Mickey Zoggs, Bristol

A pleasant pub in a somewhat unexpected location, it’s now almost back to it’s original name (it was the Surrey Wine Vaults) after a brief stint as the Bristol Cider House. Located just a couple of minutes walk from the Cabot Circus shopping centre, along with a couple of other nearby pubs it provides a much better alternatives to the bland, chain establishments available there. It’s split over two levels, although the upstairs room is invariably in darkness when I visit. I believe live music is staged on occasions, so perhaps that is where the bands go. The main bar downstairs is reasonably compact and has wooden boards on the floor along with black timberwork and a black iron staircase to the upper level. Paintwork was a mixture of cream, khaki green and aqua blue and there were a few arty black and white photos on the walls. Seating to the left was segmented in to booths with more black wooden partitioning. Beers on tap were Jurassic Portland and Arbor Triple Hop, whilst a third pump appeared unused. The cider on tap was Thatcher’s Gold, although this was somewhat past it’s best unfortunately and this was joined by Black Rat and Sampford Courtenay in boxes on the end of the bar.