And you have to try the burgers while you’re there, too
The Greyhound has reopened after being shut for almost five years(Image: Greyhound Fishponds/Facebook)
It may sound surprising, but Fishponds up in the north-east of Bristol has more than enough pubs for a decent pub crawl without even having to venture much further than the main high street.
From Irish pub The Star – which claims to serve the best pint of Guinness in Bristol – to working man’s pubs like Golden Lion and The Railway Tavern, as well as hipster microbrewery Snuffy Jack’s, we’re spoilt for choice with a wide spectrum of watering holes.
Some even serve up some pretty tasty food dishes, to boot. But if it’s a pub crawl you’re after, is there really such a thing as too many pubs?
It certainly didn’t stop people from flocking to check out the latest drinking establishment in the area, The Greyhound, which reopened last week after sitting vacant for almost five years.
The newly-refurbished pub opened its doors just in time to kick-start the long Easter weekend – and within just a couple of hours, there was a queue out the door.
Having lived just round the corner from the pub for the last four years, I was excited when I walked past it earlier this year to see the previously run-down building had had a fresh lick of paint, and the word ‘Greyhound’ had been painted on the front in a bold red.
In the week since it’s been open, I’ve now popped in a couple of times, and the Greyhound seems to have had a thriving start, and had no trouble fitting in to the community as another local pub that I’m sure is going to do well.
However, as with all new things, it takes time to find your footing a bit – and I feel like this pub may not have quite found its ‘niche’ yet.
The pub has a lovely outdoor space, which will be great over the summer(Image: Sarah Lumley)
I first visited on Easter Saturday. The Greyhound had been open two days, it was halfway through a four-day Bank Holiday weekend, the speakers were playing some feel-good summer tunes, and the bar area was busy enough that we only just managed to get a table.
First impressions were good. The place felt artsy, with statement houseplants in the large windows at the front, and plenty of greyhound memorabilia dotted about the walls and behind the bar.
Crucially, it also feels different enough to other Fishponds pubs to still be worth visiting if you’re wondering where to go for a drink in the area.
There’s a function room upstairs that you can hire out for events like parties, seminars, or even weddings.
And best of all, the Greyhound is dog-friendly – I even saw an actual greyhound in there, which is exactly what I had been hoping for.
The four pints for £10 deal is not to be sniffed at, averaging out to just £2.50 a pint – which is less than half the cost of what an average pint costs you in Bristol these days.
There is a caveat to this, however, as it only applies to four of the same pint of either Thatchers Gold cider or Holston Vier lager.
Otherwise, I paid just over £11 for a pint of Thatchers Gold and a pint of ‘Soft Echo’ amber ale from local Bristol brewery Good Chemistry.
£5.50 per pint isn’t extortionate, but it’s certainly towards the upper end of what you’d expect to pay elsewhere in Bristol. So if you’re a cider or lager fan, save yourself some pennies and stick to the 4 for £10 deal. The bar is card-only, so bear that in mind, too.
The Greyhound also has a tasty-looking burger menu, serving up everything from your standard beef or chicken burgers, to a burger topped with deep fried Mac & cheese, as well as a vegan option with a chickpeas patty. Fries are served separately as a side, but you can opt for Loaded Fries if you like.
Obviously, I had to make a separate trip back to the pub so that I could try out the burgers. I went for the Brisket burger, packed with a beef patty, pulled brisket, crispy onions, cheese sauce, gherkins, and mayo, all inside a soft and flavourful brioche bun.
The brisket burger was delicious, and comes with a little pot of gravy(Image: Sarah Lumley)
Honestly, it was delicious. The meat was juicy, the cheese sauce was oozing in the best way, and the chunky slices of gherkin bought it all together nicely. All the burgers also come with a little pot of gravy, which is a nice little treat drizzled inside the bun.
It’s not a gastropub, but if you fancy a tasty treat to go along with your pint, these burgers would certainly hit the spot.
So, where’s the ‘but’? One thing I did notice both times I went in was that the pub had quite noticeably emptied out by about 9.15pm.
On a working weekday, like when I went in for food, this is not too surprising, as people wouldn’t normally stay out drinking that late. But on Easter Saturday, when the pub had a party vibe going for its opening weekend, it seemed a bit more noticeable that people weren’t making more of a night out at the brand new pub.
I had also heard that on opening night, as customers were queuing out the door for the Greyhound, several people simply gave up waiting, and dispersed to other nearby pubs for a drink instead.
It’s almost as if the Greyhound hasn’t settled into its clientele yet, with people popping in for a drink or two to check it out, before heading off to somewhere more familiar.
On that note, it was interesting looking around and trying to figure out the ‘vibe’ of the place. I saw a wide demographic of customers, from a family with a young child tucking into a meal, to groups of hipster students, through to older couples and groups of men in for after-work drinks.
It can only be a good thing that the crowd of people interested in visiting the pub is so varied.
But I’ll certainly be interested to see who have become the regulars, and whether the pub is still drawing in the crowds, a few months down the line, once the Greyhound has settled in to the community.
For now, I’d definitely encourage popping in. I’m looking forward to checking out the pub’s weekly quiz on a Tuesday (I’m sure Fishponds now has enough pub quizzes for every day of the week) and also to sampling their Sunday roasts, which hopefully are as tasty as the burgers.