The Station Inn, Porthmadog

This is probably my favourite pub in Porthmadog. It is situated entirely on the Up platform and consists of a smaller bar on the left (shown in the pictures) and a larger "public" bar on the right that includes darts and pool. On my recent late Friday afternoon visit I went for the right hand public bar. This had a large table full of locals winding down after the week's work and a large TV screen which happily was showing The Chase (an ITV quiz show) rather than the usual moronic footbore. It's a large square room with areas set aside for pool and darts and the bar tucked away in the left corner where it runs through to the smaller bar. The two beers on offer were identical to the two from the review below almost exactly three years ago, Exmoor Gold and Purple Moose Snowdonia. The Snowdonia had run out so I had the Exmoor Gold (£2.65) which was in good nick. This seems an odd beer to find in a very Welsh pub so maybe the Landlord likes it. In the past this used to be a MILD outlet but sadly no longer seems to be. If you are getting a train towards Harlech and Barmouth there is really no excuse to miss out on this one.

A timewarp station buffet, which has the vibe of a 1970’s scout hut. Nonetheless there were two ales on the go (Purple Moose and Exmoor Gold) which were both in good nick and pretty cheap. The clientèle were a mixture of Welsh-speaking locals and tourists waiting for the train (the pub has a door that opens out onto the south bound line). Staff were efficient and relatively friendly for North Wales. Retro chart music and Premier League football on big screens were the order of the day, along with cheap and fairly cheerful pies. Worth stopping in for a swift one before your train.