how much it cost or whether there was a minimum spend. The bar itself isn't too shabby either. It's a small, intimate space that's lit with candles, that is close to full with four groups drinking. I've never had to shout to get myself heard and the bar has never been more than two people deep. These characteristics make it a good place for couples, and I imagine they do a roaring trade on valentines day (I JUST realised that there might be something of a theme here, given the name...). So for parties or dates, Halo has what you want.

With plenty to sell it, Halo has a lot to give. It's a sizeable place on Gloucester Road, which…read moreextends further back than you'd expect. The front part, which you come into from the road, is the small room, with a few tables and chairs which soon gets full up, even in the daytime. Not to worry though, as there's a massive room round the back, past the bar, which caters for a whole troop of more people. It's a really good party venue, as you can hire out this back room and have a lot of space to play with. There's also a further room which opens onto the garden (there's two approaches), but this room has more of a formal feel to it with laid out table and chairs. In fact I've never seen this room be properly used in the many times that I've been. The garden is wooden decking affair, with wooden seats and benches an patio heaters to keep you warm in these cold nights. The garden is really quite peaceful, set back from the noisy road. Back to the bar, and there's a good range of beers, both bottled and draught, with a good range of spirits that's utilized on a few cocktail deals - last time I went for the black Russian for £5, which was a damn good choice. Halo's a good mid-Gloucester road catch.