What are the cheapest station pints?

So, we’ve got one rule for this list, which is that we’re excluding Spoons. Otherwise, they’d practically run away with it. Everyone knows that they’re cheap, and they know what they’re going to get. Their Aberystwyth pub (Yr Hen Orsaf) actually has the cheapest station pint in the country, at an astounding £1.71.

Instead though, we’d like to give some shout outs to independents and small chains that serve rail travellers and locals alike, and serve them some great-value beer while they’re at it. We should add that these prices were correct as of June 2023, so they might have changed a little since.

5 – Urmston

We’re kicking off the list with Urmston (The Steamhouse). When we got in touch with them, they told us that their cheapest station pints were £3.75. This is a cask ale that rotates every month!

4 – Knaresborough

Next up, you can pay a visit to the Track and Sleeper and get yourself a pint for just £3.70. This changes pretty regularly, as we’ve visited twice, and it was different on both occasions.

It’ll be one of their very own Gorilla Brewery pints, though. Trust us when we say that they’re all worth a try.

3 – Huddersfield

At the Head of Steam in Huddersfield, you can enjoy a pint of Buckeye Pale Ale for £3.60. Everything rotates pretty regularly, so the cheapest station pints here will change often!

Luckily, they’ve popped a menu with prices on their site, so you can stay up to date before you visit.

2 – Doncaster and Hartlepool

We have a joint entry for the second-top position when it comes to the cheapest station pints. You can choose between The Draughtsman (Doncaster) and The Rat Race (Hartlepool). We visited the latter, with its rather eclectic choice of decor:

At both of these pubs, the beer changes very regularly. So we’d recommend popping into both and finding out the latest offer for yourself.

1 – Codsall

Finally, a pint of Holdens at the station pub in Codsall will cost you just £3.30. So, this is the cheapest station pint that you’ll find somewhere that isn’t Spoons!

Is there anything else I should know?

So, have we quenched your thirst, or left you looking for more? You can find our full map of station pubs here. Looking for more about pubs? You can take a look at our favourite pubs in the North East or Yorkshire and the East Midlands. We’ve also taken a trip to find some of the best beer in East London.

Looking to book some train tickets to sample the cheapest station pints? No problem. You can do it all with SmartSplit. We don’t charge any extra fees either, even if you just change your mind about your trip.

_{^{All prices quoted were correct as of June 2023, and are subject to change. SmartSplit is not responsible for any disappointment or loss incurred as a result of the information provided.}}

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BeerHeadZ (Nottingham)

If you pop out of Nottingham Station and follow the signs for ‘Micropub’, sure enough, you’ll find one! BeerHeadZ is situated on Queen’s Road and is a cosy little bar, with a nice selection of beers on cask and tap.

During the day, it can be a nice calm oasis away from the hustle and bustle of Nottingham. There’s plenty of sockets available too, so you can get some work done while you enjoy a drink. The friendly staff behind the bar are knowledgeable and happy to give their own recommendations on which beers to try.

As you can see, there’s no pretentious decor or clutter. It’s just about coming together to enjoy some great beers.

While it can be a nice calm place to visit during the day, it also hosts themed nights. On the first Thursday of every month, you can enjoy some LPs (younger readers might not remember these!) during “Off The Tracks”, their dedicated vinyl night.

The Whistle Stop Micropub (Grantham)

On the London-bound platform at Grantham Station, you’ll find the Whistle Stop Micropub. Not only a station pub, it feels like a true community meeting place with a selection of beers on tap and cask. While that selection isn’t as diverse as at other pubs, they do have their own namesake beer to try!

With direct access to the platforms, it’s a great place to relax either before a train or between connections. There’s also a selection of snacks and sandwiches to try, if you fancy a bite to eat as well.

There’s plenty of railwayana on display, too. It feels like a true railway pub and you’ll certainly find nowhere exactly like the Whistle Stop.

Sheffield Tap (Sheffield)

The Sheffield Tap is one of the most well-known station pubs in the North of England. That’s for good reason, too! It’s got a fantastic selection of beers and always has a friendly, bustling atmosphere. People will always be coming and going from one place to another, to see family, friends or to embark on solo adventures.

As busy as it is though, it’s full of little rooms and places to find a spot to relax. Whether you’re popping in for a quick one between connections, or have a while to wait, there’ll be somewhere here for you. It’s hard to believe that it lay derelict for over 30 years before being lovingly restored in 2008.

