Colston Yard Bristol

Pretty basic but solid boozer, this!
Good for respite if you’ve just concurred Christmas Steps or preparing yourself to tackle St Michaels Hill (2 good excuses for a beer stop, lads!)
The Colston Yard is what you’d expect from a brewery pub: 3 – 4 ales, couple of ciders and a generic larger or two. Young staff with management out of site.
I’ve not eaten here before, but we were there last night, looked at the menu and didn’t think that much of it; Burgers, steaks, lasagne, blah blah blah!
Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with the Colston Yard, there just isn’t anything great/​wow/​different about it. It feels like a rural pub lost in an urban landscape.
No reason not to go in, no reason to go out of your way! Meh!

This place is quite a nice pub /​bar who has expanded their menu offerings since I’ve been here last, quite some time ago. They serve up olives, mussels, baguettes and jackets, club sandwiches, burgers, salads, curry and even steak — quite a diverse menu there. I guess that’s a good thing, because they can appeal to anyone and everyone that comes in.
Inside, there is usually a mix of students, and others who are older regulars. It is all neat and decorated nicely, but I feel it just lacks the cosiness that a more traditional pub has. Good for a quick drink in a pub crawl list, but its tried mix of traditional and modern vibes in here, don’t really work for me.

With extremely polite, warm and friendly staff, this is the ideal place to have a quiet drink and a good meal when you’re in the centre of town or have just stepped off the bus round the corner. It’s got all the warmth of a more traditional pub plus the sophisticated food of a top gastropub, and has comfy seating throughout, out the back and out the front.
When I came in here for a drink it happened to be the training shift of a new member of staff; I witnessed a full hour of the manager training the new guy in a lovely, encouraging and thorough manner, which was a credit to the establishment in respect of its approach to the staff and the customers.
The food menu is classy but essentially not fussy, with plenty of options along the jacket potato and sandwich line, and a gorgeous selection of burgers and steaks. The focus is on classics cooked excellently, in an atmosphere that makes you want to stay and order another drink.

This is a really under-​rated pub which is just a stone’s throw from the city centre. I came here with some mates looking for somewhere different to drink on a Friday night and was really pleasantly surprised. The pub re-​opened under the auspices of The Yard in 2007 and is really plushly done inside. It somehow manages to feel luxurious without being exclusive. It’s a Butcombe Brewery pub so if you are a fan of these ales there’s no excuse for not visiting. But it also has a great selection of continental beers on tap and more than 30 types of bottled lager.
The food here is also well worth trying– it’s sourced from a farm near Bath and is gastro-​pub fare with a twist. The French bread pizzas with curly fries are super but they also do things like antipasti plates, ginger steamed mussels and pigeon breast to a high standard. And then there’s more standard grub like baguettes and baked tatties on offer too. I’m surprised the pub isn’t more rammed as it’s really close to the Academy and Colston Hall. It’s also a great spot to enjoy an afternoon pint as the tables outside command a great view down the hill in both directions.

Colston Yard can be found off the beaten track, around the corner from Colston Hall and opposite the Children’s Hospital and is ideal for those seeing a show at Colston Hall or locals looking to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city centre.
Not only is the food absolutely fabulous (rustic and generously portioned) the selection of wines, beers and spirits they have will please even the most stubborn of drinkers. Great for groups or for couples, the atmosphere is warm and welcoming as is the service.

Colston Yard is located very close to the centre of Bristol but far enough to avoid the drunken mobs on a Friday and Saturday night.
They offer a large food menu and a fairly reasonable price, however I do think that it is slightly overpriced. The portions are large so you won’t go hungry, but I find that £5 for a jacket potato or a baguette is a little pricy. All their meat comes from a local farm in Bath which is good and their fish and vegetables also are locally produced.
The Colston Yard has a really nice atmosphere inside. There are always people inside no matter what day and they do a really good selection of beers and ales and there are apparently over 31 varieties of bottled beers from all around the world!
In addition, students and NHS workers get 10% discount on food.

