Baravin

The coolest venue in Aber? No doubt. With its white-brick tiles, zinc table tops and partially open kitchen, Baravin could pass for one of those hip Soho joints. One of those hip Soho joints, that is, that desperately wants to be a buzzing Williamsburg bar-diner. Naturally, Baravin serves bottles of Brooklyn lager (£4). A spin-off from the Harbour Master Hotel, see below, Baravin makes the most of its seafront location, with a curved glass wall offering fantastic 180° views across Cardigan Bay. In terms of what the budget traveller might eat here, the menu runs to bruschetta (somewhat oddly served on sourdough, but excellent sourdough), topped with first-rate artisan ingredients; a handful of pastas; and innovatively topped pizza, such as a Welsh lamb, minted pesto, peas and mozzarella number. A couple could pair a pizza with a big salad for under £20.
• Daytime bruschetta from £5.50, pasta and pizzas from £8. The Old King's Hall, The Promenade, 01970 611189, baravin.co.uk

Gwesty Cymru

The restaurant at this reasonably chic, contemporary hotel has a decent reputation, reflected in the prices on its dinner menu. During the day, however, it's more accessible. There are salads and proper rarebits, which you can amend with various local and Welsh ingredients, and several filling platters of mini-dishes, which can be rolled together with ice-cream as dessert, for £9.95. Some items, such as an unusual but moreish mushroom-mined fish pie, topped with a Welsh cheese crumble, were more successful than others. For instance, the pastry on a pasty was almost thicker than the filling. But overall the quality was impressive. On a sunny day, the patio-cum-garden area is a great place to eat, with its views out across Cardigan Bay.
• Dishes £5.50-£10.95. 19 Marine Terrace, 01970 612252, gwestycymru.com

Treehouse

This organic hub encompasses two shops – a grocer's and, over the road, a cosmetics and clothing store – as well as a first-floor cafe. In the food shop, where you can pick-up everything from organic custard powder to butternut squash, you can buy some of what the Treehouse kitchen produces: hummus, quiches, brilliant cakes, at knockdown prices (60p-£2.45). Or you can eat in the tight, busy cafe space upstairs. Local artisan produce is key across a predominantly vegetarian menu that takes in exciting soups and salads, burgers and ploughman's platters, which you can wash down with Sam Smith's and Welsh Pen-Lon beers (from £2.50). Incidentally, right-on as it is, the Treehouse is in no way po-faced. If in doubt, check the cafe's on-street A-board, which promises all mod cons, such as tables, forks, menus and eco-friendly air-con (in the shape of open windows).
• Snacks and breakfast £1.95-£6, meals £4.30-£9.20. 14 Baker Street, 01970 615791, treehousewales.co.uk

The Dolphin

With its pristine 1970's tiling, vinyl-padded booths and Formica tables, the vintage Dolphin is an evocative slice of British social history. It is also a pretty fine chip-shop cafe. One where tradition is upheld, not through stubbornness, but good sense. Freshness being half the battle, the Dolphin tries to cook its fish and chips to order as often as it can. A wait of a few minutes was rewarded with a piece of firm cod encased in a crisp, almost transparently delicate batter. The chips, while they looked a bit anaemic, were great: soft and fluffy and boasting that tell-tale, freshly chipped, true potato flavour. The sun was out, I had the smell of hot salt and vinegar in my nostrils. What more could you want at the seaside?
• Fish and chips, takeaway from £5.45, eat-in from £6.30. 47 Great Darkgate Street, 01970 624081, no website

Chives

Many sandwich shops are simply utilitarian filling stations. They serve a purpose, but joylessly. Now and then, however, you do come across one where the baps are that bit fresher, butter is offered readily, the ham is generously carved, and the fillings are a little more interesting. Chives is just such an establishment. It feeds people with a bit of spark and generosity, with the added bonus that it also offers a small choice of hot, home-cooked dishes, daily. Vegetable moussaka was simple, honest, tasty and filling; it was a bit old-fashioned, perhaps, but the aubergines and peppers were bright with flavour, and adding small halves of baked potato, which gave the dish a lovely earthy base, was clever improvisation. For £3.95, it hit the spot.
• Sandwiches and meals from £1.60-£3.95. 2 Eastgate Street, 01970 626667, no website

MGs

This upmarket cafe-bar prides itself on its local sourcing. Meats come from renowned Ceredigion butcher, Rob Rattray, whose shop is next door. MGs' bread arrives from the Hot Bread shop, around the corner at Cambrian Place. Such sourcing, however, doesn't obviate the need for a critical analysis of what you're serving. Ideally, my sample burger would have been served with a different bun (heavily seeded rolls aren't meant to be toasted) and, for me, a different burger. It's personal taste but this was one of those very finely ground, dense steak burgers which I find too firm. They lack the loose, fatty, falling apart pleasures of a great patty. That said, the sides of caramelised red onion and a poky chilli tomato relish brought the plate alive, and the chips were exceptional: irregular shards, their jagged, crispy exteriors gave way to beautifully buttery cores. MGs specials can include a pastrami, gherkin and rocket wrap; chicken and broccoli pie with new potatoes; or tuna nicoise salad.
• Sandwiches and light dishes £3.95-£6.45, meals, £6.95-£9.95. 6 Chalybeate Street, 01970 625624, mgscafebar.com

