Interesting place, lots of history, but staff too busy to steer you to a decent brew.read more

Back open July 2021 and now on the right path with loads of great beer and all the clutter gone…read more Loads of seating outside. Yes!

Mackies is a bit of a strange bar. Inside it looks as if it has been half decorated then just left…read morealone for a good couple of years, but yet from the outside it looks quite sleek and modern. I went in here once on a long bar crawl from the Arches into town but I don't think I would return. The music was ok I guess. It was a bit of a mixture of genres to be honest but I guess if you were only popping in for one drink then that doesn't really matter. Prices were high, especially considering most of their custom is probably students. There is also your standard Pool table which is usually taken up by a couple of old men for most of the night. Yeh, I probably wouldn't go back, but it is an alright place to stop en-route to town.

I can't really make up my mind about this place, it just seems like somethings not quite right. The…read moreowners have put the effort in to try and transform it into a trendy hotspot but it seems that things haven't quite worked out as well as intended, because on the occasions I have popped in here it is fairly lifeless and quiet! Aside from this though, the bar does actually look quite modern on the inside, with comfortable leather seating and a good bar. There is also an area that turns into a kind of dance floor late at night, which would be good fun if there were enough people to dance... Mackies has a pool table at the back aswell, so if you like a game of pool then it might be worth popping down with a couple of friends if you live near by as you'll probably have more chance of securing the table than in a busy pub. Another good thing about this place is that they have outdoor seating, and on a summers evening it would be a nice place to sit in the sun with a drink, but I would probably only stick to the one and then move onto somewhere else as there just isn't that much buzz about the place.

10 Feet Tall is a cooky and eccentric vintage looking bar sister to buffalo bar and Mr Smith's that…read moreserves so great meals with wonderful drinks. As if that wasn't enough it hosts live music certain nights and quiz nights. It once hosted a Doctor Who themed quiz night. If that's not enough to please you then I don't know what will! I was luckily enough to go to a staff party in their function room upstairs with a full bar. The whole mood and atmosphere is very relaxed and we all had an excellent time there. They even supplied us with their food. They food looks unique and tastes incredible. Although I was confused to deciding whether what I was eating was a roasted parsnip or a well cooked French fry. To this day I still don't know what it was. This bar is a great place to hang out in groups. It's a friendly place that offers a variety of cocktails and it has a happy hour. The only thing that brings it down slightly is the prices like it's sisters Buffalo and Mr Smith's. So prepare to dig a little deeper in your wallet. 10 Feet Tall is a wonderful bar where you can enjoy a lunch or have great night out with all the events that they host. Just be warned you may spend a little much. I would go after pay day!

I'm a real fan of this place, even if they have no idea what a Cosmopolitan is. They've never got…read moreit right, but the resulting drinks are always drinkable, at least. This bar opened just before I went away to New Zealand and it has been a very pleasant rediscovery on my part. Great nights have been had here, and as I'm not really a fan of just getting too drunk, this is a wonderful place to get tipsy and chat about the Enlightenment. Atmosphere really is the thing that sets this bar apart from others in the surrounding area. And atmosphere is the one thing that keeps bringing me and my cohorts back time and time again. It's classy and funky without seeming snobbish in the slightest. Which is quite an achievement, I think. An excellent place for a night out, or the beginning of a night, if you're that way inclined. Best to get there a little earlier to claim the seats and fill up on tapas.

The waitress was very nice, seats and musics were great. The 2 for 12 drinks are really bogos for…read morethe same drink not mix and match. They were really good but made light on the alcohol. Both drinks 9/10.

Mill Lane, or the 'Cafe Quarter' as Cardiff seems to slowly be rebranding the area, is full of bars…read moreand restaurants (very few cafes, actually). This is the kind of place that will become packed any day after work when the sun is shining. Each place has tables and chairs on the pavement in a very European-feeling setting with trees and waiters and glasses of rose wine dotted about. Mocka Lounge is one of these places, and, very much in its favour, is one of the few places that remains a happening and well visited place during the entire day and not just coming alive in the evening like many of the others. This is a great place for a sophisticated drink and bite to eat at lunch time and late afternoon, and then stay sitting and watch the nightlife awaken around you as the sun goes down. One of the most attractive and friendly places along Mill Lane, this place is certainly worth checking out. Lovely.

