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When work gets too much (and even when it hasn't been started!) pubs tend to become a second home for students, and there is always a fair population of university-goers to be found in local taverns, every night of the week. This guide is to let you know what's around Exeter, and to offer the choices for the must-do pub crawls - legendary to the university lifestyle! (Click the beer glasses to return to the top of the page)
Around St. Davids
The Artful Dodger
Close to the main Roadabout by St. Davids, this pub has a nice relaxing feel to it. Popular with students residing in the nearby self-catering accommodation, the jukebox is free on a Friday evening and the pool table is free on Tuesdays and Sundays. The food here is well-priced and tasty, and the pub also offers two dart boards, table football and a beer garden.
Heineken £1.75 - Stella £2.15 - Guinness £2.05
The Cowley Bridge Inn
This pub offers good food, and boasts traditional Devon cider. It's a fairly quiet pub with excellent service, the only downfall being the long walking distance from St. Davids.
Wadworth 6X £1.95
The Red Cow Inn
Over-run by students on Monday and Friday nights, this may not be the ideal place to come if you're looking for a quiet evening, especially as it's more popular than it is big! There's a free jukebox, a pool table and extremely comfortable seats which make this a great pub. Even if you don't become a regular here you must at least go once - to see what the fuss is about. They also offer various cocktails and also the deadly Absinthe!
Flowers IPA £1.90 - Dry Cider £1.90
The Imperial
 Being from the popular Wetherspoons chain, it is almost not required to go into the amazing features of this huge pub. The food is the usual standard of Wetherspoons, including the amazing Wether Burger. Drinks are the cheapest you're likely to find around the city, which makes it popular with a whole range of people, including students. The lack of music equates to a lack of atmosphere unfortunately, but it makes it a good place to chat with friends. The beautiful garden is a lovely setting for summer relaxation.
Exmoor Gold £1.57 - Stella £2.05 - Fosters £1.59
http://www.jdwetherspoon.co.uk/cgi-bin/ws_pubdetails.pl?pub_number=253
The Jolly Porter
The Porter is a very attractive pub and is ideal for a nice quiet drink. It's a popular choice with students as the food is good and relatively cheap. As well as a pool table, there is also a billiards table which makes a change. The decor makes the pub appear better suited for the 1940s than modern day but the staff more than counter for it with their cheery service.
John Smiths £2.16 - Tisbury Best £2.28
Queen Street
Chumleys
If you want somewhere that's both relaxing and comfortable, and also close to town, then this is the place to be. Chumleys offers a comfortable environment, but at a price. The drinks are fairly steep, but many would argue the atmosphere of the place makes it more than worth the money. The pub is also geared towards townies, and operates a dress code (no jeans
or trainers), meaning that this place is not exactly every student's dream of the ideal pub. However, if pub-cum-clubs are your thing, you'll love the place and you'll go back again, and again, and again.
Fermats Number
This pub is situated on the main roundabout into town, near Exeter College. It boasts excellent music, and can be a really good night out with the friends. The drinks are well priced, at weekends there are usually DJs playing, and with table football and pool tables to boot as well, it's an ideal stop before clubbing, or after shopping.
Newcastle Brown Ale (Bottle) £2.40
Fizgig & Firkin
This quirky little pub can be found just off Queen Street. It has a very old fashioned feel to it with wooden laminate
flooring, and also offers excellent food and cheap drinks, including a great selection of real ales.
Dogbolter - £2.00
High Street
The Hole In The Wall
Next door to Timepiece, this pub is ideal is in excellent location to start the drinking before a night out. Many students stop off here before heading to Timepiece, so although it sees a continual flow of students, it's usually just for a quick pint. The atmosphere is very friendly, and there are a large number of pool and snooker tables which is why this pub is used over and over again.
The Ship
The ship is not exactly a student favourite - clearly local regulars are more welcome. However, the function room upstairs is an ideal place for parties and the drinks are very reasonably priced. If you're looking for the perfect student hangout this may not be quite what you're after, but it is still a very decent place to go.
The Turks Head
A very interesting pub which is, again, more suited to regulars. It's been known to get a little rough in the
evenings, so during the day it's a good place to go with nicely-priced drinks, the evenings are better left for
the locals. However, many students who have been there come back saying its a 'smashing place', though how literally this description is to be taken remains to be seen!
The Wellhouse
A good range of real ales and live music are the two things that really make this pub. It's a good stop off at any time, but the place is slightly more up-market than a regular student hang-out, so it does tend to be more of a one drink stop than an all-nighter for most students. The pub does have wonderful views over the Cathedral Green.
Bitters £1.80
Fore Street
Barts Tavern
One of the main gay pubs in Exeter, this place has good drinks at reasonable prices. It also has table football and a pool table.
Kronenbourg £2.10 - Caffreys £2.20
Butlers
Most likely to be inhabited by the locals of Exeter this place does not do much trade from students. It is a good pub with good prices so if you ever wish to shake the student label off this would be a good place to start.
Heineken £1.95 - Stella £2.20 - Murphys £2.20 - Caffreys £2.20 - Bass £1.95
The Hogshead
This pub, with a slight modern-minimalist feel to it, doesn't really stick out so it can be easy to miss as you walk down Fore Street. The food is very well spoken-of, a little pricey but worth every penny. The drinks are not well priced compared to everywhere else in town, although the seating is comfortable and encourages social gatherings. It looks fairly small from the outside but the area upstairs makes up for it. There are also student discounts on certain nights of the week - always a bonus.
Stella £2.35 - Coke (pint) £2.66 (!)
The Walkabout
An Australian-themed bar, offering Australian drinks and some authentic Australian staff (!), The Walkabout is growing in popularity. There's a good choice of drinks at decent prices, and the staff are incredibly friendly and relaxed even on the busiest of nights. When there is any big sports event on, The Walkabout is definitely the place to be. The atmosphere is awesome, but unfortunately it does get very, very packed. There is also live music nights which go down well.
Useful Links
Exeter Through The Bottom Of Your Beer Glass
Silk's Pub Guide
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