drinking establishments...

I could be wrong mind.

Establishment: my house

Club: 333

Pub: The Riser; the Blue Posts; Founders Arms; Duke Of Devonshire and many many more..........

xoxo

Favourite pub... probably The Stags Head in Camden, though I doubt I'll be seeing it for a long time. Sigh. Friendly, neighbourhood Irish pub, still not taken over by britpoppers and Camden types. Flowers bitter and Hoegaarden both on tap.

Club, well, clearly Strange Fruit. I mean, what did you expect me to say?

Anyway if you want to go out drinking a club is not really the place to do it as there's all that pesky music and dancing getting in the way.

Also, the Founders Arms in your favourite pubs list already! Cripes!

Current favourite drinking spots - nowhere in Oxford is good. Actually no, that place - the Star? - off Cowley Road where I've been with Carsmile Steve a couple of times is OK. I have however had many amusing evenings in bad pubs, though I think the Wheatsheaf is out-of- bounds for the moment.

London? It has to be the Rupert Street Blue Posts. And Tim Hopkins can usually select a decent boozer. Other than that it's the company not the surroundings, ahhhhhhh.

The Founders Arms gets in to prove that where pubs are concerned, it's remembering somewhere that counts. I can't remember anywhere I drank before last Friday except those places I have been to many times and are therefore imprinted on my mind. And it has the best view of any pub I've ever been to. And I liked the fact that they put vinegar on the tables.

Oh! How could I have forgotten. For live music venue type club (meaning, the actual *building* rather than the nights that they have there) I would have to say that Cargo is very nice. Great couches, great bathrooms, friendly (to me, at least) barstaff. I have, however, never actually paid to get into the place, if money were involved, I'd probably hate it.

Dammit, I need to find a new "local" down Tooting way. I am quite scared of all the pubs around here.

(Tuesdays are Facetious Days round here).

:-P

Bar Rossini via rossini Torino, free food like you've never seen free food in a pub before.

For London, The Grapes in Limehouse, best sunday lunch in london even if it is a bit pricey, but nice view over the thames, cosy too.

ICA bar and the RFH foyer bar, cos we used to go there after school.

This is an ARCHETYPAL bit of Brit juridical flummery: forgo the bother of actually waiting until parliament changes the law, just let its enforcement lie unannouncedly fallow until everyone recognises what the new dispensation is.

The best thing though, the best thing is it has a J U K E B O X !!! F'kin' YES! Quite a good selection on there too. Mainstream, yes. But it has The Specials, Radiohead (The Bends natch), Joy Division and AC/DC so I'm sorted really.

As for the licensing laws - ha! - despite, as a vote bribe, Labour sending 'young people' text messages saying that they will be reformed, the licensing laws have ALREADY been put well on the back burner while they concentrate on "more important issues". So...

Ah Bierodrome - last time I was there they had a happy hour thing where you get 2 for 1 and also it was the lobster fest. Lobster and chips and beer, what a fine night out. I would dispute its bar credentials though as the dining area is considerably larger than the drinking area.

It does give a great view of City University burning down though.

Last time I was in bierodrome [= notting hill one, not upper street one] my friend Emily [= 6-foot tall, btw] tackled the lobster platter. It arrived, and she seized it in her hands and turned completely into Nastasha Hestridge (?sp?) in Species. If her tongue had turned into a tentacle with an additional bloody toothed maw on it, she could not have devoured the lobster more crunchingly predatiously. It was brilliant: esp,. the respone from the four balding yuppies- from-milton-keynes. What to attend to more urgently: their erections, or their abject terror?

Bradley's spanish bar, just off oxford street - has czech Gambrinus on tap, and that's a quality lager.

I'm starting to get a liking for the George in Borough

Paradise by way of Kensal green, but only if I can snag the big sofa in the side-room, mind you I haven't been there in ages as I don't live too close anymore

the no-name Cava bar in Barcelona, the most atmospheric, joyous, hot, sweaty bar I've ever been in, contributed to one of the best booze ups ever

like someone else has already said, Mr Hopkins is good for a recommendation

This may have some origin in fact, as when I take my Brit friends out drinking in NYC, they invariably collapse by midnight because they are just not used to the idea that they have ANOTHER SIX HOURS of straight drinking after the pubs close in the UK.

