Pub entertainment in Europe
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Gravediggers (aka Kavanagh’s)
The gravediggers from the adjacent Glasnevin Cemetery had a secret serving hatch so that they could drink on the job – hence the pub’s nickname. Founded in 1833 by one John Kavanagh and still in the family, this pub is one of the best in Ireland, virtually unchanged in 150 years. In summer time the green of the square is full of drinkers basking in the sun, while inside the hardened locals ensure that ne’er a hint of sunshine disturbs some of the best Guinness in town. An absolute classic.
reviewed
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O’Neil
This micro brasserie brews its own: Taste all four with a palatte en dégustation (€5.90) or pick the colour to suit your – blonde (blond), blanche (white), brune (brown) or ambŕee (amber) – poured straight from the barrel. Weekday ‘Happy Hour’ (6pm to 8pm) spells good-value drinking, as does O’Neil’s mighty 1.8L pitchers of beer (€16/20 before/after 6pm). Beer cocktails (€4 to €9.60) and les chasse-bières (beer chasers; €7.50) are its unusual specialities.
reviewed
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Kelly's Cellars
Kelly's is Belfast's oldest pub (1720) – as opposed to tavern; see White's Tavern – and was a meeting place for Henry Joy McCracken and the United Irishmen when they were planning the 1798 Rising. The story goes that McCracken hid behind the bar when British soldiers came for him. A bit rough around the edges (a description that could apply to some of the regulars too), it remains resolutely old-fashioned, but pulls in a broad cross-section of Belfast society and is a good bet for impromptu traditional music sessions.
reviewed
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Churchill Arms
This traditional English pub is renowned for its Winston memorabilia, chamber pots, golf bags suspended from the ceiling and butterflies under glass. It’s a favourite of both locals and tourists (what either group makes of the Winnie/lepidopterous connection is anyone’s guess), and you’ll have to fight your way through scrums of punters at the horseshoe-shaped bar for a pint. The attached conservatory has been serving excellent Thai food for two decades.
reviewed
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Ten Bells
This landmark pub, opposite Spitalfields Market and next to the area’s striking church, is famous for being one of Jack the Ripper’s pick-up joints, although these days it’s about as far from a museum piece as you can get. In fact, ask most of the young and hip crowd about the history, and few will have any idea that this beautifully decorated, airy and friendly place has anything sinister about its Victorian past.
reviewed
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Al Brindisi
The oldest osteria in the world (according to Guinness), this atmospheric wine bar was already an established drinking den in 1435 – Titian drank here, Benvenuto Cellini dropped in on occasion and Copernicus studied in the room upstairs. Alongside the substantial wine list there’s a strong selection of grappas and whiskies, plus a full menu of pastas, mains and snacks. Fixed-price lunch menus start at €13.
reviewed
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Le Violon Dingue
A loud, lively bar adopted by revolving generations of students, the ‘Crazy Violin’ attracts lots of young English-speakers with big-screen sports shown upstairs and the flirty ‘Dingue Lounge’ downstairs. The name ‘Crazy Violin’ is a pun on the expression le violon d’Ingres, meaning ‘hobby’ in French, because the celebrated painter Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres used to play fiddle in his spare time.
reviewed
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Church
We don’t normally go in for superpubs, but this one deserves a mention. Irish patriot Wolfe Tone, who was baptised here, and Arthur Guinness, brewery founder, who married here, might have conflicting views on the fate of this remarkable early 18th-century church. The glorious restoration features an enormous organ and historically important wall plaques and inscriptions. Expect a well-heeled crowd.
reviewed
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Prospect of Whitby
Once known as the Devil’s Tavern, the Whitby’s said to date from 1520, making it the oldest riverside pub in London. It’s firmly on the tourist trail now, but there’s a smallish terrace to the front and the side overlooking the Thames, a decent restaurant upstairs and open fires in winter. Check out the wonderful pewter bar – Samuel Pepys once sidled up to it to sup.
reviewed
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Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem
Tucked into the cliff below the castle, this fantastically atmospheric alehouse claims to be England's oldest pub; it supposedly slaked the thirst of departing crusaders. The phrase 'nooks and crannies' could have been invented for here. Just when you think there are no more, you'll find another - and there are usually more than enough to accommodate the many tourists who come to sample the brews.
