A good pub is half the point of a trip to Anglesey. The island has a strong run of them — old coaching inns, beach bars, harbour-side locals, and dining pubs doing serious food — and the best combine a decent pint with a view you’d pay for. Here are the ones worth planning around.
For history: Beaumaris
Beaumaris (Biwmares) has the densest cluster of good pubs on the island. Ye Olde Bull’s Head is a 17th-century coaching inn that has served everyone from Dr Johnson to Dickens, with low beams, a brasserie, and a smarter restaurant upstairs. Nearby, The Liverpool Arms and the Beaumaris Inn keep the seafront town in proper pubs — handy for a day of things to do in Beaumaris.
For a sea view: the coast
The Ship Inn at Red Wharf Bay is a classic — a whitewashed free house looking out over the vast sands of the bay, with tables that fill the moment the sun appears. On the west coast, The White Eagle at Rhosneigr does smart food with a view, near the beaches and watersports. On the east, The Oyster Catcher pairs wood-fired food with the dunes.
For Menai Bridge
The town at the island’s gateway has become a food destination — see where to eat in Menai Bridge — and The Black Prince anchors the pub side of it, a short stroll from the Menai Suspension Bridge.
For a proper local
Away from the visitor towns, the island’s village pubs are where you’ll meet Anglesey itself. The Holland Arms at Gaerwen and The Sportsman in Holyhead are honest, unfussy locals — the kind of place for a quiet pint and a chat rather than a gastropub menu.
What to expect
- Welsh ales: look for beers from local breweries — Anglesey and the North Wales mainland have a lively brewing scene, and most good pubs stock at least one.
- Food times: rural pubs often stop serving food mid-afternoon and may not do food every evening in winter — phone ahead out of season. See Anglesey in winter for what stays open.
- Booking: seafront and dining pubs fill fast on summer weekends and for Sunday lunch — book.
- Dogs: many Anglesey pubs welcome dogs in the bar; see dog-friendly Anglesey.
Pair it with a walk
The best pub days end a walk rather than start one. Finish the Red Wharf Bay stretch of the coastal path at the Ship, or a Rhosneigr beach afternoon at the White Eagle. On Anglesey, the pub is the reward — earn it with a headland and a tide.