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

I love the confused look on my friends' faces when I take them to Hyde & Co. They have probably…read morenever heard of it, despite having walked only yards away from its front door many times. And when we get near, it's up a few stairs then down some more, ring the doorbell, be assessed by the dapper barman for suitability, and then be allowed into this terrific bar. That's when their faces turn from confusion to delight, as Hyde & Co feels like a secret bar that only you know about. You have to go there to believe it, and even then you barely believe that you are sitting in a bar so special and so different, but so near to the more traditional modern day nocturnal happenings of Bristol. Hyde & Co easily deserves five stars, but unfortunately when a group of friends and I came to leave the bar after celebrating my birthday last night, we were handed a bill with four expensive cocktails on that we had not ordered. Despite protestation, the barman would just not budge, and a stand-off ensued (quite apt in what has been described as a speakeasy). After what seemed like an interminable time, the £27 was finally dropped, but it left a bitter taste after what had previously been a typically wonderfully evening.

Set against the backdrop of Hyde & Co's faultless 1920's décor people are provided with the perfect…read moreenvironment and sublime cocktails of Bristol's new speakeasy. Hyde & Co is a beautiful bar that serves expertly made drinks and provides a truly wonderful and unique experience for anyone looking for more from their venues. The attention to detail is exquisite, from the authentic 1920s New York cocktails to the fixtures and fittings. The staff are lovely and welcoming, which is a real treat on a Friday night. We actually met new and interesting people as well as having some fantastic conversations with the large group we arrived with.

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!

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.

Old people are a bit like Marmite; you either love them or hate them. For example, I hate it when…read morethey say 'things aren't like they used to be', but completely agree that there is too much choice these days. Because that's how I feel every time I try to choose a place to eat lunch on Park Street - where do I pick? In the spirit of trying out something new, I opted to take my mum for lunch at Antix which, from the outside, look like a fresh, friendly place for a quick bite to eat. The waitress was quick and efficient (almost to the point of hurrying us along) but ultimately chatty and polite. But the menu was a real hodge-podge of styles. There was Italian, British and Cyprian food all nestling in amongst each other which seemed a bit strange but sounded tasty. I opted for a Halloumi salad for £6 which was tasty, but left me feeling hungry. Reasonably priced for service, food and drink but would I go back? Probably not.

Antix is a bar, a cafe and a club all rolled into one. I think that places that try to roll too…read moremuch into one never pull it off, and this is not exception. The decor that you can see while you walk past doesn't entice me, and always makes me wonder who on earth would walk past, think 'Yes this looks great!' and sit in here. Which was funny, when one day a friend visiting from London thought that this place looked nice, dragged me in here and ordered food. To be honest, she was partly swayed by the cheaper-than-average-for-Park-Street price tag on the menu. So I found myself in Antix, having a jacket potato and I suppose it is ok for a quite bite to eat. Around 11pm this place turns into a club, which wouldn't be a club that I would personally ever go to. All in all, it's ok I suppose, if you like this type of place.

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.

Right next to the Radisson Hotel you can find a very special cocktail bar / restaurant called…read moreAluna. Unfortunately, as I arrived in Bristol quite late in the evening I couldn't get a table for dinner, but I made a mental note that if I will ever go to Birmingham, Aluna will be on my list to-try list. I'm really sorry that they don't have a branch in London as well, but c'est la vie. I can guarantee though that the cocktails are fire! I tried two drinks from the Midnight Madness menu: Glitterbomb and Bubblegumtini. Glitterbomb is definitely my favorite, I love the glass that looks almost like a strange chemist's beaker, the scent of cotton candy shot out from one of the two little holes - I tasted it and it was sweet and sparkly! Sweet with a delicate passion fruit taste... It was love at first sight! I have to admit, I ordered Bubblegumtini just because it seemed to have a lot of stage presence. Intense and with a bright color, full of special effects, but unfortunately for me issa no! So nauseating, maybe I should have guessed it from the name of the drink itself... Glitterbomb hands down! On top of that, I found the place to be very affordable compared to any bar in London where the price of this type of drinks would be probably double.

Totally not worth the "all inclusive Prosecco" brunch price. The website is deceiving and makes it…read morelook like a cool ambience stand alone bar/restaurant it's in an office building and our view was literally the rubbish bins outside the window during entire meal. Food took longer than should and you have a time limit on how long your brunch time is. The food wasn't great, could have made it at home. Overall disappointed and wouldn't come back.

The Woods can be found just off of Park Street and is the sister bar to Elbow Street just slightly…read moredown the way. If the Elbow Room was going through puberty, drunk and passed out on the floor, The Woods has grown up, got a job and developed a taste for whisky and fine wines. This late night drinking venue is a victim of its own success and is often packed to the rafters will drunken revellers and city boys. It is a little on the pricey side, but I always find it worth the money considering what the other, unholy options are. Head upstairs if you're looking for a more relaxing atmosphere with your beer.

Set slightly away from Park Street, you'll spot this bar by its distinctive yellow front. This is…read moresomething of a specialist bar with a focus on whisky. This means behind the bar you'll find rows and rows of (pricey) whisky on display to tempt you. The focus on whisky is taken pretty seriously; they don't even serve beer by the pint, you have to buy it by the jug. Apart from the prices there isn't much too complain about here. It opens late, and this is a great place for late night drinking session. The big comfy sofas upstairs should help with this too. It's very popular, which is a blessing and curse as always. I recommend going on a week night, as you've got half a chance of getting one of those sofas then but it certainly won't be quiet. Also, it's worth knowing there's sometimes a queue to get it at the weekend.

Lovely environs and decor. The menu was fairly classic with some refreshing twists (eg. we had a…read morestandard English breakfast with chorizo beans, a flair that my partner really liked) and all was delish. The service was very attentive but not obtrusive at all.

We first entered the grand old bank that is now Cosy Club last week for breakfast and promised…read moreourselves that we would return for dinner, so this evening I had tapas (£11.50 for three small dishes) that consisted of small Cumberland sausages, chorizo and fish. The other dish was a New York steak ciabatta (with amazing chips). We ordered wine and washed the tasty meal down before following it up with sticky toffee pudding and a decidedly evil peanut butter cheesecake (which comes in a glass). We like it here. It's grand and light, and the food is good and reasonably priced. What would we change? We would upgrade the condiments, so that the ketchup is better, and that authentic maple syrup is used on our pancakes rather than golden syrup, which is thick and doesn't taste of much. We would also have preferred our meals a bit hotter, as we felt like we had to wolf it down before it got cold. But these are small niggles that can be easily fixed, and probably will be at some point if the professionalism of the staff is anything to go by. They're friendly, not over-familiar, not too pushy, and they seem to want to go out of their way to make sure you enjoy Cosy Club. The wine list is short, but will hopefully improve in time. As of writing, it's only been open a couple of weeks. I look forward to being able to buy Champagne by the glass!

I thought the food here was really great. I had the whole gilt-head bream in jerk seasoning,…read moreroasted asparagus with aioli, roasted cauliflower, beetroot salad, and the fried ox cheek. The beetroot salad and asparagus were my favorite. The ambiance and live music were also wonderful. HOWEVER, this place really needs to get its service act together. I had to wave down the waiter every time to get anything, including a menu. Plus the kitchen was slow. There seemed to be no system at all in place for managing tables.

Have been here a couple times for drinks and snacks with a friend. Always very happening with a…read moregood buzz of conversation and hit-and-miss table service, though the food does come out really quickly.