Prince Of Wales

I’ve been going to the Prince of Wales for years to meet friends on a Friday night or a cheeky beer or 2 on Saturday afternoon. You can’t miss it, on the corner of the road with a mural of a Wale and Octopus painted across the front.
Until around a year ago I’ve been a little disappointed with the food which I feel has been overpriced with much better food of a similar natures at other bars, pubs and restaurants in the surrounding area. However the menu has had a complete overhaul and has hugely improved over the last year, so if you haven’t eaten there for a while I’d say give it a go. The evening menu is small but quality with the kind of modern, hearty comfort food you expect from a pub of this sort and at a decent price.
The pub can get very busy on a Friday and Saturday night and has a great buzzing atmosphere. The garden is usually the most lively place which consists of hanging fairy lights, casual trestle tables and overhead lighting for the colder months.
The drinks can be a little pricey but no more so than other similar establishments in the area such as the Flyer and the Hob Goblin.
I have been to the Prince of Wales many times over the last year with friends for a Friday night out or a quick catch up in the week and with family for a quiet drink and food. It caters for both excellently in equal measure depending on when you go.
Great pub

Whilst recently signing copies of my latest critically acclaimed masterpiece in Paris (France), I received a couple of lengthy emails from admirers expressing concern that I’d kicked the bucket. Lamentably not, although I did once desperately lick a bucket of vegan cheese, violently kicking it afterwards in frustration (and popping my brand new clogs in the process).
Such is life, and as a self-​confestered nillionaire mine has always been a barrel of guffs. The hopeless lies, the multiple sexual failures, the time I plugged ayahuasca and tried to throatfuck myself into a perfect circle; I bear all the hellmarks of a second-​crass Wankenstain.
In an attempt to push my life to its inevitably depressing conclusion, I often ingurgitate my favourite orange-​peel-​and-​Hovis-​crusts homebrew and let my two left feet do the walking. A weekend back, whilst chewing a nice stash of gum I’d found stuck to my doorstep (faint traces of spearmint, I believe) and zig-​zagging up Gloucester Road in an attempt to shake off the lice, I stopped to admire a secondary school aquatic-​themed art project in the borough of Bishopston, Bristol. It was only when a gaggle of pub-​golfers fell out of the mural and into the street in a riotous rip-​roar of «hilarious bants», that I realised that behind the façade of this photorealistic marine fresco was some sort of drinking hovel.
Waddling in and feeling unnaturally confident from an excess of citric zest, I casually placed an order at the bar with a highly polished combo of nods and winks: a pint of drink-​driver friendly Stella and a Sunday roast, no ice. Tumescent genitalia streamed. The Prince of Wales is a fitting name for a boozehouse full of murderous buffons in sperm-​encrusted woolen jumpers, although dyslexics may be letdown by the severe lack of Inkie rizographs of fat birds (and they call my puns «inaccessible»). After undoing the last few remaining buttons of my Polynesian tunic, I discreetly got to work on my usual apéritif of cyclizine, zolpidem and alprazolam with all the extras. Half a sloom later, a beta-​male with leather skin and harrowed fingernails plopped a platter of poultry and potatoes in a parallel position to my person, cunningly posing the question of condiments with the guile of a strung-​out chipmunk. «No mayonnaise!» he aggressively exulted, anticipating my choice from the colour of my countenance and the rhythm of my stutter. I felt so small right then, soothed only by a lonesome bandog that lapped at the gravy in my open palm like sugar water. Lovely little one it was.
I polished my pint glass clean with my tongue and sluggishly stumbled out into the midday sunlight, execution style. I was gaseous and fifteen quid down and it showed. I blankly stared into the windows of Maplin for four or five hours until I heard the door of the Grecian open for service like the bells of Pavlov. Being a natural, I complied.

