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Beer of the Week (w/e 23rd March 2025) with aleandhearty
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Submitted on Friday, 29th May 2015
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Detail Pages
The Air Balloon, Filton, Bristol
Bristol
BS34 7PY
Reviews of The Air Balloon (Average Rating: 4 of 10) see review guidelines
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Strongers . left this review about The Air Balloon
The Air Balloon was very busy with a mix of locals taking advantage of the sunshine on the front terrace and trades who were visiting for early evening dinner from the Premier Inn over the road. During my hour long stay there was a constant queue of people waiting to order food from the Flaming Grill menu. The kitchen was obviously busy, but that was no excuse for the terrible burger I was served. Cold and stale, if I wasn’t so hungry and desperate to leave I’d have sent it back and waited for a new one. 0/10 for the kitchen, which is surprising because I usually find the food in this chain to be very good value for money.
The bar counter is located centrally on the rear wall and faces high tables that run to standard height tables under the front windows. To the left and right are seating areas that are mainly used for dining. Large screens were showing muted Sky Sports News whilst some background music played. Available from the bar is a standard keg selection alongside San Miguel and there are four handpumps. Two were unused which left Greene King’s Abbot Ale and IPA. The service was very friendly, but this is a poor pub that I’ll not be revisiting.
On 25th August 2022
- rating: 3
[User has posted 5896 recommendations about 5862 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
E TA left this review about The Air Balloon
Previously The Mill, this large modern pub was built on the site of an earlier establishment, The Old Anchor. There is a large car park, tight to turn into if you're going too fast off the nearby roundabout. There is also an outside raised seating terrace from which smokers can look down on the traffic and the retail estate, opposite. The main door in is easy to find – as you approach, the density of fag ends and chewing gum on the ground increases. It's a Flaming Grill pub, and not one of their best. The single large room inside is convoluted and has a long servery at one side. There are gaming machines and a large TV screen on the wall showing live sports. A children's play area seems to be the main focus, and there were indeed a lot of small children running around uncontrolled. The food looked and smelled awful. There were 3 ales on draft, all from Greene King. I had a pint of London Glory which was bland and a bit of a chore to finish. If your expectations of this place are over-inflated, you will be let down.
On 4th April 2018
- rating: 5
[User has posted 3490 recommendations about 3454 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Jonathan Wilde left this review about The Air Balloon
Will be closed for a refurbishment from 29th October till 17th November.
On 24th October 2017
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 367 recommendations about 349 pubs]
View more reviews of The Air Balloon (5)
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- Official site of The Air Balloon - www.flaminggrillpubs.com
- Facebook page of The Air Balloon - www.facebook.com
- CAMRA WhatPub :: The Air Balloon - whatpub.com
Bristol Parkway, 1.88 miles, 36 min walk (show)
Patchway, 1.91 miles, 36 min walk (show)
Pub Details
Pub details supplied by members of this site to the best of their knowledge. Please check with pub directly before making a special trip.
- Accommodation : No last updated 13 January 2020 by ROB Camra
- Beer Festivals : No last updated 13 January 2020 by ROB Camra
- Beer Garden : Yes last updated 13 January 2020 by ROB Camra
- CAMRA Discount : Yes - 10% - last updated 13 January 2020 by ROB Camra
- Car Park : Yes last updated 13 January 2020 by ROB Camra
- Child Friendly : Yes last updated 13 January 2020 by ROB Camra
- Darts : Yes last updated 13 January 2020 by ROB Camra
- Hot Food : Yes last updated 13 January 2020 by ROB Camra
- Live Music : No last updated 13 January 2020 by ROB Camra
- Live TV Sports : Yes last updated 13 January 2020 by ROB Camra
- Micropub : No last updated 13 January 2020 by ROB Camra
- Pool Table : Yes last updated 13 January 2020 by ROB Camra
- Real Ale : Yes last updated 13 January 2020 by ROB Camra
- Real Cider : No last updated 13 January 2020 by ROB Camra
- Wheelchair Access : Yes last updated 13 January 2020 by ROB Camra
- WiFi : Yes last updated 13 January 2020 by ROB Camra