The Shakespeare - Bristol, City of

If it 's a classic old man pub you 're looking for, look no further than The Shakespeare. It has it all: a weekly pub quiz, a top-notch Sunday roast, classic unfussy daily pub menu, big comfy tables and chairs, and staff who are pleased to have you there relaxing for as long as you like. It 's mercifully free of students, generally, which is unexpected given it 's in the student heartland of Redland. It 's perhaps not cool enough for the under-25s, which leaves it nice and quiet for those in search of a simple pint in a classic British pub atmosphere.

Tucked away on a side street in Redland, the Shakespeare is a traditional pub popular with locals and students alike. I've been here a couple of times for a pub quiz, which is always good quality and good fun. They've got a range of good ales, like Butcombe and Marstons (it's a Marstons pub), and the pub is split up into two sections the main room is to the left of the bar as you come in, and has many tables arranged, whilst the room to the right houses two pool tables and is more of a lounge room. There's traditional pub grub on offer I had a steak and ale pie which was really tasty and under £7 which I thought was reasonable. It's got a good atmosphere and feels very homely and cosy. An ideal pub if you live in the local area.

The Shakespeare is a brilliantly 'traditional and proud of it ' pub. With a separate room for dining and for drinking, there is a very old-school feel about the place. I wouldn 't go out my way to come here (mainly because I live at least half an hour away) but if I lived any closer then I would definitely frequent the pub more. Their Tuesday night pub quiz is always good fun and a laugh. The pub grub is also very good and serves extremely cosy, traditional dishes such as pies and fish and chips. Their selection of ales is very decent- it is a Marston 's Pub after all! Although it has more of a local atmosphere, the clientele includes students who brave venturing further afield than Whiteladies.

The Shakespeare, is a bit of an institution in redland but pretty much unknown to the outside world. A few years ago this was the best pub for one square km, not so any more with places like the cambridge arms, the kensington arms and some fairly decent pubs on whiteladies in the near vicinity. The first and only good thing here worth mentioning is the beverages, they have made a real commitment to stocking real ale and have a widely changing variety, they had a dark mild recently which was the pick of the bunch. They are making a real effort to provide entertainment. They do a quiz on a Monday which is pretty good, and I understand that things like poker nights (if you excuse the pun) will be on the cards (I thank you) are coming soon. There is a pool table, quiz machine. The food here has never been great, I once ordered a ham and mustard sandwich which had the most intricate lattice pattern of mustard over it. Unfortunately it was English mustard (about half a jars worth) and I nearly died. It's got slightly better but is very much pub grub, eg burgers, curry, sarnies etc. The interior is olde English and it's a reasonable size. It has a concrete beer garden outback which gets little sun as there are large walls each side. As for clientele it's locals which by locals i mean students when students are around or the over 40's. It's generally quite busy in the evening though. UPDATE A nice enough pub once but now under new management as of sept 09, the service and food are pitiful they have film nights once a week but i can't imagine wanting to watch a film here. So much wasted potential.

The Shakespeare is a charming pub with a traditional decor that has been slightly updated. There is ample seating and an ItBox for entertainment. The drink prices are very reasonable, with special offers like double-up deals on selected beers that make rounds more affordable. For example, 3 beers cost £6.40. We didn't sample the food, but plan on returning. They also advertise a meat raffle, indicating they host fun games and events at night. It's definitely worth a visit.