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Cambridge PuG Crawl, Friday 5th April 2024 with Mobyduck on the Pub Forum

The Botanist, Clifton, Bristol

Pub added by elizabeth mcgraw
20a Berkeley Square
Bristol
BS8 1HP
Phone: 01179277333

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Pub Type

Premium Country Pubs (Mitchells & Butlers)

Reviews (Current Rating Average: 5 of 10) Add Review see review guidelines


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Blackthorn _ left this review about The Botanist

Recently rebranded from Bar Ha! Ha!, the layout is pretty much unchanged with just a general spruce up and paint job to reflect it’s new incarnation. Accessed through a small doorway in a high brick wall in a side street off of The Triangle, it’s easy to miss if you don’t know it’s there, but is spacious and airy once you get in.

Outside there’s a good sized courtyard surrounded by the high wall. There’s an glass canopy around the pub to keep off any inclement weather, as well as a couple of patio heaters and wood slatted tables and chairs. This is a popular spot and was full to capacity on a recent Friday evening visit. Oddly, since it was outdoors, there were a couple of signs up saying “Thank-you for not smoking” which were being completely ignored. In keeping with the pub’s name, there were various herbs planted around, both scattered about in small pots and in larger beer barrels. We spotted rosemary, oregano and thyme but there may well have been others.

Inside it’s split in to a few different areas, with a large central bar with a couple of roof windows, a small area off to the left known as The Potting Shed and a dining room to the right. The kitchen is also up a few steps to the right, and is pretty much open to view. The flooring is mostly parquet with some tiles around the bar, and the paintwork a mixture of cream and grey. Service was quick and efficient at the busy bar, and my pint was topped up without asking. However, the place has far too many rules and regulations for my liking – on taking a seat in “The Potting Shed” we were swiftly ejected as we did not wish to eat. Now the table was not laid for food, there was no sign to this effect, it was 9:30 in the evening when there were unlikely to be more diners arriving and if there were we would happily have moved then. Was this really necessary? In addition to this, a stag party that turned up were refused entry to the bar – not unusual per se, but the policy was not one against stag parties, but against dressing up. In this case, only the groom to be was dressed, and not offensively, but as a diver complete with snorkel and mask which I thought was quite good. They were happy for them to remain in the courtyard, explaining that you “couldn’t dress up inside”. Odd.

Beers on tap were Tribute and something called Ubu Purity which is a new one on me. Ciders were Aspall’s Suffolk and Thatcher’s Heritage.

On 23rd August 2011 - rating: 5
[User has posted 1937 recommendations about 1850 pubs]