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

Aberystwyth - Pier Hotel

 

Address: Pier Street, SY23 2LN. Tel: 01970 615126 [gmap] 

Pubs Galore page

Ceredigion CC historical pub info page

Last APG visit: 03/03/2011

Background: Not to be confused with the Inn on the Pier complex, this is instead the bar of the Pier Hotel which in recent years has been extended from a small and permanently quiet drinking room into something more resembling a full-on pub, without actually quite being one. Has had a very recent scrub-up and IKEA-style pine overhaul inside, making it look more of a bar. Have to admit I preferred it the way it was - it certainly never used to need a bouncer outside on a Saturday night. 

Student factor: A few, but more of a locals place overall. The occasional student crawl stops off here.

  
Atmosphere: Not bad, gets rowdy when the inevitable Saturday hen night crowd from Penrhyncoch arrive and the place turns into a grab-a-granny session. Otherwise quite quiet during the week, good for a few beers with your friends. 

Drinks range: Pretty good considering its size -it manages to pack in two of the Banks’ ale range which often come out well. Does a nice line in jelly baby flavoured vodka and you can get a two-pint glass of lager. 

TV/Music: An eclectic mix of 70’s and 80’s from the jukey. 

Other stuff: Darts and pool. The nudie quiz machine looks to have disappeared.

Quinno’s verdict: A decent visit, put it on the crawl list for the jelly baby vodka and two-pint servings.