The Grapevine, Mangotsfield, Bristol

A good-sized pub in the heart of Mangotsfield, this was The Salutation for many years and had a bit of a reputation as being rather a rough and ready establishment. Now transformed in to the Grapevine Brasserie, it now has a much more contemporary feel to it and we found it quite welcoming on a recent Thursday evening visit. It has clearly been opened out at some point internally, but large sections of wall remain to break up the space somewhat and manage to effectively divide it in to different areas. Décor wise it’s broadly similar throughout with various shades of Farrow & Ball paintwork on the walls, wood strip on most of the floor with grey tiling around the bar area and some small sections of exposed brick walling behind the bar counter. Seating was a mixture of tables and chairs, high stools and padded Chesterfield style bench seating, whilst plenty of exposed filament light bulbs provided some illumination, which is, of course, de rigour in any pub renovation these days. Various pictures were dotted around the walls, including some watercolours and one section which had a large montage of small black and white portrait photographs. The menu offered a decent choice of “pub grub” dishes with options such as lasagne, fish & chips as well as a number of burgers and a few more adventurous dishes. My Cajun butterflied cheesy chicken with grilled mushroom, tomato, BBQ sauce and fries was a decent enough dish and I’d happily return to try something else. Despite two handpumps on the bar, these were doubled up leaving Doom Bar as the sole offering. The solitary cider meanwhile was Thatcher’s Gold. Overall, a solid enough local and the staff seemed pleasant and friendly, but the décor was a little generic and the limited drinks choice mean that it’s probably not worth making a special effort to get to.

Official site of The Grapevine Brasserie - www.grapevinebrasserie.co.uk

Official site of The Grapevine Brasserie - www.grapevinebrasserie.co.uk