The Bryn Hir Arms, Criccieth

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This is a classic two bar local's pub in the centre of Criccieth on the main Porthmadog to Pwllheli road. A front lobby has doors to either side leading into a rowdy public bar on the left or a compact lounge to the right. The pub was pretty much empty when we walked past on a Friday night, but the promise of live music on the Saturday saw punters turn out in great numbers, meaning that the small public bar was completely rammed on arrival, making it very tricky to have a good look round. The room appeared to have some limited seating to the front before giving way to standing room as the servery appears mid-way down the right hand wall. The lounge bar is even smaller and has bare floorboards and anglypta wall covering with a simple bar counter to the rear under a matching canopy and traditional bar back. Banquette seating runs around the remainder of the perimeter with very limited space for folk to squeeze between in order to move around the room. A few decorative bits were on show including a nice clock, some potted plants and a number of old black and white photos but its all ultimately rather restrained and the place struggles for character a little as a result. A side door leads out to a large split level beer garden with ample picnic bench seating and a large marquee for the aforementioned live music. There was a real buzz about the place and customers seemed genuinely excited about the upcoming performance, which could be heard from the other side of town! The pub does food from a simple pub grub menu and we stayed for a bite to eat which we found tasty enough and at very competitive prices.
A board in the lounge bar listed the beer options but made no distinction between cask and keg, so when I ordered something called Wolf Rock Red IPA I wasn't expecting to get a fizzy beer from the Sharp's brewery, but that is exactly what it turned out to be. On further inspection, it transpired that there were two cask ales - Wye Valley Butty Bach and Cwrw Llyn Seithenyn, but I was stuck with the Red IPA which was cold and over carbonated but went down well enough.
This place seems to do a decent job of packing in the punters on music nights (of which there is also a mid-week version) and the friendly staff and cosy rooms make for a welcoming and lively environment. The pub has a basic charm to it but beyond that it is difficult to pick out any outstanding features and the place remains pretty unmemorable as a result. Perhaps worth a look to see what's on the bar or catch a performance, but by no means a destination pub.

On 1^st June 2017 - rating: 6
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