2023-11-06 07:56:37
Liverpool: A pint with Sir Paul
The walls are wood-paneled, the ceiling is sky-high, and in the center is a round mahogany counter. Anyone who sinks into the deep leather armchairs in “The Philharmonic Dining Rooms” in Liverpool doesn’t actually want to get up, because you can hardly drink in a nicer atmosphere. Since it opened in 1900, everything here has felt like it always has: cozy, plush, stylish.
Located opposite Liverpool Philharmonic, the pub, affectionately known as “The Phil” by regulars, was built at a time when the city was enjoying great prosperity thanks to its port. People could afford to spend a similar amount of effort on furnishing pubs as they had in other times on building churches. And even went beyond that: the gentlemen urinals are pompously designed in pink marble.
In 2020 the building was placed under protection as a monument – in the same category as Buckingham Palace. In addition to the interior, 40 types of gin and pub classics such as fish pie and burgers promise pleasant hours. The young Beatles also stopped by for a pint every now and then. In 2018, one of the city’s four most famous sons returned: Sir Paul McCartney gave a surprise concert in front of 60 happy guests.
„The Philharmonic Dining Rooms“, 36 Hope Street, Liverpool-Merseyside, nicholsonspubs.co.uk
Düsseldorf: No Cola, no Kölsch
People have been drinking in this traditional pub in Düsseldorf’s old town since the 17th century. But it wasn’t until 1862 when the notoriously bad-tempered beer brewer Wilhelm Cürten – in the local dialect: Uerige – took over that the current name “Das Uerige” became established. Cürten set up a brewery in the basement and served his city-famous top-fermented beer (“dat delicious Dröppke”) on the ground floor.
Willy Millowitsch’s father (who claimed to be from Cologne) was born in the house in 1880, which suggests that supposedly Cologne cultural assets also have their origins in Düsseldorf.
At night the street becomes a pub: “Das Uerige”
Source: picture alliance / imageBROKER/Werner Dieterich
The building was destroyed in the Second World War and then rebuilt. Inside there are various rooms in the old style, rustic dishes such as roast suckling pig with Altbier sauce are served. The Uerige is also known for the rough charm of the Köbesse who work in the bar – this is the name of the waiters who serve the beer in the vicinity of the pub, as the stream of visitors reliably spills out to the opposite side of the street. Anyone who orders a cola or even Kölsch as a guest has to blame themselves for all the consequences.
“Das Uerige”, Berger Straße 1, in the old town of Düsseldorf, uerige.de
Paris: A meeting place for artists with glamour
Guests such as Oscar Wilde, Arthur Rimbaud, Simone de Beauvoir and Jean-Paul Sartre, Ernest Hemingway, Pablo Picasso and later Umberto Eco made the “Les Deux Magots” in Saint-Germain-des-Prés, which opened in 1885, a legend. Especially in the 1930s and 1950s, the intellectual elite of their time sat down on the red upholstered benches or in wicker chairs in front of the house – this cult Parisian bar is still a wonderful place to watch what’s going on.
An institution since 1885: “Les Deux Magots” in France’s capital
Quelle: picture alliance /Photo12
The history as a glamorous meeting place for artists and writers is still present: not only are pastis and rosé served, but the Prix des Deux Magots is also an in-house literary prize that has been awarded since 1933. The 2023 winner is the author Guy Bole, a former fire eater.
It’s just a shame that the carved wooden figures of the two traders (magots) who gave the café its name and who sit on pedestals above the guests keep their observations about bohemianism to themselves. A visit to this elitist world is of course not cheap: a chicken sandwich costs 25 euros, an espresso costs five euros.
„Les Deux Magots“, 6 Place SaintGermain-des-Prés, 6. Arrondissement von Paris, lesdeuxmagots.fr
Belfast: Go to the pub for confession
Finely patterned tiles, Corinthian columns, gas lamps and the legendary Snugs – these are niches paneled with Italian carvings, behind whose discreet wooden doors a confession could be heard if necessary. No doubt: “The Crown Liquor Saloon” in Belfast, Northern Ireland, is in a class of its own. The Victorian gem was built in 1826. In 1947, the British director Carol Reed memorialized him with the film “Odd Man Out.”
