O’Neill’s

At least O’Neill’s looks a bit like a pub, unlike some of the other larger chain pubs. That was me searching for something nice to say. To be fair some O’Neill’s in some cities around the country can be a really good laugh, this isn’t really one of them. But they serve a useful purpose for students and rugby fans.
The food is dirt cheap & I do remember scraping together the pennies to eat here back when I was at Uni. You can get a shepherd’s pie or bacon and cheese burger for £3.49 (even if you’re not a student) for example. That’s cheaper than MacDonald’s!
It’s a huge pub and gets very busy at the weekends. It is good for watching the sport, mostly egg chasing (rugby), as they have good sized projectors and a few plasma TVs dotted around the place. They also have a lot of huge booths for you and your mates to sit and play drinking games in.
But it’s another one of these cavernous pubs that lets in no natural light.

Some of the best nights of my life have been spent in the O’Neills chain pubs. My husband proposed to me at the one in Cardiff (romantic I know!) and I well and truly got over my ex-​boyfriend at the one in Bournemouth (several times!) so I come to Bristol and I’m well up for hanging out in O’Neills here. Often, the only good thing about a chain of pubs is you know what you are getting (she says begrudgingly gravitating towards Wetherspoons for monetary reasons). With O’Neills it’s a lot more than that. It’s always really laid back, the music is good (and not all U2 and The Pogues) and the food is amazingly good value for money. Veggie sausages, mash and gravy for £2.99 anyone? Yes please. Oh and of course they serve the black stuff, Caffreys, Magners and my favourite whisky of all Jamesons.

I used to actually live directly above this particular branch of O’Neill’s and for some reason, my flatmates and I would quite often find ourselves heading here for a drink — a fact that I mainly attribute to sheer laziness. It’s fairly cheap and often relatively quiet, which is unusual for a drinking establishment located on Baldwin Street. However it does tend to get busier on student nights, when it’s used as a cheap pre-​drinks place before they all head off to one of the numerous clubs in the vicinity. On more than one occasion, my friends and I found ourselves floundering in a sea of superheroes, doctors and nurses, zombies or whatever particular fancy-​dress theme the student masses had decided upon that evening. So, to sum up — it’s nothing special in here, but it does the job. If you looking for something a bit more civilised, then I suggest taking the short walk around corner to the pubs on King Street.

Another cheap chain bar, O’Neills is Irish in theme, and good for a quick bite and a pint. It’s definitely not somewhere I’d go to enjoy my dining experience.
You’d think that a chain restaurant would have high standards to uphold, but I dont think this is true anymore. I find that the independant places are far better quality than the chains, and it shows, cause this place is empty more than it is full.

I was drawn here buy the £1.99 meals (I’m a student!) but they are not worth that really! My meal arrived with brown, limp salad and a cold pannini. However the staff are cheerful and try and crack jokes which I guess lifted my mood. I don’t know if I would really go back, I guess it does beat a Mac Donald’s for lunch but not somewhere to go for a sophisticated date or good food!

The pub is comfortable and has lots of space. There are two tiers as losthour mentions so there is still some intimacy even though a lot of people are around. The food is quite good and the meals are cheap. It’s a nice place to relax and there is a section with a tv that has the football or rugby on if anyone likes that. The prices aren’t too cheap but not too expensive either.

Good location for a bar as it is next to Reflex and does quiz nights and kareoke nights along with bands every now and again. Is usually quite quiet, even on the weekend and well priced.
It has two tiers which is quite strange and a few machines for quizzes.