Not already a member?
Join our community and
- Rate & review pubs
- Upload pictures
- Add events
JOIN for free NOW
Chat about:
Disappointment of the week with Real Ale Ray
on the Pub Forum
Image posted by Roger Button
Submitted on Tuesday, 29th June 2010
With picture contributions to 1183 other pubs
View all this pub's pictures (3 more images)
Detail Pages
Pennan Inn, Fraserburgh
Pennan
Postal town: Fraserburgh
AB43 6JB
Served areas
Reviews of Pennan Inn (Average Rating: 4 of 10) see review guidelines
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Bente Wilson left this review about Pennan Inn
Allthough having booked a table earlier, we arrived to find the barman/owner(?) changing the music with 2 female staff stood watching. This was right at the bar and they all must of seen us come in and me sit down as husband went up to order a drink and to say we had booked a table, as it isn't a big place, one other table in the bar had two couples sat there so they weren't busy, but the girls ignored us and barman didn't tell them to serve us. The kitchen staff were just behind and husband spotted the frozen prawns ~ this is a shame that they don't use fresh when Fraserburgh the 2nd largest fishing port in Scotland is 15 mins away!( and yes they do land prawns there)Eventually we were shown through to the new dining room, apart from "Local Hero " stuff the other photos etc were from farther afield though still in the NE but had nothing to do with Pennan or the immeadiate area
We waited an age between courses and drinks, though there was only people at one other table and two waitresses. Waitress didnt give us steak knives though we both had ordered this. The soup & frozen bread roll had been microwaved so hot it took the skin off the roof of my mouth!The steak was ok but have had MUCH bigger,tender,and better presented for far less money many other places. We didn't bother with dessert as we couldn't be bothered with another wait and we were both dissapointed. Over priced for what it was,staff to busy with themselves then their customers, we won't hurry back
On 25th August 2010
- rating: 2
[User has posted 7 recommendations about 7 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Roger Button left this review about Pennan Inn
Most visitors are drawn to the picturesque harbour village of Pennan thanks to its starring role as the fictional village of Ferness in the movie Local Hero. Naturally a trip to the village should include a pint in the local pub and a photo of the famous red telephone box from where MacIntyre gushes to his boss in Texas over his sighting of the Northern Lights. Be prepared for a shock. Few people realise that, despite the sign on the wall of the pub, the Pennan Inn was not the pub used in the film. A newspaper cutting in the main bar reveals some of the secrets of the filming from which you learn that the interior pub shots were filmed in the Ship at nearby Banff whilst the Macaskill Arms that featured in the movie was actually little more than a fake frontage attached to a couple of cottages a few doors down towards the harbour.
The real Pennan Inn does have a few merits that make it worth avisit although it doesn’t really have the charm that you expect of it having undergone a refurbishment (it was actually closed for over 2 years until reopening in October 2009) and the modern touches stand out like the proverbial aching digit. The main bar to the right of the entrance is a relatively cosy little snug with exposed stone walls, open fire and a selection of nautically themed pictures, lanterns, ship’s wheels, model boats and so on. As well as the aforementioned newspaper cutting, there is a small poster autographed by the film's stars, Bert Lancaster and Peter Reigart. Space is at a premium when the place gets busy and the section to the right of the bar is a squeeze to say the least.
To the rear of the pub is the Smugglers Restaurant, a bright modern dining area which doesn’t really seem suit the ambience of the pub or the village.
One bonus is that they do sell a Real Ale, just the one but it is one more than most pubs on this stretch of coast. Isle of Skye Blaven was the choice but at £3.20 a pint, it doesn’t come cheap and you have come to wallow in the nostalgia of the film, you will probably need a few pints to get over the fact that the film, pub and village bare little resemblance to that in the movie. Once you’ve had a few pints you can have your photo taken in the famous phone box outside. Oh, I should mention that the phone box in the movie was also a prop! It is a pretty little spot though.
On 20th July 2010
- rating: 6
[User has posted 1239 recommendations about 1233 pubs]
Pubs Galore is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
- The Pennan Inn official site, contains menus - www.thepennaninn.co.uk
- Facebook - Pennan Inn
- CAMRA WhatPub :: Pennan Inn - whatpub.com
Pub Details
Pub details supplied by members of this site to the best of their knowledge. Please check with pub directly before making a special trip.
- Hot Food : Yes last updated 29 July 2013 by Dave McNally
- Real Ale : Yes last updated 20 July 2010 by Will Larter
