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The neighborhood bar

Semi-Tough Deac

Semi-Tough Deac

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I've never lived anywhere close to a good bar that I'd call "my local watering hole." There are plenty of good bars where I live that I frequent, but none that I routinely go to for a beer or two. I feel like many European neighborhoods have such a place---the local pub. I live the concept and wish it were more common in the States.

Well, my wife and I just bought our first house, and last night I discovered a great bar that may fill this void for me. Smaller-sized, old joint that brews its own beer but has plenty of others on tap, let's you drink out in the parking lot, good pub food, etc. I think this may be "the one."

Any of you casual drinkers out there have a place where everybody knows your name?
 
For the best six months of my life I did at Sir Richard Steeles's pub. They put my pint of pride/shot of Jameson in front of me when I sat down.
 
I don't have a bar in my neighborhood but frequent a bar after work. The bartender is smoking hot, chats with me and my friends, and knows our favorite beers. That's as close as I can get.
 
That's fantastic. I kind of had a relationship like that with the female bartender at the Opera House (see Winston Bars thread). She never knew my name but I'd walk in and she would say, "jack and coke right?" You got it. I've been missing that ever since.
 
I think the after work drinking spot serves the same purpose. And a smoking hot bartendress is always a plus.
 
I used to be pretty tight w/ some peeps at rec billiards, but they've moved on in the past few months and I haven't been enough as of late to make any new connections there. I've actually had to pay for foosball the last couple times, wizzeak.
 
It's pretty sweet at the bar with her too because I'll ususally have 3 beers but only pay for one or two.
 
HeltonCreek said:
It's pretty sweet at the bar with her too because I'll ususally have 3 beers but only pay for one or two.
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Yeah, that's the best. And then you tip them moar because of it, it's a win/win.
 
I'm recognized at all the bars I normally frequent in Winston (from being a townie and a drunk) but wouldn't say that any of them are my own. I kind of had that relationship at The Tap like a year ago, when I would play trivia every week and knew all the bartenders, but kind of stopped going there.

I do wish I could find a bar like that though. I think my best bet would be First Street Draught House, I need to go there more.
 
BillBrasky said:
I'm recognized at all the bars I normally frequent in Winston (from being a townie and a drunk) but wouldn't say that any of them are my own. I kind of had that relationship at The Tap like a year ago, when I would play trivia every week and new all the bartenders, but kind of stopped going there. I do wish I could find a bar like that though. I think my best bet would be First Street Draught if I started going out more.
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Yep, if I don't start hitting up rec all the time again, this is probs my best target as well.
 
used to be a hardcore regular at burke st and even bar backed there like 5-6 years ago, then moved away. now still know/am good friends with a couple bartenders but only make it out there a few times every couple of weeks (now that i'm back in town)
 
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Had a couple of places like that..used to be Henry's on the Market when I first moved to Charleston. Then I started to get in with the crew at Art's in Mt. Pleasant. After I got back from A-Stan, it was Uncorked Wine Bar. Now that I'm living downtown, I'm going to have to establish a new spot. Think I'm going to make a run at the Belmont; been there a lot recently and love it.
 
We've found that the Big Boss Taproom has become our "Cheers". We enjoy the laid-back vibe & hanging out with the other regulars on the patio and inside. We've become friends with the bartenders as well as the bar manager, brewers, & owner. One of the bartenders knows our favorite beers & will start pouring our pints when we walk in. :beer:
 
When I lived in LA, I had two- The Rainbow and Sloan's. It was good to be hooked up at The Rainbow as regulars didn't have to wait in line. As the manager used to say, "Of course I keep a table for you. The posers don't come in on Tuesday nights. You do."

Sloan's was a great dive bar. The food was so bad that we had food delivered when we were hungry. It was the best place in a LA to watch The Dance and the NBA playoffs. There were lots of fun stories at Sloan's.

Back here in HB, there are two- O'Connell's and The Longboard. Palma, Donald Ross and others have joined me at The Longboard. It's about two blocks from the ocean and is the locals' place.

O'Connell's is really Cheers. In 2010 it was voted the best sports bar in OC and in 2009 it was voted best dive bar in OC. Everyone knows everyone. If you can get out for a late lunch, they have great lunch specials for $4.25 and at 3 PM you get a free drink for whatever you are drinking. It could be scotch, a pitcher or bottle of wine. Whatever you had at 2:30 or 2:45 is what you get for free.

On Christmas Eve Eve, everyone drinks for free for three hours.

At night and on weekends there are usually two bookies in the place. One is a local freelancer. The other represents an internet casino from Belize. The private $100, knockout pool for the NFL had a payout of over $34,000. The British Open pool paid $1600/$900/$500.
 
I have a regular bar down here that I've been a few nights a week since I happened to wander in there on the day it opened in 2006. It's nice to have a bar I can walk into by myself and not feel out of place.
 
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