Surely the best hidden gem Bristol has to offer…read more Its not often Sam N and I find ourselves in the very centre of Bristol. Historically the haven of neon bars, scantly dressed girls and hot headed lager louts. However, to be fair, the centre has changed somewhat in recent years, and while those places still exist, there are a lot more reasons to visit the centre than to avoid it these days. Smoke and Mirrors lies on Denmark street, a seemingly uninteresting road just beside the hippodrome and the main cluster bars, chicken shops and kebab houses. Its, almost clandestine, location suits it perfectly and it just wouldn't have quite the same amount of charm if it was anywhere else. It labels itself as a theatre pub and I guess thats as a fair description as any. I fell in love with it as soon as I entered. It just feels like a hidden gem immediately, even before you are struck by all the quirkiness that lies within. Quirkiness aside, the place itself is a rather old fashion, small, but quint pub. The whole place is an oxymoron in as much as the very fact that it doesn't try to be 'cool' makes it one of the coolest places I know. Despite its small size there has been live music several times we've been there. Its a very non offensive variety of live music, the kind you can get involved with, enjoy as a backdrop or ignore completely. I feel like there are few places left like this, where you can drink to the backdrop of live music rather than it being so in your face. Last time we were there we had an absolute blast shouting endless requests at the guitarist, who indulged every one of them. He was so good we grabbed a card off him. The bar itself serves all manner of fairly mainstream drinks, it would perhaps be more fitting for it to serve one or two local drinks from the many of the firmly established local breweries bristol has to offer. There is a happy hour on cocktails, my recollection of such times is understandably hazy. They also have a rather tasty array of bar snacks. The scotch eggs and sausage rolls are really rather lovely and basically mean that you never have to leave :) Not surprisingly its a Saturday evening is when its at its peak, and can get rather busy, however it does so without ever feeling too busy, perhaps this is down to the magicians that roam through the crowd blowing everyones minds with various card tricks. Its great fun and never feels over the top. It just adds to the mood, and one of the many compounding factors that make it such a special place in my eyes. There is a small room the back which they use for intimate shows, the dates of which they mix up a bit. It appears that generally Monday it is an open mic comedy night where as Fri and Sat usually hold performances from the house magicians. However they are frequented by special guests so I guess its worth keeping an eye on the events calender. All in all, smoke and mirrors is a great place to go and by far my favorite place in central Bristol.

This rather ramshackle student orientated comedy club is held occasionaly (term time mainly) in the…read morebasement at Channings Hotel. Local favourite Mark Olver is a nationally known comic who spends most of his time compering (largely student nights) around Bristol, and he runs a new material/try out night here called Oppo Comedy. It's moved about a fair bit but it's now established here, though it's rather small so you need to arrive early to get a seat and a view. In the past I've seen the likes of Richard Herring, Russell Howard and Will Smith for next to nothing, so it's well worth going on Facebook and joining the 'Oppo Comedy' group, as this is pretty much the only way to find out who's up next.

We went to RipRoar comedy on Saturday, however it was above the Steam Café in Union St rather than…read moreCresswell Centre. It was disappointing. We paid £12 each to go to the Stand up and Boogie, expecting the show to start as advertised at 7.30pm and I also thought there would be after show music/disco which there wasn't. The show didn't start until 8.45pm, there were 3 comedians and a compere. In total we had about 45-50 minutes of comedy, broken into 3 'acts'. Whole evening felt like a con to get us to buy drinks to be honest. Whilst the comedians were entertaining it just wasn't enough. It was not well organised. All that hanging around only to be told at 10,30pm to get out as another event was taking place. Left feeling conned and short changed. Also, one of the comedians and the compere took a dislike to a member of the audience who was not really heckling, more just being a bit rude talking to her friend. They picked on her and in the end she left. Could have been better handled. We would not go again and would not recommend.

As a Christmas party venue, this establishment is tragic. I wish I could speak about the quality of…read morethe comedy but we left before it started because everyone at our "party" felt that if the food and amenities also reflected the quality of the comedy, the entire night would be a tragedy. I love pieminister pies - which were on the menu. Fantastic. Except these pies had been blackened and charred at the base - some more so than others. I'm confident that if the top team at Pieminster had seen the sorry state of their award winning pies, they would have refused to sell any more stock to this place. It was also as if we were back in school, an envelope of badly chopped up, stained paper labels with the names of the pies printed thereon dropped on our table for us to walk across the hall to queue up like school children, to receive our food, pick up cutlery and napkins. If there were 100 people to serve I would get it. But there were just two 'parties' present, and four members of staff milling around. The waft of damp table cloths smelling a bit like vomit, no hot water in the ladies and the terrible music choices bellowing out into the empty room added to the atmosphere nicely. I wasn't the first to suggest we leave but very glad it was suggested. We went to the Fishmarket on Baldwin street - what a lovely place that is!! I wrote to the manager to raise these issues directly - needless to say he was dismissive and disinterested. £30 a head for pie & comedy - we were completed ripped off. If you want an all round comedy party experience, the Hen & Chicken on North Street is awesome. Or there's the Glee club in Cardiff Bay. I wouldn't be going back here again and I wouldn't recommend it. Give it a couple of years tops and it'll be "rebranded" as something else after going into administration.

