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2021 Pub Crawl
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The Pubs
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The Sherlock Holmes pub is a traditional English pub serving pints and pub food.
As well as a bar and restaurant, the pub has a secret - a complete recreation of Holmes and Watson's study and sitting room with a large collection of objects and photographs related to the characters from the books and adaptations.
Read a book that is about or mentions Sherlock Holmes or Dr. Watson (1pt)
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Edinburgh literary tours often stop here and the premises have a degree of charm and character. Food is served and there is also a small beer garden to the rear. An unusual attraction upstairs at the entrance to Rafters Restaurant is the the door of the condemned cell of Edinburgh's former Calton prison !
Read a book that someone goes to prison (1pt)
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One of the West End’s cosiest wee pubs. Once a spit-and-sawdust boozer called The Western, this Great Western Road establishment attracts a mixed clientele that includes suits, fashionistas, students (ranging closer to the postgraduate end of the spectrum) and dogs – there always seems to be at least one dog in here – all rubbing shoulders in living room-sized confines, by the heat of an open fire in winter time. Expect chat from more than just your immediate company during a long session behind steamy windows.
Read a book that features a dog (1pt)
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Based on an old-fashioned European apothecary shop, Apotheke, in Chinatown, is a cocktail bar like no other. The menu is eclectic and the bar is more of a chemistry lab than a drinks station, surrounded by medicinal jars from around the world. Great atmosphere and potent cocktails
Read a book tagged Science or a character works in the science field (1pt)
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In the early 2000s you only ventured into the Kings Head if you had lost the will to live. In 2005 it reopened, run by two former surveyors who cared about beer and the environment in which to enjoy it. Today this is a friendly, comfortable, 21st-century take on the traditional English pub, selling mainly Norfolk beers and a selection of Belgian ales. With the exception of the odd free-range pork pie, there is no food, or music or entertainment.
Read a book with a pie or dessert on the cover (1pt)
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Traditional Georgian pub, former haunt of Charles Dickens, once known for bare-knuckle fights.
Great London pubs don't get much more historic than this. The very first mention of a pub on this site is in 1772, when it was known as The Coopers Arms (the name changed to The Lamb & Flag in 1833).
The building's brickwork is circa 1958 and conceals what may be an early 18th century frame of a house, replacing the original one built in 1638.
The pub acquired a reputation in the early nineteenth century for staging bare-knuckle prize fights, earning it the nickname 'The Bucket of Blood,' and the alleyway beside the pub was the scene of an attack on the poet John Dryden in 1679 by thugs hired by John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of Rochester, with whom he had a long-standing conflict.
Read a book tagged History (1pt)
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Large octagonal bar, TVs all round, emphasis on sport, choices of beers, pizzas and other traditional food, spectacular views of the Aber seafront and Cambrian coastline, and from autumn to spring thousands of starlings swooping to their roosts below the pier.
Read a book that features water on the cover (1pt)
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Fallons is a stand out gem even in a city with an embarrassment of riches when it comes to pubs. This tiny bar hunkered in the shadow of St Pat's Cathedral is the true soul of Dublin. A single room, with too few seats and a plethora of characters is ably served by charismatic bar staff. No music plays to disturb your chat or your drinking and the only television is buried in the corner. If you want a genuine Dublin pub, you will not find a better example than this. Rumour has it that it is Shane MacGowan's favourite bar too, so you're in good company.
Read a book that features a jem or jewels on the cover (1pt)
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There are no drinks menus, you just tell the suit-clad barmen what you like and they'll invent it for you. It's the perfect place to escape the heat and crowds of central Barcelona, without walking too far. The low jazz music keeps a comfortable mellow vibe running.
Read a book that features someone "dressed-up" on the cover (1pt)
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If you want a good old Irish stout in the harbor of a god, look no further than The Irish Pub in the capital city of the north Atlantic Farrow Islands. Located in the center of Tórshavn, which translates as “Thor’s Harbor,” this Irish bar provides a welcome respite from the dreary weather to tourists and locals alike, while nodding to the Celtic heritage of these Danish islands. Situated almost exactly halfway between Norway and Iceland, the Farrow Islands were first permanently settled not by Scandinavian Vikings, but by the Norse-Gael descendants of Viking settlers in Ireland and around the Irish Sea, and traces of the Irish language can still be seen in the Faroese language today. With a standard selection of Irish whiskeys like Jameson, Bushmills, and Tullamore Dew, and beers like Guinness, Kilkenny, and Caffrey’s, The Irish Pub hits all the right tasting notes. The food menu includes staples like fish and chips and an “Irish burger” complete with chips, bacon, and cabbage. There’s a pub quiz every Friday and live music every Saturday and Sunday.
