Bottle & Stoat: a cosy craft beer bar on Bedford Place

Bottle & Stoat is an independent craft beer, cider and wine bar at 45 Bedford Place, Southampton SO15 2DG. It is a micro bar, and it was rebranded in January 2024. Before that it traded as Good Libations, Unity Bottleshop & Tasting Rooms and the Cloud Wine Shop. It is the second venture in Southampton for the owners of Olaf's Tun in Woolston.

The room is small and cosy, with four-person tables, a snug, a wall banquette, a Chesterfield sofa and armchairs. The beer is the main focus. There are six hand pumps at the front bar and twelve KeyKeg lines at the back, mixing traditional cask ales with newer craft styles. The cask options mentioned include Dark Revolution, Electric Bear and Flower Pots. The list changes regularly, so what is on can vary from visit to visit. Other beers listed are Fownd - Mermaid's Tail (Premium Pale Ale, 4.8%), Past Reflections by Eight Arch Brewing Company, Clairvoyant by Silent Brew Co and Bringing Seshy Back by GlassHouse Beer Co. Cider drinkers get three to five real ciders in BIB and kegs, and there is an extensive independent wine range.

Drinks are priced from £4.70 to £7 per glass. There is no kitchen, but you can order bar snacks or food from nearby Popsi's Pizza and 7Bone Burger Co. The bar is dog-friendly and takes reservations and credit cards. It is open today, Thursday, from 12:00 to 22:00, with last orders at 21:30 and doors closing 30 minutes after that. On Friday and Saturday it opens from 12:00 to 23:00, with last orders at 22:30. On Sunday it opens from 12:00 to 21:00, with last orders at 20:30. Live music is hosted on the first Sunday of every month.

The bar is about 360 metres from London Road, where the Bluestar 1, Bluestar 2, Unilink U1 and Unilink U2 buses stop. Southampton Central station is around 1000 metres away. The entrance is level, but the toilets are narrow and not adapted for disabled access. On Google, the bar has a rating of 4.8 out of 5 from 151 reviews.