Stanley Arms, Holyhead

A pleasant pub, with a slightly separate dining area with a good selection of food displayed on a large blackboard.
As stated in a previous post, there is, regrettably, no cask ale served: the very pleasant and enthusiastic barmaid confessed that there was "little demand for it in Holyhead", and that there was only one pub that she was aware of in Holyhead itself that served real ale, and that didn't serve food. She said that, for those who wanted real ale and food, the Valley Hotel at Valley, on the other side of the 'cob', was the best place (can't find it on BITE).
As with all pubs in Holyhead, ignore the distances shown on BITE to Valley railway station: BITE obviously has the wrong postcode for it and thinks it is adjacent to Holyhead station, when in fact it is about 5 km away!

16 Oct 2016 12:47

The Barking Smack, Great Yarmouth

On a fine sunny day in late September, I was looking for a sea-front pub where I could get a good pint and a nice fish-and-chip lunch. The Barking Smack seemed the perfect place. Entering past the pleasant front terrace, I found a large room, with a bar with several hand-pumps, and a blackboard with details of the beers and ciders on offer, mostly from the Grain brewery, and also Lacons. My pint was good, but it turned out that the kitchen wasn't operating that day, due to staff issues.

4 Oct 2016 23:59

The Eagle and Tun, Birmingham

I heard that the Eagle and Tun had re-opened, so popped my head in when walking past the other day. I didn't have time to stop for a drink at that time.
Good traditional pub. There were only a few customers early Saturday evening. The only cask ale that appeared to be on was Wye Valley HPA, certainly an acceptable choice.
Staff seemed friendly, and are obviously keen to increase customers after such a long period of closure. Hopefully when trade increases they may be able to offer additional ales (though unlikely to rival the range at the adjacent Woodman!). Could be a useful alternative to the Woodman when the latter gets crowded or has a noisy quiz going on.

11 Jan 2016 13:59