Read a book tagged Mythology (1pt)
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Farren’s Bar on Ireland’s Inishowen Peninsula has the distinction of being the northernmost pub on the island of Ireland. Situated less than a minute from the north Atlantic coast, this pub was named the best bar in Ireland last year at the National Hospitality Awards. The bar is integral to the local nightlife scene as well as a favorite for tourists coming from nearby Derry and elsewhere. The bar opened in 1825 and has been family-owned and operated for six generations, through today’s current owner, Hugh Farren. “Everyone is a local, no matter where they’re from,” Ferren told the Derry Journal. “I think we’ve still got the old values of having a chat and good craic.” And, for the anglers out there, be sure to check out the bait and tackle shop next door.
Read a book that the setting is near you geologically (1pt)
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Tucked deep in the Slovenian mountains, Bled isn’t the type of city on anyone’s bucket list, though it is a relatively popular resort area and backpacking destination as a launching point for outdoors adventuring in the surrounding region. So why in this small town of no more than 9,000 is there a bar named for one of Ireland’s most famous soccer players? That would be the doing of John Murray, a Belfast native who fell in love with the town and moved his family there in the early 2000s, setting up the George Best Bar upon his arrival. Inside, you’ll find a bar decorated with Ulster and Belfast memorabilia, as well as a hefty dose of Manchester United apparel, the team for which George Best scored 137 of his 179 career goals. The bar is just a few minutes from Bled Castle and the pristine glacial lake around which the city is situated, and upstairs, you’ll find a small backpackers hostel that organizes sightseeing tours, hiking, canoeing, and rafting trips.
Read a book that has a page count between 137 and 179, no less or no more (1pt)
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Known as the “Gateway to the Arctic,” one of the best places from which to view the Northern Lights, and hometown of Norwegian pop star Dagny, the city of Tromsø lies 217 miles north of the Arctic Circle and receives two months of straight sunlight from mid-May through mid-July. But its location on the Norwegian sea and the effects of the Gulf Stream and North Atlantic Current give it a relatively temperate climate compared to other places along the same latitude. All this combines to make Tromsø one of the most popular destinations in Scandinavia, and a natural spot for an international Irish pub. O’Leary’s, the city’s sole Irish pub, is likely the northernmost Irish pub in the world (if you can find one farther north let me know in the comments below!). It is the brain child of Anne O’Leary, a Boston native, and Jonas Reinholdsson, from Sweden. The pair opened their first O’Leary’s in Gothenburg, Sweden in 1988 and quickly expanded throughout Scandinavia. Here, you’ll find the atmosphere of a “Bostonian neighborhood bar” — which basically translates to Irish pub — according to O’Leary’s website, along with good pints and ample TV screens for streaming any international sporting matches you care to see.
Read a book has a setting that starts with the Letter S (1pt)
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The lowest elevation of the Khumbu Valley town of Namche Bazar, the last major outpost for climbers of Mount Everest before the South Base Camp, is 11,286 feet, making The Irish Pub the highest in the world. The village is only reachable via a two-day hike from the nearest airport at Lukla, meaning everything in the pub, from its Guinness and Bailey’s to its bar stools and pool table was carted in by mule train, yak train, or on the backs of Nepal’s indefatigable Sherpas. The mountaineering community is notorious for its camaraderie, and inside you’ll find any number of tips and tales being shared between international climbers in a dozen different languages. Hot drinks are a perennial favorite — unsurprising in a town where the average summer high is 16º F — including a local Nepalese drink called tongba, a millet-based beer that is drunk with boiling water added until the alcohol is gone.
