Not already a member?
Join our community and
- Rate & review pubs
- Upload pictures
- Add events
JOIN for free NOW
Chat about:
Disappointment of the week with Tris39
on the Pub Forum
Detail Pages
The Bottle of Sauce, Cheltenham
Cheltenham
GL50 3LH
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 7 of 10) see review guidelines
Steve of N21 left this review about The Bottle of Sauce
Having visited on two evenings during the recent Cheltenham Jazz festival I can fully answer Old Boots question to who likes this one. My first visit to The Bottle of Sauce was at a lunchtime, primarily to check it out as it was a venue for free gigs during the Festival ( for those not aware the Jazz Festival is three or four main venues around town where you pay to see the big hitters, then lots of other venues including a Free Tent on the main Montpellier show ground, where you get to see bands for free), and I confess on this lunchtime experience, with not many in, my feeling would have been the same as Old Boots… But then I returned in the evening after dark !
Firstly one key point that all previous reviewers have missed. As well as the main bar room and the additional room to the back of this, if you leave by the door to the right that leads to the outside courtyard area with its bench tables, there is an additional long rectangular room called The Canteen. At the far end is the kitchen but at the near end is a small stage. During the day the room is full of additional bench tables, but on gig nights these are removed and this becomes your live music venue.
So I returned when the sun had gone down to find the pub packed with 30 somethings and the main bar area resembled Millennial vertical drinking only and not a seat to be had in the back room and the courtyard. Fortunately these youngsters ( compared to me) were not here for the Jazz and a Latino three piece who had packed out the Free Tent earlier in the day at the main site had plenty of space left in The Canteen for us to slip in and enjoy them in relative comfort, as it was the following evening with another band.
On the beer front a few decent Dodo branded craft options for the Millennials and Arkels beers were on the pumps for those after an ale and Hoperation IPA and 3B were available alongside a cider on the third pump and the IPA was a pleasant session pint to sup whilst watching the bands.
So this is very much an evening pub attracting a youngish crowd, but agree that during the day it can be a quieter option for a pint and some lunch compared to those pubs in or near the pedestrianised sections of the Cheltenham centre.
On 8th May 2023
- rating: 7
[User has posted 2110 recommendations about 1992 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Old Boots left this review about The Bottle of Sauce
A stripped out barn like place, looks a bit like it’s been on fire or had a bad restoration. Lots of exposed air-con type stuff, no plaster or ceiling, lumps of tin on the walls behind the counter with rusty iron shelves in front. The inevitable Edison lamps are there but hiding in old acid carbouys strung up over the counter. It’s a tongue & groove counter with four pulls, a cider and a weak Arkells bitter on, 12 kegs taps on a bit of white tiled bar back, they are listed on a shiny bit of copper above. I discovered the table was cast iron when my phone cover closure magnet stuck to it. One big L shaped room with a side room and a courtyard under cover. I thought it pretty dreadful but someone might love it. Apparently owned or rented by the Dodo Pub Co, which explains the neon dodo sign in the bar. Cask Marque rated for now and noodling plumbing in the gents.
On 11th September 2022
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 3230 recommendations about 2939 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
hondo . left this review about The Bottle of Sauce
Quite a dark Brewdog style raw industrial interior as described below. Real ale “ craft keg” and food served. I also enjoyed the music.
On 11th March 2020
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 2883 recommendations about 2820 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Blackthorn _ left this review about The Bottle of Sauce
A prominent and good sized street corner pub, it’s located in the back streets a short distance away from Cheltenham’s town centre, but is certainly worth taking a short stroll if you want a little more relaxed ambience than you’ll find in many of the high street establishments.
Internally it consists a large and high ceilinged L-shaped room with rough brickwork on the front and side walls and dark green paintwork elsewhere. The ceiling boards have been removed at some point leaving the bare rafters on display, which does perhaps make a more interesting feature. The flooring is sanded wooden boards and there are quite large, but high, windows on two sides giving a light and airy feel. A notice board displayed an array of forthcoming events including a book club, yard sale and clothes swap party. Whether you bring clothes along to swap or swap what you’re wearing with other customers, I’m not sure. A smaller room at the rear is perhaps a little cosier, with blue paintwork on the walls as well as a large painted rabbit, a book shelf and padded bench seating. A small selection of nuts, cakes and various flavours of popcorn were displayed on the bar counter.
Cask ales were all from Arkell’s with their Hoperation, Moon Light and Wiltshire Gold. A few further “craft ale” options were available from taps mounted on the wall behind the bar, with the listing being displayed on a large copper plate mounted on the wall. Ciders meanwhile were Stowford Press and Cotswold Cider Co’s Yellow Hammer. All in all, a decent enough pub and one I’d happily return to when I had a little more time to enjoy it.
On 11th October 2018
- rating: 7
[User has posted 1947 recommendations about 1860 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Real Ale Ray left this review about The Bottle of Sauce
Back in the day, this pub started out as a Hotel, according to the very informative manager, who took me on a mini tour of the pub and also gave me a brief history of Arkells Brewery from Swindon, which is still a family run business, and was founded by John Arkell in 1843. This is a large pub, the main bar being housed in the corner room as you enter. Other areas include a rear back room with table tennis table found along a passage way along from the loos. A snug leading off the main bar area, which looked to be popular, and also a decent sized dining area out the back along with a wood burning pizza oven. The interior is mostly shabby chic and put me in mind of the Antic pub Co in central London. Four handpumps serving beer from Arkells, I went for the Hoperation IPA, which was decent. There was also six craft beers doubled up, served across 12 taps along the back bar. We called on a Friday, which was good timing as their pizzas are £5 each all day.
On 2nd March 2018
- rating: 7
[User has posted 3382 recommendations about 3381 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Helen Iwanczuk left this review about The Bottle of Sauce
Now open.
On 18th November 2016
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 255 recommendations about 195 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Helen Iwanczuk left this review about The Quaich
According to Cheltenham Camra, The Quaich will close on the 16th April and reopen in the Autumn after a refurbishment.
www.cheltenhamcamra.org.uk/2016/03
On 13th April 2016
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 255 recommendations about 195 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Helen Iwanczuk left this review about The Quaich
The Quaich is open for business.
On 5th March 2014
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 255 recommendations about 195 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Helen Iwanczuk left this review about St James Hotel
There is good news for The St James Hotel, it is undergoing a refurbishment and will reopen soon under a new name - The Quaich.
On 22nd January 2014
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 255 recommendations about 195 pubs]