Four Wise Monkeys, Bristol

Whilst the previous incarnation of this venue was a well regarded tapas bar that managed to last a few years, it has now changed hands yet again and is now a sister venue to the Seven Lucky Gods restaurant in Wapping Wharf. This too is really much more of a restaurant than a pub, with a “Please wait here to be seated” lectern just inside the door and table service with a drinks menu provided, although there is a bar counter. Whilst it is possible to just pop in for a drink, this seems to be discouraged and may well not be possible if they were busy with diners. Internally, much of the space is taken up with the open kitchen and bar counter on the left, with the remainder being booth style bench seating alongside and regular tables and chairs at the rear. A raised seating area was at the front of the pub, and a few bar stools at the counter. The flooring was some type of wood strip which has been worn smooth and got very scratched over the years, whilst the paintwork is various vibrant hues including turquoise, purple and a deep salmon, along with a small section of exposed stone walling at the front. Even the lighting was similarly vibrant, with fluorescent tubes in a multitude of colours, each with coordinated cabling (I can imagine the electrician who got that gig thinking “where on earth am I supposed to get pink cable from?”). The smell from the cooking rather dominated, which is fine I guess if you’re eating, but less so when you’re just having a drink. Unfortunately there were no real ales on tap, or any beer at all come to that, with the only draught offerings being a couple of Asian lagers. I went for a can of the Tailgate Peanut Butter Milk Stout, which was an interesting drink, although I can’t say that I really noticed any discernible peanut butter flavour and I definitely prefer the Salted Caramel stouts available from one or two of the Bristol micro’s. At the equivalent of £11.20 per pint it seemed a little on the pricey side I thought. My friend’s can of Hawke’s Urban Orchard cider was also ambitiously priced at £8.60 per pint. Overall, the group behind this has a solid reputation and I may well return to check out the food, but it’s not really a pub and is best avoided if that’s what you’re after.

Facebook page of Four Wise Monkeys - www.facebook.com

Facebook page of Four Wise Monkeys - www.facebook.com

Official site of Four Wise Monkeys - fourwisemonkeysbristol.com

Official site of Four Wise Monkeys - fourwisemonkeysbristol.com

It would seem that the craft beer venue known as Copper Jack’s didn’t work out after all and this is now a “Wine and Tapas Bar”. Decor wise it’s largely unchanged and certainly still has something of a gloomy/atmospheric ambience. We were greeted at the door suggesting that the tapas side of things is perhaps more of a focus than the drinks, although it was certainly not a problem for us to just go to the bar and have a drink. A large display case is now behind the bar showcasing a selection of cured hams, Spanish sausages and chillies and there was also a large selection of red wine stacked up on shelves behind the bar. Our drinks were served on a paper napkin and we were asked if we wanted to start a tab, but we declined as we were only stopping for one. Unfortunately there were no ales on tap, real or otherwise, with the only draft option being a continental lager of some sort. I had a bottle of Spanish cider, but at the equivalent of £6.88 a pint, I don’t think I’ll be rushing back, especially as I didn’t particularly like it anyway. If wine and tapas is your thing, then I’m sure this is a very nice place, and I may well return to try some of it. But as a pub, it falls woefully short.

Looks shut at present with some sort of refurb ongoing after taking an update picture this morning and noticing sign gone and place looking a mess inside. Will still need to take a new update picture once completed. At least it close to work.