Tucked away down a backstreet near central Bristol, you probably know the Seven Stars better as…read more'that place next to the Fleece and Firkin'. There's good reason for this: it's because it's that place next to the Fleece and Firkin. It's at its busiest when there's a gig next door, as people nip in for a pre-gig pint (my mate once saw Rik Witter playing pool in here; I'd just like to make it clear that I wasn't there and that I'd never pay to watch Shed 7). They also do free gigs of their own of the predominately acoustic nature on Sunday afternoons, sometimes with cheap beer offers thrown in. An old man's pub, the place itself is a little olde worlde with ales on tap, an aging clientele and a pool table around the back. Not a place to seek out, but if you're in the vicinity or there's a gig on, it's worth a look for a quick pint.

I only popped in for a quick half five years ago and I've been going back ever since…read more This pub is tucked away in the backstreets of Bristol, and I would never have thought of going had I not been going to a gig at the pub next door. But what you'll find at Seven Stars is a range of ales, a laid back crowd and a relaxing atmosphere. It's not the most exciting of venues, but it's reliably enjoyable - best to visit after 9pm.

Porter's Cardiff is a brand spanking new bar next to The Big Sleep Hotel and opposite the CIA…read more(Motorpoint) so really central! All the staff are really friendly and they have a great range of drinks. You can buy cheap pints or more specialised flavoured beers. It's a really big space which you can sit around and chat with your friends or get up on stage where they have a piano and have a good ol' sing song! This did actually happen on Saturday night. Who doesn't love an impromptu sing song?! They also show the rugby on the big screen in the main room. Oh, how could I forget? They also have another room with a cinema in it! Beautiful red velvet seats and great films. I've had a great time here and in one night have managed to have a good sing song, a dance, some wonderful chats and watch some cartoons. They also sell pizza and flavoured popcorn. GET THERE NOW!

Lovely bartender, who couldn't have been nicer. That said, not sure how this is the second best pub…read morein the city. Place smelled like it hadn't had a good scrub in a while, table was sticky, smelled of stale beer and alcohol, food was fine.

The oversized wine glasses somewhat desperately scream 'We're a classy wine bar, honest!', so…read morehaving our drinks come in them I was a bit dubious at first. However, this place turned out to come up with the goods. A standard glass of wine (slightly less than a third of their giant glasses) is about three pounds fifty, which is fair given the quality of the wines on offer. The selection isn't as big as you might expect, given the name, but you should be able to find what you want. Its got a good atmosphere, feeling busy but never claustrophobic. Kingsdown Wine Vault is good enough to be somewhere you don't just go for the wine. I'll finish with a bit of advice. It's located on a very quiet stretch of a road (I don't expect the neighbours complain about it though, this place doesn't attract the sort to start fights in the street) so don't feel like you've gone down the wrong road if you can't see anything that looks like a pub, just look for their brightly lit window. it's probably worth it anyway if you do get a bit confused looking for it anyway.

With its lovely quiet back garden and local (rather than studenty) feel, this pub is a good place…read moreto choose for a quiet drink and some good quality eats. There for a small birthday gathering last week, I was very impressed with the sharing platter of meats, cheeses and bread that someone ordered for the group. Nicely presented on a wooden board, it just looked really stylish, and was a lovely thing to have in the middle of the table for everyone to dip into. We were treated to a funny little violin ensemble - quintet, I think - who set up in the main area inside the pub and played for a few hours, which was nice, though there wasn't a stage or podium as such, so it did seem a bit as though a table of people in the middle of the pub had just suddenly got a bit musical. Quieter, lighter and gentler in atmosphere than its studenty younger cousin The Highbury Vaults, this is a classy venue, good for groups.

Good pub but order food before 5pm as kitchen was closed when we arrived... limited staffing as…read morestaff seemed rather curt and stressed. Just like most pubs it's dark wood and low lighting. Order your brew at bar. Average level of noise as folks celebrating life during holidays. Cheers!

Bar staff not particularly friendly and snappy when we asked about food being available…read more Very poor Sunday lunch: none of it was home made, cold Yorkshire puddings, cold roast potatoes and over cooked veg. We were gutted as we were so hungry. The pub itself is dark and atmospheric with loads of places to sit. There are pool tables if you fancy a game.