Quay Street Diner, Bristol

Not what I’d call a pub, more an American style diner as described by Blackthorn, below. The food was traditional American junk food, over-priced and not particularly healthy. The staff were functional but a bit pushy, suggesting we try their range of cocktails and Prosecco, rather than put up with the uninspiring range of craft on offer – still no real ale or real cider, sadly, so like Blackthorn we settled for the keg cider. Not sure I’d rush back given the wide variety of alternatives in the area.

A new opening just off the city centre located in the former “Roll for the Soul” bike cafe, it is, as it’s name suggests, just as much of a diner as your regular pub, although they had a range of drinks on tap and you’re certainly welcome to just have a drink without eating. That said, they do seem fairly keen to provide table service, and although we elected to wait at the bar whilst our drinks were prepared, the amount owing was still presented as a receipt on a saucer rather than a verbal request. Internally it’s all one open plan room with a bar counter to the left and an open kitchen in the middle. Décor wise it’s fairly minimalist with a grey painted concrete floor, thin wooden slats on some of the walls and turquoise paintwork elsewhere. A couple of large pot plants were just inside the door, and smaller versions were on each of the tables. Lighting was a mixture of low hanging metal shades and exposed filament bulbs which are of course de rigour in any pub renovation these days. There was some Mexican artwork and posters on the wall at one end whilst the ceiling had a rather industrial look with exposed air conditioning ducting and cable trays. We didn’t inspect the menu, but at a quick glance it seemed to offer a selection of burgers and steaks at around the £8 - £10 mark, although some of the steaks were considerably more. There were no real ales on tap unfortunately, but a number of taps behind the bar counter offered a selection of craft ale options. These did not appear to be listed anywhere, but I did spot Tiny Rebel Gwtch, Old Blue Last and Goose IPA. The solitary cider meanwhile was the excellent Orchard Pig Reveller. All in all, not a bad spot, but probably more suited to those wanting something to eat than just a drink.

Official site of Quay Street Diner - www.quaystreetdiner.co.uk

Official site of Quay Street Diner - www.quaystreetdiner.co.uk