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Pub Of The Month - November 2024 with Brainypool
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Image posted by Quinno _
Submitted on Friday, 13th August 2021
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Detail Pages
Hall & Woodhouse, Bristol
Portishead
Postal town: Bristol
BS20 7DF
Served areas
Reviews of Hall & Woodhouse (Average Rating: 6 of 10) see review guidelines
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Quinno _ left this review about Hall & Woodhouse
Almost exactly the same look and feel as when it opened 10 years ago. The highlight (or maybe lowlight) of this visit was the sight of them calling last orders at half 9 on a busy Saturday night, an oddly Hari-Kari approach to running a business. Three H&W ales on, the Badger Best was inevitably a watery aspirated mess (NBSS 2). At least the place is consistent(-ly underwhelming).
May 2013
Well despite my statement in December, I paid a revisit due to a companion wanting to sample it. Beer quality and pricing similar to before, expensive and a bit flat (Brewer's Bee this time). Staff were somewhat better than previous which was good to see. Charity cake sale going on where ‘all the staff had baked a cake’ for 50p a slice (wonder where it says that in their contracts?); the slice I purchased was huge and rather well-made so I put my Maggie Thatcher head on and treated it as a beer rebate. Noted this time that a load of cars parked outside the part of the pub overlooking the dockside rather killed the hoped-for views somewhat. Rated 5
December 2012
The new pub and dining place on the Portishead Quays marina development (or the docks, to the original locals), some of which is fashioned out of old shipping containers. Owned by Hall & Woodhouse, so I was expecting expensive beer and I wasn’t disappointed with my Pickled Partridge weighing in at £4 a pint and it was a bit on the flat side. Trying to get served wasn't easy as a number of the staff seemed oblivious to (or were actively ignoring) the bar area. Two other Badger beers were on along with a number of keg products on a fairly poncy steel arch. Blackthorn details the interior pretty well below so I won’t add much to it. I found the ground floor bar rather stark and unwelcoming with the long tables and low bench seating reminding me somewhat of an unfinished Wagamama restaurant, the small lounge/armchair area excepted. The screed flooring doesn’t work for me. The large floor-to-ceiling plate glass windows afford a decent view of the harbourside and elsewhere there are porthole style windows. The traps upstairs were posh and had piped Radio 7 coming through the speakers, very upmarket. I think my curiosity has been satisfied and I’ll leave this place to the nouveau-riche of the dockside. Rating: 5.
On 1st September 2021
- rating: 5
[User has posted 5483 recommendations about 5464 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Blackthorn _ left this review about Hall & Woodhouse
A large and striking building on the edge of Portishead’s marina, part of the building is indeed fashioned from a number of old shipping containers as Quinno has mentioned below. Whilst these are mainly used as stairwells on the periphery of the building rather than the main part, they are nonetheless an unusual and interesting feature. There are also three or four that have been built in to the restaurant for use as private dining rooms, including the orange one that can be seen in the pictures. A “Cluedo” style map in the entrance porch detailed the pub’s layout.
It’s a good sized pub on two levels, with the downstairs being the bar area and the upper level seemingly reserved for dining. The downstairs bar has a fairly industrial feel with bare screed flooring although other touches such as a small rack that’s been turned in to a bookcase soften it slightly, even this is affixed to the side of a shipping container! A number of bulkhead lights on one wall made a bit of a feature. Seating is predominantly long wooden benches, with a corner area having several leather armchairs which with it’s floor to ceiling windows on two sides is a pleasant spot. There is also some covered decking at the front with infra-red patio heaters.
Upstairs the restaurant area also has an industrial feel with grey paintwork, a concrete ceiling and services such as pipe work and cable trays clearly visible. The floor however is a pale wood strip, and there are a number of large rugs around. To one side is a semi-open kitchen, and all along the front wall more floor to ceiling windows to make the most of the marina views. It would appear that these can slide open in the warmer weather. At one end is some shelving containing a large display of grocery products such as Heinz Baked Beans, Marmite, PG Tips, etc. Elsewhere are numerous small portraits, many in black and white, although I’m not sure who they depict. Other unusual items were candlesticks made from copper water pipe, and a table lamp made from a demijohn.
The menu offered a good selection of pub grub options, as well as a few more adventurous dishes. My Lobster Bisque Fish Pie was a decent enough dish although one of the more expensive options at £14.45. Mrs Blackthorn’s Blue Cheese Burger was also well received, although apparently it was very light on the blue cheese. Staff were all friendly and helpful, although also somewhat disorganised and harassed. To be fair though, it’s only their second Saturday of opening, and they were very busy. I’m sure things will settle down.
Beers on tap were all from the Hall & Woodhouse stable with their Badger, Tanglefoot and the seasonal Pickled Partridge. The solitary cider was Stowford Press.
On 1st December 2012
- rating: 7
[User has posted 2023 recommendations about 1929 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Jonathan Wilde left this review about Hall & Woodhouse
Reviewing the website it should open today.
On 20th November 2012
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 366 recommendations about 348 pubs]
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- Official site of Hall & Woodhouse in Portishead - hall-woodhouseportishead.co.uk
- Facebook - Hall & Woodhouse, Portishead
- CAMRA WhatPub :: Hall & Woodhouse - whatpub.com
Shirehampton, 5.63 miles, 1 hr 48 min walk (show)
St Andrews Road, 6.45 miles, 2 hr 4 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 01 September 2021 by Quinno _
- Bar Billiards : No last updated 01 September 2021 by Quinno _
- Beer Festivals : No last updated 01 September 2021 by Quinno _
- Beer Garden : Yes last updated 01 September 2021 by Quinno _
- CAMRA Discount : No last updated 01 September 2021 by Quinno _
- Car Park : Yes last updated 01 September 2021 by Quinno _
- Child Friendly : Yes last updated 01 September 2021 by Quinno _
- Darts : No last updated 01 September 2021 by Quinno _
- Dog Friendly : No last updated 01 September 2021 by Quinno _
- Function Room : No last updated 01 September 2021 by Quinno _
- Hot Food : Yes last updated 01 September 2021 by Quinno _
- Jukebox : No last updated 01 September 2021 by Quinno _
- Karaoke : No last updated 01 September 2021 by Quinno _
- Live Music : Yes - Open mic nights - last updated 21 December 2015 by Jonathan Wilde
- Live TV Sports : No last updated 01 September 2021 by Quinno _
- Micropub : No last updated 01 September 2021 by Quinno _
- Pinball : No last updated 01 September 2021 by Quinno _
- Pool Table : No last updated 01 September 2021 by Quinno _
- Quiz Night : Yes last updated 21 December 2015 by Jonathan Wilde
- Real Ale : Yes last updated 01 September 2021 by Quinno _
- Real Cider : No last updated 01 September 2021 by Quinno _
- Wheelchair Access : Yes last updated 01 September 2021 by Quinno _
- WiFi : Yes last updated 01 September 2021 by Quinno _