please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
A week away (Wednesday and Thursday afternoons).
Purple Moose brewery tap handily placed between narrow guage and BR stations, tried both Glaslyn and Snowdonia bitters and my wife had the aptly named Chocolate Moose, all in good condition. Didn't try the food but menu looked reasonable. No problem getting a seat.
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Difficult to find a space to perch as the seats get taken up quickly and table space is at a premium (especially if you want to eat). Ale was good (Purple Moose) but just didn't feel like staying there.
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My first visit here and was stunned to find a locally brewed mild. Well done Australia. Owned by a consortium of local breweries so hopefully no dreaded Doom Bar here. Highly recommended.
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Seriously what's going on this pub should be rated a lot higher than it has been given, a cracking pub serving excellent food. The beer selection comes from the four microbreweries who own it but my favourite was from purple moose which is based in Porthmadog. A must visit despite some poor reviews of the past.
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Good to see the premises I found shuttered in cold rainy March were back open and in good nick by August (following a long recess going by the comments on here). Good microbrewery fare but rather overlit, stark and lacking in convivality. Judging from the accents overheard this is a place for the steam-train fans, mountain-sports enthusiasts and Anglo colonists rather than the locals.
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As noted, this pub has been recently taken over by a consortium of local microbreweries and refurbished and the older dreadful reviews no longer apply. Welcoming, friendly and helpful staff (taster offered) and smart but simple decor with no gimmicks and a range of beers on handpumps, including Purple Moose, who have a brewery shop further down the High Street. Didn't get to try the food as we were too late the first day and the kitchen was closed for a periodic deep clean on the second; the menu looked reasonable. 2 visits in 2 days = recommended.
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Good news. the Australia has been taken over by a consortium of local microbrewries -The Bragdy Nant, Conwy, Purple Moose and Great Orme breweries. It now sells a wide range of real ale but no food . The pub has been refurbished and has been very well done. a great 'new' addition to Porthmadog. The clientele seems ok.
ognip - 28 Jun 2015 15:16 |
No cask beer, despite advertising it outside. Only meals on offer seemed to be on a "2 for £12" offer. Clientele seemed to be mainly local boozers. As it's the only pub as such on Porthmadog High Street, no doubt a fair few tourists will wander in and be disappointed.
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As an Aussie on tour I visited this hovel in 2004. The only thing Australian about it was an ash tray in the shape of the land down under. The place was so awful I felt compelled to return.
7 years later this pub has been refurbished and is now the Gestiana. Although a vast improvement, it is now just another pub. The awfulness has gone, but so has the novelty factor.
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Yes, this place truly is the pits.
I visited this place with my first wife in 1987 (it was called something different then) and it was truly awful. It was like we were strangers walking into a saloon in the Wild West.
I took a peek in with my second wife earlier this year and it was, most likely, worse.
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Incredibly this pub is worse than the neighbouring Ship And Castle despite the fact that it's cleaner and there's an infinitely lower chance of being infected by an ebola virus. But that's the end of the positive points.
The Australia is a large lump of a place selling nothing but fizzy beers and bottled stuff. Its main clientele are either too young to buy alcopops elsewhere or have come down the valley to have a punch up with the locals.
The police and local magistrates do their bit for the local community by closing it down now and then.
It's a complete waste of space and needs to be sorted out. It has the possibility to a decent pub and being one of two pubs on the high street I am amazed that nothing better has been done with the place.
It gets one point for being closed down half the time. If it were open full time then it wouldn't get this many.
Follow the example of the sensible minded locals and avoid this pub.
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