Phoenix, Bristol

The Phoenix is a small looking pub that hidden behind some large buildings that could be a shopping centers car park. Once inside there is a narrow oblong shaped room which runs to the rear,the bar is on the right side,there is comfy bench seating on the left side,the rear area is down one step where there are two tall tables and chairs,there was a TV on showing the Switzerland v Poland football game in the Euros. There were two real ales on the bar,i had a drink of Butcombe bitter which went down well,the other beer was Tiny Rebel Gynn & Tonic. The pub was fairly busy on my mid Saturday afternoon visit with a decent crowd. There was decent background music playing and i even heard a track from Canned Heat. I found this to be a very pleasant pub to have a drink in. Pub visited 25/6/2016

This pub has a fairly unprepossessing location next to the car park for the neighbouring shopping centre and, contrary to external appearances, is much bigger than first expected. You enter into a reasonably narrow main bar with the servery down the right hand wall and a selection of battered sofas and low pouffes opposite. There are some 'Phoenix' mirrors which form part of the bar back, but the servery was otherwise remarkable only for the large bird cage stood at one end - seemingly a theme for the pub, as the light shades were also shaped like bird cages. Décor is a mix of rather bland shades of paint and some dazzling modern wallpaper that didn't really match up well. Beyond the bar you move into a lower area with a book case, one high table and some stools, in turn leading to the rear room which has a lot of exposed brick and block work painted in neutral colours. I noticed a collection of beer bottles in the window sills and several TV screens throughout the pub, all turned off in favour of music playing at a sensible level. This was the last pub of a long crawl, so I may have missed some hand pumps, but I'm fairly sure there were only three, which were offering Butcombe Bitter and Crimson King and Combined Breweries Dynamite IPA. I tried the Crimson King which was pretty good, although the palate was getting pretty jaded by this point. This is a pretty decent pub that serves its locals well and makes a decent bolt hole for those wanting to escape the retail hell over the road. A decent pub to finish a good day's drinking in and whilst it might not quite measure up to the city's finest, is still worth a look if you're in the area.

I used to visit in the days of Merv,Bass and gaffer taped seats. Now transformed as previously alluded to,this pub should do well but hasn't cut the mustard for me. Several visits in and its always been quiet. 3 ales at the start of the current incumbency were down to one-(hazy) Butcombe- on my most recent visit. Asked the LL when were the other beers coming on to be told "I'm keeping them off until it gets busier",this was on a friday afternon. But without an attraction to go there will it get busier????? Jury is out.