Tucked away behind Cabot Circus is one of the most charming beer gardens in Bristol. The Volunteer Tavern, or the Volly as it’s more commonly known, is an atmospheric yet relaxed pub in the city centre.
Amy Bright, 30, has been the general manager of the Volunteer Tavern for almost two years but pubs have always been a part of Amy’s life. She grew up peeling potatoes in her family’s pub The Cobweb Inn in Boscastle, a small fishing village in Cornwall.
She quite literally moved from one Volly to the other, having previously worked as an assistant manager at The Famous Royal Navy Volunteer on King Street. The Volly on New Street, near Cabot Circus, has a much more quirky, younger crowd these days before landlord Pete Gibbs took it on around ten years ago.
Read more: Pubs' plea to carry on using former parking spaces for outdoor seating
“I would absolutely call it a complete hidden gem because it’s not on the main drag of Old Market,” Amy said. “From the outside, it doesn’t look like much, but when you come into the garden there are fairy lights and murals done by the staff.”
The pub is most loved by locals for its beautiful beer garden lined with twinkling lights that bring it to life at night. It’s filled will vases of flowers and hand-painted murals, reinforcing it as a creative, community space.
Amy continued: “I think it’s even nicer in winter because you can see the fairy lights. It’s like a tiny little festival garden in a pub. Any time staff have a day feeling creative I let them paint the flower pots. People come in thinking it’s a normal pub and then go into the garden."
Something even regulars may not know is that The Volunteer Tavern has its own football team with one of the most majestic club names - Tiger Turtle Magic Mountain FC - named after an art installation in Germany. “They come to the pub every Thursday and celebrate, sometimes,” she joked. Despite having its own team, the staff are not about sports and don’t have any screens in sight.
Amy admitted it’s been a struggle to keep both the Volunteer Tavern and the Hope & Anchor, its sister pub, running as the cost of living crisis has deepened across the UK.
“The summer was hard because it was the first year that people felt safe enough to go away on holidays and festivals were back in full force and there’s a load of stuff going on in Bristol every weekend. We definitely thrive better in the winter so hopefully, it starts to pick up.”
She continued: “I want to be hopeful because I love the job. We do make a profit but it’s not a big profit. We’re trying to do things like the quiz, which we have to pay for, and everything is about spending money to make a tiny bit more money.
“I know not everyone is able to come to pubs now, either. So we’re just trying to do things like keep food cheaper. I think it works both ways.”
On Mondays, they serve Mama’s Dumplings cooked by the mother of Aleks, one of the bar staff at £1 per dumpling. They also serve Japanese soul food pop-up Lonely Mouth Tuesdays to Saturdays.
Most notably, perhaps, is the price of its Sunday roasts. The Volunteer Tavern offers chicken, beef and two vegan options for £12 each - which is an exceptional price for your Sunday lunch in Bristol.
As all of their kitchens are run by pop-ups, they don’t set the prices themselves, they have been forced to raise the prices of their pints slightly after being hit with increased energy bills.
“We still have a £4.25 lager and £4.50 ciders. Our happy hour is Monday to Friday, 4pm-6pm where our ciders are £3.50 and our lager is £4.”
The pub has its own beer, the Volly Pale, which is available on draught when they haven’t sold out. New Street Brewing, which is right next door to the pub, started brewing the beer during lockdown.
“Gareth, the brewer, was already working at the pub and Pete wanted to get a microbrewer next door as he’s very much about keeping prices down. He thought instead of importing beer why not brew our own to keep the prices down?”
They also offer specialist beers, which is every beer lover’s dream, including cans of Left Handed Giant, Yonder, Wiper and True and Newtown Brewing.
The Volly also hosts a Monday quiz night called Questionable Quizzes, with a rotating theme each week such as general knowledge, food or film. It’s £2 entry - £1 of which goes to the bar tab prize pot and the other goes to a jackpot rollover, where quizmaster Zac asks a random team a question.
“If no one wins it rolls over to the next week,” Amy explained. “The most anyone has ever won is £100 in cash. It puts you on the edge of your seat at the end of the quiz for sure.”
The Volunteer Tavern will be hosting a day event alongside the people from Mr Wolf’s on November 12 from 4pm-10.30pm with live bands and a DJ. Keep your eyes peeled for more details due to be released online.
9 New Street, Bristol, United Kingdom, BS2 9DX open seven days a week
Up next:
