White Lion Bar and Terrace in Bristol, City of

Can't rate the food but service and atmosphere was lovely, went on a Sunday evening so very quiet and peaceful. Beautiful views of the suspension bridge. Had 2 cocktails which were a little pricey but very delicious and worth it for the beautiful surroundings

For a view and a location, it's unbeatable, but the bar never works properly, people queue to get drinks, outside bars never open and the focus appears to be on the expensive meals in the goldfish bowl restaurant. When it was an open terrace, with outside bars open, it was one of the best bars in the world, no lie, now, it's just somewhere nice to sit before moving on to somewhere with an actual vibe.

Never been but hear good things

Best pub views in Bristol but disorganised bar staff and sarky management

One of the best places to have a view of Bristol suspension bridge. Nice place very big terrace area The food was not that good But definitely worth it both of you

Literally the only worthwhile feature to this place is the view. Absolutely nothing else. The bar staff seem more interested in showing each other pictures on their phones than serving. Guy literally asked me 3 times what drink I wanted as he kept getting distracted by some tiktok video someone else was watching rather than serving the giant queue behind me. Extortionate prices for super lacklustre service.

Food is not nice at all, I think the best is to come here just for drinks, it has a mesmerizing view! A nice place to come in a sunny day, you have a great view of cliffton bridge

Larger shandy and diet coke for neally £13 😱

This is a hard one as we experienced two completely different sets of service when we arrived. We initially walked in to the "pub side" of the White Lion. We had a reservation made and couldn't wait to have the stunning views of the bridge (we had visited previously a few years ago). Upon entering the pub, we had not one, not two, not three but FOUR members of staff ignore us and walk straight past. I had my phone on me looking at my reservation so it was obvious this is what we were doing. One member of staff was organising cutlery, one was at the bar not interested, one (in a shirt and trousers so I can only assume was the manager?!) walked straight past us and one member of staff in sunglasses, also walked past. We went to the bar to get someone's attention and again FOUR members of staff (two serving) didn't look up. The rest were hanging around the till and looking at something. It took us to ask if anyone was going to acknowledge us (we had been here a while now) and one staff member looked and said "we're preoccupied with something, what do you want?" I showed him my reservation and he said "yes, so what do you want" at which point I nearly lost it and said MY RESERVATION. The manager was here at this point and walked off???! We were informed we needed to go to the other side of the hotel. I've worked in hospitality for 10 years and I have NEVER experienced anything so rude in all of my life. We were met by a lovely lady the other side who we had told our experience too and she was clearly very embarrassed and hugely apologetic. She was phenomenal and gave us amazing service. The food was unbelievable and we were happy from then but the initial start of my visit, well, I won't forget for a very long time.

Incredible atmosphere with bridge view but that's all :)

Nice views but extremely overpriced, even for Clifton Village. Generic chain pub vibe at 2x price point

Visited with a guest in Bristol. Ordered food at the bar as instructed which didn't come out after 45mins of waiting. It was busy so gave them the benefit of the doubt but when I checked where the food was 'it hadn't been put through to the kitchen' even though payment was taken. The supervisor on duty was thoroughly unresponsive to the issue and it took three staff inc the supervisor to figure out what happened. One guy apologized, the supervisor barely looked up from what he was doing and mumbled an apology, saying we could wait to get food or get a refund. Opted for the refund and was expecting to at least have our drinks comped but that wasn't an option. As most reviews state, this place survives on the view alone as the service was rubbish and I wouldn't bother going back. Emailed to complain and haven't had a response weeks on, and I don't expect I will get a response at this point. Avoid and head somewhere else if you're in the area.

Brilliant location, non-existent service.

