If you’re looking for a good community local, you’ll struggle to find anywhere better than The Lansdown in Clifton. Since husband-and-wife team Charles and Amanda Yaxley took over a decade ago, it’s become something of a thriving village pub; a relaxed, warm and inviting hostelry right in the heart of Clifton, an area not renowned for being particularly welcoming to those outside the locale.
The couple has worked hard to build up a core crowd of regulars, and the pub itself – traditionally decorated, with a lovely beer garden and separate function room – is particularly cosy and welcoming.
There are plenty of regular events and activities to entice locals and outsiders alike, from outdoor film screenings (the garden is covered and heated in winter) and cabaret nights, to poetry recitals and evenings showcasing Bristol novelists. Best of all, though, is the weekly quiz, hosted by landlord Charles. He awards bonus points for amusing heckles (really) and generally keeps things light with jokes and banter.
The beer offering always features at least four draught ales from local breweries, while in the colder months they also serve a range of steaming ‘winter warmers’ (think mulled wine, winter Pimms and various rum-based drinks). The food is similarly warming and home-cooked, too, with the Sunday roasts particularly highly regarded. It’s exactly what you’d expect from a ‘proper local pub’, and there’s no finer praise than that.