The Crown

The Crown’s just. one of those places you end up in Bristol at least once or twice if you look like me.
It’s an alternative place, but beyond that it’s no different from any other establishment. It has beer, picnic tables outside, toilets, an array of greasy food all with added metal.
It’s a safe bet, worth a hit if you’re around the area or you’ve been somewhere else — or heading on elsewhere, but I wouldn’t gather the masses for a night out just there in particular.

I ask the barman for a Mucky Duck and a meloncholy glint in his eye tells me I’ve chosen poorly. Shaking and pint-​handed, I perch by the greasy window and watch the lonely people saunter by. Life. It moves fast doesn’t it?
I remember the days of yore when a youthful whippersnapper like your humble narrator would canter down to the Crown just to keep the wolf from biting at his flip-​flops. Back then, you had to suck your porter of choice from a keg with an iron straw for a guinea a pop. Tiring? Tedious? It was all three, and often you’d crawl back to the hay of your mud palace more sober than when you left it.
You’d expect age old traditions to prevail but alas, government regulations now mean that ale must be served in the pint format, and that customers can’t be clotched for being a funny colour or gender.
The modern-​day Crown clientele? Uggers, buggers, bugbears, bogmen, bigger boys and beggar bobs (and that’s just during the ides of March). Being the 21^st century, you do get an intolerable harem of women in there as well, flashing their fleshy toggins at any low-​life collier that beseeches them. A quick death stare should suffice as protection.
If you’re feeling nutritionally deficient, they have a range of condiments to dip your shredded beer mat in. I recommend Heinz’s black hog marmalade. Don’t risk contracting cholera in the toilets though — go down the road and use the old Victorian fountain instead.
Now I must avaunt, intoxicated with reviewing; carried by the acrid stench of your business, public service or establishment; slander and bile in my heart eternal.

I’ve put on 3 events at the crown pub in the cavern club downstairs. The staff are always really friendly and helpful and Ive never had to pay for the venue because they always make enough behind the bar. Cheap beer and friendly faces, what more could you ask? well if there was one thing, more healthy food?

This grubby old pub plays host to what it calls the «alternative music» scene in Bristol, and you’ll have gathered from other reviews that this is specifically metal and rock music. I am truly surprised about this; I visited during the day for a lunchtime beer, and it felt no more exciting or «alternative» here than any other old man pub I’ve ever been to. There were just blokes sitting about drinking pints. But, I suppose I was just there at the wrong time of day, before the pub transformed into its nighttime altar ego.
As Will P says, don’t be put off by the identity of this pub as a live rock music venue. The actual music goes on downstairs in the basement, and upstairs is just a pub, and it’s in quite a good location, tucked inside St Nicholas Markets. I was looking for refreshment in an old pub during a market shopping day, and that’s what I got.
So, a bit of a Jekyll and Hyde venue, it seems. But that’s not a bad thing. It’s in my list of «Pubs Plus»; that is, pubs that offer something over and above the basic pub experience. There are a few like this in Bristol, and it’s always quite hard to tell what these pubs are hiding behind their old beer barrels.

This is basically the Hatchett’s smaller uglier little brother and by that I mean it is filled with the same sort of clientelle (Goths and emos), but the pub itself is smaller, not as well decorated or aesthetically appealing and is located in the crap part of town (near Corn street).
The prices are fairly cheap though, which is one of the main reasons, sorry the main reason I go in on occasion. I actually find Goths and emos quite inoffensive so I don’t mind sharing a cheap pint in their company. If you’re of a similar persuasion to me, or indeed are a goth or emo then this place is a sure thing. It never really gets that busy, even on the weekends so you’re always pretty much guaranteed a seat.

The rough and ready Crown tries to be cheap and cheerful but comes across more as dirty and dreery. A bit of a rock pub, everything in here is lowest common denominator.
The food menu is basic, while there are deals on lager and inexpensive ales. They also have cheap pool tables, quiz machines, Sky Sports and seats out the front. Oh, and a club in the basement — The Cavern — which caters for all manner of alternative sounds, from techno and breaks to goth and rock.
Due to the general griminess of its interior — and clientele — this place is never the sum of its parts. The Crown could do with a good polish.

Heavy metal’s home in Bristol, if you’ve never been to a rock pub like this then at least go along for the novelty. On any given day, the pub will be fairily evenly divided between goths, bikers, and gaggles of emo teenagers with violently coloured hair. Definitely don’t be intimidated, everyone you’ll find here will be far more polite and well mannered than other bars around the area.
They have the usual selection, plus a few beers I’ve never seen anywhere else. One, liquid metal, can’t really be recommended but at £1.50 it is obscenely cheap. The music will, of course, be some variation on punk, rock, and heavy metal. There is seating outside, though, to escape it. As the Crown is situated on a back alley, sitting out here is reccomended even if you don’t mind the music.
Despite the crowd it attracts, don’t be apprehensive about visiting The Crown, it’s a decent pub and actually quite civilised for Bristol city centre.

The Crown tends to draw in the same crowds. It’s never too busy, not even on a weekend and if you are just desperately looking for a drink on Friday and can’t get in anywhere, this may be a good place to start. Handily located on the slope leading up to St Nics Market, there are a number of benches too which are great on a Summer’s evening. The price of a pint aint too bad either.

I didn’t know about this club until my mates started running a breakbeat night there called Dead Edit. It’s an intimate little club underneath The Crown (which is a goth/​metal/​alternative type place). Entrance is usually really cheap, as are the drinks. Due to the fact it’s not very well known there is normally a good atmosphere down there because the only people there are people who know about the night and have deliberately gone there (doesn’t get those random violent pissheads you get in many city centre venues).
Nice bar, good crowdgood music. Check it out!

really love this pub cheap drink friendly staff and a good mix of people
there is weekly events that take place in the downstairs club
all in all this is a wkd place

The Crown is pretty much the Hatchet but lifted up and plonked down near the chav central that is Corn Street. Its a bit gothic, and a bit seedy, but its great!
The drinks are cheap, which is pretty much all I look for in a pub, and the staff are funny and friendly. Theres 2 pools tables and a club venue downstairs which is available for bookings (its cheap as chips too, £100 quid which gets repaid if they take £500quid on the bar). A good pub!