Autumn and winter are the perfect time for travellers to spend an hour or two in a pub, taking the weight off their tired feet in a cosy armchair beside a real fire, basking in the glow of soft lamp light, and sampling local brews and hearty, homely cooking. So, be inspired by this round-up of public houses around the world where the atmosphere and the welcome are warm enough to make the British jealous.
1. Gardners Inn, New South Wales, Australia
This pub hotel is conveniently situated near the rail station in spectacular hiking country, just an hour and a half by train from Sydney. As “the oldest continuously licensed hotel still trading in the Blue Mountains”, it is justifiably proud of its heritage. What’s more, comfort levels are being boosted by a current upgrade to its guest facilities. It might look more frontier-town-stopover than cosy pub from the outside, but on the inside, Chesterfield sofas, real fireplaces, and some of the best Beef and Guinness pies known to humankind await.
2. The Pelican Inn, Muir Beach, California, US
Described by the San Francisco Chronicle’s food editor, Paolo Lucchesi, as his “favourite place in the world,” The Pelican Inn captures “the spirit of 16th-century England’s west country.” A few kilometres north of the Golden Gate Bridge, thoughts of reaching this venerable coastal establishment will help you brave bracing walks along foggy Pacific shorelines or among the protected primaeval redwood forests nearby.
An exterior of white-wash and mock-Tudor beams gives way to a cosy interior, where the inglenook fireplace, wing-back chairs, board games, and menu of Beef Wellington or Shepherd’s Pie will make you wish you had booked to stay the night. There are seven guest bedrooms, featuring antiques, rugs, tapestries, and draped canopy beds.
3. The Black Horse London Pub, San Francisco, California, US
If there’s no time in the schedule to head up the California coast towards The Pelican, pay a visit instead to The Black Horse London Pub, the smallest bar in San Francisco. Holding only around 10-12 people, its diminutive size is not the only reason the place is cosy. Charismatic owner, James King, has banned mobile phones, ensuring friendly pub banter among his clientele. What’s more, Joseph Piercy, British author of Slippery Tipples, A Guide to Wonderful Spirits and Liqueurs, told Travel Tomorrow about the ice-filled bathtub which holds the bar’s stock of canned and bottled beer, and a “Wheel of Misfortune” pub game, involving “a large colour wheel pinned to the wall. Everyone in the bar is assigned a colour and should your colour come up when you spin the wheel you are obliged to buy drinks for the house.”
4. O’Donoghue’s, Dublin, Eire
Despite a shared name, this author has no affiliation with this establishment other than fond memories of cosy afternoon visits. Only minutes on foot from Trinity College grounds and St Stephen’s Green, there’s a spit-and-sawdust kind of magic here; the dark interior glimmers with mirrors and memorabilia, and comes alive every night thanks to a non-stop schedule of live Irish music. Expect small round tables, red faux leather banquettes, Guinness galore, and a barrel-furnished courtyard where locals and tourists stand side by side.
5. Pivovarská nalévárna v Soukenické, Prague, Czechia
Tucked into a back street just a 10 minute walk from the Powder Tower historic city gates, this small and unpretentious bar and eatery is simply furnished with wood tables and chairs, boasts beers that locals say you won’t find anywhere else, and offers tasty plates of simple Czech pub grub, such as nakládaný hermelín (marinated cheese) or, as I discovered, intimidatingly huge portions of pork knuckle as tender as a peach, served only with bread (because I arrived a little late in the evening) and a very jolly welcome.
6. Mimayusa, 2-15 Kandatsukasamachi, Chiyoda 1, Tokyo, Japan
Situated about 15 minutes on foot from the book district Jimbochu (recently named one of the world’s coolest neighbourhoods), and with claims to be the oldest pub in Japan at over a century old, this izakaya or traditional Japanese tavern “needs a bit of upkeep” according to some reviews. Do not let that deter a visit.
Just make sure you show respect and at least try to speak some Japanese. Showa-era carvings, low wooden tables, dim lighting thanks to the lack of windows, and a menu featuring meltingly good beef stew, horse sashimi, draught beer, and sake are bound to please.