But no... it simply isn't so. In the US, I was considered a heavy drinker, possibly even borderline alcoholic. In the UK, I am considered a LIGHTWEIGHT.

Alcohol is just far more prevalent in all European (shut up, you Keep The Pound Tories, we are European, face it!) countries- I mean, honestly, America is so puritanical that they BANNED alcohol use for nearly a decade! There are parts of the country where it is STILL illegal, for fucks sake!

I find the British attitude towards booze far more sensible. Even though the opening hours are still absurd. I mean, what is life if you can't stumble home from the Lakeside Lounge at 4am? OK, that necessitates having trains which run at 4am. But HONESTLY!!! In NYC, the subways are all run by THE MAFIA. In London, the tubes are all run by Quasi-government agencies. Are you going to tell me that the MAFIA really run a safer, cheaper, more efficient train service than the BRITISH GOVERNMENT?!?!? I mean, who won World War Two?!?!? Honestly!!!

(OK, when the Italian public was asked why so many of them voted for a dictator like Mussolini, the resounding answer was "He made the trains run on time".)

Anyway...

I am now of an age where if I want to drink past 11pm I can always find somewhere. Having a well stocked cabinet at home is always a nice option. But I really think the difference in British drinking is not about drink at all - but food. When I go out of a night for a half of shandy I almost never have eaten since at least lunch. Whilst drinking I'll get some peanuts down me but that's about it. End up shambling home at midnight talking wildly to myself and necking some sardines on toast. Luckily Eastern European constitution procludes hangovers.

Oh, and the best boozer in Islington is the Hemmingford Arms, corner of Hemmingford Road and Offord Road. Had a nice pair of snifters in the Freemasons Arms on Long Acre yesterday too.

All the Americans I know are wicked heavy drinkers, except Stephanie and Fred, so I don't know what to tell anyone about cultural differences. Most of the Brits I used to hang with only drank types of lagers and beers, while most of the Americans I know drink mixed drinks and shots and heavy liquors - stuff that's got a real high percentage going for it. I think both sides are real heavy drinkers, to be honest. I dont find drinking to be a European thing; what IS a European thing is that drinking is just what is done, as opposed to being something wild and partyish, which happens in the US.

I really enjoyed the place we went Saturday night, Flash's Cocktails. Cool tapas menu, wonderful drink menu, just enough people to keep from being empty, big leather couches, and BOOMIN' HIP-HOP on the PA.

When we move to Somerville, I'm going to have to relearn all about the stuff in Union Square and Inman Square. The only place I really remember is The Thirsty Scholar, and the main reason I remember it is because the food there makes me violently ill.

I haven't posted to this thread because America has awful bars/clubs/ pubs. I mean, the best bar I've been to in New York or Boston was a damned gay bar, and it was only good cuz it was dark. I like this one tavern in Greenfield, MA. I like bars with stupid clientele (or better yet, no clientele), and a dark, miserable atmosphere. If I had any money though, I'd only go to expensive yuppie clubs.

I would *hate* a glammed up version of the Lakeside, because what I liked about the Lakeside was its seediness. (Oh, that and the juke box) There was an awful time when the Lakeside got all trendy and you couldn't get up to the bar to do crosswords with Johnny Rockets for all the annoying models there. HATED that! It was at its best when it was just a bunch of Lower East Side garage bands who hung out there cause they liked The Hound's radio shows.

I didn't like Barmacy, cause it seemed like a crap imitation of Pharmacy, and besides, they were run by the same sleazy lot who screwed over the staff of No-Tell Motel and Babyland, weren't they? Still, we did end up drinking there a bit cause my ex-boyfriend's "office" was just upstairs.

