Grain Barge

First time visiting and I have to say I really wasn’t impressed, the staff were really unwelcoming and the food was below average. The steak in my sandwich was like an old boot.

The Grain Barge is in the perfect spot for a well earned pint after a stroll along Bristol’s Waterfront.
I usually pop in for a few pints but we got food too this time. I had the Steak and Ale pie with mash, gravy and roast parsnips, the food was lovely and very filling! Not the cheapest but good for a treat.
I had a nice pint of American IPA which I hadn’t seen before. There is a really good choice if beers and wine.
There is always a good mix of people and by 6 on a Saturday it was getting busy. If you sit to the left of the bar you can catch the last of the afternoon sun — very romantic!
I think the only downside was that they were playing Jack Johnson, not keen but that comes down to personal taste!

I like most of the pubs that stock the Bristol Beer Factory ales, mainly because I find that they seem to choose carefully where their ales end up in, and so almost all the places are places that are full of character. The Grain Barge is no exception. This pub is on a moored barge, and looks so fun the minute you spot it. I mean, who doesn’t like getting on a boat?
The food here is really yummy, serving up a small but very wholesome menu. I especially love the bread and hummous, it comes really bright orange (paprika, I’m guessing) with whole chickpeas stuck in there and the bread is home baked and quite heavenly.
It’s fun to sit here with a drink, watching the water for rowers or swans that come by from time to time. A real treat.

There certainly are no shortage of outdoor venues in Bristol, so on a gorgeous sunny day it can be hard to chose. Granted, most will be teeming with sun seekers but it’s good to sort the wheat from the chaff. With this in mind, the Grain Barge is a good call. As the name would suggest, it is indeed a barge/​boat with seating on the upper deck for those summer months (or winter if you are particularly hardy). It is quite a way out of town towards Hotwells but this is good in that it is often much less busy than it’s Welsh Back counterparts (think The Apple, The Thekla and The Mud Dock). It also hosts live music and while it’s never going to attract any big names, it does showcase some quality local talent. I’m told their food is ace too though I’ve never tried it myself.

Situated in a (yep) barge moored in Hotwells, the Grain Barge is one of my favourite places in Bristol for a drink and casual meal. The view — although regrettably not of the best part of the river — through the wide windowpanes is relaxing, complemented by the boat’s gentle rocking.
The food is good and reasonably priced, as are the drinks. Nights are themed such as tapas Tuesday, pie and pint Wednesday, steak Thursday. I’m a particular fan of the tapas which are tasty, innovative and unusually filling for £8.50.
I’ve never managed to check out one of the Friday night bands, but having looked at the line-​up a range of Bristol favourites seem to grace the barge, usually along funk, soul, Balkan, folk or jazz lines.

This used to be a pie minister pub, but they recently ditched the legendary local pie makers in favour of their own homemade versions. I went with a few friends a couple of weeks ago to check out these new and apparently better pies they were offering.
They only had two pies to choose from, yes that’s right, two! One was chicken and something and the other was some sort of vegetarian alternative. Being a confirmed carnivore, I went for the chicken option naturally and I have to admit, it was tremendous. It was the biggest pie I’d ever attempted to eat by myself and it was packed full of chicken. Somebody I was with had the vegetarian option and they seemed to enjoy there’s also.
We went on a Wednesday, when they have a pie and pint for £5 (I think that’s how much it was). This sounds great, but you can only choose one from a handful of their locally brewed beer and the one I had was terrible.

Set on the large boat that used to be Shoots floating restaurant in Hotwells, the location makes it a little tricky to get to from my side of the water. It’s well worth the effort, though, as this stylish, friendly little venue has fast become one of the most popular in the city. One of the main reasons is its versatility. The food here is really good and very reasonably priced. You can get pies, steaks and the like on different ‘themed’ nights, though I just grazed on some fries and humous when I came and it was very good.
You don’t have to eat, however, and a lot of people are drawn here for the quality of the beers (supplied by the Bristol Beer Company). And if that wasn’t enough, they also have local bands (with cheap entry) on Friday nights and seating outside with views across the docks. If you can’t find something you like here you really are a fussy sod!

Another Bristol boat based venue, this bar-restaurant’s niche (apart from being on a boat, obviously) is top quality ales. They’re attached to the Bristol Beer Company (which I have to admit I didn’t know about until I came here), a brewery in the south of the city, and only have their beers. The Sunrise, a pale ale, goes well with a bit of pie in my experience.
The food menu changes by the day — some days are pie days, some steak, etc. It’s well priced and presented, and you can get a bite to eat with a view of the harbour for a bit less than at the Glass Boat. Certainly worth the walk to Hotwells from the city centre. There’s music occasionally too, nothing on the Thekla, a little further down the road, but a pretty good atmosphere with the right sort of artist. The Grain Barge’s got good drink and food in a cosy (and floating!) setting.

The above times are for the restaurant, but you can come here and enjoy their beers from Tuesday to Sunday 12noon until 11.30pm.
The restaurant has specials on different days — Tuesday is tapas, Wednesday is lovely pie and Thursday steaks. Reasonably priced and they take a lot of pride in it.
On Fridays they have live bands playing from 8pm. It’s cosy and fun and reminds me of going to see local bands play when I was a teenager.
But I come here for the fantastic beer. This is connected to The Bristol Beer Company — an independent brewery in town which makes No 7, Sunrise, Red Dark, Exhibition and the drink that makes grown hairy men weak at the knees — Milk Stout. They also have a nice selection of vodkas.
The boat is moored in Hotwells so doesn’t get tacked onto any stag pub crawls but if you did want to have a mini crawl then may I suggest here, Bag O’ Nails (as long as there aren’t more than 5 of you) and a stiff uphill walk to the Hope & Anchor.