The World's Best Pubs and Bars

[MuteBanana]

Following my post in the Sam Smith thread about not liking pubs that serve food and being told you can't find anywhere that doesn't these days, I decided to try and find some. I did. One in particular caught my eye.

The Marquis of Lorne in Stockwell. According to customer reviews - No food, "dodgy banter" oo err, cheap pints, football on the telly and a free jukebox. A back street, old fashioned drinking mans pub. Not even a fashionable real ale in sight.
a
The pub is hidden, away from the main high streets to avoid casual drinkers and tourists. Very much a locals pub. Its still within short walking distance of Brixton, Clapham and Stockwell stations as well as their high streets. Its also less 10 minutes away from Brixton Academy. I also noticed its nearby Lambeth Hospital where I was born. So it feels like theres a connection.

Its also stunning




More photos of inside on Google, ignore that poncy looking one. I'm sure thats somewhere else.
The Marquis of Lorne

Has anyone been in there who can confirm its reputation of being all about the drink and nothing else?

[MoonDust]

I used to feckin' love the Aulde Triangle when I lived in London too. About a two minute walk from Finsbury Park station:



Can't find interior pics on Google, but luckily found this:



Which is why I loved it. Every Friday night they have amateur Irish folk musicians just set up in the far corner and play. People can come and go with their instruments and join in as and when they please.

I don't remember the drinks being that expensive either (by London standards at least).

[MoonDust]

Just realised I posted the exact same pub on the first page of this thread.

Sorry. Worth a reminder, though.

[MoonDust]

Yesterday I went to Chester for the first time, after originally planning on going to Liverpool for the day but noticing it was raining, as was Leeds and York, so we decided Chester as that wasn't raining.

Found ourselves in the fantastic Brewery Tap Ale House.





Parts of the building date back to the early 1500s or earlier, and is one of the only surviving medieval stone-built halls in the city.

Back before it was a pub, it was Gamul House, and according to the leaflet about the pub, King Charles I stayed here for the night on 24th September 1645, the night before the battle of Rowton Moor during the civil war.

Lovely atmosphere! Nice ale, too.

I want to go back to Chester as it seemed to be dotted with pubs in centuries-old buildings everywhere.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

That looks slightly different, in a nice way. Duly noted.

[MoonDust]

We were in a cosy side room to the right of the bar. Regret not taking a photo of that too.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

Jozef K - Gdansk





I probably would have walked straight past if it wasn't for word of mouth recommendation from a guy on here (can't forget who - monkfromhavana perhaps?) who had recently visited. Granted, it is located on Piwna ('Beer Street') in Gdansk, one of the main nightlife spots in an old town not short of good options, but has no courtyard and the entrance is so plain you would never get an idea what was inside unless someone told you, or unless you were morbidly fascinated by the plain exterior of that particular building.

The bar is situated in a modernist building with impressive and elegant narrow windows stretching from the ceiling downwards. Strangely enough I can't remember too many bars with such windows which oddly reminded me at the time of the science block at my old secondary school. These soaring things allow quite a deal of light into the bar, and you'll find the place operates with the lights off in a sort of half-gloom (not unlike my old school) until fairly well into the evening.

The style of the place is salvaged defunct scientific equipment + antique furniture which when placed together and mounted so they all align with each other creates an impressive feel like a museum or professor's study that has gone rogue and become a bar. Certainly techy and geekier than your usual retro chic bar, but pointedly elegant with it. It borders on the 'ruin bar' aesthetic but manages to be its own thing really well. There's lots of gadgets and neat touches to look at, so when you're tucking into a lovely strong Polish beer you can let your eyes wander around the room appreciating the effort, which stands apart appreciably even among those top quality bars it is inspired by. That good.

Jozef K also appears to be the place to see and be seen if you're a millennial in Gdansk, and in the evenings there are groups of townie types who will appear after 10pm, who don't quite appear to understand or appreciate the aesthetic but have an intrinsic understanding of their obligation to be there. The seating is a little sparse which reflects how quickly the transition from sleepy afternoon place to buzzing night venue takes place. It gets very lively indeed.

