Strawberry Thief

I thought this was a really smart place to stop by and have a beer. The room is charming and beautifully decorated with William Morris prints and chandeliers. There’s a nice selection of Belgian beers and the staff seemed to know their stuff. The hard chairs weren’t exactly inviting and comfy though. It was also a little on the pricey side.

The Strawberry Thief is a very well presented Belgian beer bar, in an old part of Bristol’s city centre. On arrival we were greeted by very attentive staff, who showed us to our table. There is a beer menu with a nice array of beers, but I’d liked to have seen a little more choice, as I was slightly disappointed by the lack of Lambic beers.

The Strawberry Thief is probably the closest you’ll get in the region to a Belgian bar, but like the last reviewer I also feel it needs to be a little more snug to really set it off.
Its a new bar so I’m pretty impressed, definitely going back. Just a tweak here and there for perfection!!!

Visited these guys on their soft opening night, so I’m not sure how much the décor etc will change, but I was impressed with the menu — they had an extensive selection of Belgian beers — wheat beers, fruit beers, sours and saisons were all represented, and with a mix of prices points which was nice. As well as bottles they also have a handful of beers on draught, which didn’t seem to expensive either.
At the moment they’re not doing food but plan to in the new year, which I think would suit the vibe of this place better, as it is table service only, and the seating makes it feel more like a wine bar. However, it’s not far off the vibe a lot of bars in Belgium and Holland go for — it could just be a bit more snug in my opinion.
I liked the framed patterns (the name of the bar comes from that of a pattern by William Morris, who has a mural dedicated to him in the old printing works across the road), the colour scheme and the general look of the place, but think some moodier lighting and softer seating would make this place a bit more of a destination, or a place to linger. I’ll definitely be back though — my cravings for cherry beer will see to that, and they have my favourite (Kasteel Rouge) on tap!