Cosies’ Wine Bar

This is one of Bristol’s best kept secrets, well worth going
— its amazing how different the vibe changes from day to night time.
Sunday nights are usually a winner.
Eileen Crowley (singer) Bristol.

For the ‘urban’ (I hate that word; it means nothing unless you speak to middle aged ad execs and then it’s pretty clear what they mean by it) underground crew. But if you like your more notorious pubs from Montpelier back in the day you’ll love it here.
It’s big with the drum & bass and reggae crowd and full of alcoves downstairs for you to hide away in. It might be cosy but sometimes it has a bit of an uncomfortable atmosphere and it’s definitely not for everyone. But the DJs are usually pretty good and you can hear music here you won’t find anywhere else in the city.
The open brick walls and slate floor suit the basement feel and the place does have a soul; it has not been gutted and turned into a ‘lounge’ of some sort, which would of been easy to do. It’s certainly a club unique to Bristol, and it’s great if you love this kind of music. Rude Boy.

Cosies is that rare thing, a successfully chameleon-​like establishment which changes its colours to suit all times of day. The morning begins with a civilised daytime persona to accommodate the suited and booted denizens of Portland Square’s many respectable businesses, who wine and dine over hearty lunches and an extensive drinks list. Often packed the rafters and requiring a reservation, solicitors and accountants convene over a glass of pinot grigio and a menu ranging from brie and cranberry paninis to moules-​frites or lamb tagines. As dusk falls, however, the after-​work drinkers stumble home and a whole new crowd swaggers in as Cosies morphs into an underground reggae basement.
Its decently priced drinks, cutting edge DJs and an atmospheric cavern adorned with fairy lights for a dance floor make Cosies one of the most distinctive late night drinking holes in Bristol. The location isn’t hard to spot either, as neighbouring streets vibrate until 2am with the bassy sounds of reggae, dub, bashment, drum and bass. along with the occasional foray into gangsta rap and techno. Evenings are managed by one-​time Massive Attack tour DJ Queen Bee, with top promoters such as Ruffnek Diskotek and Dutty Bass proud to call this veritable Bristol institution home. As for the infectiously debauched result, it has attracted an eclectic mix of St Pauls locals, students and citywide revellers in search of something a little different. The clientele and musical palette might be colourful, but the manifold guises which Cosies slips effortlessly in and out of over the course of each day are positively kaleidoscopic.

Something of a smokers paradise and by that I don’t mean cigarettes. Cosies has a very laid back vibe going on and is one of those hidden little gems that not many people know about, except the super cool boho chic type patrons.
Tucked away in one of St Pauls majestic squares, Cosies is one of a kind and has something of duplicitious existence. On the one hand it plays host to great music, from hip-​hop to reggae and dub step to d’n’b. But during the day it is mostly frequented by local office suits.
Cheap bar prices, and a really nice outside area add to the charm of this place. It is small (hence the name?) but has a great vibe.

There seem to be a few places around Bristol that have a bit of a cavey feeling, due to their basement locations. Cosies is another place to the trend, situated in the basement of one of the grand Georgian houses in St Pauls’ Portland Square. It’s open all day and night, catering to the office workers of the square in the daytime, and turning into one of Bristol’s in-​the-​know clubs as night falls. Some of the best djs can be found playing here, spanning genres from Dub and Reggae to Drum’n’Bass and hip hop.
The seats outside, carved out beneath the pavement, are maybe where the place gets its name from, as there’s a really great ‘cosy’ atmosphere in one of those seating hubs. As a result, it makes for quite a smokers paradise, and there’s definitely a hint of a few blind eyes being turned.
Walking past in the day there’s always a board offering some sort of exotic food (always below a fiver, so good value), proving a real temptation to descend the rickety stairs mid-​afternoon. Also, there’s late evening grub on offer to help the pints go down, the last time I was there goat curry was being sold around 11. You might have to pay a few pounds to get in on a weekend, but I’d safely guarantee you’ll have a night worth remembering.

Cosies Wine Bar has a few different faces. It’s located in stateley Portland Square, and during the day it maintains a quite respectable face. At this time it pulls in office workers and other up-​standing member of society sorts. They have a good lunch menu, and the place could pass as a reasonably high end restaurant.
Things degenerate (or improve, depending on your point of view) as night draws in. Cosies is also a night club and dubstep, afrobeat, and hip-​hop nights, along with various others. Very cool in the evenings, this is about a million miles from Syndicate et al. not so far away in the centre. The different between the its night and day time faces is quite a contrast and makes Cosies worth two visits.
Down in a basement, it has a cosy feel to match its name. The best time to vist in the day time is when its a bit cold and damp. During the evening just make sure to get there early to avoid disappointment.

Bristol stalwart Cosies leads something of a schizophrenic existence. By day it churns out food and the odd pint to the office workers of the Portland Square area. By night it’s a drinking den of the Red Stripe variety, with reggae and dub DJs, a laidback vibe, and a clientele who like nothing more than nipping out to the seats at the front to enjoy a rollie or five.
It has, I’m aware, been taken over by new management recently, so whether or not they will continue to turn a blind eye to the red eyes of said smokers remains to be seen.

A busy and bustling place at weekends and a nice quiet afternoon treat in the weekdays.
Whenever you visit you will be impressed by the quality and standard of both the food and place.
The prices vary and once you taste the food you won’t care how much it cost because it is so delicious!
This is a must for a treat now and then.

This is one of those hidden gems that not many people talk about, but all the kool kids know. Tucked away in one of St Pauls majestic squares, cosies is one of its kind! Playing a huge host of great music, from hip-​hop to reggae and dub step to d’n’b you are guaranteed a great night. Cheap bar prices, and a really cute outside area top it off. It is small (hence the name?) but has a great vibe, and everybody is dancing by the end!