November: Peak Pub Season
With the Halloween season behind us, St Andrews moves into what I believe is peak pub season for the year. Pubs provide refuge from the harsh November winds, and with that in mind I present my pub recommendations, based on a survey conducted on my friends.
Top Pubs: There was a clear winner, with every single one of my friends (me included) selecting Central as the best pub of St Andrews. Its highlights include the cozy decor, consistent service and pours, outdoor seating, and the mulled wine from November to December, which to quote my flat mate Tatum Schuck really “feeds into the holiday spirit” of the wintertime. Downsides of the pub do include the prices of the drinks, but on the whole are justified by takers of the survey by their quality and the atmosphere of the pub.
Other contenders for top pub were Whey Pat for what survey takers consider the best Guinness pour and customer service, as well as the large tables available for cards in their back room. I personally highly recommend Whey Pat because of the comfort of their seating options. I feel that many of the pubs have incredibly uncomfortable chairs, but the seats at Whey Pat are well cushioned for an hour long debrief with my friends at the pub.
Another top contestant for best pub was the new Spoons for its available seating, low prices, and proximity to Club 601. I must agree with all these points, however the one caveat of this budget-friendly pub is that when it is busy wait times for drinks can be long.
On the other end of the spectrum, here are the venues the respondents of the survey do not recommend.
Although the survey results did not produce a clear winner for the worst pub, there were three that made their way to the top. First, The Rule, which was poorly rated for its bouncers being excessively strict, long lines, and overall sports bar vibes. It gained points for its large beer garden, although it is only open during the warmer months. Personally, I can attest to negative experiences at The Rule, particularly regarding a bouncer who was incredibly rude to a guest of mine -- who was 22 at the time – by claiming that his ID was fake and attempting to snap it.
Second to bottom of the list was Greyfriars, having been described by third year Lucas Wallin as “feeling more like a restaurant than a pub” and being on the pricier end for drinks in St Andrews whilst lacking the cozy atmosphere that survey takers say justifies the high pricing of Central. Brewco takes the bottom spot in St Andrews for its reported inconsistent ID requirements from bartenders, lack of vacancy in outdoor seating, high prices, and limited beer selection. And while I can recommend BrewCo for having large tables in its upstairs rooms, the lack of air flow can make the room quite stuffy, and it often gets incredibly loud.
With these survey results in mind, I hope these recommendations serve you well this pub season, stay warm and drink up!
Comments