Great place to stay.excellent view from windows and well decorated rooms and on the house snacks Just beautiful

As a hospitality worker myself I don't jump to leave negative reviews; however it is difficult not to leave this place feeling cheated so I felt it was worth leaving a word of caution. The view is no doubt excellent - however it is soured by the experience of drinking here. The staff are apathetic, the bar smells acrid, and I couldn't count the number of tables that were left filthy and covered with glasses. I brought it up to the management and was given a dry towel to clean our table with, left to run under the tap myself and had to put in elbow grease to clean as it appeared to have been left untouched after several iterations of customers. I paid £7.50 for a pint of lager; I've noticed the management responding to such complaints that they price themselves in consistency with the surrounding area. However, it's the most I've spent on a pint in clifton as someone who lives here and spending that money can't be justified as a customer when the experience is so sub-standard. There are plenty of other pubs nearby where one's money is better placed. Unfortunately, this isn't a one off and has been my experience on each of the rare occasions I've visited over the past few years. Catch the view from elsewhere and enjoy a drink in one of Clifton's other pubs.

Great terrace overlooking the Suspension Bridge

If it wasn't for the view, this place wouldn't exist based on my experience. The table we sat at was dirty and hadn't been cleaned, like others. You can order via an app or go to the bar, either way the service is very slow and there was only one person behind the bar, with other staff just hanging around by the servery. We had two half pints of beer and it was £20.70, I'm hoping that it was a mistake because if that is a correct price then that's the most expensive beer I've ever had. This could be an exceptional place to eat and drink but my experience was poor.

We had to queue at the bar which is a bit strange versus usual go up and wait to be served in any area. The table QR codes didn't work. The bar staff were clueless, all over the place and my order was taken by two people with another two people stood behind gawping at me. It took all four of them to make my one gin and tonic. Not very efficient at all and all completed very confused and zombie like, very strange. Lovely view of the bridge/sunset though UPDATE: There was only one service point and four very unaware servers, I don't appreciate your reply and complete dismissal of your staff who clearly have a lack of training.

Just order at the bar and don't bother with the app unless you need a detailed receipt as the app is good for that.

Lovely time in the sun with cool drinks and great pizzas!

One of the most stunning views in Bath. This place has a huge terrace overlooking the Clifton suspension bridge, such a beautiful setting. Staff are lovely. They just had no food the day we went which was a shame.

Maybe the best view of the suspension bridge in the city, but dark vibrations and premium-priced pints.

We were out for the day with some friends and wandered down tohave a drink after spotting it from Clifton Bridge. We were very lucky to find a table in the corner of the raised terrace. We decided to order some pizzas after seeing others, which did not disappoint. We ordered via the app which was easy. Such a great relaxed atmosphere enjoying the sun, a mix of families with dogs too. We could have stayed for hours

Only went here for a drink, but what a view of the suspension bridge it was. £40 for a bottle of presence is pretty steep, but the view made it worth it.

The most miserable staff that I have ever come across in any pub. Treat you it’s like a fast food service. No interaction. The lady on the till shouting next please, how miserable. 2 choices of lagers. Laughable. Beer chucked at the end of the bar no one told us they were there had to work it out ourself! No manners what so Ever. Will never return

What a set of jokers here. You have to order food from the bar but they add a 10% service charge - 10% because they bring the food to your table. I think that is the basic you can expect. Also not to mention the slowest staff I have ever experienced. My mate had a wedding here and they demanded a 10% service charge the week before the wedding happened. I’ll give you a tip…. How about work on delivering good service before demanding money for doing the bare minimum. You are genuinely a complete set of jokers and I will take pleasure never coming back to your establishment.

Food and service not great, but what a view.

Lo mejor, la terraza y las vistas al puente. Nos quedamos a comer, y el servicio en la barra fue algo caótico a la hora de pedir. Faltaban varios platos en la carta, que ya de por sí no era muy grande. Al menos lo que pedimos, currys y hamburguesas, estuvieron decentes. Quizás sea mejor para tomar una pinta y comer en otro sitio.

Food was bad. Everyone had complaints about their dish except the chips. Salad was not as described. Curry was bland - like school food. And expensive. Please improve guys! The terrace and vibe is amazing! Would only recommend for a spot to drink.