Jozef K's beer choice is admirable, as nearby brewery Browar Amber is represented well  – one smaller brewery that pre-dates the Polish craft ale explosion and serves beer in styles tradition to the region. Being a Pomeranian brewery, their offerings are largely Germanic, with interesting bocks, double pilsners and pszeniczne, a useful word to learn (psheh-neetch-nay) as it means wheat beer! It's great to see the brewery concentrate on heritage styles rather than copying the popular US styles as so many other Polish breweries have opted for. The price at the bar is typically competitive for Western wallets – not necessarily the best value for the city but for an English tourist paying between £1.50-£2 for a beer will not break the bank.

Jozef K deservedly earns a reputation as a good all-rounder. The atmosphere and style is good, the vast majority of the other visitors are Danzig born and bred so it's not particularly touristy either, and sells good cheap and slightly different beer, seeming to occupy an important role in the local pub scene. The IDM/illbient music mix works well for the environment and it moves seamlessly from stylish and studious cafe bar to lively night bar. There are no real lows to think of and a visit comes highly recommended.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

I conjured up a tour of Amsterdam 'Brown Cafes' last summer for my wee brother's stag night.  Every single one we went into there wasn't another tourist/ lairy group of Brits to be seen

From memory, I'd recommend the following:

Cafe de Sluyswacht



Cafe 't Smalle

Cafe Chris

In 't Aepjen

De Wetering

Cafe Papeneiland

Excellent. I am having my first trip to Amsterdam in December. In t' Aepjen I've heard of, but anything like a non-touristy brown café (ie. NOT 'coffeshop' ganja bar) with local atmosphere anyone can recommend for me would be great!

[dandoystevski]

Sorry for the bump but I wondered if Shoulders (or any of you) could stick a link up to his European pub guide? Tar.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

Yeah sure


http://[SPAM - REMOVED].com

Which city are you searching?

[seepage]

.

[mr. logic]

What you got for Amsterdam, Shoulders lad?

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

It should be there on the site

Café De Doktor
Rozenboomsteeg 4, 1012 PR Amsterdam, Netherlands
Bierproeflokaal In De Wildeman
Kolksteeg 3, 1012 PT Amsterdam, Netherlands
De Pilsener Club
Begijnensteeg 4, 1012 PN Amsterdam, Netherlands
In De Olofspoort
Nieuwebrugsteeg 13, 1012 AG Amsterdam, Netherlands
Café De Wetering
Weteringstraat 37, 1017 SM Amsterdam, Netherlands
Wynand Fockink
Pijlsteeg 31, 1012 HH Amsterdam, Netherlands
Café 't Smalle
Egelantiersgracht 12, 1015 RL Amsterdam, Netherlands
Café Karpershoek
Martelaarsgracht 2, 1012 TP Amsterdam, Netherlands
Hoppe
Spui 18-20, 1012 XA Amsterdam, Netherlands
Proeflokaal de Ooievaar
Sint Olofspoort 1, 1012 AJ Amsterdam, Netherlands
Het Elfde Gebod
Zeedijk 5, 1012 AN Amsterdam, Netherlands
Café Mulder
Weteringschans 163, 1017 XD Amsterdam, Netherlands
Café Spuyt
Korte Leidsedwarsstraat 86, 1017 RD Amsterdam, Netherlands

https://[SPAM - REMOVED].com/amsterdam-brown-cafes-jenever-houses/

Also this link is for a suggested pub crawl.

There are loads of others which I haven't yet visited that look great such as Cafe Chris, Cafe Gollum, Tapvreugd, etc

I also recommend the site European Beer Guide as the author's specialist subject, beer styles aside, is the pub scene in Amsterdam. The site is way out of date but the majority of places are still open.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

Dredged some more up:

De Twee Zwaantjes – Neighbourhood cafe

Proeflokaal Arendsnest – Jenever tasting house

Café Van Daele – Brown cafe

Café Heuvel – Brown cafe

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

Seeing as the thread hasn't had much action in a while may I say how insane Madrid is for constant nightlife, even standard tapas bars, bright lights and plates staying open until 6am.

