The World's Best Pubs and Bars

[Nice Relaxing Poo]

Gah, just found out that my favourite pre gig drinking establishment in Brixton is closing:

http://www.timeout.com/london/blog/brixton-boozer-the-canterbury-arms-is-closing-in-september-080515


Loved this place, a proper working man's boozer.

[greencalx]

I don't get to go out to pubs as much these days, and a big selling point is a place where you can lose a child for an hour without them getting murdered. However I'd probably say that while Edinburgh has a lot of good pubs (like those in BJ's list) there's few I'd regard as truly great. Cloisters was one of my favourites back in the day (not been there for a while though), as it did rotating guest beers before that became fashionable and something you could charge a premium for. Case in point: I was in the Southern yesterday afternoon and had some kind of IPA that was delicious but was £5 and consequently much stronger than I was wanting - my fault for not checking, though that does make me appreciate the places that have the pumps at the bar so you can check out the ABVs before ordering.

Went to Clerks bar for the first time a few weeks ago and wasn't impressed. I do like the Dagda Bar though it could use a log fire and a bit more space.

Worldwide of the most memorable is the Paul Rackwitz in Dresden, though this is a pointless post because no-one else is likely to have been there and I've just discovered it recently closed down. It was an atmospheric higgledy-piggledy multi-room affair with good German beer and food (including a legendary Schweinshaxe that defeated all who tried it) and charming staff.

[Blue Jam]

I was in the Southern yesterday afternoon and had some kind of IPA that was delicious but was £5 and consequently much stronger than I was wanting - my fault for not checking, though that does make me appreciate the places that have the pumps at the bar so you can check out the ABVs before ordering.

The Southern has all the ABVs written on the blackboard beer menu thing, and so does Holyrood 9A. I like to check the ABVs too as I'm becoming a lightweight in my old age and in any case many really strong beers just don't taste that nice to me. Pilot's Double Mochaccino Stout is a case in point- the original Mochaccino Stout is lovely, the double tastes like it's had a shot of really rough vodka dumped into it. I can understand when it's a really nice beer and the strength is just a consequence of everything else which makes it taste good, but there's a big difference between a nice Belgian beer and a gimmicky limited edition. When the extra alcohol bumps up the price it should taste nice, not just become something you drink purely to get pissed- we've got the Purple Tin for that, thanks.

Where did this thing of brewing special edition beers which are twice as strong come from- Williams' Double Joker IPA, Tempest's Longer White Cloud etc? Why do so many craft beer places insist on stocking mainly very strong beers with few session ales (Usher's is particularly bad for this)? I was surprised to see this carrying on during the Fringe, when a session ale is just what people need when they're drinking in between shows.

[greencalx]

Yeah I wasn't paying attention (nor did I have my specs on).

I think it's because Craft Beer (or at least this is my impression) has been imported from the US microbrewery explosion which in turn appears to have drawn inspiration from Belgian brewing traditions to a greater extent than British real ale traditions. I don't have a real problem with this, for one thing this appears to have reinvigorated the uk beer scene (even as little as 10 years ago it could be a challenge to find a pub that sold any ale at all). But yes it would be a shame if traditional low strength (by which I mean around 4%) ales were to fall by the wayside in the frenzy to be down with the Craft Ale kids. Brewdog must also share some of the blame.

[Paul Calf]

The Magic Sponge, Lakeside, Phnom Penh, Cambodia.



Fuck yer sawdust beardy real ale dives, The Sponge had French wine by the bottle for a dollar, toasties, Beer Lao, pre-rolled joints of Thai grass - also for a dollar - and a PlayStation 2.

Sitting around a stripped wood table with identikit beard sets picking splinters out of your hands and comparing notes on Old Knobrot's Most Peculier Brewski doesn't come close.

Unfortunately, The Sponge blasted itself into history one night in 2009 when the owner blew it up after spending the evening on the roof with an automatic rifle shrieking for more crystal meth. Soon after, Lake Boeung Kak, after which the area was named, was filled in with concrete to form the foundations for luxury hotels for Chinese tourists.

And so a South-East Asian legend passed into history.

