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Detail Pages
The Coronation Tap, Clifton Village, Bristol
Bristol
BS8 4AX
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 7 of 10) see review guidelines
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Malden man left this review about The Coronation Tap
One of a handful of Bristol dedicated cider bars, this one seems to be a Clifton institution. Low ceilings, dark wood panelling and little natural light give an intimate and atmospheric feel, wood floors, bench seating plus bar stools. The "real" ciders are racked up behind the bar in casks, there are numerous more listed in the cider menu either bottled or served under gas pressure. For the non-apple heads there are two cask ales, Doom Bar and Bath Ales Gem. As said earlier below, the trademark Exhibition cider is brewed exclusively for the pub and at 8.5% is sensibly served only in halves and but then in plastic glasses, which I confess I found a bit disappointing, after all can the pub not realise if persons are getting too giddy? Maybe it is a licencing requirement. Anyway I had a half of Exhibition without finding any need to get unruly.
The pub was certainly lively on a Friday evening with a studenty feel and a lively but not unpleasant atmosphere, I enjoyed my stay. There was some decent bluesy jazzy music playing, no TVs evident although a couple of empty brackets made me wonder if they drag some out for certain events. It is cash only, no credit cards, I certainly support that as there is nothing worse than hanging about while someone gets half a lager on a card. Other, older and more stringent rules are on a poster, great fun to read but at the time I suspect a right nuisance. See the photos I added. One wall has a collage of band photos from music nights.
The pub has entrances at two ends but accessed by streets that do not connect without a route march around, the Sion St entrance was closed on Friday.
On 17th April 2013
- rating: 7
[User has posted 1708 recommendations about 1681 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Blackthorn _ left this review about The Coronation Tap
This is Bristol’s original “cider house” and is something of a local institution. This is no doubt helped by their Exhibition cider, which is proudly advertised outside and is apparently so strong it’s only served in half pint measures! They sell a lot of it, and there’s generally a couple of dozen ready poured behind the bar.
The pub has entrances at both the front and rear, although quite often the front door is locked and not in use. Once you’ve managed to get in, which appeared to be baffling quite a few people, you find a surprisingly cosy pub, with wood panelling covering the walls from floor to ceiling giving it a sort of log cabin ambience, along with wood flooring and some inset wood benches. It’s not what you’d describe as light and airy, due to only one or two very small windows. One wall had numerous photos of bands that have appeared in the pub, and these are a regular occurrence on two or three evenings a week. The pub is very popular with students and frequently gets rammed, although at 7:00pm on a recent Saturday evening visit it was surprisingly quiet.
Ciders on tap at the bar were Stowford Press, Thatcher’s Gold and their own Exhibition. These were joined by barrels racked up behind the bar dispensing Thatcher’s Traditional, Cheddar Valley, Addlestones, Old Rosie and Thatcher’s Dry. For the beer drinkers, Doom Bar and Gem were available.
On 10th April 2012
- rating: 7
[User has posted 1948 recommendations about 1861 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
john mcgraw left this review about The Coronation Tap
This pub has two entrances. one in Sion Place and one in Portland Street
On 14th March 2008
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 2044 recommendations about 2025 pubs]