The Bank Tavern is a bar in Old City, Bristol.
Editorially verified August 27, 2026 by Lewis Vaughan, TableJourney editor. Source.
Food program: Award-winning Sunday roasts and pub lunches
Tip: Sunday sittings for 2026 sold out again; weekday lunches need no booking and carry the same kitchen's cooking.
Address: 8 John Street, Bristol BS1 2HR
The Old Duke runs free live jazz and blues every night of the week on King Street, a Bristol institution in a cobbled-street pub dating from around 1775.
Signature drink: A pint of ale with the trad jazz band three feet away
Food: Bar snacks
Tip: Music is free every night; get in before 21:00 on weekends or listen from the cobbles with the overspill crowd.
The Famous Royal Navy Volunteer runs 36 all-UK beer and cider lines inside a 1673 King Street building, Bristol's Grade II listed craft beer flagship.
Signature drink: Whatever rotating UK keg line is about to run out
Food: Modern British pub kitchen and Sunday roasts
Tip: Locals call it The Volley; once a rotating keg goes it is gone, so order the interesting line first.
The Beer Emporium runs 32 keg and cask lines in vaulted cellars under King Street, the underground bar of Bristol's self-styled Beermuda Triangle.
Signature drink: A cask pour from the 32 underground lines
Food: Pepenero Italian kitchen with 20 inch pizzas
Tip: It pours until very late for King Street; the in-house Italian kitchen means the last pizza lands well after midnight.
The Christmas Steps pours local craft beer in a c1600 building on Bristol's medieval stairway street, with a free jukebox and a serious kitchen.
Signature drink: A local craft pint on the medieval stairway
Food: Fresh, local lunch and dinner menu
Tip: The pub anchors the bottom of the historic steps; Ahh Toots' cake counter sits across the lane for afters.
The Old Duke runs free live jazz and blues every night of the week on King Street, a Bristol institution in a cobbled-street pub dating from around 1775.
Signature drink: A pint of ale with the trad jazz band three feet away
Food: Bar snacks
Tip: Music is free every night; get in before 21:00 on weekends or listen from the cobbles with the overspill crowd.
The Famous Royal Navy Volunteer runs 36 all-UK beer and cider lines inside a 1673 King Street building, Bristol's Grade II listed craft beer flagship.
Signature drink: Whatever rotating UK keg line is about to run out
Food: Modern British pub kitchen and Sunday roasts
Tip: Locals call it The Volley; once a rotating keg goes it is gone, so order the interesting line first.
The Beer Emporium runs 32 keg and cask lines in vaulted cellars under King Street, the underground bar of Bristol's self-styled Beermuda Triangle.
Signature drink: A cask pour from the 32 underground lines
Food: Pepenero Italian kitchen with 20 inch pizzas
Tip: It pours until very late for King Street; the in-house Italian kitchen means the last pizza lands well after midnight.
The Christmas Steps pours local craft beer in a c1600 building on Bristol's medieval stairway street, with a free jukebox and a serious kitchen.
Signature drink: A local craft pint on the medieval stairway
Food: Fresh, local lunch and dinner menu
Tip: The pub anchors the bottom of the historic steps; Ahh Toots' cake counter sits across the lane for afters.
The Gallimaufry mixes bar, kitchen pop-ups and nightly free music on Gloucester Road, the all-purpose local of Bristol's longest independent street.
Signature drink: A negroni during the free evening gig
Food: Kitchen pop-up residencies
Tip: A rotating pop-up runs the kitchen, so check who is cooking this season before you set your heart on a dish.
Grain Barge floats Bristol Beer Factory's pub on a 1936 grain boat off Hotwell Road, with deck views straight across to the SS Great Britain.
Signature drink: Bristol Beer Factory ale opposite the SS Great Britain
Food: Pub kitchen on the water
Tip: The top deck faces Brunel's ship; time a pint for golden hour and watch the harbour ferries cross.
