In a city with its fair share of hidden pub gems, The Victoria must rank as one of the most tucked away of the lot. Unless you know it’s there, it’s unlikely you’ll find it unless you’re lost.
Away from the main road and surrounded by large Georgian houses, this striking pub is next to the Lido, the open-air pool, spa and restaurant saved from demolition a few years ago.
A small two-room pub run by Bristol’s Dawkins brewery with outside seating on both sides, the pub is traditional in style, with duck egg blue tongue-and-groove wall panels, claw foot tables and gilt-edged mirrors.
Dawkins ales on sale include Bristol Blonde, Bristol Best and Easton IPA, as well as craft ales from breweries such as Tiny Rebel, Electric Bear, Left Handed Giant and Wild Beer. Ciders include Muscle Mary and Iford ciders, the lager is Camden Hells and there’s Fruli strawberry beer for those in search of a fruitier option.
An impressive choice of 24 gins and 12 wines served by both the bottle and glass makes this very much a pub for all and if you don’t fancy a bag of posh Pipers Burrow Hill cider vinegar and sea salt crisps, you can dive into packets of Scampi Fries or pork scratchings.
Visit this timeless Victorian backstreet boozer on a Tuesday evening and you may be tempted to join the weekly pub quiz with its cash and booby prizes, although if the baffling equations for elliptical curves chalked on the board are anything to go by, you may want to avoid the mathematics round. This is clearly a pub frequented by eggheads rather than dullards.
The Victoria, Southleigh Road, Clifton, Bristol, BS8 2BH.
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