We managed to find a nice quiet spot in the back of the pub on a Thursday afternoon, despite the front being very busy indeed!

You’ll find the Sheffield Tap on Platform 1B, which is near the main entrance of the station.

The Track & Sleeper (Knaresborough)

We’ve already talked about the Track and Sleeper on SmartSplit. It’s one of our favourites, being the perfect blend of craft beer pub and community hub. It’s owned by Gorilla Brewing, which means that if you pick one of their own pints, you’re in for a great deal.

We tried their Vanilla Gorilla Porter when we visited, which was just £3.90 for a pint. That’s an amazing deal for a pint in a pub in any town or city, never mind on a station platform. If you’re not a beer fan, no problem. Anyone for a Pornstar Martini on tap?

The pub hosts a variety of themed nights such as a quiz night, which we’re told is very popular and draws in lots of folk from the local community. No matter when you visit though, you’re sure of a warm welcome and some friendly banter from the staff behind the bar.

Harrogate Tap (Harrogate)

Just like the Sheffield Tap, you know what you’ll be getting with the Harrogate Tap. That is, a great choice of craft beers just a stone’s throw from the station platforms.

Aside from the beers, the main attraction of the Harrogate Tap is the wood-burning fireplace. When we visited on a windy January afternoon, it was the perfect tonic for feeling chilly. The staff regularly come around and topped up the wood, so you were always sure of a warm glow and crackle.

You’ll find the Harrogate Tap next to the main station entrance. Just know that because there’s ticket gates at Harrogate, you’ll need to nip outside and through the gates to access the platforms!

Is there anything else I should know?

Ready to book your next trip and pop to the pub? You can do it without fees at SmartSplit. We don’t charge you for changing your plans, either.

Looking for more about pubs? You can take a look at our favourite pubs in the North East, the cheapest pints, and where to find them. We’ve also taken a trip to find some of the best beer in East London.

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Where can you go for a beer on the East London Line?

Lots of places, as it turns out! Everywhere that we visited was within a short walk of a station. It was just as well, as the weather was liable to giving us a soaking at regular intervals. We ended up visiting a mix of independent taprooms as well as a couple of larger chains, in order to get a real feel of what it’s like popping for a pint in this corner of the Capital.

The Snooty Fox (Canonbury)

So, we’re starting off at Canonbury. Services on the East London Line actually start at Highbury & Islington though, and there are no shortages of venues on Holloway Road if you want to start from the beginning of the route.

Where better to start sampling beer on the East London Line than at a good old-fashioned pub? The Snooty Fox is basically just across the road from Canonbury station, so you won’t struggle to find it. Aside from a good selection of cask ales and other beers on tap, you’ll find plenty of quirky titbits on the walls, as well as a jukebox filled with classic LPs:

There was already a great buzz around the place when we arrived at about 12:30pm. In the end, I settled on a pint of NZ Pale by Redemption Brewing Co. They’re a Tottenham-based brewery, so it was a pretty local brew as well. I was impressed by the price too, as it was £4.90 for a pint of a nice, citrusy and easy-drinking pale. All in all, it was a superbly relaxed and cosy place to begin trying beer on the East London Line.

40FT Brewery (Dalston Junction or Dalston Kingsland)

Our next stop for beer on the East London Line perhaps wasn’t so cosy. But, that was more on account of the fact that it was mostly outdoors! We had to dodge a pretty heavy July shower to get here, but there was plenty of seating undercover. It’s also worth mentioning that it’s easy to reach from Dalston Kingsland (where we came from) as well as Dalston Junction.

So, what’s up with 40FT Brewery? They started up as three homebrewers crafting their own beer for house parties. In 2015, they moved to their current location, and they’ve been expanding ever since. These days, they’re producing over 7,000 pints a week!

The rain started to come down even heavier as the friendly bartender served me a pint of their Disco Pils for £5.50. Despite the splashes of rain, it was turning into quite a warm and humid afternoon, so a refreshing Pilsner was just the ticket to stay cool. My friend went for their Dalston Sunrise Pale Ale, which was big on citrus and pine notes. I wasn’t a fan, but he said it was his favourite beer on the East London Line of the day.

Aside from the beer, 40FT also shares its space with a couple of food outlets, and they also have plenty of board games for you to borrow. You could easily spend the whole afternoon here, and stay fed, watered and entertained.

