If you're like me (and I know you are), you're a drunkard who likes to spend plenty of time inside a good watering whole. In a rare sober moment I was watching Food TV, which I have a pathological addiciton to, and our man Anthony Bourdain's "Cooks Tour" was on and it was all about what made a good bar. It was pretty funny and for the most part right on the nose. If you have foodtv, I recommend you set your vcr (recordable dvd, brain implant, what have you) for this one. Anyhow, I thought I would solicit opinions from the peanut gallery about what makes a great boozer. From Martini palaces to canned beer dives, what makes the holy experience of Public House life really work for you. Some obvious ones: No line to get get in No bouncers is a good sign Beer No tvs (there are many exceptions to this rule) No college kids is a good sign (some exceptions to this) Staff that's been in the job more than "a few months" Quiet (some exceptions to this) Not having to take out a loan to drink there The Jukebox No ************ing theme Please continue.
fairly clean bathrooms (i'm not asking for much, just take out the trash when it gets full and mop it every night)
My main watering hole is a Sports Bar, so the no tv, quiet and jukebox don't apply. But the number one reason I go there is because of the staff and regulars that have been there for quite some time. I love walking in during Happy Hour when its packed and having my barkeep hand me a drink before I even order. The atmosphere is great and I know most of the regulars that go there. It's almost like "Cheers". You walk in and everybody knows your name. Good food and some college hotties working the tables don't hurt either.
--It doesn't have to have an overwhelming beer selection, but definitely a variety of beers would be nice --I like to have one tv in a bar. Sometimes I have to sneak a peek at Sportscenter, but if it isn't a sports bar I don't like a whole rack of TVs --An attentive yet not overbearing staff --Good bar snacks --An area to hang outside --In addition to tables it should also have booths and couches --A really good jukebox that won't fleece you for all of your cash --Foosball and Golden Tee
A good ventilation system. One bar I use to frequent way back in the days installed a pretty good ventilation system so that it didn't smell of smoke.
Ooh, good one. --It doesn't have to have the world's most extensive beer list, but at least one or two good solid beers. Ditto whisky. --No attitude/dresscode. I am not cool, I will never BE cool, and if I can't get trashed in your fine establishment in jeans, than ************ all y'all I'll take my highly entertaining drunken ranting somewhere else. --Random girly bathroom note: hooks on the back of the bathroom stalls, so if you have a bag or purse with you you don't have to set it on the dirty, dirty bathroom floor when you break the seal. --Good music. And a good mix between being able to talk/listen and being able to enjoy the music. --No Hill staffers. I'm mostly kidding, but sort of not. I don't want to listen to someone talk about social security bills at midnight, you know? --Nobody who's ever owned a white baseball cap or a hemp necklace. Oh, wait, I think that's covered by Meridian's no college kids dictate. --Bartenders you'd want to be around even if they weren't giving you alcohol. On a related note, what are y'alls favourite bars?
Kilroy's in Springfield Clydes in Tysons Corner The Shark Club in Fairfax One of my all time favorites was The Pawn Shop in Rosslyn. I got all teary eyed when they closed.....
The bar that I like to frequent is Croxley's. Great place: -Great atmosphere (not too brite, not too dark) -over 75 different beers on tap -good food -buy backs -great bar staff (b/c they have so many different beer on tap, sometimes ones aren't ordered as much as others, so for the times that this has happened to me, they usually try a bit before then let you know if its skunked or not) -a few T.V's -a few hotties -tables and booths and bar -coat rack thats free everyone watches everyones stuff. -good prices
The Phramacy Bar Washington, DC My local. Simple good bar. Sometimes becomes untenable late and on weekends (note to shitheads from the 'burbs, we are not impressed dude). You can speak Latvian here if you want (really). Great juke, friendly staff...well most of the time. Can get a very smokey, but what are you gonna do? Home. The Reef Washington, DC In spite of it breaking two rules (1. it has a theme i.e seaworld ************ 2. has bouncers some of the time) the only place close to me that has cask beer (Wednesday nights) and all (good) draft. And how's this for kick ass, no Bud, Miller, or Coors. My tip is stay downstairs when possible. Home away from home. Nanny O'Briens Washington, DC Best Irish pub in DC. Period. Not much to look at but that's why it's great. Premium. The Bow Bar Edinburgh, Scotland This could be one of my favorite watering holes in the world. 