We visit the tucked away Bristol community pub with great beer, skittles ... and yoga classes

A humorous blackboard behind the bar of The Langton informs customers that this pub on the border of St Anne’s and Brislington welcomes kids but there is a 9pm curfew and parents need to follow four strict rules.

Apart from the fact children should be kept in sight of the parents at all times, the polite requests are to ‘make sure they are wearing shoes’, ‘supervise them if they are playing any adult bar games’ and ‘keep high-pitched dolphin impressions to a minimum’. I’ll certainly raise my pint glass to the final rule.

Unbelievable as it may seem, The Langton is the only pub in St Anne’s, which is exactly why landlord Paul Frost took it on in the first place.

Frost, who also runs the Open Arms - formerly the Colston Arms - on St Michael’s Hill, jumped at the opportunity to take over the old Langton Court Hotel and this large neighbourhood venue benefited from a £500k refurbishment before it reopened in May 2019.

Despite the pandemic and cost of living crisis, The Langton has quickly become a well-community asset and the fact it is family and dog-friendly has broadened its appeal.

One of the things the new landlord did when he arrived was renovate the pub’s skittle alley, rather than get rid of it.

There’s a dartboard, pool table, traditional pub games and a spacious events space upstairs, which is where the popular yoga sessions take place. There can’t be too many Bristol pubs offering skittles, darts and yoga.

This week saw the start of the ‘Broken Mic Night’ jam sessions for budding singers and musicians, and there is regular live music in the bar. Food is served at lunchtime and in the evening, and there is a wide choice on offer to suit all budgets. The Sunday lunches are so popular that booking is essential.

There are hot sourdough rolls at lunchtime, including steak and fried onion (£9.50) and a range of ‘pub classics’ such as beer-battered fish, triple cooked chips, crushed peas and tartar sauce for £14.50.

There’s also a ‘posh nosh’ menu displayed on the large TV screens at either end of the bar. These more restauranty meals include slow cooked belly pork with roasted garlic mash, carrots, greens and apple jus (£15.95) and confit duck leg, herb crushed potatoes, buttered greens and cranberry jus (£15.50).

A well stocked bar covers all bases with Foster’s, Amstel, Guinness, Heineken and Moretti. Cider drinkers can choose between Thatcher’s Gold, Inchs, Cheddar Valley and Old Mout.

As with the owner’s other pub in Kingsdown, well-kept real ale is one of the reasons why drinkers return to The Langton and there was Butcombe Original, Bath Ales Gem and the excellent Wye Valley Butty Bach on draught this week.

With a large beer garden, regular events and every Six Nations match shown live on TVs throughout the pub this month, The Langton is very much a place that caters for everybody.

When I arrived just after 4pm on Thursday, this tucked away pub was doing surprisingly brisk trade. There were a few dusty-booted, paint-splattered toilers enjoying post-work pints, a large group still loitering after lunch in the restaurant and a few locals enjoying coffees in the bar.

There was a genuine buzz and a hubbub of timeless pub conversation, everything from the weather to how to straighten a warped cue stick. I could have happily stayed there all evening.

The Langton, Langton Court Road, St Anne’s, Bristol, BS4 4EG.