Arrived just before 12 (opening) where a queue was already formed and secured a great table on the terrace. The view really is the best in Bristol, genuinely stunning, especially on a sunny warm day, but that's where it ends really. I queued to order only to be told quite rudely that they don't serve cocktails. I then had to find someone to show me where the cocktail lounge is in the attached hotel to get one made. The server there was a gem ( I think called Callum?!) and I was told the White Lion bar only do 'quick drinks' not cocktails because they get so busy. Fine, but make that clear somewhere before I queue 10 mins to order. We considered food and the menu looked great, but he bar queue was at least 20 people long the entire time I was there ( and you couldn't order from the outside bar unless it was on the Bonappi app which no one could get to work ( I remember trying during COVID to get that to work and it never did!) The food I did see coming out looked good though. They are blessed to have such an amazing terrace, because without that I don't think people would put up with the service.

The best view in Bristol. Great spacious terrace and bar, and a good selection of drinks. Staff are friendly and the atmosphere is brilliant. Highly recommend.

Be warned. This is one of those places where you have to download another app. Create an account. Not offered menus. Staff bring bins out right past the tables. Contactless payment didn't work when I tried to pay. Card machine wasn't portable. Not great service.

Great page to spend a sunny afternoon with this gorgeous view and great atmosphere. Friends bought me drinks and food so I can't comment on price or service, but they were delicious!

Didn't eat just had drinks on the terrace with stunning views of the bridge.

This bar has been on my radar for years. We finally get to visit it yesterday and other than the view of the suspension bridge, not a lot screams out about it. My partner got our drinks whilst I found us a table to admire the view in the sun, and he comes back with 2 orange juices. He said he asked the bartender what fruit juices they had (like j20 or similar) and he apparently he looked dumbfounded as if he had been asked to direct a 5 piece orchestra. None the less, the place was nearly empty (unsure if it was due to the time, the football or something else?) but we enjoyed not having to battle for a seat!

Great views of the surrounding area.. Very limited brunch menu with scan code only option for ordering..having to download an app & entering a lot of details is off-putting. Had to go inside to the Hotel Du Vin for two incredible bloody Mary's, but it was worth it!

The only restaurant where you get the best view of The Clifton suspension bridge

Terrible, soleless, service is so bad you can't but laugh, not acknowledged at the bar, asked if they were serving and got a 'I suppose so' response, slow, disorganised. Feels like the only reason it trades is because of the terrace and they know it. Wouldn't go there through choice, other people chose it and we left with conformed suspicions.

It's such an incredible terrace. A must visit for all. It's such a Shame the bar service was so poor (early in the day).

Lovely setting looking down at the river Severn and up at the gorgeous Clifton Suspension bridge

In a bit of a rush to go see kings of Leon, so stopped at the terrace , ordered a couple of plant based burgers and drink. Food came out quick , really nicely cooked, fries were great too , bit nervous cos of previous review but must have been an off night for them, glad we stopped. Great views of the bridge , good atmosphere , music etc only knocking a star off for price , but then everywhere is a bit expensive these days!

We went on Saturday lunchtime hoping to have a drink on the terrace and possibly lunch. There was no welcome and we went out to the terrace. I asked whether it was possible to order from the bar on the terrace. I was told rather rudely that I needed to either order on my phone or at the bar inside. No table service was available. I tried to download the app, which wasn't possible for whatever reason. I wasn't prepared to carry drinks out from the bar as it was busy with a lot of very loud and boisterous youngsters. We decided to leave. Such a shame as the location is amazing.

Truly great spot, fab view, even as locals, it takes your breath away. Just popped in for shared pizza and couple of drinks each for weekday lunch. Pizza fab, but draught lager tepid (?!) and tables outside absolutely filthy. One member of staff half heartedly wiped a few then stopped. I cleaned our table, old dirt, ingrained.They weren't busy at all, oodles of staff, hanging about chatting, especially on the bar. Just not good enough, especially when they automatically charge service fee on food you have to queue to order and wipe your own tables to eat at. Difficult to comment while there, staff make NO eye contact, rush off before you can enquire about anything! It's almost funny, it's like they've been trained wholeheartedly in damage limitation but absolutely not trained to provide any service whatsoever! Very odd. Poor, you really could do very much better, would love this to be our go-to as a local but will head elsewhere for a bit sadly.

Amazing place to visit, food is on point and very reasonably priced. Best place to see the Clifton Suspension Bridge. Loads of tables on the sun terrace....

