Grounded, Bedminster, Bristol

Official site of Grounded - www.cafegrounded.co.uk

This is more of an all-day café/bar type establishment than your traditional pub and offers a very similar concept to the successful Loungers chain. It’s a single room, open plan layout with large floor to ceiling windows covering the entire front of the pub making the most of the views, such as they are. First impressions weren’t great with the barman scurrying off to the kitchen as soon as he saw us approaching and we then had to wait for him to return. Décor wise it follows the usual theme of such places with sanded wooden boards on the floor and distressed wood being used as panelling on the bar counter and such like to create a relaxed and chilled out vibe. Paintwork is predominantly burgundy and there were a number of Chesterfield arm chairs and sofas at the front of the pub. A fire-place was off to one side, although whether this was functional or just decorative, I’m not sure. A selection of cakes were for sale on the end of the bar as well as artwork on the walls. A large chalkboard menu offered a wide selection of dishes that covered all bases with sections on sharing platters, burgers, salads, evening specials and a good choice of pizzas with most of the main courses being somewhere in the £10 - £12 range. Unfortunately there were no real ales on tap, just keg Gem. The solitary cider meanwhile was Bounders, also from Bath Ales. This is a decent enough spot for a bite to eat I’m sure, but it’s not really much in the way of a proper pub.

Official site of Grounded - www.cafegrounded.co.uk