It also serves Calippo slushes
The Imperial Sports Ground bar (Image: Bristol Live)
Walk into the bar at the Imperial Sports Ground most evenings and you’re sure to be greeted by a strong waft of Lynx shower gel.
That’s because the majority of freshly showered visitors to this large sports bar are there for a refreshing pint after a five-a-side football session, a work-out in the gym or a sweaty game on the squash court.
The Imperial Sports Ground is something of a south Bristol institution, a meeting place for thousands of local sports fans each week.
And with no local pub within walking distance since The Happy Landings on Wells Road closed all those years ago, this family-friendly bar has become very much the community hub.
Of course, it’s still essentially a sports bar and the polite sign on the door reminds customers to ‘please remove your football boots before you enter’.
The walls are covered with photos of football matches and framed signed team shirts, and there are multiple large screens showing live sport.
There’s also a dartboard for those in search of sport of a less energetic kind.
But it’s not exclusively used by red-faced men carrying heavy sports bags after a post-work game of five-a-side.
On the evening I visited, there were also clusters of locals watching the Chelsea match on the TVs and the only exercise they were interested in was lifting pints of Heineken and darting back to the bar for another drink.
But it’s thirsty work this five-a-side business and several players of a wide age range were sinking cold pints of lager after sweating buckets on the pitch.
And there’s a good range of draught lagers and ciders including Amstel, Cruzcampo and Thatchers Haze and Gold.
Inside the Imperial Sports Ground bar(Image: Bristol Live)
Prices are in line with most decent pubs – my pint of Guinness was £5.60 – so it’s not the cheapest option around compared to some of the smaller social clubs, but then Imperial Sports Ground is open to everybody and you don’t have to be a member.
For the kids, there are plenty of soft drinks and also Calippo slushes and Wall’s ice cream on offer.
A full food menu is served Monday to Saturday 12noon-8pm and Sunday 12pm-5pm and it includes jacket potatoes, pizzas, toasties, burgers and kids’ meals.
There are also two-person sharers including nachos and ‘The Half-Time Platter’ – £16.95 for a generous plate of four battered mini chicken fillets, four mozzarella sticks, four mac and cheese bites, six onion rings, fries, sweet potato fries and sweet chilli dip.
For a healthy option, try the chicken super grain salad (£9.95) – two chicken skewers covered in either sweet chilli or BBQ sauce with lettuce, tomato, onions and green salad with buckwheat and broad beans in honey mustard dressing.
Imperial Sports Ground, West Town Lane, Brislington, Bristol, BS14 9EA
Join our WhatsApp groupPrivacy Notice