The Prince of Wales is a seriously popular pub on Gloucester Road, and It’s clear to see why.
It is heavily but artfully graffitied on the outside but still manages to retain the look of a proper pub. Inside is a classic, no fuss british pub with pretty standard furniture and a central bar.
They have a covered outside area which is awesome. It has some amazing tattoo style graffiti over the back wall which is a great backdrop. The garden has a few long benches and when there’s a few groups together it creates a great atmosphere!
I’ve never eaten here but I’ve heard good reports. Not amazing, but good.
This is a great place to grab a couple of catch up drinks during the week or have a big night out between Friday-​Sunday. It can get mega busy and difficult to move, let alone get a drink. But it’s one of those places where you kind of accept it.

Prince of Wales is a damn solid pub. It has a hideous/​awesome blue graffiti façade (which apparently changes periodically), an extremely well heated pub garden (featuring gross smelly loos) and a range of alcoholic beverages. The crowd was a nice mix and it was busy on a Friday night but not so we couldn’t get a seat or hear ourselves speak. I’d love to have somewhere like this locally to hang out with my friends. Unfortunately nowhere in London is local/​near my friends.

The Prince of Wales is a very popular pub that’s hard to miss, with their very tranquil mural, which blends nicely with the sky and it’s surroundings in Gloucester Road.
It is a very friendly pub, who’s Sunday Roasts are not bad at all. The crowd that come in here range from families, to hippies, to trendies. Their beer garden out back is really nice and feels quite tranquil sometimes when the inside gets busier!
Pubs are pubs, but it’s nice that some of them have character and manage to stand out among the rest.

One of the friendliest, most relaxed pubs in Bristol, the Prince of Wales is a brilliant venue to choose both for a night out with friends and for a quiet lunch; it’s got the excellent quality of being suitable for different crowds at different times. It doesn’t shove a particular mood or atmosphere in your face; it’s the punters in there at any given time that create the atmosphere. And with the big, covered beer garden out the back, it’s no surprise that this is a fun and lively place to drink both on a sunny afternoon and in the evening.
But consider it also as a good place for a civilised pub lunch. The daily lunch menu here is fantastic, with some classy options such as cider-​battered fish with chips and tartare sauce, or lamb and mint wrap, or classic burgers, each priced at £5.50. They do a pretty high calibre Sunday roast here; serving is between noon and 4pm.
My only niggle is the toilets; they’re in a sort of out-​house in the back garden. This is great, of course, if you’re sitting in the garden anyway, but if you’re inside and you have to actually go outside (what if it’s raining and/​or freezing?) just to go to the loo, that’s not particularly enjoyable.

I’m sure this pub used to be a pretty straight down the middle, bland pub and it has definitely got ‘cooler’ and more interesting, while still keeping the traditional pub elements that make pubs in this country eccentric and special. Pub Pub Pub. Like a decent pub quiz every week and a car boot sales every last Sunday of the month
There’s a great beer garden that fits in with the whole funky image of the pub, they also have speakers in the garden so you can hear the same music as everyone inside. I know that doesn’t sound like anything that special but I hate wanting or having to sit outside and either feeling like you’re missing out or basically just not having music to listen to, eugh without music you have to make conversation, rubbish.
There is a really fun, lively, creative atmosphere in this pub and it is helped massively by the type of staff they employ.
The prices are reasonable enough considering the location of this pub; it’s basically perfectly positioned to catch the Gloustcter Road crowd and the Redlands’ students and this is reflected in just how busy it gets.
But don’t be fooled, this pub isn’t just for media and art students, people with proper jobs can go to.

I really liked the Prince of Wales when I was last here in Winter time and glad to see its still getting great reviews. It was really quite busy when I was here, and had a bit of a scrum at the bar, despite that, the people waiting at the bar were friendly rather than impatient and the staff were cheery, friendly and unstressed. As the guinness slogan says «Worth waiting for»,
Amazingly though there was a group of us, we got a table without a problem. I had a killer cold at the time and was deaf as a poke so was a bit lost to the conversation around me but there was a good buzz in the bar, great atmosphere and lots of smiley faces.

