Starbucks Coffee Lounge @ Lodge on the Park Hotel, Bristol

Originally The Black Sheep, this was once a pub in its own right, but it’s now been absorbed into the Starbucks complex and has all the charm and attraction of the associated business park in which it now sits. There is a car park at the front but it’s tight to get into and is usually full with people visiting other local businesses. The vestigial bar is at one of the counter, most of which dispenses coffee, and it took a while to get someone to come to that end to serve beer. The only beers available were two keg beers from Thwaites, Ginger Spice and Original. There was no atmosphere, service was indifferent, and the beer wasn’t that enjoyable. Leave it to the coffee crowd.

A somewhat unlikely location for a pub in the middle of a large business park, it has a traditional, stone-built appearance although whether it is one of the original buildings that was here when the area was still farmland, or whether it has been built more recently in a traditional style, I’m not sure. I suspect probably the latter, although I do have a vague recollection of a pub called the Black Sheep being here at one time. There is a lawned area at the front and a few picnic benches, as well as a patio at the rear. The first clue that all is not quite what it seems though, is the presence of a Starbucks sign outside. Once inside, you could be forgiven for thinking that you were in a coffee shop, since the first thing you see is the usual selection of sandwiches, baps and muffins with no sign of a beer engine. Persevere though, and you will find a small selection of keg options tucked away at the rear of the pub. Décor wise, it’s definitely more café like than pub like, having a contemporary appearance with plastered walls and a mixture of grey tiles and sanded wood on the floor. A few old beams have been tacked on to the ceiling though, and some inset shelving in the walls displays the odd bottle or two. Food wise, besides the usual Starbucks offerings, there is a chalkboard menu listing a selection of pizzas, salads and sandwiches although I did not study this. I opted for a Starbucks hot smoked salmon salad, and whilst this was tasty enough, it should really have been called a potato salad since this was by far the main component with only a small amount of salmon. There were no real ales on tap unfortunately, with the only beer offering being 13 Guns from Thwaites on keg. The solitary cider was Aspall’s Suffolk. Overall, this is a handy enough pit stop if you’re working nearby, and it’s quite pleasant to sit outside on a sunny day, but it’s clearly not the sort of place that anyone is going to make a special effort to go to. It really is a coffee shop that just happens to sell a couple of alcoholic drinks rather than a proper pub.

Official site of Starbucks Coffee Lounge (Lodge on the Park Hotel) - www.lodgeonthepark.com

Official site of Starbucks Coffee Lounge (Lodge on the Park Hotel) - www.lodgeonthepark.com

Still serves beer as it acts as the reception and bar area for Lodge on the Park hotel that got built around the former pub. German lager but no draft if I recall from my last visit on a lunch break.