The Hillgrove Porter Stores

Late night pub next door to the Hare on the Hill - if the Hare is too quiet for you then come over to this place. A little rougher round the edges but with a friendly welcome and a great jukebox choice.
Their beer choice is ever-changing. Regulars are from local Bath brewery Matthews including Brassknocker plus up to eight guest beers. They have roasts on Sundays and a choice of board games to play.
It is good to come here with a group of people as there is enough space to take people in and hold the noise.

Another Kingsdown pub, this one is particularly good. A bit of a haven on a cold day, it is lovely and warm. I recommend taking a break from the winter cold to have a few pints of cider here in one of its corners. They proudly tout their CAMRA Pub of the Year award which they probably got for the ever changing range of ales on offer (and gladly offering free samples), with plenty of obscure ones I hadn't seen before.

Although it's quite a traditional place their isn't too much a localish feel to the place. It can get pretty noisy and comfortably anonymous - you won't feel yourself getting stares from the regulars. Their big on events, with a regular quiz and open mic, both excellent excuses for making the trip up the hill if you're in the centre. There's food as well, with pub staples as well as a few more adventurous offerings like cajun chicken. A top quality pub that will be particularly like by beer aficionados.

These days, when asking for a gin and tonic in a pub, you can expect a cube or two of ice slung in a glass with a tiny squirt of gin and a bottle of tonic not even poured in. I was very impressed by the care taken by the barmaid at this particular pub - she even put lime around the rim of the glass and squeezed it generously into the drink. Excellent service.

The food menu will also make you chuckle (a cheesy grin is on the house, apparently) and appeals to most budgets, from cheap fish finger sandwiches to the more standard pub meals.

Coming here for the first time, you'll be made to feel very welcome, and will be a local before you know it. Also, make sure you check out the astonishing view of the city from the front door.

Usually, nothing is too special to make me trek up the dreaded Nugent Hill. However, Hillgrove Porter Stores is an exception! Roomy, traditional and with an outdoor area where you can have a lovely view of Bristol city, nothing beats Hillgrove. My favourite element of the pub is its selection of boardgames...as well as its tremendous selection of ales. They have an ever-changing choice of beer so each time you venture in you will have something different to wet your whistle!

Winner of the CAMRA Bristol & District Pub of The Year 2007 this is lovely. 8 real ales on tap five of them guest beers you can't ask for much more (but if you do it also has quite a few wines available too).


Situated on the border of cotham, kingsdown and what some might say is st Pauls, this is well worth a visit. Beer agarden that's heated + a small selection of board games mean it has enough for most. If I gave awards to pubs this would win customer service of the year. I have never encountered friendlier staff, who seem to be more then happy to let you try every beverage they have before you spend a penny. They have a quiz on Sundays which i haven't been to but i'm told is very good.


As pubs go this is a great all rounder. With it being so close to the hare on the hill (a mere drunken stumble away) it would be hard to find two better pubs so close to each other.


I highly recommend, even the resident pub dog is a pleasure to meet.

A really good real ale pub, I think I prefer it to its neighbour, the Hare on the Hill (a Bath Ales pub).


Its a relaxed comfortable pub with friendly clientele. There are loads of real ales to choose from.


The Hillgrove tavern also stocks board games to keep you entertained whilst sampling their ales.

This is another pub in the maze of streets that is Kingsdown that can be quite difficult to find. On the flip side, you can stumble upon i9t by complete accident when you are not expecting it, in which case it is a most welcome surprise. The Hillgrove has that understated vibe about it. It's not poshly decorated, it doesn't have a load of enticing deals but that is fine. It is just an amazingly down to earth drinking hole full of really interesting people serving good drinks. Except for when they run out of coca cola - just a one off I'm told. When we were in there last we got chatting to the owner and her son, which was really cool. You want a conversation with randoms about music and authors and there's a pretty good chance you'll get it in the Hillgrove.