Robert Fitzharding

A visit to south Bristol’s Bedminster is always a step back to the 1950s or beyond. One-​legged prostitutes, shops offering utility furniture, street barkers selling rotten fruit, who knows maybe dancing bears and cock fights it’s got the lot. If you hold your nerve and keep walking from the direction of Bristol to the far end, then just around the corner you find yourself at the Robert Fitzharding. In keeping with its environs the usually high quality control of the J. D. Wetherspoon chain has somewhat slipped here. My burger was a bit burned on top, the chips looked like they’d been through the frier more than once, and the relish seemed a bit watery. Waiting for my food I heard a couple of locals puzzling over a five letter word they’d just found in the crossword in their paper: A piece of glaaaaaass is called a shaaaaaard? Well I ain’t not never heard of thaaaaaat. A trip to the gents was not so much Dickensian as positively Kafkaesque, requiring a climb upstairs and a walk down a winding corridor. Overall then not quite up to the maaaaaark!

Robert Fitzharding is very much a local Wetherspoons for local people. If you do decide to venture in, then expect surprised looks and wandering eyes as the regulars suss you out. After you’ve passed the initial few minutes, you’d think that you’d be left alone to enjoy your cheap beverage in peace. However, this isn’t always the case. Last time I was here (in the afternoon, please note), a guy came up to my friend and I and asked our opinion on the tricky situation he’d recently got himself into («two birds knocked up at the same time, mate»). I didn’t have much advice for him, but he seemed pleased that we’d taken the time to listen. So, in summary, it’s a pretty good place to visit if you’re bored.

I’ve had two contrasting experiences of this place. I once went in there first thing on a Sunday morning and have never seen a place so rammed at midday as the bar opened. I was thoroughly appalled. Then I realised I was standing in the queue with these people. But somehow I still managed to feel superior.
I also walked past on a Saturday night feeling thoroughly post-​Ramshackle hungover on the way to somewhere else when we decided to nip in for a quick cheapie vodka Red Bull to get us going. We ended up staying until closing and by the time we left we were on our way out clubbing again.
Basically, it’s a Wetherspoon’s so I’m sure you know the drill; the saving grace is there are some seats tucked away on the side so you can hide yourself away there and get pissed on the cheap if you’re in the mood.

I always pop in here for a bargain meal deal and a tipple, you probably won’t find anything quite so cheap and cheerful as this place. The atmosphere is lovely too, allthough it is mainly a pub it doesn’t have that dank, dark pub feel to it at all. They do a delicious burger, beer and chips for £4.49, and make sure to pop in on Thursday’s Curry club for an utterly delicious and well presented meal with loads of extras. They also do a Grill club which is on Tuesday and a Sunday roast club! I can never find a fault with them, good hygeine, always have the meal cooked on the table within 20 minutes, cheap as chips, what are you waiting for?!