Calling all insomniacs
Late night shopping
Never one to overlook consumers’ needs, Bristol can provide shopaholics with some after-hours action. If you just can’t sleep ‘til you have that new pair of shoes/socks/ear muffs, The Mall At Cribbs Causeway (Cribbs Causeway, 0117 903 0303) is the place to go. Open until 10pm on weekdays, it’s so well lit and warm you’ll never guess it’s nighttime. Be sure to go well-equipped with lots of dosh: among the big names are Topshop, Miss Selfridge, John Lewis, HMV, French Connection… it goes on. Borders (48 Queens Road, 0117 922 6959) is open ‘til 9pm if you fancy a spot of intellectual browsing, and further up the road, Joy (50–78 Queens Road, 0117 929 8613) opens until 8pm on Thursdays.
Late night drinking
For after-hours drinking in a civilised and completely legal establishment head to The Woods (1 Park Street Avenue, 0117 925 0890). Open ‘til 6am on weekends, you can sink a drink here in plush surroundings. If you don’t want to be thrown out of the boozer at 11pm sharpish, find a table at The Black Bear (168 Whiteladies Road, 0117 973 3993) where they call last orders at 1am on weekends and won’t rush you out the door either. The Tube (1 Unity Street, 0117 930 4429) hosts the coolest after-parties in town. Recline in comfort with a premium drink and enjoy the tunes.
Fags at 4am
We all need these sometimes, don’t we? You can find your cheeky pre-bed fags at a few places around Bristol. The garage on Queens Road is always a good bet, catering nightly for the clubbers from Dojo’s down the road. The newly opened Somerfield (40A Whiteladies Road, 0117 929 8169) opens ‘til 1am so you can buy your fags through a little window with an elf on the other side who runs off and gets them for you. If it’s a really ridiculous hour of the morning then Asda (Highwood Lane, 0117 317 2400) is there to help – open 24 hours, you’ll never need to go without.
Food now
If all that energetic dancing has got your stomach rumbling in time with the music, why not sample Bristol’s late-night eateries through a rose-tinted alcohol haze? First stop: Magic Roll (3 Queens Row, 0117 221 435). This place will serve you an epic array of fillings, guaranteed to take the edge off the next-day hangover. If you have less than £2 in your pocket, join the happy line outside the legendary Hunger Hatch (17 Triangle South, 0117 908 9798), where you can get chips ‘n’ cheese, served with a knowing smile. For those so drunk that walking to get food is off the cards, give Dominos (119 Whiteladies Road, 0117 973 3400) a bell.
Other late night indulgences
If you’re an insomniac but not the clubbing type, then Bristol offers a variety of late-night activities that don’t necessarily involve drinking and dancing. Both Watershed (1 Canons Wharf, 0117 927 5100) and Vue (Cribbs Causeway, 0871 224 0240) cinemas have late showings of films from 10.30pm. If you don’t mind ugly shoes, then The Hollywood Bowl (Cribbs Causeway, 0117 959 2100) is open ‘til 1am for something a bit more energy-consuming. Triangle Casino (7–12 Triangle South, 0117 929 1515) is open ‘til 6am so go and roll the dice to greet the dawn with a full (maybe) pocket of cash.
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