The Criterion, St. Pauls, Bristol

A traditional old boozer in the heart of St Pauls, it’s a single room pub in a slight L shape, and has a very basic, down to earth style. Décor wise there was some sort of wood effect lino on the floor and a few skylights in the ceiling which made it less gloomy than might otherwise have been the case. Some reggae music was playing at a slightly higher than expected volume given how quiet the pub was and a projector screen was showing the horse racing. A pool table was at the front of the pub as well as a darts board at the rear. Some of the crisp flavours were unusual including Caribbean Coconut Curry. Unfortunately there were no real ales on tap, with the only beer offering being John Smith’s Extra Smooth crap, which no doubt lived up to it’s name. The solitary cider was Blackthorn, although they also had cans of Natch and Thatcher’s Gold in the ‘fridge.