Pubs and Bars / Pub of the Week
Pub of the Week – The Rhubarb Tavern
The other evening at the Rhubarb Tavern, a pink-haired barmaid grimaced as a regular announced he was about to leave. “Oh, come on, surely you can stay for one more,” she playfully pleaded.
He was halfway through a pint of Hambrook Pale Ale from Great Western Brewing Co, a smooth light beer a first-time punter was also enjoying at his recommendation.
Tucked away on a quiet street in Barton Hill, the Rhubarb Tavern announces itself with the glow of a single string of fairy lights.
Inside, the mismatched oak pew benches are surprisingly comfortable among carpets and curtains sporting rich shades of red, a welcoming colour that brings this historic late Victorian pub in line with its name.
On this Thursday night, a number of people were congregating in between the dark wooden pillars that support the bar’s rectangular structure, itself spacious and in easy reach of the adjacent pool room and lounge.
Comfortably dotted on stools, they were sipping on drinks in between conversations peppered with loud guffaws.
Their laughter caused the change in their back pockets to jingle along to the beat of Van Morrison’s Brown Eyed Girl, with the jukebox choices keeping the pub – which also hosts reggae and karaoke nights – full of music.
Hambrook Pale Ale is on tap alongside the likes of Carling, Guinness, Stella Artois and Thatchers. This definitely isn’t a pub trying too hard to serve up anything revolutionary.
The Rhubarb Tavern’s elaborate brickwork amid the industrial landscape of Barton Hill might just lure you inside its four walls.
Once through the door, it’s the natter of locals and an unapologetically traditional pub that will convince you to stay, perhaps even for one more than you intended.
The Rhubarb Tavern, 30 Queen Ann Road, Barton Hill, Bristol, BS5 9TX
0117 914 9275
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