An old-fashioned pub in Clifton with loyal clientele.

The Venue
Located on Princess Victoria Street in Clifton, Somerset House is surrounded by trendy venues but is as down to earth as you can get.

There’s little to no decoration besides the rose-painted walls and a few scattered paintings and sketchings. Square tables jostle for space by the windows, surrounded by mismatched wooden chairs. Across from the bar is a Rayburn stove, a friendly way of providing heat on colder days.

The rough wooden floorboards go down a step or two after the bar into an area with a long table, a tea and coffee station and a Nintendo Wii, and a little alcove off to the side holds another table for about four. Besides the Wii in the back, there are another two TVs, one near the heater and a flatscreen towards the front of the pub.

The People
Most of the clientele at Somerset House are loyal locals, greeting people by name when they come through the door before heading straight to the bar. Service is quick and the barmen are friendly, not afraid to recommend a type of ale or to help someone out with a crossword puzzle.

A blackboard proclaims that Tuesdays are open mic night and Fridays see live music courtesy of a woman named Karen. You can see the pub being quite busy at night, although on a Saturday lunchtime everyone is content to ignore the Wii and linger over a pint and a paper.

The Food
A short menu on a blackboard by the bar offers cheese (£2.50) or beans (£1.95) on doorstop toast, plus sandwiches for £3.85, roasted tomato and basil soup for £2.95, and a variety of butties. Three different breakfasts are available, each with free unlimited toast, tea or coffee from the self-service tables towards the rear of the pub.

The veggie breakfast (£5.50) includes two eggs, two triangles of crisp hash browns, mushrooms, a grilled tomato, beans and fried bread – despite not being an enormous plate, it’s a very filling portion, no doubt thanks to the two slices of fried bread.

The small breakfast (£5) is a similar size, with one egg, a slice of salty bacon, one thick sausage, chewy mushrooms, a small but juicy grilled tomato, plus beans and the aforementioned fried bread.

A full breakfast is available for just £1.50 more than the small, but this one is only for the completely ravenous: two eggs, two pieces of bacon, sausage, black pudding and hash browns, plus mushrooms, beans, tomatoes, a grilled tomato and, of course, fried bread.

The Drink
The Somerset House serves a selection of real ales, stocked in barrels behind the bar, including Butcombe, Fullers London Pride, Doom Bar and Courage Best, available from £2.70 a pint and from £1.40 a half pint.

Draught beers include Fosters, Heineken, Amstel, Guinness, plus Blackthorn cider, and several types of wine are also on offer.

The Last Word
Somerset House is a friendly, laid back pub, idea for a relaxing weekend pint or a filling breakfast.

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