Signature Brew (Haggerston)

Signature Brew has three locations in the Capital. You’ll find this one tucked under a railway arch just by Haggerston station, their brewery on Blackhorse Road, and a ‘collab’ location in Walthamstow, where they’ve teamed up with We Serve Humans (who do some great burgers and wings).

They do live music as well, and this location in Haggerston is the only dedicated space for live music photography in London. Put simply, it’s a place where beer on the East London Line and artistry collide.

The location was great. You can’t get closer to the railway than being physically under it! As for the beers, we wanted to try something completely different this time. At the moment, they’re offering their own range of Summer In the City sour beers, in a number of different flavours. I went for Watermelon, Strawberry & Raspberry, which was £6.00 for a 2/3 pint.

This was the priciest beer on the East London Line of the day, but I wasn’t too surprised. Sour beers are never the cheapest thing on offer, and I say that as a sour beer fiend. They’re quite a tricky one to get right, as some do just end up tasting of, well, sourness, and not much else.

Thankfully this wasn’t one of them. It was tangy, fruity and refreshing. There was definitely a nice hit of watermelon, too.

Brewhouse & Kitchen (Hoxton)

We headed our next stop for beer on the East London Line as we were feeling a bit peckish, too. I didn’t actually realise that Brewhouse & Kitchen is a fair-size national chain (though the furthest north they get is Nottingham) but this was a really pleasant-feeling Brewpub. It’s just a stone’s throw from Hoxton station, and as you’d expect, it has a great selection of different beers to choose from.

I went for a pint of Joseph Markovich, which was their house IPA on cask. At £5.20 a pint, it seemed fairly reasonable! Taste-wise, it was a pretty floral and slightly sweet pint. It wasn’t my favourite, but a decent beer nonetheless.

As for food, I just went for a hot pretzel and some cheese sauce. It was a fiver, and it hit the spot. I don’t think you could muck up a pretzel! My friend had a ‘Bang Bang’ Chicken wrap with fries, which was just short of nine quid. He said it was tasty, so I’ll take his word for it.

Overall, it was a cosy Brewpub. The atmosphere was pleasant, and the staff were full of smiles.

Simmons (Shoreditch High Street)

So, it was almost time to finish up for the afternoon. Shoreditch High Street was really busy, too, so we had a bit of a task trying to find somewhere that we could sit down. In the end, we found Simmons, which is about five minutes down the street from Shoreditch High Street station.

I’ll be honest and say that this isn’t a craft beer haunt, but the decor (and vibe) are bright, bouncy and welcoming:

It’s actually a decent-sized chain of bars, but hyper-local to London. So, if you’re a London local, you’ll probably know about them already, but less so if you never venture out in the Capital. For our last pint, my friend and I were simple men. As it was a Saturday, and they had their ‘Saturday Specials’ (discounts basically), we had a pint of Camden Hells for £5.00. It’s hardly a craft lager, but it’s a decent and drinkable one.

And so, our adventure for beer on the East London Line was over. Both we (and our wallets) were pretty impressed.

Is there anything else I should know?

Fancy visiting some of these places for yourself? They’re served by London Overground. Trains run on the main section between Dalston Junction and Surrey Quays (via Shoreditch) every few minutes, so you won’t be waiting long for a train. Canonbury has frequent (at least every 10 minutes) trains too. All trains are modern, air-conditioned and have five carriages:

In terms of tickets, it depends on where you’re coming from. If you’re travelling from outside of London, it might be worth buying a Travelcard from the SmartSplit website. This will include a return journey to London, then unlimited travel in London Zones 1-6, so you can hop on and off as you please.

Do you just need to travel within London? It isn’t worth buying paper tickets most of the time. Simply tap in and out with any Contactless card or device (like a phone with Google Pay or Apple Pay). If you have a Railcard, you can get an Oyster Card for £7.00 and ask a member of staff to pop the discount on. This means that you’ll get a third off Off-Peak fares.

Looking for more about pubs? You can take a look at our favourite pubs in the North East, Yorkshire and the East Midlands and even the cheapest pints.

We’ve also created a map of the cheapest pints at station pubs.

_{^{All information on this page was correct at 13/07/2023 and is based on real-life experiences and opinions. SmartSplit is not responsible for any disappointment caused as a result of information provided, and the information is subject to change.}}

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