The Prince of Wales is perhaps best known for its eye-​catching exterior and cornerside location as Zetland meets Gloucester meets Cheltenham. All three are roads littered with bar after restaurant after café after pub, so to be situated at the intersection and compete with all three shows real fighting spirit.
Prince of Wales does a good job too. It’s pleasantly traditional inside, something of a surprise given the lurid mural adorning its façade. I can’t say I’ve tried it but the food is spoken of in reverent whispers. There’s extensive outdoor seating that is peaceful by day, raucous by night.
Despite the heavy competition, the Prince of Wales is a popular joint and definitely worth a look-​in.

The first time i drove past this pace i had a car full of mates on the way back from a rugby game. Immediately we were attracted to the brightly coloured outside, which makes the pub stand out from everything else around it, so attracted that we pulled over and had a drink.
The Pub Provided us with a wide range of ales and beers, which immediately put it in my good books. However it clearly put it in other peoples too as it was pretty full. It is a great place to relax with a cold bevvy in your hand whilst catching up with mates.

Another pub which is popular, which is the pub’s downfall in my opinion because it is always so packed that it’s difficult to get a seat and waiting at the bar to be served isn’t fun. As most people would agree, the outside garden is the best bit about the pub. There are two long tables under outdoor heaters, meaning that sitting outside in the winter is bearable.

The Prince has always been one of my favourite Bristol boozers– mainly because it manages to be something to everyone. Inside it is more like a traditional pub to satisfy the old soaks, but it also attracts a boisterous young crowd. It is painted with an incredible mural on the outside and has a lovely little heated and partly covered garden out back for the smokers.
I met the owner Anna once at Glastonbury once and she said that when she took over, she wanted to make it a friendly pub that appealed to people of all ages and was also known for its great grub. Mission accomplished. The food here is a real strong point. They use organic dairy free range meat (Tom Murray) dry goods from Essential, fish from Tovey’s and vegetables from the local veg market in Saint Philips. Dishes range from traditional pub favourites like huge roast dinner portions, pies and sausages and mash to jerk chicken, stir fry and chicken and chorizo salad.
The bar has a strong emphasis on draught beers and even stocks the pub’s own organic lager Charlie’s Pride which recently won the Bronze Medal Award in the Speciality Beers competition at the Newton Abbot Beer Festival.
But the POW also does great, cheap cocktails and satisfies punters’ thirst with regular happy hours.

This is just one of a number of great pubs on Gloucester Road. The Prince of Wales is very prominently placed and very distinctively decorated. It’s right on the main crossroad with Zetland Road and Cromwell Road. It is painted a brilliant blue with some interesting art work and it is quite big compared to most of the shop fronts it neighbours. Head here on a night and it is one of the rare places where you can always get a seat — but that doesn’t mean it’s quiet and sleepy. Far from it, there’s always a decent crowd of fun loving folk in here enjoying the wide range of booze, which includes Taunton cider. You’ve got to love a pub that has local beers and ciders on tap. The large, heated beer garden is a massive plus for this place too from Spring through Autumn and, if you dare, even in Winter.

I visited the Prince of Wales mainly because of the decoration on the outside (shallow I know!). It’s just so pretty! Inside its large with plenty of seating. It does get busy, but that (in my opinion) is a good thing… there’s nothing worse than a dead pub.
I have had a light lunch here one afternoon which was very good, but I’ve never tried the dinners. They serve the standard Beers and Ales, and the bar staff are efficient and lively.
All in all, worth popping in for a couple of pints on route to elsewhere.

At times I can’t quite work out who The Prince of Wales are trying to appeal to. The price of drinks is sort of on the expensive side, but not quite in the suits and young professional range, but their food is reasonably priced and is a firm favourite with a mixed bag of people on a Sunday afternoon.
Roasts being the thing they are most famous for at the moment. I’m not a big fan of Sunday dinner in pubs as they’re invariably rubbish, but The Prince of Wales roast is one of the best I’ve ever eaten. Only problem is a lot of people think the same way, so it can be very, very busy between 1 and 3 on a Sunday and they often run out of things.
Other thing the Prince of Wales seems to be popular for is smokers as they have a decent sized garden area that is partly covered. I thought smokers were on their way out, they’re not. They’re in The Prince of Wales pub garden.

