In this crazy mixed up world in which we live, there are but a few constants. Bad Chinese food. Those little yappy dogs. Australians. And, of course, wherever you might roam, from Montpellier to Machu Picchu, you will find faux Irish bars. Some are good, some are bad, and some (shudder) serve chilled Guinness.
One thing I’ve always wondered about, however, is why there are not more English style pubs? The short answer might be that no-one likes poor service, rude patrons and warm beer. But that, I feel, is a somewhat myopic view of what a pub can be. I lived for a while in the south west of England, and whilst I’m not going to attempt to convince you of the merits of drinking beer at around room temperature (here’s a clue, though; it makes it taste nicer), I became very fond of a quiet pub on a Sunday afternoon, no gaudy neon, juke box quietly ticking over in the corner; hey, I even got to like the crappy food.
So, one of my favorite haunts in San Francisco has become the Pig and Whistle, on the corner of Geary Boulevard and Wood Street. Of all the many bars that I frequent, this is probably the nearest that this city has to an English pub. This feeling might be helped by the fact that we normally trek down at lunchtime on Sundays after our Soccer game, searching for a beer or two to salve our wounds, both physical and mental. We normally lose, see.
They also have a great beer selection. More accurately, perhaps, they have one of my favorite beers in the world, Old Speckled Hen, from the Greene King brewery, Suffolk, which is in the East of England. It’s smooth, creamy and malty, with a light sparkle, and it goes down well without leaving you feeling bloated. If only they could serve it warmer, huh. They also have Fuller’s London Ale, which is another fine pint. Of course, if you prefer less exotic fare, they have the standard Stella Artois, Guinness and American beers. But you should go for the English ones. Seriously.
There’s also a brief menu, which has fried foods of various types; burgers, fish and chips, onion rings. It’s nothing amazing, but if you’re feeling peckish it’ll keep you going and not leave you overly regretting it. Don’t have the chips and curry sauce, however. No man should have to suffer through that.
There is also a pub quiz on Sundays, starting early evening. It’s normally quite popular, so get there in plenty of time if you want to secure a table. Or just go at lunch and stay there all afternoon. Though, this might not leave you in the optimal condition for answering trivia questions, even if it does sound like a good time.
On top of this, they have a cricket team. A cricket team! This pretty much makes it the best place in the whole of Northern California. Go check it out!