Hidden away in the residential back streets of St Werburghs you’ll discover a gem of a pub in the shape – and colour – of the Duke of York. A uniquely welcoming vibe awaits in this lively alternative to Bristol’s more mainstream offerings.

The Venue
The Duke of York's exterior walls are covered end-to-end in a piece of graffiti. Perhaps nothing extraordinary to the eyes of Bristol’s street art-jaded denizens, but still a nice touch. This cartoon woodland scene features toads, butterflies, and the pub’s ubiquitous pink flamingo, which seems to pop up everywhere you look in various shapes and sizes.

Venturing inside, you’re immediately enveloped in the warm glow of the bar – the first or four sections into which this unexpectedly rabbit warren-like pub is split.

Low tables sprawl snugly about the place, candles provide the lighting, and all manner of obscure knick-knacks and bric-a-brac are stuck to the walls and ceilings – be it beer mats or beer bottles, draft sets or rummikubs (look it up!). Just mind whose bar stool you’re taking, as it might belong to the resident cat – a big, fluffy, nonchalant creature who seems to personify what the place is about.

Stepping further back into the pub, the light increases, and while it’s not quite as cosy, you’re in for an added treat - an old school skittle alley. Yes, you can mark your name down on the chalkboard, step up to the mark, and send your stone ball clattering satisfyingly down the rickety wooden playing alley.

And if that’s too traditional for your taste, wander upstairs to a newer room for some table football and pool, passing fairytale-esque wooden windowpanes that seamlessly integrate with the graffiti outside. Here it’s even brighter again; the ambience is more one of a bar than a pub, though it’s not overly incongruous with the mood downstairs.

There’s also a spacious beer garden decked with table and benches for whiling away those summer afternoons, where again the colours of graffiti greet your gaze.

The People
The Duke of York attracts a harmoniously mixed crowd, from sozzled old geezers who stumble in looking like they’ve found heaven for the seventh time, to bohemian pretenders meeting to catch up and soak up the ambience.

It seems in equal parts a locals’ establishment and one that people from further afield are prepared to seek out based on its reputation. And you’ll find all types playing alongside one another at skittles.

The Food and Drink
No food at this old boozer, the barperson affably informs you, but ask for a packet of crisps and, with space behind the bar at a premium, they’ll use a little grabbing tool to retrieve them for you from overhead. Nice.

The eyes of the ale-drinker will surely light up upon entering this pub, with a fine selection of reasonably priced tipples on offer. Guest ales, like the deceptively mellow 49er or the somewhat less subtle Up Your Arse, are quaffs that quickly reaffirm the adage that there’s no such thing as one pint – and leave you knowing about it the next day.

Not all the ales are obviously visible, so ask what’s available. Apart from this, there’s a good choice of spirits, and the lagers on tap include San Miguel and Budvar. A round of two Staropramen will set you back £5.80.

The Last Word
A perfectly balanced mix of cool quirkiness and bags of good old-fashioned personality, the Duke of York will surely score a strike for those who wander off the beaten track to find it.

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