The Cider Pit

The Cider Pit is a no-frills, British-style pub on Joo Chiat Road and has been a neighbourhood institution for well over a decade. It belongs to George Kirton, owner of East of Avalon Wines, the long-standing British beer, cider and wine wholesaler further up the same road, and that supply line explains why the drinks list looks more like a West Country pub than a Singapore bar. It started life on an open-air lot beside the Ocean Kingdom seafood restaurant before moving into its current shophouse unit at #01-03, 328 Joo Chiat Road; look for the black-and-gold signboard.

Cider is the headline. Aspall, Westons, Taunton, Saltaire and Brothers all appear on tap or in the fridge, with Westons Organic Vintage a long-running draught fixture, and a rotating pick of British and European beers alongside. Recent guides single out St Austell's Big Job IPA, and the house Snakebite, cider and lager in one glass, comes by the pint or the litre. Half-pints start at around S$5, bottles are sometimes on buy-two-get-one-free offers, and no GST or service charge is added, which keeps it one of the area's more affordable nights out.

The food is straightforward English pub fare: bangers and mash, sharing platters, chargrilled beef burgers with fries or sweet potato fries, onion rings, breaded chicken breast and a plant-based burger made with an Impossible patty. Seating is at wooden tables under parasols, with separate smoking and non-smoking sections, and the mood is relaxed enough that reviewers compare it to a Dublin local.

Listed hours are 3pm to midnight from Monday to Thursday and 11.30am to midnight from Friday to Sunday, so weekend daytime pints are an option. Weekdays are quieter, while weekends suit a big group. It works well as the first or last stop on a Joo Chiat and Katong crawl, especially for anyone after a proper cider rather than another IPA.