{"id":312008,"date":"2025-08-02T13:23:14","date_gmt":"2025-08-02T13:23:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/312008\/"},"modified":"2025-08-02T13:23:14","modified_gmt":"2025-08-02T13:23:14","slug":"i-tried-the-proper-bristol-pub-with-cheap-pints-and-bags-of-character","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/312008\/","title":{"rendered":"I tried the \u2018proper\u2019 Bristol pub with cheap pints and bags of character"},"content":{"rendered":"

It dates back to 1811 and was once a hotel\"TheThe Nova Scotia pub on Spike Island(Image: Bristol Live)<\/p>\n

Pubs don\u2019t get much more \u2018proper Bristol boozer\u2019 than the Nova Scotia, the former coaching inn and hotel close to the Cumberland Basin.<\/p>\n

Although firmly on the tourist map, the Nova Scotia is also very much a pub for the locals and it\u2019s one of the last harbourside venues where you\u2019re virtually guaranteed to hear a thick Bristolian accent.<\/p>\n

This Grade II-listed building dates back to 1811 and was once three houses prior to it forming one large pub.<\/p>\n

Located on Spike Island, the pub has a spacious two-room bar, a tiny \u2018captain\u2019s cabin\u2019 snug – once known as the \u2018private bar\u2019 – and a large dockside drinking area with huge parasols to protect alfresco drinkers from the elements.<\/p>\n

The walls are plastered with tobacco-coloured nautical maps and charts detailing coastlines around the world.<\/p>\n

Walls are also dotted with fascinating black and white photos of ships and boats in Bristol\u2019s harbour.<\/p>\n

\"TheThe Nova Scotia has a traditional and timeless look(Image: Bristol Live)<\/p>\n

Etched glass panels, a splendid mahogany back bar dating from the early 1900s and decades-old bench seating give the pub plenty of original character.<\/p>\n

On the midweek lunchtime I visited, the outside area was almost full of locals soaking up the sun with pints of cider.<\/p>\n

Although not strictly a cider pub, it does offer four on draught – Cheddar Valley, Thatchers Gold, Haze and Traditional – and there were four real ales on tap.<\/p>\n

I went for the Wye Valley Butty Bach, which was in perfect condition, and there was also HPA from the same Herefordshire brewery.<\/p>\n

Ale drinkers can also enjoy Butcombe Original and draught Bass – a rare treat in Bristol pubs these days – and also on tap are Guinness, Moretti, Neck Oil, Amstel and Kronenbourg 1664.<\/p>\n

Until a few months ago, the pub had gained a strong following for its simple food, especially the doorstep sandwiches and the hearty mixed grill.<\/p>\n

The kitchen is currently closed and being refurbished so pork pies and Scotch eggs displayed in a glass cabinet on the bar are the closest thing to sustenance apart from crisps.<\/p>\n

Traditional, unpretentious, inexpensive (compared to many harbourside venues at least – my round of three pints was just over \u00a315) and packed with character, The Nova Scotia is a well-supported and much loved Bristol pub and it\u2019s good to see it thriving still. It\u2019s an absolute cracker.<\/p>\n

Nova Scotia, 1 Nova Scotia Place, Bristol, BS1 6XJ.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It dates back to 1811 and was once a hotelThe Nova Scotia pub on Spike Island(Image: Bristol Live)…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":312009,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8818],"tags":[381,748,393,4884,800,33622,9028,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-312008","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-bristol","8":"tag-bristol","9":"tag-britain","10":"tag-england","11":"tag-great-britain","12":"tag-harbourside","13":"tag-hotwells","14":"tag-pubs-and-bars-in-bristol","15":"tag-uk","16":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114959391558496696","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/312008","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=312008"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/312008\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/312009"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=312008"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=312008"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=312008"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}