My fave bars were places like Sophies (utter hole in the wall, filled with bikers and a mysterious amount of British ex-pats. Oh, and the best juke box in NYC. Paul and I went back there on our last trip, and the manager had started making *compilation* CDs and put them in there to make the juke box even better. And you could hear the whole of Laser Guided Melodies for $.75

Oh, and 7B, back in the day, in the early 90s, when it was full of mods. You could play the 7B/Sophies game, when you'd go to 7B and stay until someone played The Jam. Then you'd have to slam down the rest of your drink as quickly as possible, leave, and go to Sophies, and stay there until you heard The Jam. In about '92 you could get RAT-ARSED that way, it was an ex-pat and anglophile respite in a sea of grunge.

But sigh, the last time we were there, it wasn't nearly as rough. Avenue B has been all gentrified, and covered with yuppie bistros, it's quite scary. We used to watch the junkies lining up around Tompkins Sq. Park.

Man, this is unbelievable. When I was living in NYC, all I used to do was sit around and be homesick and pine for London. Now I live in London, I just complain about the closing times and want to go back to NYC. Typical!

DC
The Big Hunt (to my eternal shame)
The Brickskeller
Capitol City Brewing Company
Eighteenth Street Lounge
Kingpin
Off the Record
Pharmacy Bar
Riverside Grille when Sequoia is too insufferable
The Tombs
The Tune Inn

ha, sophie's and 7B were my haunts 18-20 yrs ago *sob*
i miss new york for the drinking, west coast is soft when it comes to getting lit.

Anyone know anywhere good to drink in central Hackney? I was there last night for a (fantastic) Fall gig, and it seemed like a desert. One of the main stipulations is that it must serve a decent bitter - nothing fancy, Pride or Youngs will do, although Adnams and Harveys are always a bonus.

Started off in the Globe on Morning Lane, which was a decent enough pub, friendly and unpretentious, but the beer was weak as piss, lager included.

So we moved on to The Old Ship, which had been recommended (unbelievably) but turned out to be the biggest wankers' palace I have ever seen - massive, silly menu (olde english bangers and mash - can I have some fresh ones please?), a frenchily moustachioed waiter, and those sofas that when you sit in them your knees are above your head. Didn't stay.

Then we tried to find a place called the Pembury Arms, but couldn't. Tried the Railway Tavern - no beer. In the end swallowed our pride, metaphorically rather than literally as they didn't have any, and went to the Wetherspoons, which was more or less dreadful but really beggars cannot be choosers.

I'm going again tonight, so if anybody knows anywhere half decent to drink, I'd bloody love to know about it.

The Pembury is cracking and can be found here. Over towards Dalston the one everyone says is The George which is a lovely pub if you like your traditional locals filled with hipsters. The Pub on the Park by London Fields is probably not much cop in the winter and tends to be a bit yummy mummy anyway.

For sheer quality of booze selection its difficult to beat The Dove on Broadway Market which is pleasant all round and does very good food as well but is THE MOST MIDDLE CLASS PUB IN THE WORLD. Seriously, to the point of parody. I likes it though.

People say good things about the Dolphin as well but I've never actually been in.

The Dove is good. The Pig and Mutton just up the road from the Dove would be my pick tho, it's right at the top of Broadway Market beside the park.

I still haven't been in any of the pubs on Mare Street (did I read right that there have been "Italo" nights at The Dolphin recently? i know it's open later than most places).

It's Tower Hamlets really (but north of Hackney Road which is the border i prefer to use sometimes) but i quite like The Albion just because it's really full on I LOVE WIST BRUM in the middle of East London and naturally the bar is named after Jeff Astle.

You mean the Cat & Mutton right? That's good as well - very gastro-y, as you'd expect from the name.

Everywhere in Hackney seems to be doing an italo night these days. Man I want to go to the Albion now though.

it's in the Russian quarter (lol)

Cat & Mutton yes. I've been drinking every time I was in there. At night it's not Gastroey at all, lots of music and stuff.

WHERE. IS. THE .RUSSIAN. QUARTER

I HAVE
TO KNOW