White Hart

The trouble with traveling overseas is that you typically do not internet access with you wherever you go (the charges from ATT and Verizon etc are just absurd when roaming overseas) and so if you make a spontaneous decision regarding a choice of restaurant for example then you are on your own! No Unilocal or TxxxxxAdvisor to fall back on. Come on Unilocaler’s in England — MORE REVIEWS please — don’t leave it to the other guys
Anyway I digress. Made a spontaneous decision to grab some lunch at the White Hart. At first I was optimistic — barman was nice and the cider was cold. But it stopped there — a pretty motley clientele, a waitress with burns on her arm who kept going out to smoke (literally every 5 – 10 minutes) LESS THAN 2 FEET from the pub door so that the smoke kept wafting in.
And then there was the food, it was Sunday and the Sunday roast was of poor quality and tasted like it had been prepared elsewhere and nuked. Had a brief contretemps with the barman who insisted that the dry stale bread pudding was the way it was supposed to be. He seems to forget that I am a Brit and I know better. Never again…

The White Hart is a spit-​and-​sawdust pub — with extra spit and little sawdust!
You will generally find: old men, bus drivers (hopefully off duty) a couple of patients that have snuck out of the hospital for a sneaky pint and one lonely guy waiting for his wife to finish spending his money in Cabot Circus.
But that is part of its charm. It’s nobodys local and it’s not somewhere for a night out. But it is fit for purpose. Without the White Hart you’d have to sit in the bus station to wait for the bus — no thanks!
The White Hart is good at what it does; selling booze to those killing a little bit of time. For anything else — there’s everywhere else!

This place is often frequented by those getting away from the greyness of the hospital, taking their ill relative for one for the road (of recovery) and a sneaky cigarette.
Many also come here to escape the expensive eateries on offer at the bus station (often buses stop in Bristol for comfort stops).
Thirdly those frazzled by Primark seek solace here too.
…So on the whole quite a place of refuge. Not the best pub in the city but they’ve got beer on tap, so it can’t be that bad.

This old pub looks like its remained unchanged whilst all around it has changed. It’s next to the bus station (well placed if you need a recover pint after a long journey) and close to the hospital and Broadmead. As a result it pulls in a fairly mixed crowd, and is busy throughout the day.
They lay the traditional approach on thick here. This means hearty food, friendly bar maids, and lots of real ales. Fantastic in my opinion. To really appreciate the place go to the Bay Horse over the road, be slightly disappointed and come here for a much more satisfying pint.
They do the usual pub food to a pretty good standard. You can sit outside, but the parade of buses going past means this isn’t particularly pleasant, and there’s a park just round the corner if you want to get some sun shine (I recommend getting some cider from Tescos and spending an afternoon here, but this is getting off topic). A traditional and friendly place the White Hart is a great pub and particularly welcome in the city centre.

A popular haunt for med students and employees of the hospital, it’s tucked around near the bus station. If you’ve spent a hard day’s shopping in nearby new Primark or stepped off the bus, I’d recommend for a swift half. It is a bit stuck out of the way, but probably because it’s an old building and the city grew up around it.
Live music (of the pop-​rock variety), pub grub and low ceilings — what’s not to love (?!). Nothing remarkable, but I am a vehement advocate for its cosy seats and smiley staff because I’m worried it’ll get lost in the miasma of trendy bars and posh restaurants that are springing up by the day.

An old building in a wierd position — it looks like the city grew around it. There is an outside seating area at the front of the pub in the old bench style, but it faces a main road, so I’m not sure how comfortable you would be sat outside. When we visited it was january and freezing, so we headed indoors quick sharp.
The two things I remember are thin toilet paper and flat fosters. Make what you will of that.