Favourite Pubs

What's your favourite pub is the question I get asked the most. Its a tough question as so many belong in that list. I am more for meeting new people and chatting away over a nice pint than watching a ball game or trying to shout over loud music. Also its a mood thing, sometimes you want a quiet corner or sometimes a patio overlooking a river. Maybe its a favourite dish or a location that carries a particular craft brew. Even a bartender with a sense of humour and knowledge of what he/she sells will be enough to bring you back again and again. A visit to a pub should be an uplifting experience, its your hard earned recreation time after all. There is nothing worse than feeling that you are interupting someone's day by appearing as a customer. You are asked for your order, no smile or hello, the beer is dumped down, money demanded and thats the last you see of your server until you go look for them when a refill is needed. Usually they are at the end of the bar talking to a co worker while you do your best to attract their attention. No goodbyes or whatever just another bad pub experience, trust me I talk to a lot of people regards this and its very commonplace. The pub could be immaculate, lots of choices and great food but you leave dissapointed and with no intention of ever going back. Then there is that little gem of a place, a bit raggedy but a friendly face behind the bar, a small but interesting menu and a cluster of craft brew taps. You know the place I mean, the little pub that you wish was in your neighbourhood, the kind of place that wants to make you move to that area just so you could visit more often. I envy the people with the great little pub on their corner. So back to favourite pubs, I think its people that make a pub great, so find a nice bunch of regulars, happy staff, good food and a real beer selection and viola, there's my favourite pub.

Canada and its pubs.

Late 80's and early 90's saw a huge rise in the number of traditional style pubs in Canada, everyone wanted to open a pub that had that "back home" look, what many call a real pub. Truth is a real pub is any place where you can sit and have a pint and feel welcome and comfortable. During my travels people would say "this is not a pub, its a bar" and I would say it does not matter what the format is, its a pub. It could be a sports bar with all the big screens, baseball, football and hockey memorabilia on the walls, a far cry from the traditional look but still a pub. Canada has many variations of pubs, a wonderful mix of styles whether saloon, bar or traditional they are all pubs. Its strange but when you now visit the U.K. they are opening up American style bars, same sports memorabelia and Bud signs as you will find all over North America. In the end it all comes down to being comfortable in that establishment and wherever your drinking in Canada, forget traditional style, Irish style, sports, saloon, brewpub, its your local CANADIAN pub.