Read a book with a mountain setting (1pt)
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Wedged into a slim French colonial building on Kampot’s popular riverfront walk between a pizza and burger joint and a massage parlor lies Oh Neil’s, an Irish-owned and operated bar decorated with bamboo, palm thatch, and shamrocks. Kampot, located at the mouth of the Praek Tuek Chhu river near to the Gulf of Thailand, was once the most significant port city in the country but is today a quieter town known more for its status as a base from which to visit the surrounding pepper plantations. The décor is full western ex-pat, with bank notes and coins from around the world adorning the walls and rock, jazz, and blues coming from the speakers. The eponymous Neil keeps a well-stocked selection of Irish whiskeys and cold beer in addition to local Cambodian ciders and homemade food. Plus, it’s open late, just like a good Irish pub should.
Read a book with food on the cover (1pt)
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Founded in 2010 by Irishman Killian Murphy, Murphy’s Irish Pub and Restaurant was the first true Irish pub to open in Jakarta, and the first pub anywhere in the city to offer draught Kilkenny and Guinness (though it took a year and a half get the Guinness flowing). With a proper lounge, a kitchen that serves up Guinness beef pies along side bangers and mash, and amenities like a full-size pool table and dart board, this bar offers one of the most authentically Irish experiences anywhere outside of Ireland and paved the way for all future Irish pubs in Indonesia. Located in the trendy international neighborhood of Kemang, Murphy’s also serves as the de facto center of the Irish expatriate community in the city and is home to the Jakarta GAA.
Read a book with a person name in the title (1pt)
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Proving that Doyle's doesn't have hegemony on the Irish pub scene in Jamaica Plain, the Behan is, as it so eloquently puts it, a "talking bar" with no TVs, games, or any other distractions to clutter up conversation. Sure, it has live Irish sessions, and other music, but the point of a place like Behan's is to have a couple of pints and hash out your issues. Or just sit quietly by yourself and sing "The Parting Glass" by The Clancy Brothers as you settle your tab.
Read a book that the title starts with any of the letters of BEHAN (1pt)
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Everybody loves The Burren: older Tufts students, Irish expats, dudes who just moved here from Cambridge to save money on rent even though it's not really that much cheaper. Everybody. For one, it checks all the Irish-pub boxes (hearty Irish eats? Proper pours of Guinness? A lot of Irish music?), and for two, it was opened by a pair of Irish musicians (Tommy McCarthy and Louise Costello) and truly tries to honor its roots in song by featuring live traditional Irish music every night alongside a veritable smorgasbord of other genres.
Read a book that features Roots or plants on the cover(1pt)
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Since 1933, this pub up in that frigid town where Rob Konrad played football has attracted a crowd. Though it takes its Irish knickknacks pretty far (the telephone booth for leprechauns outside, for one), the history of the place, free live music on the weekends, proper drafts, and Guinness-battered onion rings keep it on the list. Plus, it exists in the neighborhood of Tipperary Hill, in what used to be an almost completely Irish section of 'Cuse that includes a traffic light with green up top and red at the bottom, a result that came after Irish kids in the 1920s, angry that "the British red" was above the "Irish green," continually broke the light until the city switched it up. So that's pretty much the coolest story ever.
Read a book that features the color green and red on the cover(1pt)
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County Clare takes its Guinness very, very seriously -- to the point that the legendary brewery’s brewmaster says they pour the best pint in the whole of Wisconsin, which is no small feat. The pub itself is at once sprawling and cozy, with a main dining room offering up a stellar cottage pie and Guinness pot roast, while the Saint’s Snug offers up a tighter drinking experience and the main bar features a steady roster of Irish music. And if you down one too many pints, well, there’s a very nice hotel room waiting for you upstairs.
Read a book that The title contains two C's (1pt)
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Not so much a cafe as it is a legendary local hangout, Doyle's has been around in one form or another since 1882 and is filled with more history than a particularly engaging episode of Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego, thanks to its pre-Prohibition bona fides and the revolving cast of Boston politicians and other known locals who frequent it (Mayor Menino even has a banquet room named after him). And, on top of choice Irish and local beers, Doyle's just happens to sit next to the Sam Adams Brewery, so you can often find it serving special, new, and different styles of Sam that no other places have
Read a book that The title Features a location (1pt)
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Technically opened in 1996 by a couple of firemen, the building itself has a much more extensive history involving secret underground gangster escape tunnels and an ill-fated robbery attempt in the '80s when it was called O'Sullivan's (a couple of shotgun-wielding dudes didn't get the memo that it was a cop bar -- it didn't work out for them). The modern incarnation is a touch more subdued, but Jameson on tap and plenty of pints of Guinness at the ready make sure things remain interesting
Read a book that Was published in the 90's (1pt)
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With all due respect to the great Kerry Irish Pub, Finn's gets the nod in New Orleans partially due to the fact that it was started by a couple from Belfast, but mainly because it's just an amazing place to watch English football and hang out and have a pint. Also, you should watch the video on its site of how its own football club came together after Katrina and helped link up and connect people who'd lost so much. It's damn (Mc)Cool.
