No. 51 has such distinct areas they have barely any relation to each other but make up the hodgepodge that is this pub, bar and late-night haunt.
The main entrance is on Stokes Croft, opening up into a high-ceilinged room with Dirty Old Town’s black and white murals on the walls and a glitter ball in one corner.
Although sometimes the main entrance is in fact the back entrance through the courtyard backing onto Jamaica Street:
Then there’s the upstairs, perfect for a furtive rendezvous or for people watching to the pavement below.
If it’s not the regular DJs that draws the punters, it’s the pizzas - with such names as Living on the Veg (aubergines, courgettes, peppers and garlic) and Stokes Squash (roasted squash, garlic and herb soft roulade with toasted pine nuts) – or the Sunday roast.
The regular Blankety quiz happens every Tuesday, “a comedy show wrapped up in a pub quiz” which can also be found at the Rose of Denmark in Hotwells.
Lagers rather than ales are the beers of choice here, with Erdinger, Estrella Damm, Amstel and Kirin on tap, with Dead Crow and Cuvana rum beer among the bottles.
When I visited on a rainy Wednesday night, ales on offer were Bombardier and Waggle Dance, alongside ciders Addlestones and Stowford Press.
No. 51, 51 Stokes Croft, Bristol, BS1 3QP. 0117 9148 048.
