Pubs and Bars / Pub of the Week
Pub of the Week: The Bristol Yard
“It’s been a long time since I’ve been in this pub,” one customer said after taking his seat on a recent night at the Bristol Yard.
So long that a pub formerly named after its location (the Colston Yard can be seen beneath the back windows here) is now so tainted with its association to the slave trade that its new owners decided that a change was the most sensible option.
The memory of Edward Colston has been a trending topic in Bristol this year. In April, the Colston Hall announced that when it reopens in 2020 it will have a new name. And earlier this month, Colston’s Girls’ School revealed that after much discussion they will be keeping its name because there is “no benefit” in “denying the school’s financial origin”.
is needed now More than ever
The Bristol Yard – once upon a time the Smiles brewery tap – has had a serious spit and polish since its most recent incarnation and now brands itself as specialising in ‘craft x cocktails’.
Available on keg on Thursday night were local beers from Moor, Lost & Grounded and New Bristol Brewery.
The cocktail list encompasses the classics (from a mojito for £8.50 to a Manhattan for £12.50) to no less than 10 different prosecco cocktails and a dozen ‘Yard cocktails’ including such delights as a gingerbread martini (vodka, Kahlua, gingerbread liqueur and cream) and a caramel snob (brandy, gin, caramel, cream, maple syrup and sugar syrup).
With this pub being almost directly opposite the Children’s Hospital, there is a generous 20 per cent off food and drink for NHS staff as well as students.
From the food menu, burgers start at £9.45 and mains range from a risotto for £8.95 to a sirloin steak for £18.95.
“This is a great new place,” a nurse told the American barman after showing him her NHS ID when ordering. Those in Bristol committed to eradicating Edward Colston’s name from the city will no doubt agree.
The Bristol Yard, Colston Street, Bristol, BS1 5BD
0117 930 0298
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