The Avon Packet, Southville, Bristol

Quinno _ left this review about The Avon Packet

Has had a bit of a clean - a splodge of the horror grey paint on the lower servery - but the tight cosy ambience remains alongside the collection of key fobs and die-casts. Apparently there is an interesting garden but it was too cold and dark to go exploring so I ended-up perched in the middle of the cramped main bar looking like a lemon. Bass is served through what looks like keg dispense but I am subsequently assured it is cask via a mirrorbox electric pump. In addition there were actual genuine pumped cask on, Butcombe and Courage Best, the latter of which was poor and on the turn (NBSS 1.5), served-up by a clueless Warsaw Pakt barmaid. Perhaps I might have enjoyed it better if I’d had the Bass – nevermind.

January 2009
This is a very traditional boozer, you can leave most of you airs and graces at the door. Ladies may need a map to find the loos! One ale was on (I forget what, nothing special, maybe Courage) which was OK and there was also some interesting real cider available. Punters were obviously quite local and gave us a long hard look when we came in but in the end we were accepted with no problem. The pub interior is an extremely tight L-shape. A toy car collection behind the bar, a key fob collection on the ceiling and a TV tuned to the football. Being not far from Ashton Gate, this is a Bristol City pub, with bits of Ted memorabilia dotted around. The exterior has some attractive old green glazed tile-work which has escaped the curse of modernisation. It's also decked out with fairy lights, which makes it look oddly quaint and welcoming, especially on dark winter's evening. Basic food looked to be available. It isn't necessarily a place I'd recommend to most but would certainly say it's worth popping in for a pint for the novelty value if you haven't been before. A genuine local. Rated 7

On 19^th May 2025 - rating: 6
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