The 17 best bars in Bristol

Wiper & True is one of Bristol’s best brewery taprooms, and she’s a beauty. A lot of thought has gone into this huge venue near Old Market, with an accessible bar, braille menus, gender-neutral toilets and lots of sustainable credentials – from solar panels to electric car charging points. Not only can you sample their tasty beers just metres from where they’re brewed, but there’s also a great selection of natural wines, locally-made spirits and non-alcoholic tipples.

As secrets go, a secret room within a secret bar is probably as secret as you could get. Hyde & Co may be just off the Clifton Triangle, one of Bristol’s busiest nocturnal thoroughfares, and surrounded on almost all sides by kebab shops, but if you didn’t know it existed, you might walk by it blissfully unaware of the delights within. Cocktails dominate but are most certainly not the only drinks here.

It’s likely that even some of the drinkers in the White Lion pub next door might not know that the Milk Thistle contains four floors of decadent excess. If you don’t like wood panelling and taxidermy, look away now. Each level has a different function, with a ground-floor cocktail bar and various function rooms, including private dining with chefs from sister restaurant The Ox. If you’re here with a group of friends, try the latest specials on their cocktail menu or one of the rare whiskies downstairs in the hidden vault bar.

Look above the counter at Small Bar, and after the list of IPAs, stouts, blonde beers and the like, you’ll see an extra category: crazy shit. Don’t expect anything less than 10 percent here, and be thankful that you can choose to drink whatever unusual delight you’ve ordered in a bespoke one-third glass. An indication of this place’s popularity is that it has become one of the after-work venues of choice for Bristol’s chefs, servers and baristas – a good sign if ever there was one. And if you fancy a nibble, you’re in luck: the food offering is from Wing’s Diner, often cited as the best fried chicken in Bristol. 

Let your competitive spirit take over at Kongs. If vintage arcade games such as stone-cold classics Street Fighter II or PacMan aren’t your style, give your wrists a workout on the table football table or don your coolest headband at the table tennis table where a ricocheting shot could end up behind the bar. Lagers are not frowned upon here: there’s an international selection to explore.

Beer, beer, everywhere. There are literally hundreds of choices in the ‘Emp’. Don’t be fooled by the small bottle shop on street level. Three vaulted cellars downstairs play host to more beer than anywhere else in Bristol. An ever-changing selection comes from various international brewers as well as closer to home, such as Bristol Beer Factory and Arbor Ales. With a conveyor belt of keg beers and two casks to choose from, as well as 250 different bottles, you’re sure to find at least a few new favourites.

KASK in Bedminster is on a mission to get us drinking more natural wine and have a darn good time doing it. Wines are available by the glass or bottle, with an ever-changing line-up of red, white and orange on tap to keep things exciting. They also run regular wine and cheese events, plus a weekly wine tasting for those on a budget.

This dinky watering hole is tucked away at the bottom of its steep, cobbled namesake. The Christmas Steps hosts cutting-edge dance music in the beer garden but is just as good for a classic pub roast. If you’re heading down after work, come quick – it doesn’t take long for this place to get rammed. 

You can’t help but notice this magnificent boozer and its riverside terrace if you’re strolling through Castle Park – and you’ll struggle not to be tempted in for a half (or three). The three-storey Left Handed Giant Brewpub was crowdfunded in 2018 and includes a brewery, games room and the aforementioned covered terrace, where you can taste all of their brews while admiring the city go by.

Braces and bourbon are the two lingering impressions of The Bootlegger. The braces are sported in a dashing shade of red by the bartenders, while the bourbon is just there to be drunk. The Bootlegger has the unique distinction of being a speakeasy-style bar in Bristol that isn’t hidden behind a doorbell or a payphone. Live music from chaps and chapesses strumming away at double basses bigger than themselves evoke 1920s New Orleans, but there are also DJs here who bring the music policy more up to date.