From V-shed through to WG Grace, we've got the low-down on every grubby, grungy and damn-great 'Spoons in Bristol!
Everyone knows that students love a cheeky ‘spoons, be that for the fairly priced food (even if it’s microwaved) or amazing drink deals. Bristol, however, seems to have so many Wetherspoons’s that it’s easy to lose count.
There are many a story of half of a group of friends waiting in the WG Grace for half an hour when you realise the other half of your crew is waiting for you at the Berkeley. It’s honestly a nightmare. So, here’s the list, from worst to best, of the five ‘spoons in our glorious city centre.
The Knights Templar
The chances are you’ve only heard of this one if you’re a frequent traveller of Great Western Railway. This weird pub doesn’t really tick all the boxes you need from a quality ‘spoons trip. Firstly, due to its location, this joint is always full of business people or those necking a pint before they have to get on their delayed train to Birmingham New Street.
It all makes for a rather depressing atmosphere. It’s always packed, there’s never any seats, but they do a mean smashed-avocado bagel, so you can’t fault them on that.
A controversial one: V-Shed
There, I said it, I hate V-Shed. Most of my friends hate V-Shed; it’s loud, busy, dirty and full of drunk locals dancing on the microscopic excuse for a dancefloor. There’s always a massive queue for the bar whilst you’re forced to listen to Basshunter and the like. They even ID you at the door and it really takes away from the good old ‘spoons atmosphere.
It’s like they’re trying to be a budget version of SWX when it’s literally right around the corner. If I came to the pub to shout into my mate’s ear and step on super-sticky floors, I’d go to Steinbeck and Shaw (as long as it’s before happy hour ends.)
The Berkeley
The first thing I’m going to say about The Berkeley is that it smells of sick so that’s why it’s only in third place, and you know I’m right. It bloody stinks in there so I try and limit my visits to when I, unfortunately, happen to already be on the Triangle. It’s also always full of sports lads in thongs and bras so that also adds to my sense of being extremely uncomfortable in this ‘spoons.
They also seem to always be out of Strongbow Dark Fruits, so I never know what to panic-order when there’s a massive queue of beefy, naked men behind me. This being said, the Berkeley will forever be a classic and hold a tiny piece of my heart for all eternity.
Commercial Rooms
In my experience, the Commercial Rooms is a weird one because there are some people who’ve never heard of it. This Wetherspoon’s is great because it’s a chill place to pre-drink before going to Mr Wolfs or Thekla when the weather isn’t good enough for the Apple.
The building itself has the highest ceilings ever known to man and their food is always on point. The only problem with this ‘spoons is that it can be lacking slightly in the atmosphere, but when you’re with the right people, a Wetherspoon’s is the best place to be.
WG Grace
Ah, the Grace; the best Wetherspoon’s in Bristol, and rightly so. This ‘spoons has it all - the décor, the atmosphere and the bountiful supply of Strongbow Dark Fruits. The staff are the loveliest of all the ‘spoons and it even has seats outside which is a plus for all the smokers out there in Brizzle. It really is the best place to go and grab a cheap cider after a long day at uni. Long live the WG Grace.
Let’s go down to the WG Grace, have a nice cold pint, and wait for this all to blow over. This is probably actually what Simon Pegg said when he was chilling in the pub whilst completing his BA at the greatest uni on Earth (I love you Simon, please come back to Bristol).