Read a book that features a bike on the cover (1pt)
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From the fenced-in stone patio overlooking Lake Erie to the eye-catching stained glass backdrop behind the bar, The Harp is one pretty pub. Kind of like harp music, in pub form. But there's substance behind the style, like the live Irish music (not necessarily harp-based), the lineup of boxty (an Irish potato pancake-like concoction -- get it filled corned beef Reuben-style and be happy), and the glorious bit of Irish-American fusion that is a Black & Gold (half Guinness, half Great Lakes Dortmunder Gold).
Read a book that features the colors Black and Gold (1pt)
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When no less than Martin Scorsese takes a look at your bar and says to himself "this would be the perfect setting for Jack Nicholson to smash Leo's hand in my upcoming film about Irish gangsters," you know you have a fine establishment on your hands. Of course, on normal days you won't find many A-listers bellied up to the massive oak bar, but you will find plenty of shift workers and regulars who've been coming there for decades trading barbs with brogue-sporting bartenders. And that's how it should be.
Read a book that has been made into a movie (1pt)
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Named for some moderately successful Irish writer, Baltimore's James Joyce continues in the grand Irish tradition of combining great literature and even greater drinking. You'll find plenty of the standard Irish brews to combine within the wood-paneled walls (or outside on the sunny patio -- SPF up all you fair-skinned folk!), but don't sleep on the house brew, James Joyce Golden, brewed for them by local craft mainstay Heavy Seas. They also know their way around a plate of bangers and mash, but consider saving room for the house ice cream, a vanilla base augmented with Bailey's and caramelized brown bread, doused in chocolate sauce.
Read a book that the author has a J initial (1pt)
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Started as a one-room pub in 1978, McGurk's has grown into 20,000sqft of all-out Emerald Isleness, with a series of interconnected dining rooms and bars echoing with live Irish music nightly (as in, people come from Ireland to play here) as patrons mow through corned beef & cabbage, bangers & mash, and Baileys cheesecake (American fatness innovations FTW!). Oh, and if that wasn't enough room, it also has a 15,000sqft outdoor garden with a freaking waterfall. And three more bars, naturally.
Read a book that features a cake on the cover (1pt)
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Kells has been a fixture of downtown Portland since 1983, establishing itself as an essential spot for watching soccer in the morning long before the Timbers took over the town. It’s also been one of the most popular bars in the city for decades, with crowds packing into the cavernous, sprawling space for a taste of their Irish nachos while the night progresses from mellow to debaucherous with each sip. That popularity has springboarded into a sister brewery across town, but the real draw here is the city’s biggest St. Pat’s celebration, which transforms one corner of the City of Roses into something of a clover-hued Mardi Gras. Still, go in at the right time (Saturday morning), and you’ll still find the city’s most dedicated soccer fans sipping pints as the sun comes up. It’s a bar that wears a lot of hats, and wears them beautifully.
Read a book that has a one word title (1pt)
-Any Book 500+ is double points
-Any book 1000+ is triple point
-If you can make a book work for both the Pub and the Game, then you get points for both with only reading that one book
1. The Sherlock Holmes
2. The Beehive Inn
3. The Belle
4. The Kings Head
6. Lamb and Flag
7. Inn on the Pier
8. Fallon's
9. Boadas
10 .The Irish Pub
11. Farren's Bar
12. Geroge Best Bar
13. O'Leary's
14. The Irish Pub in Nepal
15. Oh Neil's
16. Murphy's Irish Pub
17. Brendan Behan Pub
18. The Burren
19. Coleman's Irish Pub
20. County Clare
21. Doyle's Cafe
22. Emmit's
23.Finn McCool's
24. The Harp
25. Irish Haven
26. James Joyce
27.John D. McGurk's
28. Kells