150+ whiskies, 5 taps of cask, 5 taps of keg. Between the Grassmarket and the Royal Mile. Not very big, but it's stipped down for drinking action. Nirvana. Tigh Neachtain Galway, Ireland In spite of the fact (or maybe because of the fact) it's on the main drag, it kicks much ass. Can and does get packed as all ************ pretty much ever day of the week. They had the Biddy Early beers here last time I was there. You can get rained on when going for a piss. Godhead. The Circle Bar New Orleans, LA Bar built in an old house, which is of course cool. A wee hike from the quarter which actually makes this a very nice place to be. The happy hour is amongst the cheapest (all things considered) I've ever encountered. Friendly staff, video poker, and Dixie Beer. It was so cheap I was ordering by the six pack and they duly gave me a six pack carrier to tote all my beers the 5 feet to the table. Pure Beauty. Andechser Am Dom Munich, Germany This is the downtown tap for the Andechs beer. You do not need to know anything else. Ok, it's very small but you can stand outdoor even in the height of winter. Toll! Dogfish Head Rehobeth, DE For a bar/brewpub in a beach town, manages to avoid many of the pitfalls of tourist town drinkeries. First off their beer should always be drunk here (the bottles stuff is made up the road). They ususally have something not available elsewhere. The food is good. They make their own rum which kicks ass. The only downside is they sometimes have bands in the summer. Heavenly. Brewers Art Baltimore, MD In spite of the fact that it has a gussied up style restaurant attached, when you want to get down to drinking, the basement is set for action. At happy hour their beer is so cheap it's actually a federal offense not to get tanked (US R.12.5460.-BA3). dba New York, NY Simple and efficient. You go here to drinking great beer and good liquor. Any trip to Manhattan that does not include a stop here is wasted. Top drawer. I've got to stop now or I'll be here all night. Great all around drinking towns: New Orelans, LA Baltimore, MD (Charm City kicks DC's ass) NYC Austin, TX Seattle, WA Cowlumbus, OH (really) San Francisco, CA London, England Dublin, Ireland Galway, Ireland Edinburgh, Scotland Glasgow, Scotland Glen Coe, Scotland Munich, Germany Cologne, Germany Belgium - all of it Amsterdam, Netherlands Towns that oddly suck for drinking: Los Angles, CA Dallas, TX Atlanta, GA San Diego, CA Florida - all of it
Which is good, because I so often want to speak Latvian. I've always like the style of the bar, but I've never spent a lot o' time there, mostly because I usually go on weekends which sucks. They have cask beer? Really? ************. I'd completely avoided this place because of the name/theme and the whole bouncer thang. I must investigate now. Truth. Actually the first bar I went to when I moved to D.C. STILL have not been here. It has been on the list for a while now. That is my goal for the summer, to get tanked there. Sure, there are probably some other, worthier goals. But one needs to have priorities, dammit!
A few off the top of my head - though none of them are blow-your-mind places, with 14,000 beers brewed on the premises and so forth, they're places I've enjoyed, one way or the other. Black Rock Castle - Bridgeport, CT. There's a few decent places down in Black Rock now (sadly, one less as the Green Room shut its doors last weekend, soon to reappear in downtown Bpt.), but this place is the place in that area. It really is a pretty typical college/Irish place, but it does what it does pretty well. Nathan Hale's - NYC. Well, obviously. Belgian Beer Bar - NYC. Cozy, dark, lots of Belgian beers and great frittes. In a totally unpretentious way, this place makes me feel like I'm sitting in some cool, little known hole in the wall in a random European city. Czech Beer Garden (can't remember the name of it) - Astoria, NY. I've only been here once, and I was half-lit at that. But I love a good outdoor beer garden, and was glad to be pulled into one in the middle of Queens, of all places. I'll have to take a trip back to NYC just to try this one out again. The Marlborough - Richmond Hill, Richmond, Surrey. My local when I lived in this part of London. Ordinary, good neighborhood pub. The Builder's Arms - Kensington, London. Right across the street from my old university. Just another good local, though if you get to know Pat the publican you might just be able to get in on the Sunday night Playstation tournaments in the upstairs room. The Beer Sellar - Nashville. What's to say? I got well and truly fitshaced here. I remember a lot of smoke, a lot of Vanderbilt students, and spending all night getting soused, playing darts and Golden Tee. So it must have been good. The Lion's Fountain - Florence. There are a ton of Irish and English pubs in Florence. This is the one I spent most of my time in.