Sic Transit Gloria Mundi

[CaledonianGonzo]

Bar do Gomes - Santa Teresa, Rio de Janeiro







Officially known as the (mostly unpronounceable) Armazem São Thiago.  Founded in 1919 as a grocery store and barely changed since, this is yer dream Latin American neighbourhood dive.  Sure there are tourists there who've made the trek uphill from the beaches in search of chopp and cachaca, but there are also plenty of locals from the barrio chewing the fat, both inside at the bar and spilling out onto the street corner, where the lights beckon like a safe harbour in a tropical storm.

The food's good, too.  When I'm holidaying somewhere I'll rarely return to the same place twice, but next time I'm in Rio I'll be making a beeline here.

Luckily, plenty of the other nearby bars are just as enticing - Bar do Mineiro down the road is almost as splendid. 





The tram is still gubbed and a lot of taxi drivers will refuse to venture this far, which gives it a slightly cut-off, smalltown vibe.

[Neville Chamberlain]

Mac Bar in Hiroshima was discussed on a previous thread about Japan so I paid a visit when I was out there last year.

Here's the man himself with his CDs.



I spent a happy evening in there listening to Pere Ubu and Devo albums as I'd requested for Mac to play from his collection, I don't think Dub Housing went down to well in there.

Bloody hell - I came in to post that very bar! Went there a few times over the summer of 1995. :-)

As for my favourite bar, well right now it's the one round the corner from my flat:

[holyzombiejesus]

Stephen Pastel tweeted about this yesterday, stating that it's been taken over by the people who run Saramago.

[jobotic]

The Vigo Inn. This isn't there any more. This is where I grew up and became a Man. I was there for births, deaths, good times and bad. I fell in love there, I got my heart broken there. I saw blood shed there. I had a gun held to my head in there. The first time I ever publically shat myself was in there. Fucking hell. Halcyon days.

Top of Vigo Hill? Cycled up that a few months back and thought I'd have a pint at the top as I remembered it being there before. Bastards.

[dr beat]

Cloisters was one of my favourites back in the day (not been there for a while though), as it did rotating guest beers before that became fashionable and something you could charge a premium for.

I like Cloisters and I don't think it has really changed since I've been in Edinburgh, they always have a good rotation of beers and compared to other establishments, they do seem to cast their net a bit wider.  It does often get very busy though and seats are often in short supply at any time of day.

Regarding Newcastle, the Union Rooms can be quite handy for a cheap ale while waiting for a train, and I reckon its a better bet than either of the two station pubs.  Also in good proximity to the station are the relatively-recent Town Wall and The Forth Hotel, which normally have a good range of beers, although the former in particular can be pricey.

The Trent House is another favourite but haven't had the opportunity to visit for a while.  Last time I was around the Sage Gateshead I had one in The Central, another part of the Head of Steam/Cluny empire, but enjoyed it.

Durham has a number of decent boozers, but with few real standouts.  The Head of Steam there is probably my favourite place to go.  However a treat, particularly around this time of year, is a visit to Hill Island Brewery when they have one of their open days.  Its located around the back of the Indoor Market, and going there is halfway between visiting a pub and hanging out in a mate's shed to sample their home-brew.  Hill Island do a nice line in stouts and in beers flavoured with things like ginger and lemongrass.  If you're around in that part of the world I think they will be opening up most Saturdays before Christmas.

[Pseudopath]

The Fox and Goose in Hebden Bridge is a super pub. The first community owned pub in West Yorkshire and there are free sausages or roast potatoes on Sundays. The only drawback is that it llos like a shithole and  smells like one too, generally of dog. Last time I was in there a dog did a shit on the floor, the owner and other regulars just laughed and no-one cleared it up for about 40 minutes.

You've just reminded me of a very rough pub in my hometown whose resident Yorkshire Terrier constantly shits on the pub carpet. However, rather than clean it up, the barmaid simply plonks an upside-down pint glass on top of it to stop the stench.

And I'd just been wondering why all of the regulars only seemed to drink bottled beer.

[Doomy Dwyer]

Top of Vigo Hill? Cycled up that a few months back and thought I'd have a pint at the top as I remembered it being there before. Bastards.