Great, you may think but the best places are so full so it was quite frustrating and difficult to plot a path. I'd advise getting 3rd/4th choices handy in a neighborhood given the likelihood you won't get in.

That said, Oldenburg and Kloster nr Iglesias metro were fantastic bars for beer and atmosphere.

On the Spanish bodega front, La Ardosa and Rosell were excellent.

Tapas-wise, Le Tigre charges €2.50 for a caña (bad value), but then emerges with an unvanquishable mountain of food. Omelette, croquettes, jamon, bravas, manchego, bread. As you'd expect, rammed full of people!

[dandoystevski]

Yeah sure


http://[SPAM - REMOVED].com

Which city are you searching?

Ah thanks, duckie.  Site looks super profesh at least compared to how i remember it before! Nicely done :-)

I'm off to Barca for a few days soon to catch up with a mate and see the Spurs game (although after today i might just end up drinking for a solid four days and sacking the game off completely).

[king_tubby]

http://leedsbeer.info/charts/  This site thinks it's only the 81st best watering hole in Leeds. Fuck off, frankly.

Obvs I realise that this was posted in 2015 but having a quick look at the reviews and they're pretty fucking clueless, aren't they?

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

Ah thanks, duckie.  Site looks super profesh at least compared to how i remember it before! Nicely done :-)

I'm off to Barca for a few days soon to catch up with a mate and see the Spurs game (although after today i might just end up drinking for a solid four days and sacking the game off completely).

Thanks, very kind of you to say, I did give it a redesign but have lots more planned slowly and surely.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

Obvs I realise that this was posted in 2015 but having a quick look at the reviews and they're pretty fucking clueless, aren't they?

They must have got bored or split up because no new reviews since March 2017.

Perhaps I contributed in some way by my disagreeable comments, tsk.

The list just made me angry all over again.

[king_tubby]

I mean, Yates's above the Reliance, what the fuck? WHAT THE FUCK, SHOULDERS?

Also I now know what you look like.

[Golden E. Pump]

Just having a look at this thread again and pleased to see TEA Time, Kraków get a rating on Shoulders' site. Stayed in a hostel next door and found it to be a great little bar.

Sorry for the bump but always a useful thread.

[ToneLa]

Yesterday I went to Chester for the first time, after originally planning on going to Liverpool for the day but noticing it was raining, as was Leeds and York, so we decided Chester as that wasn't raining.

Found ourselves in the fantastic Brewery Tap Ale House.





Parts of the building date back to the early 1500s or earlier, and is one of the only surviving medieval stone-built halls in the city.

Back before it was a pub, it was Gamul House, and according to the leaflet about the pub, King Charles I stayed here for the night on 24th September 1645, the night before the battle of Rowton Moor during the civil war.

Lovely atmosphere! Nice ale, too.

I want to go back to Chester as it seemed to be dotted with pubs in centuries-old buildings everywhere.

Woah my favourite one. 8% lime cider when I last went, fuckin top stuff, revolves weekly. Centurion armor wearing fella in town pops in for a pint! (It is his job, he's not 'just that quirky')

Will have to splash some Liverpool bars in this thread. That mad secret Absinthe one for a start..

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

Just having a look at this thread again and pleased to see TEA Time, Kraków get a rating on Shoulders' site. Stayed in a hostel next door and found it to be a great little bar.

Sorry for the bump but always a useful thread.

It's a lovely simple pub and finding cask ale anywhere in mainland Europe is always a pleasant surprise, especially when the staff are able to keep it and pour it properly.

Location also helps link together a pub crawl nicely.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

Should probably make a post in here seeing as it's the first time in a while.

Berlin



Yorckschlösschen - Amazing jazz bar that's similar to Papa's Joe's. Perhaps slightly less kitsch but still got that incredible mix of nostalgia, live music, local beers (Kreuzberg) and faded clutter.

