The Hobgoblin

The Hobgoblin is a great little pub on Gloucester Road that serves some of the best burgers and slow cooked meat in the land!
I’ve been going to the the Hobgoblin in various different reincarnations for years. Back in the day it was a no nonsense drinking pub that had the same old local faces in it week after week. However the pub closed its doors due to extensive repairs that needed to be done and unfortunately didn’t reopen under the same landlord. At that time it felt like Glozy Road had lost part of its soul!
Role forward 10 years and after various failed attempts at bringing back the Goblin the current owners have managed to pull off one of the best, if not the best pub’s on the road. It’s no longer your spit and sawdust drinkers pub, it still has its original character but now with food and a modern touch to the place. (Think pulled pork, eating challenges and red fireball aniseed shots)
If you’re big on meat there are some amazing burgers. I can highly recommend the Squealer: a half pound burger with cheese, bacon and pulled pork. The first time I tried it the bar lady that served me told me ‘you can’t have a squealer without a side of spicy onions to whack in it’ and she was right, highly recommended!
There’s also chicken wings and beef brisket baps on the menu along with their famous dirty dirty fries — a mountain of fries tossed together with blue cheese sauce, chilli spice and pulled pork. Legendary!
Oh lastly one other dish to mention — the Turkey Swiss. Slow cooked turkey and crispy streaky bacon with melted Swiss cheese in a cheesy bap. That’s definitely a favourite!
It’s worth noting that all the slow cooked meat is cooked in a smoker authentically in the garden!
If you’re after a challenge then try out the Kraken: a mountain of burgers, pulled pork, chicken wings and spice served with a mountain of dirty dirty fries that you could live off for a month! Be warned though… Legend has it there’s only one guy who has ever conquered the Kraken!
The pub has a great atmosphere day and night. Defo worth a visit.
Recommended: while it’s not really a sports pub, there’s always a great atmosphere for 6 nations rugby when it’s on.

This is one of the best places on glos road for a reasonably priced and tasty meal. The food is pretty filthy, but that’s filthy in a really good way! All sorts of amazingly tasty burgers with different fillings as well as sharing options, in particular the dirty dirty fries. They are the best! If you are on a diet this isn’t the place for you, but if you want a bevvie and some damn tasty food, this is the one!

One of my absolute favourites on Gloucester Rd, a chilled atmosphere, friendly staff and reasonably priced drinks. The highlight for me is the food, I highly recommend the pulled pork sandwich, smoked daily in their garden, which comes with plenty of fries, it’s a naughty treat not to be missed!

So, it seems the Hobglobin hasn’t been reviewed for around 4 years, and oh my, in that time, it got gooood!
After a brief name change and temporary vacancy, the Hobglobin is back. And it’s back with BIG food.
Although pulled pork is ‘in’ at the moment, the Hobgoblin do it very well. Huge rolls filled with Mexican marinated pork with slaw and pickles on the side. As well as the big pulled pork rolls they do mountain sized burgers that look deliciously threatening; cheese rolling down the sides and buns shining from the grease. But the best thing on the menu is the ‘Dirty, dirty fries’ which were ‘born out of a hangover’. The Dirty, dirty fries are a huge mix of fries, pulled pork, melted cheese and spicy sauces. They really are amazing!
The Hobgoblin has a food challenge called ‘The Kraken’. I can’t remember everything that’s on it but it involves lots of meat, dirty fries and chicken wings. I don’t think anyone has completed it within the hour yet.
Their pulled pork is smoked on site, burgers homemade and meat locally sourced from a Gloucester Road butcher. Probably bought with Bristol pounds and wrapped in an evening post, too!
The décor is casual and the bar serves your normal lagers, beers, ciders, cocktails and shots. While the emphasis is on the food at the Hobgoblin, you’ll still find a few groups just there for drinks.
This isn’t a first date place but it is a great place to meet mates and tuck into great, dirty food.

The name alone intrigued me enough to go in! And I am pleased that my curiosity drew me in. The Hobgoblin comes from that successful breed of pub resteraunts that seem to be the heart and sole of one area. Upon my entry the locals where bantering away and people just passing through had popped in for a quiet meal, there were a couple of students playing darts, all nothing particualry special, but enough to give this place a bit of heart.
I had the ‘Wychwood Hobgoblin’ cask ale, i’m guesing it’s the chains stable ‘we have our own beer’ drink. It was nice and thick tasting with a slight fruity after taste. Other than the Wychwood the ale selection was nothing special, but what you’d expect I guess.
Nice for a stop and break during the day, or a socialble pint in the eve.

I have only been in here once, and unfortunately it was on a football night. It was packed and I could barely move. What’s more a glass of wine cost me upward of £3 which I thought was really very steep for Gloucester Road. I ended up having to spend the entire night soberly drinking diet Coke.
The floors and tables are a bit sticky, however there does seem to be a good atmosphere. There is always people in here no matter what time or day which suggests to me that it must be a good way to spend an afternoon. The beer garden would be OK in summer I guess, but not much use in the rain or cold (apart for the use of smokers).
I’m literally torn in half with this place. On one side its expensive, overpriced and a little bit tacky. On the other, it has lots of TVs, seats and tables, and there is a good feel to the place… hmmmm best bet is to try it out for yourself!

A pretty average pub mid way up Gloucester Road, it’s another honest place with no frills — drink in peace and quiet (mostly, unless it’s a match day), and don’t expect too much more. They had a few open mic nights here a couple of months ago, though they seem to have stopped now, but it seems to be the kind of community orientated place that hosts things like that. Its selling point is the back yard, which is a nice area to have a quiet drink in an evening. There’s even a couple of outdoor sofas you can kick back and relax on (under a shelter), and there’s plenty of heaters for these colder nights.
At £3.20 for a standard pint it’s a little steep, wine’s equally expensive, but there’s a few ales on tap which bring the pricing down, and a few good quality bottled ciders so maybe that redeems the prices.