First Orders
A lively evening outside The Old Duke in Bristol

First Orders pub guide

Find your kind of Bristol pub.

Our independent picks for craft beer, cider, music and pub gardens. Find a favourite, then build your route.

Build a pub crawl

Hand-picked in Bristol

The best pubs in Bristol?
Start with your kind of night.

A great pub for a cider drinker might be different from one for a jazz fan. We have visited every venue in this guide. Use these starting picks to find a place that suits you, then explore the full list.

Browse all 34 pubs

A few places to start.

Small Bar in Bristol

Craft beer on King Street

Small Bar

31 King St, Bristol BS1 4DZ

Specialist in independent craft beers on historic King Street.

Start here if independent craft beer is the main event. Its King Street address also makes it a useful pub to consider when planning a city-centre crawl.

Explore Small Bar
The Old Duke in Bristol

A night with live music

The Old Duke

45 King St, Bristol BS1 4ER

Legendary jazz pub near the harbour with nightly live music.

A King Street option for people who want music with their pint. Check the current programme before choosing a night around a particular performance.

Explore The Old Duke
The Apple in Bristol

West Country cider

The Apple

Welsh Back, Bristol BS1 4SB

Iconic cider boat offering a huge range of West Country ciders.

Choose the cider boat if you want something different from a beer-led night. Its Welsh Back location gives you another central Bristol stop to explore.

Explore The Apple
The Ostrich Inn in Bristol

A harbourside pub garden

The Ostrich Inn

Lower Guinea Street, BS1 6TJ

Perched on the edge of the historic Bristol harbourside, The Ostrich sits proudly with its huge pub garden and cosy interiors over two floors.

One to consider when outdoor space matters to the plan. The listing describes a large pub garden as well as indoor space for a change in the weather.

Explore The Ostrich Inn
Bag of Nails in Bristol

A pub with resident cats

Bag of Nails

Bag of Nails, Saint George's Road, Hotwells, Bristol, UK

Bag Of Nails features nearly a dozen cute cats roaming the bar.

The cats are part of what makes this Hotwells pub distinctive. Read the venue listing before deciding whether it suits your group.

Explore Bag of Nails
Mardyke in Bristol

A traditional pub night

Mardyke

126 Hotwell Rd, Hotwells, Bristol BS8 4UB

The kind of pub where you go for "just one" and somehow leave hours later, full of great beer and even better stories. Classic, welcoming, and dangerously easy to love.

A Hotwells option for a classic local-pub atmosphere. Its existing write-up puts the emphasis on a welcoming setting and an easy-going evening.

Explore Mardyke

Making a night of it? Our Bristol pub crawl planner matches pub preferences and puts your stops in walking order. Check current opening hours, events and venue policies before setting out.

Explore the full Bristol pub guide.

Browse every venue in our independent list, with its location, pub features and a link to the full write-up.

Friends enjoying a Bristol pub night

Make a night of it

Found your kind of pub?

Pick what matters and we will put matching Bristol pubs into a route that makes sense on foot.

Build your route

Why this list is shorter

Chosen in person. Useful in practice.

  1. We go firstEvery listed pub has been visited by us.
  2. We mix it upGood routes need different moods, drinks and stops.
  3. We keep it walkableThe planner turns your preferences into a practical night out.