Off the beaten track and half-way up a very steep hill, lies one of Bristol’s little-known about but affectionately remembered traditional boozers.

The Venue
This intimate little pub, run by Bath Ales, is housed in an unusual Victorian corner terrace building. Narrow saloon doors and dark green ceramic tiled exterior give the place bucket-loads of visual character and make it an instantly recognisable and very pretty pub. Indoors, it’s recently been refurbished and pride is clearly taken in its upkeep. From the moderate sized wooden bar, you can see through the windows, a panoramic view of Bristol spread out below. Plus points are the dart board and the board games; a minus is the absence of a beer garden.

The People
This place really deserves its reputation as one of the friendliest small pubs in Bristol. The atmosphere is so peaceful, familiar and welcoming that it can quickly come to feel like a home from home, particularly on a cold autumn evening. Between Wednesday's silent film night, Thursday’s pub quiz and live music on Sunday nights, The Hare presides over a thriving social scene and always offers opportunities for a night out. The bar staff are friendly and helpful, operating a generous try-before-you-buy policy with the ales. It is frequented by local residents and a smattering of media-types and this traditional English pub could even use one or two more old men around the place, to add to its character, but you can’t have everything.

The Food
You get good value-for-money and good sized portions here, plus they cook up your orders and get them to you quickly. They do roasts on Sundays for under seven quid, with veggie options available. Like the rest of the pub, there is a definite old school feel to the Hare’s menu: it’s English fare all the way, faggots and all.

The Drink
It’s something of an ale-lovers’ paradise here: they have four locally brewed Bath Ales and Belgian beers on rotation on the pumps and in bottles. The bar tariffs are a touch on the expensive side, but nothing ridiculous, expect to pay £2.80 for real ale, £2.75 for the Bath Ales, £3.20 for Budvar and £3.30 for the continental guest beers. Also noteworthy is their wonderful selection of whiskey - excellent for those long winter nights.

The Last Word
It’s hard to find a bad word to say about this little place. Everything great about the great British pub is to be found in this neat little package hidden away up on a hill over looking the city.

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