‘Tis the season for the reopening of pubs in the Whiteladies Road area. This year has already seen the Black Boy Inn and the Red Lion being given a new lease of life, and The Jersey Lily at number 193 is the latest to have been reopened.
Manager Mike Baker brings with him a wealth of experience, having run pubs in Somerset and around the Bristol area. After two years out of the pub trade, he’s now moved to Bristol for the Lily.
Tucked away on a corner at the top of Whiteladies Road, The Jersey Lily is a smartly decorated pub: brown and stone-coloured walls, comfortable sofas as well as tables more suitable for dining. The clientele mix is varied: couples enjoying a quiet meal for two, groups of lads downing shots of black sambuca, friends out for drinks and chat. It may be a fairly formal setting, but certainly somewhere that feels relaxed and welcoming.
There’s quite a selection of drinks on draught: Guinness, Fosters, Sagres, Symonds, Scrumpy Jack, Tribute, Butcombe, Kronenbourg, Blackthorn, Theakston Smooth Dark…with real ales priced at £3.20, ciders at £3.40, and premium lagers and Guinness at £3.65. The wine selection starts at £3.10 for a glass, and there are plenty of bottled beers, ciders and soft drinks in the fridge.
Our visit included sampling the Lily’s new tapas menu, competitively priced at £3.95 for one dish or £10 for three.
Having been brought one of just about everything from the menu, we tucked in! Highlights for us included the chilli and garlic prawns, super-succulent and with just the right amount of kick to the chilli & garlic butter. The savoury soda bread was one of my favourites, topped with brie and bacon, and the BBQ chicken wings were perfectly tender and tasty. We were also impressed with their side orders, with the onion rings and chips both beautifully crunchy on the outside and soft in the centre, and the sauteed potatoes – cooked simply with salt, pepper and mixed herbs – proved to be addictive.
For those after nourishment more of the traditional “pub grub” variety, you’ll also find a selection of dishes for under £10, including lasagne, gammon steaks and burgers.
The Jersey Lily may be a bit further up Whiteladies Road than we generally tend to go, but the combination of the relaxed atmosphere, great food and welcoming environment make the extra distance worthwhile. Hats off to Mike – I can definitely see this place being somewhere we visit more often in the future.
Please note: this meal was received free of charge, but in no way impacted on our opinion. We were not obliged to write a positive review, and the venue did not see this review before it was put up on the site.
Find The Jersey Lily on the Bristol Bites Directory…
[mappress mapid=”131″]