Best Pubs Around Snowdon
By Dave Roberts 
Published – August 11, 2015
Best Pubs Around Snowdon
So you’ve Walked Up Snowdon, and down again, working up a thirst and an appetite. What you now need to know is where to get refuelled and enjoy that hard earned pint (or whatever you prefer).
Here are our personal choices of watering holes for that Snowdon walk. My criteria are that it has to serve real ale, decent food and is welcoming to the walker. We also keep a keen eye on those single malts. Note that prices vary around the mountain, with what we locally call London prices in some pubs. Our budget choice is the Snowdonia Parc Inn with beer at under £3 a pint, though it technically isn’t on any of the starting routes! Expect to pay more in all the others.
Cwellyn Arms in Rhyd Ddu.
Very convenient, and no coincidence that my favourite ascents, or rather descents end up in the Cwellyn Arms, sorry, Rhyd Ddu. Though, invariably the thirst of an evening walk is slaked at their myriad beer pumps and a decent choice of Cider. The difficulty only comes in choosing. Beers spotted have been Conwy and Gogarth breweries, and just too many others to mention. There’s usually six or seven ales on tap, along with bottled ales.
Thatchers on tap for the cider drinkers and a half decent selection of single malts.
Faenol Arms in Nant Peris
The Faenol is an atmospheric tavern, with some wonderfully dated 70s mountaineering photos on the wall. My favourite is all the colourful cagoules on the Cantilever. There’s Robinsons on tab, with Stowford Press for the cider lovers, and a selection of single malts.
Food is excellent – we even had Moroccan Style Goat here last week!
Just around the corner from the park and ride, with a campsite opposite (not part of the pub).
Snowdonia Parc Inn – Waunfawr
This one’s not technically on the routes, but deserves a mention. Has a campsite and a station, brew their own beer too (The Carmen Sutra is worth a try, and so’s the beer) It’s been voted a pub of the year by CAMRA for years, and has a good choice of ales. The atmosphere is a bit lacking however, and does lack character, but don’t let that put you off as it’s a cracking little pub. Ales are usually brewed on site, with Jennings having been spotted on tap and Thatchers for the cider drinkers.
They do hearty food, with the Beef Madras Half and Half being pure mountain fuel. Recently fell in love with their Theodore Stout – one of the best pints I’ve ever had!
Pen y Gwryd Hotel
The quintessential mountain tavern! What else is there to say! Spend half an hour getting a crick in your neck finding the Everest signatures on the Alpine Room ceiling.
You can easily reach the walks at Pen y Pass via the footpath below the main road, not by walking along the road people!
Mallory’s at Pen-y-Pass
This was once the historic Gorffwysfa Inn, a fierce rival to the Pen y Gwryd at one point. It once again has a bar, but had been rename it Mallory’s . The bar itself is a bottle bar, with the decor modern and comfortable with friendly staff. Of course, the location is second to none!
Heights Hotel
This is often the best pub in Llanberis, and is the only outdoorsy pub. It does however, suffer peaks and troughs in quality over the years as it has often changed ownership and had a less than salubrious reputation at one point. It has recently been most excellent, with both food and ale of the highest quality, though their choice of single malts was basically just Penderyn. They’ve a selection of ales on tap, Stowford Cider but the worst choice of single malts I’ve ever seen in a real pub.
Penceunant Isaf Tea Rooms
Doesn’t sound like a pub! Doesn’t much look like one inside, more like a traditional Welsh Farm house! But don’t let that put you off. Steffan will give you a welcome that in itself will start to soothe those sore feet, the beer’s just a bonus!
It’s also positioned ON the Llanberis path, and if you finish here, it doesn’t count as cheating. It’s harder to pass, with everyone supping in the garden, and you can always get a taxi down to Llanberis afterwards. Servers traditional welsh cakes (Bara Brith) so you can top up on the carbs. Highly recommended.
Dave Roberts
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I’ll have to see if they’ll fund the expenses for a further expedition! I can count at least 6 more pubs that can be a little further away.
I love the Ty’n Coed, with a pizza there being a particular favourite post walk treat. Bryn Tyrch is a bit more comfortable, maybe too comfortable for a muddy, sweaty walker! Cobden’s is currently on the market – and isn’t one I’ve visited often as the other two have been a bit more lively.
Beddgelert has the Llywelyn and Tan yr Onnen – both favourites of ours. I’ve never been in the Saracen’s head or the Goat Hotel – makes 7, so we’ll need to fund the trip with a minibus!
Although a tad further away from any of the routes up Snowdon you should include the Tyn Y Coed at Capel Curig in the list if you are talking about real ale and whisky. At last count they had around 67 whiskies not to me too 3 decent real ales.