Pubs and Bars / Pub of the Week
Pub of the Week: The Port of Call
“What’s this playing? It’s nice music for a change.”
Ripping off his waterproofs and taking his usual seat at the bar, a local at the Port of Call launches into a staunch defence of jazz music.
The barmaid agrees with him that the music is indeed perfect for an evening session, bringing the remains of her roast lunch to talk some more about Herbie Hancock versus John Coltrane, sax versus double bass solos.
is needed now More than ever
Dartmoor versus Doom Bar are the drinks options on this recent Sunday, Dartmoor IPA and Best joining Sharp’s Doom Bar in three barrels behind the bar. None of the eight potential hand pumps for real ale are in use, although a few usual lagers and Thatchers Gold are available further up the bar.
Not so long ago, fishing nets covered most of the ceiling here. Decoration now is as subtle as the drums on the jazz standards; a rusting colander, two battered suitcases, hardback books above the fireplace.
In one corner of the starboard side of the pub, some bunting adds a splash of colour.
Over in the port side is a photograph of an RAF squadron unit from July 1945 sat in front of a huge Lancaster bomber – above the photograph is a uniform of the very same squadron.
The barmaid is just commiserating that only one roast has been sold all day out of a selection of beef, pork, chicken or nuts when a couple walk in and ask for two with all the trimmings.
It may be quiet on a drizzly afternoon in December, but come the summer months and the Port of Call is often one of the busiest in the area. Its location at the top of the short but startlingly steep York Street off Blackboy Hill also means it is nigh on inaccessible if the roads around it are icy.
One major reason for its popularity when the mercury is rising is its suntrap beer garden, wedged tightly in a little-trod area of Clifton but only a stone’s throw away from the Downs and Whiteladies Road.
The saxophone continues its soporophic sounds. It’s time to put the waterproofs back on.
The Port of Call, 3 York Street, Clifton, Bristol, BS8 2YE
0117 973 3600
Photo by Giulia Stella
Our top newsletters emailed directly to you
