The Black Boy Inn, Bristol

The Black Boy is a corner pub that is situated in a busy area of whiteladies road where there are lots of shops. Once inside the pub has two separate rooms,there is an oblong shaped room to the front with the bar facing on entry,this room has a tiled floor and normal tables and chairs,the front door was open to this room making it feel too cold,so i took my drink into the rear room which is also oblong shaped and has normal tables and chairs,it all looked a bit too twee for my liking. There was one real ale on,which was Butcombe Bitter,this was a decent enough drink. There was background music playing and the pub was empty on my early Saturday dinner visit. I got the feeling that food is the big draw to this pub,but as a drinker i was made welcome. Not my sort of pub at all. Pub visited 4/2/2016

An old boozer that, as mentioned below, has been re-invented as a gastro pub. There’s a small (‘intimate’, in marketing-speak) bar at the front where drinking can still take place unencumbered by food (you will be asked if you are dining at the bar though), which is decorated in a contemporary style (light colours and some wallpaper if I recall) but is fairly pleasant. The larger room at the rear is for dining and looked very smart. Three ales on during my visit, Butcombe, Tribute and TT Landlord which were all hovered up by the group I was with, priced averagely for the area. Quality was fair across the board. The keg lager is a bit more premium than usual. Not exactly a destination for drinking but OK for a quick tête-à-tête.

Yet another traditional, street corner boozer that has re-invented itself as a gastro-pub. It’s a shame that every pub seems to have to go down this route in order to survive, but clearly it’s better than the place closing. That said, there is a small bar here that is clearly set aside for drinkers rather than diners, which is more than can be said in many so called pubs. It’s been a few years since I was last in here, but it’s certainly had a bit of a transformation as far as I can remember. The smaller bar at the front is the one that lends itself more to drinking, and this was a pleasant enough space with a slate tiled floor, white wood panelling on the lower half of the walls and canary yellow paint above. Various artistic drawings were on the walls, and there was a small fireplace at one end. The bar is immediately in front of you, and a small passageway at the side leads to the rear dining room. The decor here is similar, with the addition of various wine box ends on the wall, candles on the tables and drawback curtains. All the tables here were laid up for food, and is soon filled up on a recent Friday evening visit. Overall, the food was very good and I would recommend it. There menu was short and to the point, and was complimented by a few more dishes on the specials board. A starter of Leek & Shropshire Blue tart certainly hit the spot, as did a main course of Bacon & Smoked Haddock Fishcake. Prices were not unreasonable for a venue such as this, with the main course being around the £10 mark. A very small and disappointing vegetable side dish was over priced at £2.50 however. Staff were friendly and helpful, although not as switched on as they might have been. On ordering a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc, the waitress enquired “is that the white one?” Beers on tap were Timothy Taylor Landlord and Otter Ale. The solitary cider was Taunton Traditional.

Official site of the Blackboy Inn with menu and wine list - www.blackboy-inn-bristol.co.uk

Official site of the Blackboy Inn with menu and wine list - www.blackboy-inn-bristol.co.uk