The smell of paint still lingered in the air yesterday at The Bank of Stokes Croft, less than a week after the opening of Bristol’s newest bar in a building that not surprisingly was once a bank until the 1970s – the vault downstairs can be reserved for private parties – and most recently was long-past-its-sell-by-date Mackies.
This latest incarnation is as a super trendy bar. Original canvases by some of Bristol’s foremost graffiti artists including Andy Council, Paris and Nick Walker hang on one wall, the bar is covered in colourful stencils and the wooden bar stools painted a vivid shade of yellow.
In one corner, turntables and CD decks allow the Bank of Stokes Croft to invite cutting edge DJs to play well into the wee small hours on Friday and Saturday nights.
This Friday, September 17, Rip It Up and Start Again play alternative 80s tunes, while on Saturday, Return to Source will play early acid and rave alongside Balearic beats and Chicago house.
Special guest DJs will play every Thursday, while Suisse Tony’s “legendary rock n’ roll bingo” takes place every Wednesday.
It’s not just late nights, however, at the Bank of Stokes Croft. Opening hours of 11am also allow the bar to be an inviting place to come for lunch or sit with a drink during the day. The menu has simple dishes such as Moroccan tagine and Lancashire hot pot, all served in bowls. And there is also a selection of stone-baked pizzas, with a two for £10 deal on Mondays and Tuesdays.
Chilled during the day, pumping in the evenings, the Bank of Stokes Croft is a great new addition to Bristol’s bar scene.
The Bank of Stokes Croft, 84 Stokes Croft. 0117 923 2565.
