At the end of each grueling, teeth-gnashing day at work, you need a place where you can wind down, decompress before heading home. You need a place where time might stand still and you don’t have anything to worry about. And that place has to serve a spectacular tasting pint.
Not Just a Thirsty Customer
The pub is, for any working stiff and anyone who loves good ale, second home. So it’s only naturally that you take your precious time trying to find the right one. While it’s definitely ideal to go to a pub that’s right around the corner from where you live, not all neighbourhood pubs will have all the right elements in place.
Yes. The drinking takes top priority; but a good pub should go beyond pouring a decent pint and having a rather extensive selection of wine and whisky and single malts and all the other spirited drinks. But if you spend a great deal of time in pubs, you don’t want to have to go to another place just to get a decent meal.
Here are some of the things you should look for from a great pub:
Remarkable pub food that rivals that of any Michelin-starred restaurant.
The bangers and mash can get a little boring after a while (not to mention fattening). If you’ve been sitting in a corner for quite some time, you know you’ll get an appetite for something more creative.
Some of the more forward-thinking pubs (as in gastropubs) have actually created menus that can match, if not surpass, the menus of Michelin-starred restaurants — but without having the Michelin-starred prices. Think venison scotch eggs with pork crackling, poached langoustine, and pasta with fresh tomato sauce and buffalo mozzarella, and even vegetarian options like tomato tart with rocket and pesto
A welcoming atmosphere.
The pub you choose should honour its heritage; as a “public house”, pubs generally have a welcoming atmosphere. Everyone should feel like they are part of a community, and it has to emanate from the pub owner. It has to be exhibited by the staff and it should also be demonstrated by the customers.
As part of the hospitality industry, pubs need to make every thirsty and hungry customer feel as though they’ve been coming in the place for years — even when they are just passing through.
A relatively quiet, and perfectly-lit place.
Finally, here’s where pubs generally have an advantage over your average bar: the lighting. Not too dark, not too bright. Great pubs also make conversations easier so you never have to strain to hear or raise your voice to be heard.