Features / Pub of the Week
Pub of the week: The Bridge Inn
Things are quiet in the Bridge Inn early on a recent Thursday evening. The barman cheerfully talks through the impressive range of real ales, wines and soft alternatives available for those steadfastly attempting to see dry January through to the end, while rock music plays overhead.
The Passage Street pub is no shrinking violet and is instantly recognisable for the huge mural of Jimi Hendrix adorning the three-storey building close to St Philip’s Bridge.
Inside, the diminutive boozer is also something of a shrine to the great musicians, with framed posters of David Bowie, Led Zeppelin and more taking pride of place on the walls amidst collages of bands and solo artists.
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It’s a friendly little pub
With its bare wood floor, basic stools and tables and street-art adorned walls, the Bridge has a comfortable, down-to-earth feel, reminiscent of a good old student bar from days gone by only with a better drinks selection.
A man sits in the corner, beer in hand and suitcase by his side, presumably squeezing in a cheeky pint on the way to Temple Meads. A lone woman sits waiting with a drink.
By 5.45pm, the pub is filling up fast. “I didn’t know they still printed this,” a man says as he joins the woman, referring to a copy of The Bristolian lying on their table.
A group of friends meet for an after work drink, heading straight to the corner where a stack of board games are stashed and digging out Trivial Pursuit.
One guy pops in to use the toilet and heads out again, with a “cheers mate”. This may be a pub in the middle of a city, but it has all the heart of a true local.
The Bridge has gained recognition from CAMRA for its fine selection of independent ales and the food offering is of a similar high quality, with the likes of hearty burgers, jack fruit dirty chips and Jamaican brown stew chicken on the menu.
Out of the tiny door, underneath the plectrum-shaped sign sits a line of picnic tables, ready and waiting for summer drinking days in this pub that always fills up fast.
The Bridge Inn, 16 Passage Street, Bristol, BS2 0JF
0117 949 9967
www.bridgeinnbristol.co.uk
Read more: Pub of the week: The Pineapple
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