reviewed
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Adam & Eve's
A 13th-century brew-house built to quench the thirst of cathedral builders, this is now Norwich's oldest-surviving pub, and an adorable little sunken-floored gem. So snug it is that the upper bar barely fits the barmaid, perhaps why the staff has a reputation for grumpiness! Take a pew outside amid the old-mangle flowerpots, or keep an eye out for the resident ghost in the character-rich interior.
reviewed
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An Teach Beag
This intriguing pub, out back from O'Donovan's Hotel, has all the atmosphere necessary for good traditional music sessions. You might even catch a scríocht (a session by storytellers and poets) in full flow. There's music nightly during July and August, and on weekends for the rest of the year. Check out the historical plaque at the start of the alley – times have changed…
reviewed
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Abbotsford
Dating from 1902 and named after Sir Walter Scott’s country house, the Abbotsford is one of the few pubs in Rose St that has retained its Edwardian splendour, with a grand mahogany island bar. It has long been a hang-out for writers, actors, journalists and media people and has many loyal regulars.
reviewed
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Paeters Vaetje
On a bleak, rain-swept afternoon, there's no cosier spot to hole up than this snug bruin eetcafé ('brown eating café'), with glowing lamps illuminating its dark timber main room and upper-level mezzanine. Dishes are simple and inexpensive, and the beer selection choice.
reviewed
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Black Boy
A celebration of English eccentricity, this adorable old pub is filled with obsessive and sometimes freaky collections, from pocket watches to wax facial features, bear traps, sawn paperbacks and tobacco pipes. Even the women's toilets cheekily sport gynaecological clamps and fish murals.
reviewed
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Séhán Ua Neáchtain
Painted a bright cornflower blue, this 19th-century pub, known simply as Neáchtain's (nock-tans) or Naughtons, has a wraparound string of tables outside, many shaded by a large tree. It's a place where a polyglot mix of locals plop down and let the world pass them by – or stop and join them for a pint.
reviewed
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Captain Kidd
With its large windows, fine beer garden and mock scaffold recalling the hanging nearby of the eponymous pirate in 1701, this is a favourite riverside pub in Wapping that only dates back to the 1980s. There’s a restaurant predictably called the Gallows on the 1st floor.
reviewed
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Guildford Arms
Located next door to the Cafe Royal Circle Bar, the Guildford is another classic Victorian pub full of polished mahogany, brass and ornate cornices. The bar lunches are good – try to get a table in the unusual upstairs gallery, with a view over the sea of drinkers down below.
reviewed
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Bakelit Music Café
A student pub of sorts close to the centre, Bakelit attracts a boisterous and friendly crowd with its loud music, dark corners and orange-and-brown booths. This is certainly not a place for a quiet chat over a glass of chilled white wine.
reviewed
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Zum Uerige
This cavernous beer hall is the best place to soak it all up. The suds flow so quickly from giant copper vats that the waiters - called Köbes - simply carry huge trays of brew and plonk down a glass whenever they spy an empty.
reviewed
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Bow Bar
One of the city's best traditional-style pubs (it's not as old as it looks) serving a range of excellent real ales and a vast selection of malt whiskies, the Bow Bar often has standing-room only on Friday and Saturday evenings.
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Beehive Inn
The historic Beehive – a former coaching inn – is a big, buzzing party-pub, with a range of real ales, but the main attraction is sitting out the back in the Grassmarket's only beer garden, with views up to the castle.
reviewed
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Päffgen
Busy, loud and boisterous, Päffgen has been pouring Kölsch since 1883 and hasn't lost a step since. In summer you can enjoy the refreshing brew and local specialities beneath starry skies in the beer garden.
reviewed
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De Barra's
A marvellous atmosphere, walls splattered with photos, press cuttings, masks and musical instruments, plus the cream of live music every night of the week (starting around 9.30pm) make this a busy pub.
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Brogan’s
Only a couple of doors down from the Olympia Theatre, this is a wonderful old-style bar where conversation – not loud music – is king. The beer is also pretty good.
reviewed