I went to the Hen & Chicken for a family birthday and Sunday Lunch, and while the food wasn't…read moreamazing, it is a great pub with an awesome vibe. First and foremost, the hen & Chicken is a pub - and a good one at that! It is big, set over a couple of levels and has a really nice central bar. While all very standard, they serve a decent selection of ales, ciders, largers and spirits. It's everything you'd expect from a pub bar. The atmosphere and clientele differs slightly from day time to night time, when during the day you'll find a full range of people, and night times being a slightly younger crowd. From Friday night and over the weekend, it gets very lively, is open later and has a great atmosphere. They also do some really good comedy night in their comedy room upstairs. I've never ben to one, but the line up for Jan/Feb looked great and I've heard from others that it's really good. Definitely one I need to check out! The Sunday lunch wasn't amazing; the beef was lovely and the Yorkshire pub was also really good, but as a lover of veg, I was a bit let down. The gravy was super tasty, but was really thin and didn't really stick to anything, so didn't really add any flavour to the rest of the food, which was a real shame. I'll definitely be going back for drinks, a night out, coffee in the afternoon - but probs not for Sunday Lunch.

This 3 stars is based on the roast, I need to go back and enjoy it for the great pub it seems to be…read moreand update my stars! I've become a bit of a roast dinner snob lately and although the rare beef (which tasted deliciously rare but wasn't pink) and Yorkshire were really lovely, veg is important to me. I got powdery potatoes, soggy carrots and parsnips and tasteless cabbage. It's like they knew because they hid it underneath the ginormous Yorkshire and tender beef (which made it all even soggier!). It was all a bit luke warm too. We paid extra for cauliflower cheese but this was just raw cauliflower with a tiny bit of cheese sauce dribbled on top. The veggie roast and burger didn't look great either. And how can it be called the Hen and Chicken and chicken isn't an option on the roast menu? It's lamb or beef! Maybe it's to protect the chickens! We went for a family birthday meal and I had a great time. The staff were accommodating to our big table and the service was good. The pub itself is very cool. The decor is quite wooden and arty and there's a nice beer garden out the back. Upstairs they do comedy and that looks like a very fun and popular thing to do of an evening. The bar was fully stocked and the drinks were nice. Overall I'd dodge the food but definitely go again for an amazing atmosphere and very cool place to hang out with friends and family. Kids are welcome so bring everyone!

What a great space. As we wandered to a restaurant for dinner (that ultimately turned out to be…read moreclosed), we noticed this hall all lit up with purple lights which of course pulled us inside. There was a live band playing in the foyer...all Prince covers. The band was great, the acoustics were good and the crowd was grooving. Turns out we had walked into a Prince tribute. People were dressed in their best 80s/purple/Princewear and it was great. We listened for a few songs but then headed off so we didn't get to see Purple Rain or the inside of the theater. I'm sure it was great.

Just completed this is a building in its own right, although most people would only come here…read morebecause they're watching something a the Colston Hall. It's hard to miss, finished with Gold coloured cladding. It looks a bit like someone put a gigantic gold ingot onto the skyline of Bristol. Inside is all black metal and ikea-ish coffee tables. There's a rather smart bar on the ground floor, which is fairly expensive (more than three quid for a pint) but not too bad. They sometimes have events here (I recently came to see my friend playing the guitar). The sort of thing you get is usually quite small, community based events, to give you an idea of what to expect. It's a brilliant space for some light theatre - a few sketches or something like that . The big windows mean that it doesn't' get too dark though. It's not a proper venue, that's the Colston Hall itself. Recently finished and still feeling new Colston Hall Foyer is pretty sleek, and only feels a little like its trying a bit to hard with the gold cladding.

