The Highbury Vaults, Bristol - pub details
Address: 164 St Michaels Hill, Bristol, Bristol, BS2 8DE [map] [gmap]
Tel: 0871 917 0007 (ref 11673)
Clifton Down (0.4 miles), Redland (0.5 miles), Montpelier (0.8 miles)
Brewery: Young's
Pub facilities/features:
- Food served, Real ale
- Outside seating
NB: Information may be incomplete or out of date as this pub is not currently registered.
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> Current user rating: 7.2/10 (rated by 30 users)
> Local guide: Bristol pub guide
other pubs nearby:
Kings Arms, Bristol (0.1 miles), White Bear, Bristol (0.1 miles), Bell Inn, Bristol (0.2 miles), Cotham Porter Stores, Cotham (0.2 miles), Kingsdown Wine Vaults, Cotham (0.2 miles) - see more nearby pubs
user reviews of the Highbury Vaults, Bristol
please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
5 most recent reviews of 22 shown - see all reviews
| Good pub if you like weirdos and "don't focus on the whole of society, rather sections of it". Quoted from a patron of the hostelry during my visit and just about sums up the place. Shan't be returning. apinchofsalt - 25 May 2008 22:11 |
| In many ways the Vaults is still a wonderful pub. Indeed, in most British cities it would easily rate as the best of pubs. The Vaults though, to me at least, is spoilt by a deep sadness for what it once was and no longer is. The beer is still well served and still includes the remarkably hard-to-find in Bristol Brains SA. Youngs doesn't travel that well though and the Bedford-brewed 'London' ales are rather poor imitations of the Wandsworth stuff. Moreover, when Smiles ran the pub the Brains and Smiles were joined at the bar by an ever changing roster of interesting guest beers. I remember on one fateful day walking into the then wonderfully cosy front bar - the plaster has since been removed from one of the walls exposing the cheap-looking brickwork that built much of Bristol, it looks nasty and cold, please render the wall again, please - to find Nethergate's Umbel Magna and Welton's Pride and Joy. How many Bristol pubs would be as brave as to serve two such unusual beers - at the same time? Part of the problem also stems from the fact that the long-suffering Brad rarely displays his sense of humour anymore. On one recent visit he all but physically assaulted us for asking about his opinion of the fact that a Bristol landmark pub was now dominated by beer brewed in a factory in Bedford. He's a lovely guy but, so it would seem, torn apart by the manifold tragedies that have befallen the pub through the misadventures of Smiles and Youngs. It's a sad and sorry tale. I now tend to avoid the place which in so many ways is heartbreaking. CJG - 10 Oct 2007 09:28 |
| Lovely pub but run by the surliest owners I have ever met - funny characters but I get the impression they'd rather be running a pub in the middle of nowhere. Cheer up you miseries! drinksandcanapes - 26 Jul 2007 13:54 |
| Properly nice pub - cheeky staff, great enclosed outside drinking area, higgledy-piggeldy inside, and proper ciders and ales on tap. DanielJudeCook - 5 Jul 2007 17:20 |
| There are about half a dozen other pubs in walking distance (climbing if you've just ascended St. Michael's Hill) but once you're inside the Highbury there doesn't seem to be any good reason to go anywhere else. TWG sums this excellent boozer up precisely. I'll just add that if you want to sit in a corner in a conspiratorial way like a character from Conrad this is the place. Also good for chortling at post grad's and their interior designer career anxieties and also having some real conversation with the urbane but walnut faced guys at the bar. Actually doesn't have to be just guys...I'll get me club. ILooklikeme - 22 Jun 2007 20:45 |
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