Lane 7, Bristol

A relatively recent opening located on the site of what was formerly The Cuban, which seemed to have gone downhill in recent years with frequent complaints about noise and alleged breaches of the licencing conditions. This pub gets it’s name from the fact that it contains seven bowling lanes, and along with various other activities it’s really now much more of a games venue that happens to have a bar rather than your traditional pub. That said, there’s certainly no restriction on just popping in for a pint and there are plenty of tables available to sit at should you wish to do so. Internally it’s a large, mostly open plan space with a central bar counter. It’s got quite a stark, industrial feel to it with bare concrete floor, ceiling joists and supporting pillars, some of which had been sprayed with graffiti. There was also a large mural on one wall. The bar counter was exposed brickwork which was perhaps marginally more interesting, and there was some artificial foliage around which was presumably a rather half-hearted attempt to soften the ambience somewhat. Lighting levels were quite low and it was all rather noisy, due to a combination of the bowling, punters, music and harsh acoustics. Besides the bowling, other gaming options included darts, pool and basketball. There were no real ales available unfortunately, with just Harviestoun Neck Oil being the sole keg offering that I spotted. Ciders fared slightly better with Orchard Thieves and the Bristol Cider Company’s Bristol Steam, which was a new one on me.

Official site of Lane 7 - lane7.co.uk

Official site of Lane 7 - lane7.co.uk