The Old Duke, Bristol

I’ve been out drinking along King Street numerous times, but never on a Saturday night, so it was quite an experience to see all the pubs packed and the great many outdoor benches fully occupied when we stopped by on a warm autumn weekend. Having tried all of the usual suspect, we popped into this place for our last drink of the night thanks to it being pretty much the last pub to call time. It’s a pleasant enough pub with a split-level interior and relatively traditional feel compared to many of the other nearby pubs. It seems that the pub probably had a multiple room interior in the past but has now been knocked through into a single space, with the bar serving both sides across the two levels. Some mixed seating is available around the perimeter of the room, with some space reserved for the live jazz that is regularly scheduled, although the majority of the seating can be found out on the cobbled street, with a great many picnic benches running in rows for a great distance. Decor is fairly traditional and included a few jazz related bits, but the theme isn’t particularly over-bearing – it’s not even that apparent that the pub’s name is a reference to jazz musician Duke Ellington. I wasn’t expecting to find much in the way of cask ale in here, but they had no less than six different beers on handpull. The majority of these were quite mainstream bitters and pale ales such as Sharps Doom Bar and Courage Best, but I ended up with a pint of the only vaguely interesting beer, which was Wye Valley HPA, served up by a very flirty barmaid and in decent enough condition. A very strange moment occurred whilst I was waiting to be served. The bloke next to me ordered a round and was arguing with his mate about who was supposed to be paying for it. The barmaid started walking towards them with the card machine when it pinged and to her amazement, the card machine had taken the payment somehow, leaving her and the two lads looking very bemused as to who had picked up the tab, as neither had presented a card to the reader! Suffice to say, I checked my bank balance when I got home, but thankfully they didn’t get a free round on me! This place doesn’t really compete with the majority of the pubs on King Street when it comes to the beer, but does offer a rather more traditional drinking environment and the prospect of some decent live music, which makes it worth a look if you’re working your way down the street. Bonus points if a random stranger inadvertently pays for your round!

A Bristol institution based on its daily live jazz and I was fortunate enough to visit when it was on. Named after Duke Eliington (obvs), it's quite a compact right-angled pub over two small levels. Black and white chequerboard flooring, nicotine stained embossed wallpaper and old jazz gig flyers glued to the ceiling made for an appropriate décor. The place was almost full-to-capacity but I managed to squeeze myself in at the bar. Two banks of pumps doubled-up; three ales in Courage Best, Castle Rock Harvest Pale, Hooky Gold (fair) and Old Rosie cider. I enjoyed my stay but I guess the jazz helped quite significantly.