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Detail Pages
The Ill Repute, Old Market, Bristol
Bristol
BS2 0DF
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 6 of 10) see review guidelines
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Bucking Fastard left this review about The Ill Repute
Excellent and very thorough Blackthorn review to which I will only add that real ale is now available with both Five Points Pale and Good Chemistry Common Thread available on my trip with two pulls unused.
On 7th February 2022
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 2727 recommendations about 2727 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Blackthorn _ left this review about The Ill Repute
A relatively recent opening on the site of what was the short lived Dutch gin bar, this is now about as different from that as you could possibly get, both in the look of the bar and the drinks offering. Landlord seemed pleasant and friendly, and was happy to serve us, outside at least, as I had turned up prior to their opening time due to incorrect information on What Pub.
Outside consists of a couple of tables squeezed on to the narrow pavement alongside a busy road, so it’s not the best spot, but once we got inside it’s all together a lot more pleasant. One could perhaps describe it as cluttered, with all sorts of stuff covering the walls and much of the floor. Old motorbikes seem to be a bit of a theme and there were at least two of these on the floor as well as a small moped mounted up on the wall and various related technical diagrams on the walls. Some green wooden bench seating was around the walls, with rough, and in many cases wonky, tables and chairs elsewhere. Walls are mostly cream paintwork with patterned wallpaper at the front and burgundy pillars whilst the floor was a mixture of some type of concrete in one half and tiling in the other, suggesting that it was perhaps split in to two rooms at one time. Numerous posters were on the wall including the queen and Elvis, an old advertisement board from an Adult Video Centre listing some of the titles available (presumably rescued from one of the nearby establishments) as well as a quote from someone called J Christ who apparently said that “The emptiness in your soul cannot be filled by tacos alone, you will also need beer”. The taco’s is in relation to their food offering, these apparently being something of a speciality. Other items dotted around included an old telephone, tailor’s dummy, wireless set, pots, tankards and piles of books.
This seems to be something of a craft beer venue, and as a consequence all options were keg rather than cask, with several from local micro’s. On this occasion they consisted of Moor Nor’Hop, Moor Stout, London Pride, Arbor Shangri La, Left Handed Giant Elderflower Blonde, Deya Steady Rolling Man and another who’s name escapes me. The solitary cider was Cornish Orchard’s Gold, although it looked as though something from Iford was added later which would have been a better choice. Overall I quite liked it here, with it’s quirky paraphernalia and friendly ambience, with the only let down really being the cleanliness. One table was very sticky and dirty and apparently there was loo paper all over the floor in the ladies, which considering we were the first punters in when the opened at 4:00pm seems pretty inexcusable.
On 22nd August 2021
- rating: 7
[User has posted 1948 recommendations about 1861 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Blackthorn _ left this review about Dutch
A recent opening on the site of former bar known as The Retreat, this bills itself as more of a gin bar than your traditional pub and has a stripped out, fairly minimalist décor.
Internally it consists of one fairly small room, with some sort of concrete screed on the floor and deep aqua blue paintwork on the walls. There is really little of any note with the walls being bereft of anything other than a couple of long plain mirrors. The tables appear to have bene fashioned from mismatched planks of wood glued together and the bench seating around the perimeter was liberally scattered with a plentiful array of colourful cushions. A raised area at the front of the pub contained a comfy looking sofa whilst a number of copper pans suspended from the ceiling had some foliage growing in them. Lighting was exposed filament bulbs as is de rigour in any pub renovation these days, and these were supplemented by candles on all the tables. Although concentrating on gin, the bottle selection behind the bar looked to be less than many places, although there were a selection of botanicals lined up in glass jars on the bar counter.
Unfortunately there were no real aloes on tap on this occasion, although there was a single pump for Tribute which appeared to have run out. Ciders fared slightly better though, with both Thatcher’s Gold and Symonds Founder’s Reserve.
On 11th August 2017
- rating: 5
[User has posted 1948 recommendations about 1861 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Alan Winfield left this review about The Retreat
The Retreat is situated in a pretty pubby area,the pub was not on my list to do but as i had to amend my crawl due to heavy rain i had to do it when i saw it.
Once inside there is an oblong shaped room with the bar on the right side,the floor is wood laminate,there is a small raised area to the front left,the main area has bench seating down the left side.
There were two TVs showing music videos.
The beer front was not so good,no real ales for a start and of the the 10 keg taps only three were working with all others out of use,i had a half of Carlsburg from one of the three operational taps which was drinkable.
This pub seemed to be on a downwards turn on my visit.
Pub visited 25/6/2016
On 14th August 2016
- rating: 5
[User has posted 6113 recommendations about 6113 pubs]