We sauntered in for a late dinner last night. We arrived at about 9:15 and were promptly informed that the kitchen closed at 9:30 (which seems early for a Saturday) but they weren’t rude about it and I don’t think it affected our meal timing.
Following the suggestion from Janine, we ordered the Whitebait appy which was really good. A bit salty but it would have been really awesome with beer for happy hour or something, yummy.
I was torn between the well priced steaks and ribs but decided to get the Yard Chicken Burger that boasted bacon and brie toppings. Hubby went for the regular burger with cheese. I ordered a glass of Pinot with it, I’m not sure what type it was since I ordered before perusing the menu and the wine was just ok.
The chicken burger was tasty. The brie has slid off to one side so I started with that end and was full up before I got to the second half anyways. It was a quite good sized burger and the bread was nice. I usually despise white breads but this one was a bit chewy and not too soft, really good. The french fries were crispy and salty and a good sized chip. Not too skinny but not too fat either. I might come back again just based on how much I liked the fries.
My husbands burger was less satisfactory. The beef was cut with too much breadcrumbs or something that it was falling apart within the bun and didn’t have enough meaty flavour. Needless to say, he was dissapointed. I gave it a try and confirmed his gripe. It has a nice flavour but more herb and spice than beef.
The atmosphere in there was good. We felt comfy at the table and the waitstaff were pleasant and friendly. There was about 4 other tables eating while we there and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. The restaurant part is at the back of the pub and it had a more restauranty atmosphere than pubby. Good though.
I’ll go back and next time I’ll try something a little more adventurous. They had a risotto that sounded really nice and the place had the air that could handle cooking something more complex than burgers, so I’m planning on having that next. I’ll have to fit some more of those whitebait as well!

Perfectly placed for those of us that have to climb St. Michael’s hill to get home, this Butcombe pub is a real ale centred place that’s still got the hustle and bustle of a city centre place and feels fairly smart and cosmopolitan. Not too many old bearded men hunched over there pints here
The location probably means they get a lot of hospital staff and students, there has always been plenty of people filling it out when I went anyway. They do food and pull in a good trade for dinners, which are slightly more ambitious than usual pub fare.
Being a Butcombe pub there’s plenty of their ales on offer. They do have some fullers beers as well, including a favourite of mine, London Pride. Good selection of bottled beers too. Colston Yard is a busy city centre pub that manages to not be oppressively noisy or loutish.

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm Butcombe.
Those mourning the loss of the Brewery Tap shouldn’t worry too much, as at least they still sell ale in the new Colston Yard, and it no longer smells of rotting hops in the little side room.
The bar is very good quality — nice beer including lots of bottle beers, good choice of spirits, lots of cosy tables to natter round, attentive and friendly staff. The food uses local (well south west) suppliers and is probably best described as pub food with style as a menu. I have been here in small groups and in one very large birthday party and the food was excellent each time with lots of choice. I recommend their whitebait with aioli for starters.
They give discounts for pre-​dinners for Colston Hall and to nurses!

awesome place, relaxed, great music, huge range of really good imported beer and good choice of well kept real ales. good selection of perfectly served spirits and great local food. we had a great time here and will be going back!

The Colston Yard is somewhere to go if you don’t mind drinking or eating amongst the crowds! This place serves a vast range of euopean beers, and also a good selection of ales on tap. You can come here and drink something different every time. The food is second to none with a slightly more upmarket feel to it, rather than pub grub, but good all the same. The only thing that lets it down is the lack of bar staff at busy times. You can be waiting at the bar for a while, but I am sure that this is not a problem at quieter times of the week.

A really nice place right at the bottom of St Michael’s Hill and the top of the Christmas Steps — bright and modern but not to a fault. It’s a Butcombe pub, so you’ll find Butcombe Ales and not much else, but there are worse things to be stuck drinking (Brunel’s my favourite: D). The food is great, too, especially the chocolate fudge cake: P