Wednesday 24 October 2007

Aberystwyth - Inn on the Pier


Address: Marine Terrace, SY23 2AZ. Tel: 01970 610000 / 01970 636101 [gmap]
http://www.royalpier.co.uk
Pubs Galore page
 
Last APG visit: 03/03/2011

Background: Nicknamed the ‘Pin’ (play on the name, Inn on the Pier - Pinn on the Ear, ho ho) this is the little sister to the nightclub (Pier Pressure) next door. As the name suggests, it's on the pier, which is always worth sampling on a wet Tuesday night with a Force 9 gale raging. Black barman with the (now shaved off!) dreadlocks is possibly the longest-serving barman in Aber, he was there back in 1998 when I started. 


Student factor: Mainly students, with a fair number of loud and boisterous townies in the evening and the occasional hen do. Now has an extremely late licence (the only pier in Britain with a 24 hour licence in fact*), so there’s plenty of dregs wafting around there in the early morning. However, it has stopped being 24 hour during the working week in response to complaints. 

Atmosphere: Always buzzing, which will tick most people’s boxes. Can verge on the rowdy late on in the evening with people desperately trying to get shitfaced whilst they can still hear themselves talk before they head next door. During the day it’s a great place to shelter from the cold and relax whilst watching the waves along the bay. Ladies take note, it's not afraid to trade on latent sexism during the evening.

Drinks range: Not too bad, your average MOR drinker will be happy, and there’s always a Del Boy range of offers on during the week. Sadly the ability to purchase draught Skol, which until the mid 2000s used to be the last genuine pound-a-pint left in Aber has now gone; Tuborg is on instead. No real ale, sadly - only Ansells nitrokeg (£2.40).


TV/Music: Football is almost a 24/7 fixture in here and it has enough tellies to show a number of live matches simultaneously – if you ask nicely. 


Other stuff: Along with football, this place draws in a lot of punters for the food - pizza and fries based – which is fairly good value. There’s also an awful karaoke night. Toilets are often flooded and can smell horrific (even in the middle of the day), which is bad given the money this place makes, and the fact the waft of stale wee hangs around the pizza hatch seems like the toilets are improving and the smell of pizza wee has subsided. Oh and not to forget the most spectacular of all – the sight of thousands of swarming starlings coming to roost under the pier at dusk every evening. Just don’t get caught under it outside, or you’ll have a head full of faeces.


Quinno’s verdict: Always worth a stop, especially when the footer’s on or you’re looking to start the evening early with alcohol and pizza. Fair play to them here for being able to stay in fashion for so long.  
*Hat-tip - Rebecca Connop Price

6 comments:

Unknown said...

the barman is Jazz, now manager of inn on the pier, he is a legend in this town!

Anonymous said...

Jazz is a legend! My ex, a former Bow Street resident and Aber Uni student went out with him when they were kids! Awwww... PIN is the mut's nuts for an all-round fun night!

Anonymous said...

Bloody expensive tho. £1.40 for half a pint of coke, and other drinks are more expensive than other places in town too. Only really worth going to for Pizzas (which are nice and they have a buy 1 get one for £1 on them on certain days, well worth it), or to get a stamp on certain nights to get you in to Pier Pressure slightly cheaper before a certain time.

Anonymous said...

Stongbow now over £3 a pint, not quite city prices yet, but not far of.

Anonymous said...

Back in my day, this place was the venue of choice for ad-hoc all day drinking sessions - around '95-96 every drink was £1.20 from opening time until about half eight at night, Sunday to Thursday. I think it went up to 1.50 after that, but unsurprisingly I can hardly remember....

Anonymous said...

Prices all over the place, but not bad for pints. Can at times be a bit too busy or at other times good for a late night conversation. Cheesy music fun for a drunken singalong.

Fantastic atmosphere if you go in to watch the footy or rugby.

The food is a savior for the late night drink, nothing like a good serving of cheesy chips...

One of my favourite pubs in Aber by far, atmosphere can't be matched!