Ye Olde Cider Bar, Newton Abbot

Still as thoroughly and comprehensively described in previous review (which only missed the pool table right down the back). In fact it doesn't change very much at all, thank goodness. Just to add a bit more for the uninitiated: the big barrels carry the three Sam's ciders, while a stack of polypins (known here as bibs) have a wider selection of guest ciders and a few perries. They are happy to do samples, so you can find one you like, which is quite important with ciders as there can be a huge variance between them, even from the same producer. So give it a try, and find out why I never seem to get to the other pubs in Newton Abbot! My only regret is that the superb pasties they used to sell are no more - just rolls now.

A Devon institution, this is one of no more than three or four bespoke cider houses still operating in the UK. The pub has a fabulous old-fashioned interior, with a bare concrete floor, plentiful dark beams and a fine servery to the left upon entry. The bar’s counter front is very striking, giving the impression of having been made from old cider barrels, and a quick look behind the bar reveals several such intact barrels, some of which are huge, from which the drinks are taken. The beams above the bar have been liberally lined with countless pint pots and tankards, with the collection spilling out above the standing area directly opposite the bar. On the opposite wall, there are a couple of wide seating booths , each with a couple of tables inside and hard bench seating around the perimeter. One booth has been decorated with a large mural on the back wall and has a set of old cider jugs on shelves above. There’s another small seating area to the front left, before the bar appears, with similar bench seating, broken by a lit fireplace with a nice clock above and what appeared to be a dartboard to one side. The pub runs a long way to the rear, passing a cider press, to follow a narrow room with fixed benches down both sides, although tables have only been set out along the right-hand wall. The walls here have been decorated with a great collection of photos showing the pub’s staff and customers down the years, seemingly posing outside the pub for their annual beano. Some of these photos date back to pre-war days, whilst others were only a few years old, but they’re all worth having a quick browse through. There’s a surprisingly large courtyard garden out the back, with picnic benches and a large shelter to one side. A cold motown soundtrack played in the background during my visit and various beer mats and posters suggested that the pub shows live sport on the two TV screens near the bar, but they were thankfully both turned off on this visit. A blackboard next to the bar listed eleven ciders straight from the barrel and four more on keg, as well as a few specialist products such as mead and fruit wines. With next to no idea about what to order, I relied on the recommendation from Aqualung’s review below, and plumped for the Sam’s Dry, which turned out to be excellent. The old-school landlady was very friendly and there was a good atmosphere early on a Thursday evening, from a keen bunch of regulars who filled the booths opposite the bar. Having never encountered a cider house like this in the past, this was a very special visit that will definitely remain in the memory for some time to come. I thought this was a very pleasant old pub with loads of interesting features and of course, some great cider, much of which is very strong and would no doubt wreck havoc on your plans if you spent too long here. A must-do for anyone visiting Newton Abbot - who needs beer anyway?

I first came here over thirty years ago after finding out about it from the first Real Cider Directory (aka the New Testament). I didn't really recognise it inside which may be due to cider induced memory management violations. The large wooden casks behind the bar were familiar but it looked much more like a normal pub with people playing darts at the front and it being generally fairly busy. I also don't really remember the building stretching back for such a long way. I had time to try three of the ciders. The main ones on offer seemed to be Sam's ciders of which I tried the Dry (£2.40) then the quaintly named Thatcher's Diesel (£2.60) and the even more quaintly named Black Rat (£2.60) from Moles Brewery. The Sam's Dry was an excellent filtered dry Devon Cider, the Diesel was an alarmingly orange cloudy one while the Black Rat was just cloudy. All were pleasant enough ciders. The prices here show what a rip off the craft places that sell cider are and even to a lesser extent Wetherspoons. I remember when coming here for the first time thinking it wasn't as good as the Monkey House or the nearby and now closed Plough at Elmley Castle but there is a better range here. If you're in Newton Abbot it's a "must visit" and happily it seems to be thriving.

Nationally-renowned cider house which sells perry, mead and fruit wines in addition (no beer at all!). The exterior is pretty nondescript and you could easily miss it. The interior is a classic rustic boozer and on entering there’s a fairly hefty whiff of old cider spillages. There’s a snug-style area to the right as with an area to left with an exposed brick fireplace. A patio is to the rear. Mix of stone and herringbone parquet flooring. Varnished wood settles (not comfy, bring your own cushion!) plus a number of barrel-shaped bits of furniture and the barrel bar fittings looked impressive. There was a covered bar billiards table, not sure why it wasn’t free to play on. Plenty of ciders and fruit wines to choose from and staffed by a helpful green haired lass. Perhaps a drawback is that the point of sale isn’t great - for the uninitiated it’s pretty difficult to know what’s what and to distinguish between all the barrels, a blackboard or menu would be helpful. We tried a couple of the ciders, including the comedy Suicider. Plenty of people in mid-afternoon and a decent atmosphere. It’s an interesting experience in here and is well-worth a trip to sample.