The Old Fish Market, Bristol

The Old Fishmarket is a prominent red brick building that used to be, believe it or not, a fishmarket, but is now a roomy high ceilinged Fullers pub. Formerly branded as one of their Ale and Pie Houses and last visited by me as such, it doesn’t seem to have changed much internally, but there is now more emphasis on televised sport – games are shown in 3D with glasses for hire – and serves Thai food as well as more traditional pub fare. The front bar is bare boarded with much wood in evidence, large windows and high tables and stools. A more comfortable area at the side is favoured by diners. Round the back is a quieter area with a number of more intimate seating booths where the sport can be avoided. The pub advertises a lunchtime “Thai quicky” which, before you all start rushing down to Bristol hoping to get your leg over, I should explain is a lunchtime quickly served Thai meal ( £ 5.45p) specifically designed for office workers with limited time. On my recent visit, the normal range of Fullers beers was on, supplemented by Butcombe Bitter as a guest. The London Pride - £ 3 – was reasonable. The pub proudly advertises the fact via a large poster that it is in the 2011 CAMRA Good Beer Guide. I don’t dislike the pub at all but, living close to Fullers heartland, I prefer naturally to try different beers while I’m away. I doubt therefore that I’d specifically come here again, unless there was a big televised game on that I particularly wanted to watch.

Large pub a few minutes from the city centre, which can get fairly packed at times. A couple of plasma's around which tend to show major sporting events. Friendly enough staff and a large bar. Several Fuller's beers on tap, including ESP, Discovery and London Pride, plus Butcome Bitter. A couple of more unusual ciders on offer - Symonds Founders Reserve and Aspall's Suffolk.

A pretty pub frontage conceals a cavernous polished-wood interior which awaits those who venture inside, alongside a good selection of Fuller's ales plus at least one, if not two guests. Like the majority of Fuller's outlets, the beer is usually in good-to-excellent condition. The interior is perversely the selling point and downfall of the pub. When quiet, you feel very isolated. When it's busy the atmosphere is good but the high ceilings amplify the noise and it can get difficult to hear your companions. It also fails to catch the late evening sunshine, which makes the inside seem a bit gloomy unless they get the lights on early. As mentioned elsewhere, a hefty walk to the traps so make sure you leave a good couple of minutes lag time! TV shows sporting events and there's a quizzer. Overall, I'd recommend the place if you're in the town centre but wouldn't necessarily say it's worth seeking out as an experience in the same way that, for example, the Bag O' Nails is. But if you're in a big group of mixed drinkers, this is a sure-fire bet for everyone to be happy for a couple of hours.

A smart enough place with good service and easy-going clientele. The front is a wide barroom but there is more intimate seating available to the rear of the bar and a separate (block-paved) dining area to the side. The food was good, the big screen was also good for watching the World Cup in HD. The ales consisted of 4 Fullers: Discovery, London Pride, Seafarer and ESB plus one guest, Butcombe Bitter, which I preferred to the house ales. I'd happily go back for one or two but I personally preferred the choice at the Kings Head on the way back to Temple Meads.

The Old Fish Market page at the official Fullers brewery site - www.fullers.co.uk

The Old Fish Market page at the official Fullers brewery site - www.fullers.co.uk