The Village Bar Cafe, Killay, Swansea

Cafe bar style GBG entry located in a precinct shopping area, that to be fair is more pubby inside than expected. Decor is a bit on the new side but nicely done and should bed in over time - grey, red and some varnish. Three pumps with two ales on, Doom Bar and Grey Trees Diggers Gold, a rare occurrence in getting the latter brewery’s output drinkable (NBSS 3). This is an understandable GBG pick but out-of-towners will be unlikely to require more than a single visit. 6.5

This is a pub, with a small patio area, based in a modern shopping centre, which means the gothic script on the signage is a little incongruous. The pub is sited in the ground floor of one part and has nice views over the Co-op and pizza takeaway! The pub has a front and rear door, and is in plain brick, with some green paintwork. The hanging baskets gave some colour. All that makes it sound as if i didn't like this place - far from it - this is no Marston's retail park food hole. It is a GBG pub. The interior has an L-shaped room, on two levels. The decor is white, with some wood, with some of the wooden settle seating being in contrast to the exterior and a brick bar that isn't. There is a mix of carpet and red tile flooring, with a ceiling that is of that nicotine stained colour. Brasses, plates and sporty memorabilia are legion. A few mirrors sit next to the TV (not on) and the music was soft and general. The service was friendly and it seemed a pleasant locals pub. They do food, but more as an aside - indeed, they had stopped serving when we asked. Beer; usual tap stuff with London Pride, a decent Timothy Taylor and an equally decent Bryncelyn Brewery's Oh! Boy. A great little place, and despite being the new kid on the block, i agree with Signy, the best of the three in the immediate area by a country mile.

This charming little pub in the heart of Killay has a slightly unusual location at the rear of a small shopping square, just off the main road, which means it’s considerably less visible to passersby than the village’s two other pubs. It would be a shame to miss out though, as to my mind, it is far superior to the other two, having retained a lovely traditional feel and resisted the temptation to become food-led. The main bar has an L-shaped layout with some tiled flooring around the servery and traditional carpeting elsewhere. Some old banquettes make up most of the seating towards the front entrance, running down the left hand wall where an intricately designed pew ends the row. There is a nice wooden beam ceiling, typical of a more rural hostelry and the walls have been decorated with all manner of cricketing memorabilia including a cabinet full of trophies claimed by the pub’s team over the years. A few bits of brewerania are displayed along a high shelf which runs around part of the room and there is a rack near the rear door with the day’s papers in it. As you round the corner of the bar, the rear of the room emerges as a split level area with high stools along a drinking ledge which forms the partition between the upper and lower levels. The majority of seating here is standard tables and chairs plus a few more banquettes. There are various old pictures on the walls and the flags of various rugby playing nations on the ceiling, plus a TV showing videos from an unidentified music channel and an ancient looking phone on the bar counter. A door on the end wall leads into the Cellar Bar, but I didn’t venture in for a look as they were busy cleaning in there on my late morning visit. Three hand pumps were dispensing Taylor Landlord, Fullers London Pride and Archer’s Crystal Clear – the latter priced at £3.10 for a pint. There were a couple more unused pumps and on the pillar next to the bar someone had gone to the trouble of printing out tasting notes for each beer, which I thought was a nice touch. Staff seemed very industrious during my short stay and the barmaid who served me was very friendly to me and her regulars. I think this is a very pleasant pub in which to spend some time and I’d be keen to visit again at a busier time of day, as things were pretty sedate on this particular stay. I much preferred the homely, traditional feel of this pub to the opened out eatery style format of the nearby Black Boy and Commercial Inn, and I’d recommend anyone passing through Killay to make this a double header with the excellent Railway Inn, further down the hill.