Felson's, Bristol

Official site of Felson's - www.felsons.co.uk

Official site of Felson's - www.felsons.co.uk

As described, this is a pool hall spread through several rooms, accessed via a small foyer at ground level and a seemingly long set of stairs. Arriving in the bar we were met by an apathetic barmaid who couldn’t care less whether or not we were there. This was probably why we were the only customers. No real ale or cider, just a Punk IPA pump which had an inverted glass over the top. There was a small, rather unadventurous, range of kegs. Overall the bar had the ambience of a funeral parlour, although I’m more inclined to visit the latter. Fine if you want a game of pool, but not worth coming here for a drink.

A recent opening above the Walkabout bar on Corn Street, it describes itself as a “Cocktail Bar and Stick Lounge”, and for the uninitiated, that means it’s got a few pool tables. The entrance is via a small doorway which leads in to a short hallway and flight of stairs with a large pool ball mural and some urban graffiti on the walls. At the top of the stairs, it opens out in to a large U-shaped pub with a number of pool tables in rooms around the perimeter, a central lounge and a bar area. The lounge bar was a good size and this looked quite pleasant with wood strip on the floor, some white wood panelling on the walls and rough wooden boards at one end. Low hanging lamps in metal cages were something of a feature and button backed bench seating was around much of the perimeter with round tables and chairs elsewhere. The bar area was a little more industrial perhaps, with grey air conditioning ducting on the ceiling and a copper clad bar counter. Walls were a mixture of cream paintwork and dark grey wood panelling on the lower part, whilst a TV was showing a sports channel, although the volume was off so this was not too intrusive. A few black and white photos of pool tournaments were scattered around the walls. The pool rooms themselves were off to each side, and some of these were surprisingly elegant with painted wood panelling on the walls. Unfortunately there were no real ales on tap, although I did spot Punk IPA on keg. Ciders meanwhile were a disappointing Aspall’s Suffolk and Rekorderlig Strawberry & Lime. All in all, if you want a game of pool it’s a pleasant enough place, but I can see little reason to visit otherwise when there are plenty of better options nearby.