Pubs and Bars / Pub of the Week
Pub of the Week: The Rising Sun
A sausage roll washed down with a tankard of smooth pale ale is the order of the day at the newly-transformed Rising Sun in Windmill Hill.
The tempting display of meat-filled pastries – or more accurately their vegetarian counterparts – atop the polished wooden bar prompts an off-the-cuff conversation about Greggs.
Of course, the chain’s vegan sausage roll launch went viral early this year when Piers Morgan waded in to give his unsolicited thoughts on the product. “But did you know the first Greggs was in Newcastle?” asks the Geordie man behind the bar on a recent Wednesday evening.
is needed now More than ever
“It’s about all it’s got after they moved the Newcastle Brown brewery,” he adds.
As well as being a valuable source of regional trivia, he knows his beers, of which there is an ample array on tap, including Hophead by Dark Star and a couple from Welsh brewers Tiny Rebel, among others. There’s also the pub staples of lagers and ciders, as well as a decent selection of wine.
On the food front, its sausage rolls (of a higher quality than Greggs mind) and brownies for now, until the ovens are fitted.
With opulent décor, big comfy chairs, bold colours and fabulous pink chandeliers, the Alfred Road local that has just re-opened under new ownership is unrecognisable from its former run-down state.
If there’s one thing that’s a given, it’s a warm welcome. Each customer coming in from the cold outside is greeted as if they’ve just returned home, which is apt in a setting that sometimes feels more like someone’s front room than a pub.
Now under the ownership of the man who turned around the fortunes of the Golden Guinea and Steam Crane, the Rising Sun is being billed as true a community pub – and on this cold March evening, it has a loyal local crowd building up.
A stack of children’s toys is available by the fireplace, above which a huge, gild framed mirror hangs. The Humanitea Café knitting group will be taking up residence in the pub on the second and fourth Monday of each month, and is inviting people to join and learn to knit a scarf for the homeless free of charge.
It’s a heart-warming addition to what is shaping up to be a cheerful and homely new local.
The Rising Sun, Alfred Road, Bristol, BS3 4LU
www.facebook.com/TheRisingSunWindmillHill/
Read more: Pub of the Week: The Hare on the Hill
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