Pubs and Bars / A-Z Bristol pub crawl
A-Z Bristol Pub Crawl: The Gallimaufry, Gloucester Road
Strolling up Gloucester Road as the sun sets this Thursday evening, the faint call of eighties disco tunes beckons people into local bar the Gallimaufry.
The bar is alive and bustling, with the rattle of cocktail shakers and the clinking of glasses filling the room.
Since its opening in 2012, the Gallimaufry (‘the Galli’ to most) has been a true celebration of Bristol, with the possibility to visit the vast majority of the pub’s suppliers without crossing the city’s perimeters.
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Stocked with Bristol-brewed beers, a wide range of spirits and a beautiful craft cocktail menu, the Gallimaufry leaves you spoilt for choice.
A small group of young women in their twenties stumble into the bar behind me, singing a somewhat coherent rendition of Deee-Lite’s ‘Groove is in the Heart’ and giggling with each other.
They order a round of bourbon sours, and I decide to follow suit.
Sitting at a small table admiring the bar’s mural wall and abundance of fairy lights, the sounds of laughter, wafts of cigarette smoke, and, once more, the echoes of ‘Groove is in the Heart’ filter in from the venue’s large outdoor space.
The bar itself feels like the display in an overcrowded antique shop, with various knick-knacks and trinkets populating any available space on the shelves. Every time you look, something different catches your eye, and I find myself constantly entertained by hunting for treasures in their displays.
As the night draws on, The Gallimaufry slowly gets busier and busier.
Despite the place filling up, there is still a remarkably intimate feel to the venue. With cosy corners and comfy seating, The Gallimaufry seems chameleon-like in its ability to simultaneously cater to the lively, inebriated crowd of Gloucester Road while providing a laid-back atmosphere for those after a quieter night.
The Gallimaufry, 26-28 Gloucester Rd, Bishopston, BS7 8AL
Main photo: Susie Long
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