Victorian Jewel in Northern Ireland: “The Crown Liquor Saloon”
Quelle: Getty Images
During the Troubles, i.e. the armed conflict in Northern Ireland, the pub had to witness numerous bomb attacks on the “Hotel Europa” opposite, and the leaded glass windows of “The Crown” were sometimes shattered. In the crime series “The Catholic Bull” by the Northern Irish best-selling author Adrian McKinty, the pub achieved literary fame as the favorite pub of the protagonist Sean Duffy – in “The Lost Sisters” he meets a suspect there, accompanied by several pints of Guinness.
If you don’t like beer: “The Crown” also celebrates itself as a gin palace and offers a formidable selection.
„The Crown Liquor Saloon“, 46 Great Victoria Street, Belfast, nicholsonspubs.co.uk
Nantes: Oysters in the cricket
When “La Cigale”, or “The Grille” in German, opened in Nantes in 1895, it attracted the directors of the then successful shipyard industry as well as the singers and ballet dancers from the Théâtre Graslin opera house opposite. The brasserie, which sits somewhere between historicism and Art Nouveau, offered and still offers an overwhelming interior: colorful tiles, many paintings and lavish stucco adorn the high rooms of the troughs.
Northern France’s most beautiful brasserie: “La Cigale”
Quelle: mauritius images/Martin Thomas Photography/Alamy Stock Photos
The building has been protected as a historical monument since 1964 (which failed to prevent a humiliating episode of the Grille becoming a fast-food restaurant in the 1970s). Fortunately, today “La Cigale” is once again an elegant brasserie and the most beautiful place in the west of France to sip champagne – there are 30 items on the menu alone, of course also beers, wines, Calvados and Armagnac. And as a special treat, connoisseurs can order a tasting platter with a dozen different French Atlantic oysters.
„La Cigale“, 4 Place Graslin, Nantes, lacigale.com
Madrid: cocktails and art deco
Although conditions in Spain were beginning to escalate into civil war, Perico Chicote opened the first cocktail bar in the country in 1931 in the heart of Madrid: the “Museo Chicote”. Architect Luis Gutierrez Soto was responsible for the progressive Art Deco design. From then on, Chicote mixed cocktails here that ultimately made him a legend. He died in 1977.
Sometimes he shakes, sometimes he stirs: bartender at the “Museo Chicote”
Quelle: Getty Images
Fortunately, the bar and interior have survived almost unchanged to this day. Here you can still sit on the sofa where film diva Ava Gardner once sipped her drink. Even in its early days, the bar attracted a large American audience, including hard-drinking travelers like Ernest Hemingway and Frank Sinatra, but also Grace Kelly and Bette Davis.
Promisingly bright: a cocktail is waiting for the guest
Quelle: Getty Images
Black and white photos on the walls, which give the bar its museum-like character, preserve these memories and are a subtle reminder that nine decades have passed since it opened. The listed bar is still one of the best addresses in the city center for good music and effective cocktails, including the classic “Chicote” made from vermouth, gin and Curaçao orange. This drink is said to have magical powers; it is even said to cure hiccups.
„Chicote Museum“, Gran Via 12, Madrid, museochicote.com
Vienna: It’s not the size that matters
In 1908, the doors of this jewel swung open for the first time, which architect Adolf Loos had created after a long stay in America in the modern style in the middle of Imperial and Royal Vienna. The cocktail bar, one of Loos’ masterpieces, initially gained fame simply as the “American Bar”, the “Loos” was later added as part of the name.
A modern gem from the time of the Kaiser: “Loos American Bar”
Quelle: Getty Images
From the marble floor in a green and white checkerboard pattern to the coffered marble ceilings to the mirrored walls, the glass mosaic with the American flag and the glowing onyx wall above the entrance, everything here is magnificent – and makes the smallest bar in the city seem bigger than it is , because it actually only measures 27 square meters.
But as we all know, true greatness cannot be measured in numbers; Loos already found that the soul of this bar extends far beyond its space. The narrowness is the name of the game here; you get very close with classics like martini and champagne cocktails.
“Loos American Bar”, Kärntner Passage 10, 1st district in Vienna, loosbar.at
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In order to display embedded content, your revocable consent to the transmission and processing of personal data is necessary, as the providers of the embedded content require this consent as third party providers [In diesem Zusammenhang können auch Nutzungsprofile (u.a. auf Basis von Cookie-IDs) gebildet und angereichert werden, auch außerhalb des EWR]. By setting the switch to “on”, you agree to this (revocable at any time). This also includes your consent to the transfer of certain personal data to third countries, including the USA, in accordance with Art. 49 (1) (a) GDPR. You can find more information about this. You can revoke your consent at any time using the switch and privacy at the bottom of the page.
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