Peppi Guggenheim - less grand, only a sidestreet bar but still great for live music and woozy lights. It was popular and felt known about. Locals were there.

Wilhelm Hoeck 1892 and Dicke Wirtin - Elderly gnarled brown wood venues, good for escapism.

Zur Pinte and Charlottenburger Wappen - Friendly, cheap but cosy neighbourhood pubs with loving owners, the sorts I'd aim to go to if I lived there. The venues where people of different ages and classes converge.

Zum goldenen Hahn - Genuine feeling of mild terror entering this Kultkneipe. Crusties, punks, all chain smoking and growling. It was fun. Unpredictable, slightly too rich for my blood, but fun.

BRLO, Hopfenreich, Lager Lager, Biererei - Craft venues now. BRLO had a nice garden and was the only one seemingly with Berliners in. The other three were bland, cookie cutter venues with no individuality or atmosphere. Only great expensive beer on uncomfortable furniture.

I also remember the names of some others. Dschungel, a foresty cocktail bar, Alte Rote Lowe Rein, which looked like Covid had fucked it, Astra Stube, a St Pauli supporters club that was alright.Fuk;s was a really cool bric a brac atmospheric antiquey place for lounging around.

Neukolln wasn't quite as edgy or scuzzy as I'd been led to believe, I guess Friedrichshain might still be, but didn't have the chance to visit.

I really wanted to visit E&M Leydicke but it was closed for Covid.

[mr. logic]

Know any good'uns in Moscow, lad?

[sevendaughters]

The ones I've been in in this thread are good, particularly the Fox & Goose in Hebden and the Robin Hood in Cragg (a fell runners favourite, which was me in a former life). Here's my fav 10 off the top of my head, with no embellishment. Ownership issues prevent me from naming any Sam Smiths places, which is a shame. Not been in some of these for a while so they might have gone crap or changed hands. For instance not been in MacSorley's since the refurb.

- The Plough, Worcester
- The Volunteer Canteen, Waterloo (Liverpool)
- Kavarna Liberal, Prague (Holesovice)
- Klostereck, Lubeck
- Marble Arch, Manchester
- The Free Press, Cambridge
- MacSorley's, Glasgow
- The Half Moon, Oxford
- Le Galion, Lorient
- West Riding Refreshment Rooms, Dewsbury

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

I have Kavarna Liberal down to visit. I stayed in Holesovice for 10 days in 2018 but at that point I was still scouring for clubs and the remaining old Soviet era boozers.

Know any good'uns in Moscow, lad?

I wish, sorry. But I bet a few here can help.

[sevendaughters]

to be fair it's more of a cafe but to me it was the cafe I imagine when I hear the word cafe.

[flotemysost]

Know any good'uns in Moscow, lad?

Only spent a few days in Moscow a couple of years ago, so my advice is probably a load of tit and I'm sure others are far better versed in Muscovite boozing... but I remember enjoying Fassbinder (arty cinema bar/cafe type place with a lots of industrial metal, chunky leather sofas and muted lighting), Enthusiast, a bike-themed craft beer place with history documentaries projected onto the back wall (sounds horribly pretentious but somehow didn't feel it), and Time Out Bar has some nice views of the Garden Ring if you're feeling fancy. GlavPivMag also good for Russian craft beers.

Also went to an apothecary-themed Indian restuarant/cocktail bar that could only be accessed via the bogs of an unassuming-looking pub above a bookshop, and required an amusingly convoluted process to get in - find the right cubicle door, speak to someone through a hatch, get a number, go back to the pub and ask if you can borrow their phone to call the number... I can't remember the name right now (if it even had one), not everyone's cup of tea of course but quite a fun little gimmick.

If you're going to Saint Petersburg at all then definitely check out The Hat jazz bar.

If it's open/safe, obviously. Or if indeed any of the above is open/safe.

[mr. logic]

That's excellent. Thanks very much, mate.