Brewers Fayre Review - Bristol

Recently I stayed in Bristol for a few days and was given the chance to review the Brewers Fayre, Llandoger Trow, in the centre of Bristol by the area called Welsh Back.


Brewers Fayre, Llandoger Trow

Brewers Fayre, is a the family friendly pub chain that focuses on looking after little ones with child menus, and in selected restaurants soft play zones and supervised play areas with a Dennis the Menace and Beano theme.

This restaurant is in an old historic building dating from 1664. Tradition has it that Daniel Defoe met Alexander Selkirk, his inspiration for Robinson Crusoe, here, and it was Robert Louis Stevenson’s inspiration for the Admiral Benbow in Treasure Island. Very interesting!


When we arrived at the restaurant on a Sunday evening, we were greeted with friendly smiles from the staff and in particular Erica - who was really helpful. She explained that they had limited availability with grills and the roast dinners but everything else was on the menu. 

The restaurant was in a traditional style with dark wood and stone flooring. We then sat down at a window table to study the menu. The menu had a wide choice of dishes with starters from under £3 to £5 main courses from £7 to £12 and desserts from £3 to £6.

In the day you can also get smaller meals such as jacket potatoes, wraps and burritos. The daytime value menu offer runs from 12 - 6pm Monday to Friday and means guests can enjoy two starters for £2.50, two mains for just £10.99 and two desserts for £2.50, so great value food, I think you will agree. The kids menu looked kid friendly with choices from burgers to spaghetti bolognaise, and main courses were priced at £3.99.


After browsing the menu we decided on ordering loaded nachos to start, and Thai chicken curry for myself and chicken biriyani for my husband. We also ordered a bottle of Sauvingon Blanc which for £10.99 I thought was excellent value. For a pub chain there is also a decent selection of wine of over 18 different varieties. My son wasn't with us as he has now started university and lives in Cardiff. I think he would love the grills and steaks here. He is a big meat eater!


Loaded nachos

The food then arrived after a short wait. The loaded nachos for one was a large portion, big enough for sharing. They also do a larger portion again but myself and my husband thought the one person's portion was just the right size. The nachos were warm and tasty. Topped with a salsa, guacamole and sour cream, and also melted cheese they were devoured in no time. I did think though that perhaps the cheese could be a stronger type to hold up to the spicy flavour of the salsa but that is a minor point.



Thai chicken curry

The Thai chicken curry arrived next. The curry sauce I was impressed with - you could really taste the coconut, and Thai spices, and it was creamy and delicious. The rice was also light and fluffy. What made the dish in my opinion was the sprinkling of chili's and coriander on the top which really gave it an authentic taste. My only criticism would be that I thought the dish could do with some seasoning. Accompanying the curry was a basket of Thai spiced crackers and sweet chili dip. The crackers were crisp and the chili dip complimented it well.


The chicken biriyani was a lightly spiced rice dish with chicken, peppers, tomatoes and onions. My husband felt that the dish had good flavours with medium spice and heat but could benefit from a vegetable curry sauce being serve with it. The dish is served with a poppadom, mango chutney and mint and yogurt dip. The poppadom was crisp and not oily and the dips were like shop bought dips - good but not outstanding.


Cadbury's chocolate chip cookie sundae

So onto dessert, and after a break we ordered something very decadent - a Cadbury's chocolate chip cookie sundae. This sweet treat has vanilla flavour ice cream, chocolate chip cookie pieces, Cadbury's Diary milk pieces, topped with squirty cream, chocolate sauce and a biscuit curl. This sundae was moreish, with a nice crunch from the cookie, complimenting the smooth coolness of the ice cream -  perfect for those with a sweet tooth.

In conclusion, we thought the food was better than we expected overall. I did think that for pub food perhaps the evening mains could be a little cheaper, although it was a nice touch that the poppadom and crackers were included with the different dishes that we had. The day menu though is certainly a bargain for the price.

The main benefit of the Brewers Fayre for families in particular is the facilities for children. Unfortunately the Llandoger Trow do not have any such facilities - maybe this is because it is an historic building. They were certainly family friendly though as they told me if it is quiet they do let children run around in one of the lounge areas, to blow off steam.
 Many Brewers Fayres have play areas for children

During this February Half Term, Brewers Fayre will be offering extra entertainment in selected pubs. There will be fun discos for kids on both Friday 19th and Saturday 20th February at selected Brewers Fayres. The Toddlers disco will run from 9.30am – 3pm while the Kids will run from 3.30- 7.30pm at a cost of £3 per child. These discos sound so much fun for little ones and a much welcome break for mums and dads.

Also every night of the week from 5- 8pm at the Chef's Counter there is a nightly special. Kids and adults alike would love the Pizza Parlour on a Monday or Burgers & Hotdogs on a Wednesday. For something with a bit more spice, there is a Mexican night on Tuesday and a Curry Night on a Thursday.


Tell me dear readers, have you been to a Brewers Fayre? Would you try out the food? What do you think about the facilities for children?

* I was gifted a meal in exchange for an honest review

14 comments

  1. This looks like a fabulous meal! We love reviewing restaurants and have not tried this brand yet. Maybe I should add it to the list. Angela from Daysinbed x

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    1. It's a very family friendly chain Angela, so great if you have kids.

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  2. That's a lovely photo of the outside of the pub. I remember it well from my mispent youth! The food looks lovely too, looks like I'll have to revisit it sometime.

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    1. I think you would like it with your children Lucy. I know your son would enjoy that dessert, as he is a dessert fiend!

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  3. Looks like a nice place to have lunch. Great review.

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  4. Lovely photos :) The food seemed quite good, it definitely made me hungy haha

    Creepers & Cupcakes

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  5. This looks so pretty! The front building remind me the architecture of chester! Beautiful! Kids facilities are incredible! Great idea! love your food photos! the desserts looks something i could easily eat right now! screw diet! ;)

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    1. The building is beautiful and historic. In the summer a lot of people sit outside and have a drink in the cobbled area.

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  6. Good to hear it was better than you expected - I love Bristol and the Welsh Back area is a lovely part of town so will keep this in mind when we visit again with kids

    Laura x

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    1. Yes this area is great for drinks and food and around the corner from the restaurant you have the river.

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  7. That looks so yummy!!!! Chocolate will forever be my favorite flavour!! Cadbury's chocolate chip cookie sundae Loved it!!

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  8. Our local Brewer's Fayre used to be one of my regular haunts when the boys were little. I loved the fact that they could run around in the soft play area while we were waiting for food to arrive. I haven't been to one in years (the boys are a bit too big for soft play now!) but it looks like the food is pretty good!

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    1. For a pub chain I think it is pretty good and the lunch offers are so well priced too.

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  9. The food looks great, haven't been to a Brewers in years x

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