Bridge Inn, Bristol

An extensive Hungry Horse establishment on the main road between Yatton and Ken, It’s considerably bigger inside than it first appears from the outside, although whether that’s a good thing or not is perhaps subjective… The pub basically seems to be a very large L-shaped establishment, but is divided in to a number of different areas internally, including a function room and a soft play area complete with ball pit (!). Clearly attracting children is a major focus here, and there were almost as many toddlers running around as there were adults. Décor wise, it is at least tidy and up together but the style is very bland and generic, and is no doubt much the same as many other similar establishments up and down the country. Carpet was the usual generic patterned affair whilst the walls were a mixture of paintwork in various shades including cream, maroon and mustard. Some wood partitioning was used to segregate different areas, but this looked very shiny and fake. A couple of TV’s were dotted around and I spotted a Sky Sports fixtures list. Oddly, some of the tables even had small TV screens mounted at the end – quite why you’d want to go to a pub, sit with your mates and all huddle around a small TV screen is beyond me. Elsewhere was a dual aspect brick chimney breast, although all the old fireplace recess contained was a stack of logs. I’m sure it was purely decorative rather than functional. At one end was a small dance floor and DJ booth, although this looked to be a temporary set up for New Years Eve (in case any readers think I’m sad enough to spend new year in such an establishment, I should point out that it was a case of a swift pint whilst waiting for a Chinese takeaway). It looked as though there was normally a pool table here, but this had been pushed off to one side and covered. There was some bookcase style wallpaper next to this, as well as a few pictures dotted around with some very brief information on the local area, such as the Yeo Valley and Puxton Moor. The menu looked to be a mass produced laminated affair, and the two pictures of oversized mega-burgers piled high with onion rings on the front discouraged me from looking any further. A notice on the wall advertised various food deals on different nights of the week, such as a curry night, free starter or desert or two meals for £8.99. Beers on tap were just Abbot Ale and Greene King IPA, whilst ciders faired slightly better with Thatcher’s Gold, Thatcher’s Haze and Strongbow. All in all, I suppose this does serve a purpose if you want somewhere to bring your kids and eat cheap food, but otherwise I can see little reason to visit.

Official site of Bridge Inn - www.hungryhorse.co.uk

Official site of Bridge Inn - www.hungryhorse.co.uk