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Chat about:
Disappointment of the week with Quinno
on the Pub Forum
Detail Pages
Ye Shakespeare, Bristol
Bristol
BS1 6DR
Pub Type
Star Pubs & Bars (Heineken)Reviews (Current Rating Average: 5½ of 10) see review guidelines
Quinno _ left this review about Ye Shakespeare
Quick revisit. Used to have a nightmare fuel pub sign back in the 80s and a gloomy interior. Now refurbed to the max inside and out – bright and unrecognisable. Slightly odd layout. Just the now emasculated Bath Gem on cask (NBSS 2.5), served-up by a friendly Asian barkeep. Doing well, better than the Kings next door in terms of atmosphere if not appearance.
May 2008
A pub that seriously flatters to deceive. Looks the olde worlde part outside though the peeling paint on the pub sign gives and indication that all is not well. The inside is quite dark and whilst it does have some historic tick box features like the bar area the place is smelly and a bit of a dump. Ale choice (Greene King or Greene King) was about as inspiring as the end product. Wouldn't recommend sitting outside either. Seeing that the Kings Head (a superior pub in every aspect) is next door, I couldn't recommend here. Given the local competition this place is shoddy. Rated 4
On 5th December 2023
- rating: 5
[User has posted 5072 recommendations about 5055 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Blackthorn _ left this review about Ye Shakespeare
An attractive looking timber framed building, well positioned between the train station and the city centre, it’s perhaps somewhat Tudor in style although recent work to paint the timbers brown rather than the original black seems an odd choice.
Unfortunately, once inside though, it’s clearly been “renovated” and has lost any semblance of character. True, there are still some black beams one the ceiling, but that’s as far as it goes. The room was dominated by a very large TV above a disused fireplace showing the football, and the sound was on at quite a high volume. The flooring purported to be parquet wood, but looked far more like some sort of linoleum, whilst the seating options were fairly limited with just a few high stools and some small and round high tables, although there was also some padded bench seating in the window. Paintwork was some inoffensive shade of pale green, but other than that there was really nothing of any note other than the Christmas decorations and flags for the football. A smaller room at the rear used to be quite a cosy spot from memory, but this too was dominated by a large TV screen and had suffered from the same renovation works as the front bar. Even the small anteroom between the two had the football commentary piped to some speakers.
Despite four handpumps on the bar, only one was in use dispensing Bath Ales Gem. Cider’s meanwhile were Inch’s Medium Apple and Symonds Founders Reserve. Why on earth anyone would bother to visit here when there are a couple of quite superb pubs less than a minutes’ walk away is beyond me, especially when they're charging £5.50 a pint.
On 2nd December 2022
- rating: 4
[User has posted 1947 recommendations about 1860 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Graham Coombs left this review about Ye Shakespeare
An old-looking pub with a bright. modern interior disappointingly lacking in character. There is a small dining area behind the main bar. Draught ales were Landlord, Wainwright, Tribute and Bath Gem
On 27th January 2020
- rating: 6
[User has posted 3339 recommendations about 3276 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Moby Duck left this review about Ye Shakespeare
The pleasing on the eye exterior gives way to a refurbed and modernised interior, there is a main room as you enter with various seating and bar to your right and a smaller room to the rear. Four beers were on, a fairly safe if not inspiring selection of Tribute, Otter Bitter, Bath Gem and Wye Valley HPA which was in passable condition. Nothing special there are many better pubs in the city but also worse.
On 9th October 2019
- rating: 6
[User has posted 1871 recommendations about 1844 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Alan Winfield left this review about Ye Shakespeare
Ye Shakespeare is a nice looking pub that is very close to the Kings Head.
Once inside there is an oblong shaped room with the bar on the right side,the left side of the room is carpeted and has bench seating and normal tables and chairs,there is a separate room to the rear which has a pool table in it.
There were four real ales on the bar,i had a drink of Bath Ales Summer Hare which went down well,the other beers were Wickwar BOB,Caledonian Golden XPA and Courage Directors.
I thought this was a decent pub to end my Bristol crawl in.
Pub visited 25/6/2016
On 14th August 2016
- rating: 7
[User has posted 6113 recommendations about 6113 pubs]