My boyfriend used to live above here so I have seen this pub in its many forms. On a weekend night it is packed with students and locals enjoying the beer (Deuchers, Gem and Butcombe ale fans) and the covered back garden with long benches and patio heaters makes it a place to go all year round. During the week it has a more contemplative crowd enjoying the high-​end local and organic pub grub (about £6−10 a dish, served 10am-9.30pm Monday to Saturday and roast on Sunday is 12−4pm). It is also lovely on a Saturday afternoon for those recovery ‘hair of the dog’ type days. A slow pint, some friends and space to giggle about the night before.
The staff are quick and do well considering the sometimes deep crowd at the bar. They also stock Symonds cider — apparently a rare find here in Bristol and recommended by my friend Andy.

One of the most popular pubs (and I mean pub, not bar) on the whole of the Gloucsester Road — and it’s easy to see why. The interior is fairly big and usually busy, but there are lots of separate seating areas all round the large central bar, so it still feels quite cosy.
The real attraction, though, is the garden which has plenty of seating on long tables which encourages you to make friends with your neighbours. A lively place and good for a few before you move onto bigger and better things.

lways noisy and crowded, the Prince of Wales attracts a younger crowd than other pubs in the area. A good place to meet before going out for the night, especially given the location at the bottom of Gloucester road. However, it can feel a bit rowdy on a Friday night when a few people are using it for this purpose. Also, as its fairly cramped, you might find yourself having to shift around a lot to let people through. Not really somewhere for a quiet drink, then.
The pub is smoker friendly — the garden out the back is equipped with patio heaters. There’s a variety of ales and slightly exotic (to me at least) lagers, although some of these are a bit more expensive. The Prince of Wales is a fun, vibrant night out that should please most people.

Close to the Arches at the bottom of Gloucseter road and a short stroll from a number of bus routes, as well as Redland and Montpellier train stations there’s no excuse not to come here.
This pub was the first I was aware of that could be classed as a ‘green’ pub. All the food they serve which is excellent, a mixture of good old hearty english grub with a big injection of exotic fare, is all sourced locally. It also has one of the best vegetarian and vegan selections around. They have an organic ale on tap to (no carbon footprint here) alongside a couple of reasonable beers. Otherwise the drinks on offer are standard lager, wine etc with some posh soft drinks for the decerning customer. The toilets (which are out the back and are fairly clean and comfortable) are unisex which adds to the charm and the bohemian feel.
There is nothing in the way of TV’s, quiz or fruit machines or a jukebox but it really doens’t need it. The pub has a certain atmosphere of fun and a alternative coolness which is always present whether it’s empty of packed (the latter is far more common). I find it very easy to relax here, especially in the good sized beer garden at the back which is well heated through out the year. A family friendly place where all walks of life can be seen.
I went to one of the best new years eve parties here a few years back. It was fancy dress, and there was just the right number of people there to give it a good new years atmosphere without being packed. Good music as well!
The owners and staff clearly take pride in what they do which leads me to my one problem with this place and that the staff take their time to get it right so it can take an age to get served even when it’s not that busy. (This is a common trait for all pubs around the Arches but this place is the worst culprit).
Other then the wait, I highly recommend you come here for a meal and a night out. A great place to start or finish the evening.

This place has become my local haunt because the drinks are decently priced and they have a heated and mostly covered smokers room out the back, which always seems packed on Friday and Saturday nights. This is definitely THE Gloucester road pub for the winter smokers.
I haven’t tried the food here, but it always looks tasty and my friends say it’s great.
If you’re in your 20’s or under, and want to go down there, you might want to bring some ID because there are a couple of bar staff there who really will ID you if you look under 21. Boo yah sucks to be young sometimes.