Away from the city centre in run-of-the-mill Southville, the Tobacco Factory Theatre is unlikely to…read morebe found out straight away by a visitor to the city. The building, in red brick, is understated, and this isn't a fancy place like the Hippodrome or the Old Vic. It's theatre in the round, with seating on all sides of the stage. Apparently the theatre started life the result of ripping out the Imperial Tobacco offices that were here and they've managed to keep a clean, sparse feel that actors and directors love. I won't venture too many opinions on what sort of performances this makes for. I will say, though, that when I went to see Richard III, things felt very intense. They put on a range of performances here, a highlight being the dedicated Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory theatre company. Don't let the culture on offer scare you off. With tickets often less than a tenner, there doesn't have to a big to-do about going out here though. It's got a fairly relaxed and informal feel to it too. The Tobacco Factory is a smart addition to Bristol's arts scene.

Named after the original use of the building, (I have actually met people drinking in here that…read moreused to work for the cigarette company), The Tobacco Factory has got that kind of industrial kudos thing going on. The steel front doors are as easy to access as the vault doors at Fort Knox, but everything gets a whole lot easier once you've grappled your way in. The lay out is simple in this cavernous space, and the bar, with its dedicated food severing area, practically stretches the full length of the room. Amply staffed to cope with the numbers that often descend on the place, the team work well together, and so there's never too long to wait at the bar. I like to call in to make use of the free wi-fi and to plug in whenever I'm in South Bristol. I always order myself some tapas, usually manchego (which comes with a selection of delicious bread) along with some olives - the servings are incredibly generous, and so this is more than enough for one person. Up Fest will take place at the Tobacco Factory on 5 and 6 June, and promises to be a blast. with live music, dj's and 250 artists exhibiting their work. Tobacco Factory has a huge beer garden with a covered section for smokers if the weather turns nasty.

Not just about the cider! As a local I can assure you the Corri's got a little bit more to it than…read morethat (though the exhibition is good, and rightfully sold by the half). Highlights of growing up with the Coronation Tap have included x-mas day lunchtime pints, and the quality blues night I stumbled on last Sunday. In general it's a lovely pub, I'd say the best in Clifton. The staff are good, the atmosphere's always cheerful, and it draws in a friendly crowd. However, it has become a bit of a student pub in the last few years, I reckon. Doesn't bother me at all, but worth knowing. Also, it's a bit small and pokey. The Mall (just up the road), with its cavernous basement, is better is you want some space or sunlight whilst you drink. All in all, a great little pub, definitely worth a trek from the centre of town for.

If you like crowded pubs and wearing Jack Wills then this is the place for you!!! Now don't get me…read morewrong - I love love love cider and the Exhibition Cider that they sell here is pretty good!.....BUT It is usually hot and sweaty here and more importantly it is completely over priced!! It used to be £2 for half a pint and now it is more (can't remember exactly how much). If you are a student (which lets face it you probably are if you go to this place) and you maintain that you want to go purely for the cider there are better places to go! I will review that one next!!! ;-) Tally ho Coronation tap fans Raaaaah

The Flyer is one of my favourite pubs on Gloucester road, it has something about it that makes it a…read morebit different and I'm really not sure what it is. The building it's self is pretty big, it looks a bit like a farm house you'd expect to see out in the country but it's smack bang in the middle of the hustle and bustle of Gloucester Rd. I love the lay of out this pub, there's lots of little corners you can hide away in but equally there's larger tables you can share with a big group of friends. There's a nice outside seating area which is covered and has heaters and loads of tables. The foods is always pretty good, they have a great little bar snack menu which is more like tapas, we often get a few plates to share and it's always been spot on. The drinks are quite pricy it's over £4 a pint and a glass of wine is around £5. Spirits and a mixer was around £3.50 which I guess isn't too bad. Just a little niggle with my last visit, I am partial to a G&T which in my opinion absolutely needs to come with lime, at the very least lemon. The bar man didn't seem to get this concept which was quite irritating to have to ask every time I went to the bar. All in all this a great pub!!

One of thee best spot on Gloucester Road. The Flyer has It all: Great drinks, awesome food,…read morecrackin' ambience and outside seating at the front and back. I lived on Gloucester Road for a couple of years. Being the longest stretch of independent shops in Europe, it had a bit of a reputation to keep up! The Flyer is one of the more comfortable, less bohemian but expensive restaurants/pubs on the road. Drinks wise you get premium lagers like Kirin, my favourite lager! But at over £4 a pop it's not cheap! They have a great wine list which is full of malbecs and fine whites. The food menu is small but wholesome and comforting. It regularly changes and they have a decent daily specials board. I've eaten quite a few times and apart from one Sunday lunch mishap, it's always been good. The best thing about the pub is the layout. You can find a table an be separated from the rest and have a nice intimate meal. Alternatively you can get amongst it and have 20+ people sit together. The back garden and outside seating are great for the summer. The back garden an get really busy with an awesome buzz I the air.