Bristol Bar

Great service, fantastic décor, tasty drinks and unparalleled music selections from the DJ’s. Bristol is my home away from home. If you are looking for an unpretentious place to have cocktails while listening to underground DJ’s spin the best electronica in the city, go to Bristol. There is always a very diverse crowd in the bar, which speaks volumes about how friendly of a place it is for everyone.

Bristol is in a super sketchy neighborhood and is almost impossible to notice unless you know it’s there. Which you should, because it’s a really neat bar.
It’s small — which makes it cozy. It’s got a great setup — bar in one room, dance floor and couches for a loungy vibe in the other. And with different themes for each night of the week, there’s sure to be something interesting for you.
Mondays: DJs spin the best in Britpop. No cover.
Tuesdays: Resident DJs Carma and Attak and weekly guest Djs. Indie Electro Dance Party. No Cover.
Wednesdays: Electro Crunk Mashups. No Cover.
Thursdays: Weekly guest musicians playing acoustic music. $ 3 cover.
Fridays: Rotating DJs. $ 3 Cover
Saturdays: DJ ddepsh & guest DJs. $ 3 Cover.
I’ve spent the past 2 New Years Eve’s at Bristol because of the sweet deal they offer for open top-​shelf bar (I think it was $ 70 last year and $ 55 this year) and appetizers. Highly recommend it!

Many, many years ago, I happened to befriend a group of students who were *gasp* over the age of 25. At the time I was… let’s just say, using «creative methods» to join said group when they got together for drinks, so my knowledge of drinking establishments was pretty much limited to the grimy Natty watering holes of the college world. This new group of intellectual friends loved to play it up classy on the limited salaries that restrict most academics, and Bristol was their bar of choice.
I remember being shocked the first time I went to Bristol. I had no idea a place like this even existed! let alone in Columbus. Being in such a super sketch neighborhood, I was sure that if I weren’t shot going to/​from my car, the car would undoubtedly be stripped for parts by the time I returned. I cannot emphasize enough the contrast between Bristol and its surroundings. Hellooo gorgeous!
Throughout the years, I have become very well acquainted with Bristol’s menu. They have an extensive list of martinis and have expanded the menu to include a wide selection of mixed drinks as well. The newest addition are martini snow cones (!!!) which I am very excited to try the next time I’m in town.
Alas, the recent renovations at Bristol have eliminated some of my favorite things about it. Adiós, Ginger Lemongrass Martini that I still look for on menus worldwide; we had some great times. Adieu, beloved Happy Hour; you always brought us in early and convinced us to stay late. Arrivederci, quiet nights of intimate conversation. I hope the «club» Bristol is trying to become works out because this gem of a bar isn’t in a location that can afford to lose.

Bristal Bar has a great zen-​like minimalist décor. I don’t know who took charge of the interior design, but they deserve bonus points for their efforts. Oddly located in a dilapidated area, but that kind of adds to the charm of the place.
Their drink menu is very creative. I was never a big cocktail drinker, but this bar makes some pretty inventive beverages. It’s the best martini place I’ve encountered in the Columbus area.

I love this place… when I lived in Columbus, it was right in between my apt. on 5^th and High, and my work in the ghet-​TO. It’s so random that such a neat, vibey place is in such a rough neighborhood. Never ran into any trouble though, I treat people well and they do the same for me! The bartenders are always nice-​but-​not-​overly-​friendly, the drinks are not that exorbitantly priced, it has music and live DJs, and some rad décor. This bar is a bit of an anomaly, so if you’re looking for something different, check it out!

Bristol scores big for being one of the most aesthetically interesting places in town. It takes a hit for scandalous drink prices and a couple of bartenders who need to cool it on the gay, sophisticated, thin and bitchy tip. I witnessed some break dancing there on one memorably torched night which made me swell with admiration and a renewed desire to learn to break. I’ve met fun-​loving people there, but some of the staff are – alas – convinced of their own importance to a degree which is painful to witness.

A minimalistic mod martini bar, Bristol used to be one of my favorite places. Three great bartenders (and countless crappy ones) later, Bristol has stumble quite a bit. Bring Marshall back from NYC and Garnett back from Minnesota and Yoman back from Spice Bar (Spice doesn’t let him light the bar on fire like he used to at Bristol anyways) and I guarantee this place will be bumping again.
Nothing else has really changed. The floor-​to-​ceiling bamboo walls are still über-​cool as are the bathrooms (despite a sink so shallow you can barely fit your hands under there to rinse them). I’ve always loved the 25 foot tall bathroom doors, and the way the minimalist design continues with the mod finishes in the restrooms.
Peter is right about the neighborhood. I live only about three blocks from this joint and I am not walking there without a friend, or five. Or some sort of weapon. I always wondered how a mod-​martini bar was going to survive sitting on such a ghetto corner (same block as the liquor store) but it’s still there. Somehow.

