I'm not going to pretend I know every boozer in Bristol. I'm from Stockport. What I know is that when we went looking for a pub to bring Jefes Ramen to, The Punchbowl in Old Market said yes. That's how this works. Somebody opens their kitchen to you, you turn up and do it properly.
So if you're looking at Old Market Bristol pubs for a Monday in November, here's one with ramen on.
Why we go to pubs, not restaurants
Jefes Ramen doesn't have a restaurant. On purpose. We cook in pubs because pubs are where people already are. No booking a table three weeks out, no dress code. You come in, get a pint, get a big bowl, sit with whoever.
And every bowl does something. It's Buy 1 Give 1: each one you buy funds a matching meal for someone experiencing homelessness. I've been hungry with nowhere to go. That's the whole reason I do this, and it's why the food has to be good. Charity doesn't mean second best.
The Punchbowl Ale House & Kitchen, 23 Old Market St
The Punchbowl Ale House & Kitchen, 23 Old Market St, Bristol BS2 0HB.
It's one of the pubs in Old Market, and for one night it's ours too. We take over the kitchen. They run the bar like they always do.
Monday 9 November, 6pm till 10pm
Monday 9 November, 6pm till 10pm.
Yes, a Monday. Mondays are quiet for pubs, which is exactly why they're a good night for us. The pub gets a busy room on a slow night, you get something to look forward to at the start of the week, and the meals get funded either way. Nobody loses.
The pub keeps 100% of the bar
This bit matters to me, so I'll say it plainly. The pub keeps 100% of the bar. We don't take a cut of the drinks. We bring the bowls, the crew and the reason to come out. They keep what goes over the bar.
If you run a pub in Bristol and you're reading this thinking "could we do that?", yes. The first two nights are a free trial, then it's £48 a night, and you still keep 100% of the bar. Everything about hosting is on our for-pubs page, and there's more on what hosting a charity pop-up in your pub looks like.
Book before presale closes Monday 2 November
Presale on Eventbrite closes Monday 2 November, a week before the night. Booking ahead means we cook the right number of bowls and nobody gets turned away hungry.
Book your Bristol bowl on Eventbrite
The Bristol night is part of 382k Reasons, our Crowdfunder, which closes Tuesday 27 October. It's what gets us down the M5 and into more pub kitchens. If you can chip in before then, here's the page. If you can't, come eat. That counts.
Want to help on the night instead? Volunteer with us. Bristol hands very welcome.
See you in Old Market.
Jerelle, Jefes Ramen