The view is incredible and the pub has a super atmosphere

One of, if not the best view of the bridge from a bar in bristol. You will pay for it at the tap though, pints are all bar one £7+

We went in with high expectations. View on terrace was awesome and seats comfortable to sit on, service was okay but the food really disappointed us. Plant-based burger was missing vegan feta and Mac and cheese lacked seasoning and did not include herb breadcrumbs or slaw as mentioned on the menu. Salad barely had any dressing and tasted old. Also be mindful, a 12,5% tip is charged automatically, it's easy to miss on the menu. All in all I'd say it's worth it for a drink and enjoying the view but I do not recommend ordering these dishes from here.

Amazing location. £25 for 2 double rum and cokes left it abit sour. Pints next time.

Great location and views, food and drinks. Recommened

Service don’t know what they are doing. Going around trying to find correct table and ultimately with our order and many others they would give up and just not serve it. Waited an hour went up and asked what was going on and they said it’s been missed for the above reason. Not the first time had a poor experience here. They survive on the view of the bridge alone. Avoid and hopefully they’ll get new management in future.

Food is good the view is spot on 10/10 however staff needs to learn bit more about customer service , they talk rude especially the person stays in the till with blue shirt on thinks his a badboy but however in real life his a yute with lot of steroids in his body

Lovely view on terrace but uncomfortable chairs. Thought it was very expensive as cost £9.50 for 2 very small lattes.Don’t think I’ve ever paid that much for a small coffee.

Probably the best view in Bristol especially when the sun is shining. This place can get very busy but the terrace is enormous.

paid £20 for a pizza and a side of mac and cheese, everyone else had their food 25 mins before us, only for our pizza to be cold, too saucy, and quite frankly vile if you wanna get ripped off come here if not somewhere else, we weren’t “compensated” with 5 portions of chips that you never be able to finish all because they are incompetent great view, horrid service, vulgar food and evidently incompetent chefs. as well as that to be charged 10% service charge at an establishment you need to order at the bar is a joke.

A great view but limited choice of draught beers.

Great place to have a drink and enjoy the view!

Had drink, hoped to see sunset over Bridge but too cloudy

A service charge for a £7.50 pint of Guinness and chips is ridiculous. You even have to go to the bar for service. I get that it’s next to the bridge but, on a rainy day, that makes no difference.

Beautiful view, poorly organised bar, lot of taps off or not working. Long queue, muddled slow service.

Beautiful place to enjoy the views of the bridge and have a beer. Highly recommended for days when it doesn't rain in Bristol.

Small family group for dinner on a Sunday evening. Thai Green curry and beef curry lacked authenticity and flavour but were homemade so at least tasted fresh and quite healthy. Beef burger homemade and tasty. Bar had nice deco but a very disappointing choice of just the usual mainstream drinks. The side of Mac and cheese was a good potion. The experience was just about ok. Would not rush back

Having placed an order for two simple chilli colours carne we ended up waiting 50 minutes, chased twice in case the order was lost (mistakes happen) so asked for a refund which they have easily as though it was a common occurrence and did not care. They weren't even busy. Never again.

Went for my birthday, had pizza and drinks. Delicious food, lovely ambiance, and the view from their balcony/terrace area is amazing...

Fantastic terrace view over the suspension bridge. A little expensive however well worth a visit ...just for the view.

Lovely views, fantastic company

Nice for a quiet drink and the view.

Staff unfriendly, asked for a glass of dry wine cost which cost £13.50! Atmosphere wasn’t good.

Pretty steep prices even for a fancy hotel bar. Further soured but average at best service and a rowdy crowd.

Coffee not the best and served luke warm

£9 FOR A GLASS OF MULLED WINE (no orange slice!), bar staff should be wearing a mask!! WONT be coming back here again

Stopped by for a drink and a look at spectacular view

Nice cafe/pub with a great view of the Cliffton Suspension bridge. Helpful stuff and many options for dinner and beers. Nice inside room and fantastic balcony. It also has very unique piece of art all over the inside room.

The pub itself is not much to write home about but the terrace is a great place to sit and look out over the Avon Gorge and has a great view of the suspension bridge. Definitely worth a look if you're in the area.