That is one cunt of a hill.

You silly, silly bastard.

[Nobody Soup]

La Fourmi in Paris.



in all honesty, this is nothing special, which is exactly why it's special. in paris everything is either trying to be really cool, classy or just really touristy. everything is normally priced, the wine was amazing but I think that's just the french keeping all the good stuff, the staff were really nice despite the fact we were tourists and the parisians are supposed to hate tourists, lovely bit to smoke on, it was just cool. I've only been to Paris a couple of times but when I do stop for a drink I feel like I'm being fleeced or in some kinda crappy nightspot, this is the only place I've ever found I could see myself visiting on a weekly basis if I lived there.

[thraxx]

Spoiled in Paris for bars mate, Le Baron Rouge is one of the best.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

The White Lion, Heptonstall




The sort of pub you want to see after a bleak forced march in the fog and squalor of the Yorkshire/Lancashire border. Or even a punishing climb up the Buttress (matron) from Hebden Bridge on a hot summer day. A beautiful central setting in Heptonstall, a beautifully preserved village at the top of a steep hillside. Lots of preserved locations invite over-the-top praise but it really does feel like stepping back in time.

The pub then- cosy - fire, comfy corners, terrific cask ales, and a bottle selection that is bang up to date and surprising (Delerium Tremens, Timmermans etc). Didn't see anything for more than £3.50.

A genuinely terrific Yorkshire lunch too. Meat and potato pies that look as though they were divided by a shovel. Simply terrific stuff.

Sanctuary.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

Zlatna Ribica (Gold Fish) - Sarajevo





Welcome to the old world.

A bar to sink into, recline, dissolve, maybe even become of the curios, the rounded edges and gildings, a gargoyle sticking out from a corner, a toad on a plinth, whatever takes your fancy.

Staffed by a dark haired young...or was he...man determined to keep his end up on the weirdness count, this place feels like an exquisite link to the past.

I still yearn for the place 2 years after, even though I only enjoyed one trip there.

The toilets maintain the Crystal Maze set feel with a black and white TV showing animal mating propped up on a bog roll with a print of Popeye's arm.

The drinks are standard but this is fine because a bottle of Sarajevsko is all that is required.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

Kanguruh, Vienna




Ah so that's what it looks like.

This bar is one of a certain type, only ever frequented in the dead of night, when the lights are low, the talking is hushed and the edges become blurred. I remember it seeming very dark red.

Now, this bar matches its atmosphere with a truly amazing beer selection, some rare and interesting selections on tap (as well as a couple of bafflingly dull ones), but the bottle selection is another thing entirely. The pricing is egalitarian - everything costs 4 euros or 4.50, but what this means is you can order the creme de la creme of belgian ales without breaking the bank.

Despite the shady nature of the bar the locals were all friendly and very curious as to how I'd stumbled on it (same way every fucker does, the internet and good luck).

This isn't a traditional Austrian boozer but it is a locals place and the better for it, it could be anywhere in the world, in a good way. Can highly recommend.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

Café Jubilee - Valletta




Forget Ollie Reed's last resting place. That's a solid boozer but too full of pissed up old Benidorm cunts like the worst people in England concentrated in one place. Fuck it. Urgh.

Here's where to go to get leathered in Malta. Usual fare - Cisk, but a rare thing, it has Farson's Blue Label (an English bitter brewed in Malta on tap). I'm a fan of posters and iconography in bars so this one suited me well. Lots of Mucha prints everywhere and a lively but bearable crowd.

Valletta's nightlife is a bit dogshit off-season though so start early would be my suggestion.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

Alchemia, Kazimierz (Krakow)





The blurs, the darkness, the mould and warp, the festering gloom. Sweet and lulling, modernity becoming only a passing glimpse from the windows.

Kazimierz is a district of Krakow crumbling in a characterful way, and on Plac Nowy it has a bar that has spun that process on another couple of centuries.

You know, there's a door through that wardrobe into another room.

There's a silent battle in here between the scene crowd and those looking for a dingy crimson professorial transcendence aside the flickers and live candlewax show- while looking at shoe options on Google shopping of course.

