The Old Duke, Bristol - pub details
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Address: 45, King Street, Bristol, Bristol, BS1 4ER [map] [gmap]
Tel: 0871 951 1000 (ref 3198) - calls cost 10p per minute plus network extras
Bristol Temple Meads (0.6 miles), Clifton Down (1.2 miles), Redland (1.3 miles)
Pub facilities/features:
- Live music (jazz)
- Quiz machines (Weakest Link)
- Outside seating, Wireless internet access (provided by The Cloud)
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> Current user rating: 6.1/10 (rated by 35 users)
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other pubs nearby:
Llandoger, Bristol (0.0 miles), Bar Essential, Bristol (0.0 miles), Apple, Bristol (0.0 miles), Lloyds No.1, Bristol (0.0 miles), Brownstone, Bristol (0.1 miles) - see more nearby pubs
user reviews of the Old Duke, 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 32 shown - see all reviews
| Despite all the obvious jibes about trustafarians and people with too much unwashed hair, the Duke is still Bristol's only proper jazz venue. It is overpriced, dirty and the stage is tiny, but only last night I saw one of the brightest and most uplifting jazz acts ever- The Kevin Figes Quartet. It was a shame the punters and the bar staff were indifferent to high calibre and dynamics of Figes and his world class musicians. Most of the punters probably couldn't have told you Miles Davis apart from John Coltrane and I was saddened by comments of one female member of bar staff who insisted on putting Enigma (wallpaper music from 1990 featuring Gregorian chanting over a Soul to Soul beat) on at full volume during the break. Her astounding comment was that she was sick of jazz, hearing it all time as she 'had to work with it'. That only begs the reply - if you can't stand Jazz, don't work in a famous pub that serves it! GiantSteps - 8 Sep 2011 09:27 |
| An old street corner pub in the historic heart of Bristol, which is renowned for it’s live jazz music and has live bands playing on the small corner stage most nights. Entry is usually, if not always, free and frequently attracts big crowds. The chance of getting a seat is nil, and often even standing space is in short supply. If it’s nice though, there’s some pleasant seating in the cobbled street outside, with the timbered Llandoger Trow opposite providing a pleasant backdrop. The pub itself is a U-shape affair with a central bar area, and the aforementioned stage in one corner. Decor wise it’s quite traditional with that sandy brown paint on the ceilings that many pubs have to hide the nicotine. Various jazz posters highlight bands that have played here over the years. In spite of being packed, service at the bar was quick and efficient. Beers on tap were Otter, Doom Bar, Gem and Courage Best. Good choice of ciders with Thatcher’s Cheddar Valley, Stowford Press and Thatcher’s Gold. Blackthorn - 19 Aug 2011 12:22 |
| A frustrating place. Yes, it is famous - rightly so - for it's jazz and live music, but every time I'm there the ale always seems mediocre in quality just about not takebackable - I reckon the pipes haven't been cleaned since about 1974 probably. The bar staff have attitude - not of the right kind - and the service is erratic making you that they have done you a great favour in serving you... thank you very much and here's my money. Finally, as the place is usually packed perhaps they could invest in some cleaning products for the WC's which reek so badly the affect can be felt throughout the right side of the pub. Dandillus - 30 Aug 2009 16:31 |
| well i hear what some folks are saying, but i love this pub. i don't have the time or money for much pub-hopping these days, but i always enjoy this place. i like the characters and rowdiness and last time i was there, the bar staff were excellent; obviously enjoying themselves and grinning at everyone. the atmosphere was great and we enjoyed something of a summer's evening at one of the infamous sheelanagig shows. lots of sweaty dancing and happy faces. it may not be the cleanest most sterile pub i've visited, but that is sometimes the way it goes and i'd rather a damn good jaw-wagging with friendly strangers than to sit nursing a lonely pint in a clinically perfect gastro any day. LittleMissCheevus - 30 Jul 2009 01:15 |
| I used to think this was an old fogeys pub years ago, what with the "Bog End" crew and landlord John Stone getting his trumpet out at the end of the night, donning his golden bowler hat and playing the last few notes of whatever the jazz band were playing that night. Looking at the place nowadays, from the wrong side of my 51st year, I guess the old days were actually better. Bristol has allowed the whole centre of town to become a student campus and sea of manufactured bedsits. The result has been that old favourites like this place have lost their appeal to the majority of "true" Bristolians. Same goes for the Llandogger and the Volley! TalbotHill - 28 Jul 2009 11:08 |
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