Amazing views of Clifton bridge and the river. So nice at all times of the year for a drink. I’ve not eaten here but the food is supposed to be very good. I’d recommend sitting out on the terrace - weather permitting!

What a shame. Was there with friends and 2 kids recently. Extremely poor staff service in the bar. When I went to the bar to order I was simply greeted with "what do you want?" which sounded more like an invitation to a fight than anything. That aside we ordered 6 meals of which 4 went back to the kitchen as they were cold inside. Quite a disappointment. I'd say visit for drinks, take in the view from the enormous terrace, be prepared to contend with the weirdly organised bar staff, but don't order food.

My nephew Mark and his wife Kelly had their reception there on the 26th of October 2023.

Airports are more in touch with prices than this place. £7.50 for a pint is a joke.

Service was slow and were a bit blunt due to being busy. Good views but two beers were 15 quid.

Para mi impresionante ,el claustro, el órgano, las vidrieras y sobre todo el reloj caótico es singular no he visto nada igual ,otra cosa que me llamo mucho la atención fueron sus baños públicos sin tener que pagar y con todo tipo de ayuda para la higiene femenina.

The terrace has to be experienced but we’ve sat in the bar too and it is a great spot.

Came in for a hot chocolate, no drinks menus and no cash allowed. Asked for 2 Hot Chocolates , to which the staff both started to argue between themselves after. I Payed to find that I had actually been over charged also when I looked back at my bank statement compare to the menu, and to top it off my hot chocolate was about 50% just foam and cost me £5

I would have given 5 stars if the staff was not that lazy. Typical Saturday morning and the queue was huge, there were 6 people in the bar and only two bothered to work, at some point the manager came in and start pouring beers. Other than that, the view and the place are great.

Beautiful view. Appalling overpriced food. And it wasn't that good

Served quickly staff friendly and helpful. But be warned drinks are expensive - £7.50 for a pint of Morreti and £13.50 for a large pinot grigio. But the view from the terrace is stunning. So feel this place is a great treat ❤️

Great place lovely atmosphere. Staff friendly and welcoming but be warned drinks are expensive

Didn't eat here, but just had a drink and sat outside on the terrace and took in the fantastic views. Nothing really wrong with the staff in the bar other than they just did their basic job, but they missed that smile and forgot to make you feel special.

It has an amazing location with amazing views of Avon Gorge and the Clifton Suspension Bridge. On a sunny day the terrace is a fantastic place to be.

I ordered anchovies pizza and it was 100/10 the taste was delicious, the seasoning was delicious. The waiter service was great, they charged my phone for me when I requested. And the atmosphere was beautiful, however the lights on the cliff wall were a little bit blinding we had to move our table away from them, and it gets a bit chilly so make sure to bring an extra jacket

The terrace is nice because of the location and there’s a lovely view of the bridge. Very average pub food menu, poorly executed. Best just for a drink.

Very expensive to eat and drink. The views make it worth a visit though

£3.50 for a pint of soda water and blackcurrant. Need I say more. View is nice though

Miserable staff, you would expect for such a high end place that charges £7.50 for a pint you would at-least get a warm welcome and a smile. Got our order wrong we asked for 2 Heinekens and we were giving San Miguel. So ended up paying more than we should have. Place smelt of raw fish. Lady behind us was complaining that she was served cows milk when she specifically asked for oat milk. The girl behind the till shrugged her shoulder and didn’t even offer a new coffee 😂

The most amazing views for a sundowner.

Really great view from the terrace. But I would not order the Hot Dog again. The sausage had a rubbery consistency unfortunately. The salad was a bit boring as well. Still worth coming to the terrace for a drink or two. Just have food somewhere else before or after that :)

Just had a coke and admired the view good service from staff too

Great place to meet with friends

Stunning view over the Clifton !

Disappointed to get rejected for a pint at 2120, bit of a joke considering it’s a hotel. Bar staff couldn’t care less. Had to head up to the Mall..

Very busy and took a while to get served, views outside made the wait worthwhile. We only had drinks.

Went and sat on the terrace, with what must be one of the best views in Bristol. Food was great, though the menu could do with more veggie options. Had a few drinks, and it's nice to have service at the bar, or via the app (table service). Really beautiful location... definitely recommend!