The Blue Anchor, Brixham

This is a great traditional pub which was originally two cottages and is now owned by Punch Taverns. The buildings appear to be quite old judging by the interior which has two small rooms that are both a little rustic with exposed stone walls and some authentic looking beams. On entering you will find the small public bar which occupies the right hand building, this has a small bar counter across the back of the room, a large stone fire place with log fire in the left hand wall, burgundy fabric bench seats and copper topped tables at the front and right hand side of the room and a dart board on the right wall (above the bench seats!), the stone walls in here are painted white and there are various articles of nautical memorabilia dotted around. In the back left corner of the public bar is an opening with a couple of steps down into the dining area which fills the left hand building, this has bare stone walls and around half a dozen dining tables, on the walls were horse brasses and a couple of old photos of Brixham. I don’t remember seeing a TV or a gambling machine anywhere and there was no music, just friendly conversation. Regular ale is currently Greene King Abbots Ale and St Austell Dartmoor Best Bitter with two changing guest beers which were Black Sheep Bitter and Caledonian Deuchars IPA. I sampled the Dartmoor Best and the Black Sheep which were both in good condition (Cask Marque). A brilliant traditional pub with lots of character, it was quite busy on a Sunday afternoon so I’m guessing it’s a pretty popular place with locals and tourists alike. It’s a dog friendly pub but children under 10 years are not permitted at any time, so not really a family pub. I liked the décor and the beer quality was good but the selection was a bit unadventurous having two guest beers that are national brands. Mind where you sit in the bar, you could be leaving with a dart in your head! One of the best pubs near the harbour, I would return if in the area again.

After traipsing around all the back streets of Brixham, found ourselves back in the Quay looking for a decent fish supper and decent beer and took a chance on the Blue Anchor. Fortunately we were not disappointed. The Blue Anchor is a solid back street local type pub. Stone walled interior with a main area just to the right of the bar, which supports a dartboard and has bench seating for social drinking. And then a larger two sectioned tabled area to the right. It’s not plush, but rather well worn, but we found it to be welcoming to visitors, with friendly staff, decent food and very good beer. There were three handpumps but only two were going at the time of my visit and these were Dartmoor Best and Abbot. The pints of Dartmoor Best I had here were probably the best kept I had sampled during my hols. The food menu is good and supplement by a specials board. Couldn’t fault what we had for both quality and quantity and the fish pie was particularly good. Also noticed that most of the other people dining on the early evening we were in were locals rather than fellow tourists, which is usually a good sign. So all in all, a good experience at The Blue Anchor.