The main reason I love the bar scene in Columbus is that it’s more «walkable» than any other that I’ve experienced, possibly with the exception of the Lower East Side in New York. Bar crawls are possibly in almost every neighborhood of the city, which always makes for a lively (ie «drunk») evening that you may or may not remember the next morning. Which is why I hate this place. There is absolutely no reasonable way to get here unless you take a cab. Besides that fact that driving after getting shellacked on martinis is something I’m morally opposed to, driving to Bristol is a death sentence in the making. How the valets don’t get knifed in the alley while running back to their post after parking a car is something I’m very curious/​concerned about. To put it layman’s terms– this is not a neighborhood you’d want to be on foot in during daylight hours, let alone once the sun goes down. With that in mind, it’s not hard to imagine why there’s nothing else in the immediate vicinity besides a pager/​check-​cashing place where drug dealers go to get a new disposable phone every week so the feds don’t get up their ass. It’s that bad. Refer to the Dave Chapelle skit where he talks about getting dropped off in the ghetto of DC by a limo driver. You know, the one where a baby tries to sell him weed.
Once you finally make it inside Bristol, you’ll feel as if you’ve been transported to a parallel universe. The lights are low, the house music is loud, and the drinks are stiff. Sure, it’s not cheap, but would you want to be drinking at a place in this neighborhood that sold beers for a dollar? I think not. Your best bet here is to get a dirty martini straight up, find a couch to drink it in, and let the not-​so-​subtle sounds of whatever’s next in the world of house music lull you in to a coma. The dance floor here has always been deserted when I’ve been here, but that’s not to say that it looks like a prime place to bust a move and show your stuff. No one will care. Bristol might as well offer hookah while they’re at it to keep the vibe as innocuous as possible. Think of his lounge as the medium ground between the highly stylized mayhem that takes hold of Spice every night and the laid back nonchalance of your favorite dive bar. Not for everyone, and probably not for me the more I think about it, but Bristol’s been open long enough to cultivate it’s own unique spot in the Columbus nightlife scene that’s got more than enough clout to keep ‘em coming weekend after weekend.

See Kevin’s updated review, and this Mojito recipe, or any other that doesn’t include sour mix:
Techno music, minimalist décor (if you can even call it that), and a round of bad drinks — $ 23 + tip. Leaving to go to another bar — priceless. Although I suppose I should take partial blame for ordering a Mojito here at all, they should be ashamed to serve it just the same — and the other drinks were also subpar.

Well, Bristol Bar has definitely gone downhill since I last visited. This time I went with my brother and his fiancée, and the drinks were just plain bad. The mojito was made with sour mix (?!?) and the martinis we had were so bad we didn’t even finish them before leaving.
The space is still nice but the neighborhood has not yet gentrified and frankly the drinks (and probably the clientèle) have gone downhill. I probably won’t be back.

Bristol’s happy hour is great. You can get amazing martinis for about $ 3. Can’t beat that anywhere.
I also like the interior. It’s a great space to chill.

one of the coolest interior spaces in columbus. if someone asked me «if you could choose any bar in columbus as your aparrment, which would it be?» Bristol would be it. unfortunately, then i’d also be living in one of the worst neighborhoods in columbus.
prices are decent at best, has a unique back/​alley deck (door across from bathrooms), typically attractive and eclectic clientele. a good recommendation to change the pace of your typical weekend bar scene.

I really really really love Bristol Bar. It feels like home — that is, If you’re an almost-​alcoholic, dance partier, with a penchant for well designed spaces and a good DJ lineup — like me.
True, the crowd mostly screams late twenties sorori-​stutes (I ganked that one) and their yuppie collared shirt boyfriends. But when I roll up in my sneaks and hoodie, I don’t get treated differently and everything is all cool. Bartenders know how to mix a drink, the bar manager has got lots of showmanship (setting off the smoke detector one recent Saturday), they always have great drink specials, and there’s never a cover. I’ve gotten plenty sloppy here and my bar tab has never been over $ 20 (with a 50% tip included).
One more reason why i LOVE Bristol: unlike Bar Louie or Sugar/​Patio or Skully’s, the crowd is ALWAYS a mix. I like boys and there are always plenty of white boys and gay boys, black boys and yellow boys, brown boys and big boys, smart boys and fug boys for me to drunkenly hit on. So ladies (and gents), bring your game.

They have a great bottle selection as far as beers go. The place is a bit on the spendy side, but the happy hour (from 6 – 8) runs a bunch of selections for 2 bucks.
The atmosphere is pretty nice all around.

Bristol is a fun place if you’re looking to dress up a little and act a bit more classy than you really are. The little coffee table-​esque seating arrangements are nice if you’re with a group of 6 or so.
It’s a bit pricey, but you’re supposed to be acting a little classy so get over it.
Drinks are great. Décor is great.
Here’s the thing — BEGIN your night there. Don’t plan on staying much past midnight because the bar becomes entirely overcrowded and the 2 – 3 bartenders they employ aren’t enough.
And because of the location, use valet if you’re the designated drunk driver or simply hail a cab. Just don’t let the location fool you — once you’re there, it’s not bad at all.

Chic design, great revamp of an old brick building. Was a little disappointed with the martini’s though, they were all a little too candylicious. Yummy, yes, but a little too sugary, kind of took away from the depth in flavor I was expecting (they were definitely creative and enticing, but just needs more stiffness and bite.) Pricey for Columbus. Definitely a chill feel, maybe too chill… but cute. Love the design and style, worth checking out. Feel like its still growing up.

when I lived in columbus, I went here once, and it was fun, we had good martinis, and it was a nice chill atmosphere, in what to me seemed like a very random area, you should definitely check it out, I think it’s one of 2 cool bars in that city.

I love Bristol – The martinis are divine (try the pomegranate) and innovative (I bet you’ve never had a chai martini); The beer selection is fantastic; The atmosphere is chill, mellow and beautiful (check out the sinks in the bathroom). The location is a bit out of the way, but I think it prevents it from becoming a social zoo.