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Submitted on Thursday, 17^th April 2014
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Jolly Sailor, Bristol

Mead Lane
Saltford
Postal town: Bristol
BS31 3ER

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Served areas

Saltford

Reviews of Jolly Sailor (Average Rating: 6 of 10) Add Review see review guidelines

Please Note: This review is over a year old.

E TA left this review about Jolly Sailor

The layout is much as described by Blackthorn, below, though sadly the standards seem to have slipped since then. Two Wadworth’s ales on, 6X and Henry’s, both in average condition. There were also two dry pumps. There was a large coffee machine plus taps of Guinness, Moretti, Strongbow, Thatcher’s Gold, Foster’s and Amstel. There was no cheer from the landlord, who had the uncomfortable demeanour of Jimmy Saville in a funeral director’s, or the yoof who turned out to be a sort of waiter. Both these staff members were wearing puffa jackets as it was so cold inside. There was a laminated menu of standard pub grub at over-inflated prices. There was dire pop music making it feel even more like a funeral home. The car park looks unkempt and had a decrepit horsebox making it look like a scrapyard. Despite the pleasant location there is no jollity here for the maritime community, so unless you are travelling by river or on foot and happen to be passing it’s not worth making a special effort to visit.

On 30^th March 2023 - rating: 5
[User has posted 3790 recommendations about 3749 pubs]

Please Note: This review is over a year old.

Blackthorn _ left this review about Jolly Sailor

An attractive pub immediately adjacent to Saltford lock and overlooking the weir, it includes a good sized patio area in front of the pub as well as it’s own island opposite which must be a fairly unique pub feature. As a consequence it gets packed in the warmer weather when they have also been known to hold barbeques in the garden.

The original part of the pub is reasonably small L-shape room, although there is also a more modern conservatory extension used as a dining area. The pub has quite a traditional appearance with a couple of hefty black beams on the ceiling, black tiling on the floor and some exposed stone walling at the front with cream plasterwork elsewhere. A very large stone fire-place is off to one side, although these days all that is in there is a small wood burning stove. The wooden mantelpiece above is peppered with small holes which are apparently as a result of red hot pokers being shoved in to it many years ago. Something of a tradition among boaters I believe. A self-styled snug area at the rear was more contemporary in appearance with painted wood panelling on much of the walls and a few pew styles seats on the left.

The menu offered a decent selection of pub grub dishes such as fish & chips, ham egg & chips, chilli, curry of the day, pie of the day, etc., and these were mostly priced around the £9/£10 mark. There was also a small specials board. My Scampi and chips was actually quite a decent dish, with some meaty chunks of fish rather than the reformed stuff that you often get. A quiche of the day (tomato and basil) was also pleasant and tasty.

Beers on tap were all from Wadworths with their 6X, Swordfish and Henry’s IPA. Ciders meanwhile were Stowford Press and Thatcher’s Gold.

On 23^rd April 2015 - rating: 7
[User has posted 2131 recommendations about 2027 pubs]

Please Note: This review is over a year old.

Rex Rattus left this review about Jolly Sailor

This pub has a superb location right by Saltford lock. There’s plenty of outside seating, including a few seats on the island which to get to you have to walk across the lock – not recommended after one too many. It’s a traditional free house, so you can never be sure what ales are going to be on. When I was in there on during a lunchtime they had on Butcombe Bitter; Sharp’s Doom Bar; and GKIPA. I had a couple of pints of Butcombe Bitter, which was excellent, and reasonably priced (by my London standards) at £2.65 a pint. I didn’t spend much time inside, except to go to and from the bar, but it looked pretty basic. Nothing wrong with that of course. It was reasonably quiet on a weekday lunchtime, but I bet it gets incredibly busy on a summer’s weekend. But it’s a really nice pub, and definitely worth a visit if you’re in the area on a nice day and can sit outside.

On 16^th August 2009 - rating: 7
[User has posted 2621 recommendations about 2536 pubs]

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