The Yeoman, Whitchurch, Bristol

Sizzling Pubs are usually low-budget, malodorous and scabby; this one is at the low end of that spectrum. The layout remains as described by Blackthorn some 13 years ago, as is the décor which would also appear to date from before then. The car park requires you to book in, the seating at the front requires you to smoke as the smoking shelter is now decrepit and awash with smokers’ litter. There appears also now to be a dress code – unless you are shirtless, bearded and heavily tattooed you are unlikely to fit in. This probably explains the lack of enthusiasm with which we were greeted. There were 4 female staff hiding; we eventually found them and upset them by asking for drinks, a request which in itself generated resentment and rancour – at least I think that’s what the youngest barmaid said. The Sizzling signature stench of stale cooking fat was absent during this visit, possibly because all the doors and windows were wide open, or maybe it was masked by the family groups in the restaurant area. No real ale, and the solitary craft pump – Neck Oil – was off. That left the standard banal Sizzling range of keg insect waste without even the release of a cheap cider. Really, really not worth stopping.

Official site of The Yeoman - www.sizzlingpubs.co.uk

Official site of The Yeoman - www.sizzlingpubs.co.uk