Pubs and Bars / Pub of the Week
Pub of the Week: The Plough
A middle-aged, bald man with a string of beads around his neck has just bumped into an old mate at the bar by chance. He’s extolling the virtues of what he considers to be the best pub in Bristol right now.
“If you’re ever looking for me, this is where I’ll be,” he concludes with pride as the barkeep passes me my can of Red Stripe, tipple of choice in these parts.
I take my seat under the telly in the corner as Honduras score one of the worst goals in football history in their Olympics match against Algeria. No one bats an eyelid.
is needed now More than ever
The last time I was here to watch the football, the bar turned down the volume when the English national anthem came on and played God Save the Queen by the Sex Pistols instead.
If you want any more clues as to what kind of pub this is, on the next table a man with pink sunglasses on his head has fallen asleep in his chair. It’s just past 8pm.
Over his shoulder, a woman sweeps her dreadlocks over her head, revealing three butterfly tattoos on her upper arm.
This is an enclave of Bristol at its irreverent best.
Classic pub junk, from old sports trophies (this is the proud drinking hole of the Easton Cowboys & Cowgirls) to wooden legs, dresses the walls; anarchic but carefully curated. Bunting with international flags droop over the bar and shots flow freely on a Thursday night.
Past the more traditional left-hand side of the pub is a dimmer side where old speakers are stacked to the ceiling against one of the walls opposite a small stage where a DJ plays hip-hip, soul and a bit of the obligatory punk.
Through a metal security door, past the anti-fascist stickers, a corridor garden stretches along the back of the pub next to the railway line. A familiar, sweet scent fills the air under the dim lights here.
Later, the whole pub is full and a dance floor under the record decks is a mini minefield of bad dancing and spilled rum. In a really good way.
You can’t help thinking there isn’t any other place like this in Bristol; not since Stokes Croft was gentrified.
It’s hard to see this pub being infiltrated by the craft beer brigade anytime soon. Let’s hope it stays that way.
The Plough, 223 Easton Road, Easton, Bristol, BS5 0EG
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