Aikman's is probably the first pub I'd ever been to in St Andrews. I came first to Aikman's on a visiting trip before my course started, and had a great time. When I started my course, this is also one of the first bars I went to. And I come back with relative frequency, for good reason.
Its a very atmospheric pub. Its probably the closest thing St Andrews has to a proper student dive. The drinks are (relatively) cheap, its open late, serves good food (try the chips), has frequent open mic/live act nights, and plays good music, in addition to just being an overall great, atmospheric pub.
The real draw about Aikman's, for me, though is twofold: first, it has an amazing selection of European beers from both Britain and the Continent. My current favourite is the Kozel, a Czech Pilsner. Very good, and at prices under £3 per pint, its positively cheap (for St Andrews)!
Secondly, is that its actually two bars in one. Upstairs is the more day-to-day bar, where its brightly lit, and can serve food, and where most often the live acts perform. Downstairs, though, is the cellar bar. Its very nice. Cosy, even. A bit darker, a bit more dive-bar-esque, great music playing (usually), etc. Overall a great pub.
"But Dan," I hear you asking. "If Aikman's is so great, why only four stars?" Well, friend, I will tell you. Despite all of Aikman's many positives, there are a few drawbacks. And I realise that a few of these draw backs are just part-and-parcel with what I like about Aikman's, but be that as it may, I still see them as disadvantages, whether I rightly should or not.
First: It gets crowded. Due to the fact that Aikman's is probably the only bar of its type in St Andrews, and it draws both Town and Gown crowds, it is crowded, often nearly to capacity, most--if not all--nights of the week. ESPECIALLY if you want to sit in the Cellar Bar (Which of course you do, right?!). Which means you have a few options: a. Get there early before it starts to fill up, and don't leave until you're done for the night b. Start elsewhere and go towards the very end of the night (as they're open later than most other places in town except the Vic and the Union) and hope that everyone else hasn't had teh same exact idea, or c. Go with a large group of friends, some of whom would have hopefully arrived earlier, and secured one of the bigger tables in corners/at the sides for your group, and thus have saved you somewhere to sit. Otherwise, its just luck of the draw and you may wind up standing or squeezing in places you aren't meant to.
Second: In the Cellar Bar, especially, due to both the music playing and the large amount of people all having conversations at the same time, it can get quite noisy, so having conversations can be difficult at times unless you talk quite loudly or get very close to one another. For students and most young people that shouldn't be a problem, and it isn't for me most nights, but every once in a while I don't want to have to shout to hear my friends, or tell my friends a funny joke. So, the loudness, whilst perfectly understandable and part of the atmosphere, does also count against it in this case.
Overall though, Aikman's is a very good, solid pub, and I would recommend it to everyone. read more
