Pubs and Bars / Reviews
North Street Standard – bar review
North Street is starting to show up longtime title holder Gloucester Road in the trendy stakes, so it came as no surprise where The Urban Standard on the Gloucester Road decided to open their second bar.
One of the key draws of the aptly named North Street Standard is craft ales and lager – a tough fight to pick on this already well-supplied corner of Bedminster, especially with the new venue forming a triangle with The Steam Crane and The Hare.
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On a Friday night on only the bar’s second weekend it was already busy, but with plenty of seating inside there was no trouble finding a table.
The bar staff were friendly and knowledgeable, the beer was indeed good, but it would be hard to say the atmosphere wasn’t lacking.
The music was loud enough to shout over, but too quiet to shimmy. And lots of people stood around in their coats gave more of an after-work drinks feel.
Urban Standard’s industrial decor has followed through to its younger cousin in what used to be Zero G cycle shop, as has the menu which is cooked partially in view from an open kitchen at the back.
Outdoor seating which sprawls onto North Street could lend itself to an alfresco feel this summer, but the fledgling bar was operating a no glass outside rule the evening that we visited.
This rule doesn’t apply at lunchtimes however, which is when the North Street Standard could really add something to the ever-cooler street.
But on a Friday or Saturday night, it seems more of a stop-off than a final destination. Who was it that said the journey is what counts?
North Street Standard, 11-13 North Street, Bedminster, Bristol, BS3 1EN
@northststandard
Photos by Doug Jewell
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