Port Of Call

Tucked away on this little back street in Clifton you wouldn’t expect to find a proper pub, so it’s a real find!
It’s up a steep little lane past the the Kings arms and if you didn’t know it was there you’d easily miss it. That’s probably a good thing as we visited on the Friday before Christmas when everywhere was packed but we still managed to get a table.
Its just a really nice proper pub, completely unpretentious with a good selection of cask ales, pickled eggs and pork scratching’s! The décor is a little tired but that doesn’t take away from the homeliness of the place. My only complaint was prices, a pint of Guinness costing £4.30 certainly reminded me I was still in Clifton!
Another amazing thing about this place is a large courtyard out back. For the area it is a great size and I imagine it would be lovely in Summer.
If you like a good pub and find yourself in the area then I can’t recommend this place enough, but don’t be fooled into thinking the prices will be any different from the bars in Clifton.

Something of a rarity this one. A very unpretentious down to earth boozer in Clifton, serving proper pub food and drink at reasonable prices. If you’ve never heard of it or seen it before, it’s probably because it’s tucked away off Whiteladies Road and unless you know it’s there you’ll have no real reason to venture towards the place.
The Port of Call offers a relaxed informal drinking spot in an area that is need of more. it’s an intimate, small pub featuring a selection of real ales, cosy seating and a comfortable patio garden perfect for eating cheesy chips in. It’s a pub that the locals of Clifton love as it’s so un-​Clifton (makes sense in my mind).
With welcoming staff and a wide range of drinks and pub snacks, plus classics like the aforementioned classic cheesy chips, pies and scampi, the Port of Call is a rarity.

Around the back of Blackboy Hill lay a few pleasant surprises of the pubby nature:
1. The Red Lion (Worral Rd)
2. The Coach & Horses (Highland Sq) and
3. This Place.
There’s a steep walk to this backstreet local, but I for one think it’s worth it. The beer garden (concrete and small, but with a rooftop garden appeal) is great for supping a lunchtime pint or for munching on a cracking plate of ham, egg and crisps.
Inside on an autumn evening (perhaps) you’ll find two bars and a lounge area where locals and students club together for the weekly quiz.
Once you’ve found it, I can see why you’d want to stay. Warm, friendly and serving up perfect pints of Bath Ales Gem, Butcombe Ales and Gaymers Cider.

Port of Call is a pleasant pub away from the high street. This would be a five star place were it not for the prices. £3.30 for a pint of real ale really is a touch extortionate, and you can get it a fair bit cheaper at quite a few places near by.
They’ve got an excellent range of beers on offer, including a couple of real ales I hadn’t heard of before. The menu’s quite enjoyable, with something called Cornish Coaster and Cheesy Chips on offer, sounds delicious. They do sell a few slightly more traditional dishes as well.
They’ve managed to bridge the student-​locals gap, they’ve got a mixed clientèle that means it never feels too noisy or at deaths door either. Really would be more or less perfect if it wasn’t quite so pricey.

After an evening of strolling through Bristol, I’m glad my husband and I agreed to stop by here since all the other pubs seemed a bit too poshy for our taste.
It was a real «stick to your elbows» sort of place with a low-​key and comfortable setting. There is also a lovely garden in the back equipped with plenty of picnic benches. The baretenders are nice and this is definitely a homey place for locals.
Definitely a great place to wrap up our first day in Bristol.