Nevertheless, as a British person in here, you feel far far away. A dream, a lapse into slow, sweet sleep.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

Fagans, Sheffield




My view for two or three nights a week for a good two years.

No, I don't like the mural either but inside is the best place not to see it.

Here is a true pub. Husband and wife team looking after it for decades. Fat dog lolling about looking for scraps and hugs. A folk night twice a week in a room by the kitchen that is more like someone's house than a pub.

Enormous, enormous portions of food for shite-all that you can see the landlord Tom cooking himself, hunched over the stove.

Bench seats and an old wood bar full of character. A snug adjacent to the bar you could set up camp in.

Shite beer. Only Abbeydale Moonshine. This is its achilles heel. For all other purposes this is a top, top, top pub.

Even though I didn't approve of it when my occasionally schizophrenic housemate told a woman who criticised it in his presence to "fucking die of cancer", it it a psychotic and funny glimpse at the level of affection with which this pub is held. Locally famous, if you're unlucky enough to be in when Richard Hawley is attention-seeking and the staff are licking his arse, just come back another night, either for the music, the ludicrously difficult pub quiz, or the general ambience.

9 on 10 Lynn.

[CaledonianGonzo]

Café Jubilee - Valletta

Spent a few days in Valletta a few years back, but despite doing our fair share of drinking we somehow contrived to miss this gaff.   

Must have been thrown by the 'Café' 'disguise'.

[MoonDust]

I really want to go to Alchemia now.

[CaledonianGonzo]

A Ginjinha, Lisbon






Neither a bar nor a pub but more of a hole in the wall /cubicle (fitting about 5 people tops) dispensing ginjinha, a local cherry brandy aperitif with booze-steeped cherries.  It's hardly a secret, but it's popular for a reason as it's cheap as chips and it's luvverly.

Join the queue, get yer shots and head back into the sunlit square to pass the time with the elderly locals, exchange students, buskers and chancers.

Then start over.

[MuteBanana]

They've removed the quiz machine from the bottom of the stairs in Streatham's Five Bells.


And Abbot is £3.75! Not going there again. The dream is over.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

Café Vlissinghe - Brugge




Many of these pubs are a refuge from the modern world, or the nearby surroundings but based in Brugge this one is merely a beautiful reflection of it. If only there were more pubs like this.

Don't bother coming here in summer, visit only in bitter, bitter winter and enjoy the heat kicking out from the impressive steam-heater in the centre of the room. Make yourself very, very comfortable.

Their beer choice is adequate- they haven't gone in for stocking 100+ bottles like some pubs. There are 6 on tap and 10-15 bottled. My recommendation is the Fort Lapin, brewed a 10 minute walk away, an unfiltered tripel which starts light coloured and then becomes cloudy as you pour the second half of the bottle in.

You're on holiday so you have to leave to do other things. But if you live there, how tempting it would be to turn up at opening time, sink into a corner and dissolve with a belgian ale. They also do a terrific onion soup + cheese toastie.

Go here.

[thraxx]

I'm sixteen, I'm old enough to marry and have children, but I can't drink in pubs. When will the government wake up and realize that young adults are mature and responsible people?

[MoonDust]

Is that off a comedy? If so, which one? I feel I've seen it before but can't place it.

[Eight Taiwanese Teenagers]

Nozin' Aroun'

[thraxx]

Nosin' Aroun'

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

Papa Joe's - Koln





Papa Joes's is not English. It exists as a bar, as a venue, entirely outside of English culture.

Boistrous, and assertively good natured sing-a-longs to that plastic marionette bunch of oompah-twats you see above who will do you a good Edelweiss or Pipi Langstrumpf. A cast of all the generations joins in, which is heartwarming and very cheerful. On other nights it's a jazz venue.

I generally dislike forced jollity but this manages to operate at an enjoyable frequency. Perhaps it's the fresh as a newly born foal Gaffel Kolsch they serve, perhaps it's the sense of involvement you feel from everyone who is there.

I have an old phone video of my friend and I enjoying this venue in 2007 and I hope it isn't too long before I go back to take another.