Ye Olde Bull’s Head Inn
Ye Olde Bull's Head Inn, Beaumaris — Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0
The Bull’s Head has stood on Castle Street since the 15th century and wears its history lightly: low beams, open fires, a famously large single-hinged gate in the courtyard, and guests over the centuries said to include Dr Johnson and Charles Dickens. It is the natural first pint in Beaumaris — and with "Food at the Bull" upstairs, often the natural dinner too.
The Liverpool Arms
Down towards the seafront, the Liverpool Arms has traded since 1706, named for the packet trade that once linked Beaumaris to Liverpool. Its Admiral’s Tavern is one of the great pub rooms of North Wales — dense with nautical memorabilia, including timber from HMS Victory. Good beer, generous food (4.4 from 800+ reviews) and rooms upstairs if the evening runs long.
The Rest of the Round
The George & Dragon on Church Street is the locals’ local — a proper traditional pub with a solid 4.2 rating and sport on when it matters. The Bulkeley Hotel’s bar serves real ale in Georgian surroundings with strait views, useful when you want a pint with a panorama. All are within five minutes’ walk of each other, which makes the Beaumaris crawl one of the shortest and best in Wales.
Dogs are generally welcome in bar areas — see Dog Friendly Beaumaris. Eating properly instead? Start with the restaurants guide.
A Short History in Pints
Beaumaris’s pubs map its economic history with unusual neatness. The Bull’s Head served the county town’s courts and markets — judges and advocates lodged here when the assizes sat at the 1614 Courthouse up the street. The Liverpool Arms arrived with the 18th-century packet trade, when Beaumaris was the crossing point for Ireland-bound traffic and the strait was a working highway. The George & Dragon carried the everyday trade of a garrison-and-market town. Drink in all three and you’ve done four centuries of local history at a comfortable pace — which is, frankly, the best way to do history anywhere.
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