A Really Good Bar: - Half price happy hour specials! Bars out here tend to do this. I don't mind. - Fun, upbeat atmosphere, but no pretension. That's a no no. - Nothing ludicrously loud. I like to hear what people are saying to me, especially if a hot babe actually wants to talk to me. Usually I'm with friends hanging out so I'd rather take part in conversation rather than get a headache from music that's way louder than it needs to be. - Needs to have at least one of: Fat Tire, a Brown Ale, Guinness, or Bass. If not, I'll live with a Dos Equis or a microbrew. - No wannabes, or as long as they stay away from me. - Is within walking distance of my apartment. Speaking of that, a 10 minute walk away is Caledonia's, a very popular BBQ joint / Bar. Dirt cheap happy hours, good atmosphere (Friday happy hours pack it like no other), cool people, dope BBQ and you have it all. LoDo Bars I frequent: - Falling Rock: quiet, peaceful, two floors, outdoor patio, over 100 beers on the menu. Has the requisite pool table too, always a plus. - Celtic Tavern: not as themed as its name suggests. Lots of Guinness! More known but not yuppieish, crowds on weekends. Fun place to start the night. - El Chacapultec: legendary jazz bar near Coors Field. A must for pre-ball game drafts. Hell, even Coors is acceptable when it's for $1.25. I need to see a jazz show here, even if I can't call myself a big jazz fan. - Illegal Pete's: okay it's a burrito joint and on the 16th Street Mall and not in LoDo proper. Who cares? It's got the best chicken pesto burrito ever, and $2 for Dos Equis during happy hour. Another non LoDo but cool sports Bar is Denver's Old Hole. Good food, staff knows us. Where I watch Patriots games on fall Sundays, as many as 25 gather in this semi-neighboorhood haven a 3-5 minute drive or short bus ride from me.
Caroline is cool! I know. DC Bars I've been to that I like: Pharmacy: real laid-back vibe. Pepper's: same thing. Fairly cheap beers too. Irish Times wasn't too bad either. Cool to run into about 100 US fans the night before US-Guat in 2000.
weird i haven't been to any of those DC bars though now that i am out in the sticks i don't get out as much. nice bars that i like: in DC area: the raven ok this is a bit of a dive/fake dive but when i lived in adams morgan i used to go there a lot. it is alright earlier in the evening when it is quieter. kilroys never knew it was there until chico got me into it. they have good bartenders and it is a nice place. has a decent enough resturant attached. murphys the old town institution. i work in old town so occassionally i lunch at murphys. begbie, oscar zambrano and i had a nice liquid lunch there once. chief ikes used to be another regular spot when i lived in town. a good friend runs the door on weekends. bistro bis bar the bar in the bistro bis in the hotel george is fun to have a drink. out of town the arsenal in LA, used to be a regular spot. incredible bartender, weirdly mixed crowd, never a cover and always fun. great food also. den god nabor in trondheim, norway, a classic bar, right on the river, old building. the only damn place in norway that has a happy hour. naja's rhedondo beach--at one time had 777 beers and right on the water. naja might even belly dance if you were lucky. fletchers i have a weird thing for hotel and airport bars, but this anchorage hotel bar is a really great bar. knowledgable staff, great atmosphere and some fine beers. i'd like to see a bit better bourbon selection, but i could live with it. the dog langley washington--its actually called something else with dog in the title but i forgot the real name. it is right downtown in this little town on whidby island. a great place, always good for a fun fight or two. boondocks lounge it may not be there anymore but this C&W bar in tucson was great when i lived there in the mid 80s. full of bikers, cowboys and a variety of crazy characters, had the greatest cover band i ever heard. usually a fight but always fun. mcsorley's alehouse in NYC, a classic spot and a must visit. gotta love a place where your choices are "light" or "dark".
A good selection of beer, at least ten to fifteen. No television. Music kept at a reasonable level. Smoking allowed.
No bar that doesn't allow smoking can be considered a great bar. Period. Smoking and bars go hand in hand.
i wanted to touch on the topic of smoking. now tobacco is not my leaf, but i find cigarette smoke to be absolutely cruical to the success of a bar. i expect no demand that bars be smoky, it is part of being a bar.
As for DC bars... I'm a big fan of weekday (versus weekend...) bar visits, as bars in DC tend to get pretty stupid on weekends. For beer... Pharmacy Bar is hands-down my favorite, very unpretentious yet cool. Reef is good for the reasons listed by Kelly above, and because the staff are generally firendly. The only drawback to both of them is that they're on the 18th St. strip in Adams Morgan, which is fine on weekdays, but total collegiate hell on weekends. For cocktails... Dragonfly... yeah, it's a bit trendy, but hit it on a weekday (when it's more relaxed) and order a vodka gimlet, up (your choice of vodka... I like Stoli for its' kick...). You'll be glad you did. Plus, the adjustable barstools can be quite amusing. For neighborhoody feel... Saint Ex (new-ish place at 14th + T). Relaxed corner bar draws a nice mixed crowd of locals, has decent beer, and interesting dj nights downstairs. they could tweak the food menu a bit, but a solid new place otherwise. And a New York question for Michael K: Where exactly are the Belgian Beer Bar and Czech Beer Garden? I'm always on the lookout for good bars when I visit New York.