It has been opened just five months and, according to one of the co-owners Bristol's newest pub, The Dame, that honeymoon period still shows no sign of ending. And Andre Seidel says he hopes it never will, as what began as a bit of a punt to create a 'dive bar' south of the river for Bristol's skater and street art scene has actually become something even bigger than that - to the point where The Dame could quietly be mentioned as the coolest pub in Bristol.
The Dame opened on Dean Lane in Bedminster in late August, catching the last knockings of the summer events in the park opposite which gives it its name. For that park - Dame Emily Park - contains Bristol's most famous, oldest and largest skatepark, known to generations of skaters as The Deaner.
The Deaner has been instrumental in Bristol's underground music, street art and skateboard scene for more than 40 years, and still is. When the pub across the road, the Tap and Barrell, was one of four traditional Bedminster boozers within a half-mile radius to close on the same day back at the end of March last year, Andre and his friends Stephen Wallace, Rayne Rose and Tim Nokes saw an opportunity.
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The other three Bedminster pubs - the Albert, the London Inn and the Black Cat - have all also reopened with extra enthusiasm, but remained largely consistent with their roots. The Tap and Barrell's rebranding and relaunch in August brought something seen as a bit different to Bedminster.
"People say it's different, but what we wanted to create was a dive bar for the skaters and street artists, and actually the Tap and Barrell was at its heart an honest dive bar too," said Andre. "Our dream was to create something which has no frills, where you can meet people, have a drink, and be welcomed. We always wanted to have something for 'our scene', because for so long there hasn't been," he added.
Andre's 'scene' has been huge in Bristol for years now. He and Tim Nokes run Campus, which has two indoor skateparks - one in Winterbourne and the other inside the old swimming pool in Bishopsworth, further down into South Bristol.
"We saw the Tap and Barrel come up and it was just perfect. We're right in the heart of the skater scene here. There's the Dean Lane skatepark, there's Gratitude skate shop just round the corner and obviously this is where Upfest happens. For us it felt like we could have a home here, park, pub, shop, all really close," he added.
The pub reopened in late August and was instantly packed out. The key to any new pub opening is to sustain the custom after the novelty wears off for people. And remarkably, Andre says, if anything, it's got bigger.
"We're eternally grateful to our customers, because it has been amazing. We had the first events in the park in August and September, and then we were into October, November, December and it hasn't stopped. It feels like we're still in those early stages of just opening when everyone wants to come. What we're finding - which is great - is that people are coming for a night out - there isn't that thing where people come here and then go on into town," he added. "We're also finding that people are coming across the river into South Bristol - and there's always been a thing that people don't do that - which is good too."
Outside the pub, a huge new mural adorns the most open side - just one of dozens on the walk from Gaol Ferry Bridge to the end of North Street. Inside, there's a table tennis table, and an ever-changing decor. "It's been a blank canvas for artists, so it's constantly changing, especially in the toilets, which have a different bit of art on there every other week. It has the feeling in here of being unfinished, and that's what we want. Too many places open and they've been designed and made to look a certain way and that's it. With The Dame, we want it to be like all pubs used to be 20 years ago, and feel like it's evolving a bit all the time," he added.
They've had a few DJ nights in there, and a few gigs are planned for 2024, but it's not the focus of the pub at all. "We will put stuff on like that, but we don't want it to take over - we don't want the place to become a venue. What happens when you get that is that the place for people to meet and sit and talk ends up being the smoking area outside. So we want the actual pub to be that, so we hope that's how it will be almost all of the time," he added.