Ultracomida

In terms of food and atmosphere, this deli and tapas bar is one of the UK's most authentic Spanish experiences. One which, if you don't get too carried away, the budget traveller can enjoy, too. By day, a couple of its tapas, such as slow, fino-cooked beef cheeks with garlic potato puree, or baked hake, lentils, Serrano ham and chorizo, would – certainly with complimentary bread, olives and oil – make a satisfying light lunch. Many of those dishes are also available as main-course-size raciones, at £8.95.

You can take away jazzy Iberian sandwiches – for example, chorizo, piquillo peppers and rocket; or tortilla, alioli and semi-dried tomatoes for £3-£4.25 – and a hot dish of the day (£4). Properly seasoned with saffron and paprika, a tub of chicken and pork paella had a well-judged, hot smoky tang to it, and the Calasparra rice was delicious. The meat, however, was a shade dry.
• Tapas £2.95-£5.95. 31 Pier Street, 01970 630686, ultracomida.co.uk

Morgan's

This traditional butcher's doesn't look much. It could do with a Mary Portas-style makeover in terms of merchandising and display. I'm not sure, either, that a butcher's hot food takeaway counter would be my first port of call for a curry or pasta dish. But in the areas in which you would expect a butcher to excel – roast meat baps or black pudding and egg breakfast sandwichesm – Morgan's food looks fantastic. One of its fist-sized homemade faggots, served with mushy peas and gravy, is – for just £2 – probably the best bargain in Aber. Rich and moist, livery but not overly so, and baked so that a good savoury crust has formed on top, it's a fine example of this unofficial Welsh national dish. Gluttons note: Morgan's sells pork crackling separately, at £1 a pop.
• Snacks and meals £1-£4. 5 North Parade, 01970 612243, morgansbutchersaberystwyth.co.uk

Agnelli's

Food is treated with real fastidiousness at this small Italian deli-cafe. An espresso arrives first – smooth, rich and strong, barely a hint of bitterness to it – followed by a board of bresaola with parmesan and rocket, which was a model of rigorous sourcing and careful plating. It had been judiciously dressed with dots of olive oil and syrupy balsamic, and the whole thing was a compelling back and forth of cured and tart, salty, creamy and clean, leafy flavours. Elsewhere on the menu, you'll find other platters, panini and hot dishes such as parmigiana, and chicken and vegetable skewers with baked smoked cheese. At the counter, for dessert, tiny, ornate cannoli and aragostine demand further investigation.
• Breakfast and snacks from £1.10, sandwiches and other dishes £3.70-£9. 3 Bridge Street, 07969 959466, no website

Around Aberystwyth

If you venture out of Aberystwyth, by car, there is a good chance that you'll head down the coast to Aberaeron. The bar-diner at the aforementioned Harbour Master Hotel (breakfast/light lunches, £2.50-£9, mains from £8) serves a sound repertoire of modish, casual dishes: pizza, burgers, rarebit, cheese and meat platters, which, if you order prudently, you should be able to bring in at around £20 for two. There are cheaper light mains available and the Harbour Master also serves an excellent breakfast menu. Don't miss the ice-cream at near neighbour Hive on the Quay (takeaway £2-£4.95). Naturally sweetened with local honey, connoisseur's will tell you it's the best on the coast.

Inland from Aber, the Y Talbot gastropub at Tregaron (mains from £7) has a good reputation, sound fundamentals and keeps its food accessible, by retaining a core of sub-£10 mains, such as gammon and chips or butternut squash and pine-nut ravioli. There are also posh sandwiches served all day in the bar (£5).

The place that really catches my eye, however, is Y Ffarmers (mains from £9.50), a Good Food Guide-listed pub, about eight miles from Aberystwyth, which, unusually, serves an affordable takeaway menu (mains £5-£6, desserts £2-£3). Chef-owner Rhodri Edwards positively bubbles with enthusiasm for his craft and the local ingredients at his disposal, and this is a great way of sampling his food. That short takeaway menu will typically include fish and chips, a seasonal pie, and a couple of house burgers, including a veggie one that contains nuggets of Teifi, a nettle-wrapped gouda made locally by a Dutch ex-pat.

Travel between Manchester and Aberystwyth was provided by Arriva Trains Wales (arrivatrainswales.co.uk). For more information on Aberystwyth and wider Ceredigion, visit Discover Ceredigion (discoverceredigion.co.uk)