Photo courtesy of said_the_lorax on Flickr.
I want to put a disclaimer on this post. I’ve been planning on writing this post for the last 6 months at least but have been struggling to come up with what I consider a decent list. I love all these places but for the most part, they all appear to be the obvious choices. However, with the cold weather upon us, this is as good a time as any to share these comfortable watering holes with the world, and maybe get to hear about some new ones as well (please let us know if you’ve got some recommendations, I’ll gladly check them out!) And now, after the jump, my top cozy pubs:
Courtesy of fieldtripp on Flickr.
The Manx (370 Elgin St.)
The small basement pub has everything you could ask for: a great selection of beers (it carries 18 taps from some of Canada’s best microbreweries, including Scotch Irish, Big Rock, Creemore Springs, and McAuslan), delicious food, excellent service and lots of board games galore. I like going there Sunday mornings for brunch or any night for a drink or two. It will always hold a special place in my heart as it was the spot Apt613 was cooked up. However, it’s unfortunately a victim of its own popularity, especially in the winter, when there always seems to be a line-up at the door.
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Courtesy of dead_squid on Flickr.
Chez Lucien (137 Murray St.)
Some call it the French equivalent to The Manx - it does have equally good food although it offers more typical pub fare with a variety of pasta dishes… they are also one of the few places this side of the river that offers Blanche de Chambly. As the myth goes, Lucien just wanted a place to hang out and so opened his own pub in 2003-2004. Since that time, it always appears to be busy. Chez Lucien is not huge but you have a few neat rooms to pick from - the veranda by the entrance is always warmed up by a wood fireplace in the winter. Then there’s the main room with the free jukebox. Or the upstairs mezzanine, with exposed stone and a view of the action below. If you’ve got a bigger group, head down to the basement where there’s a couple of nooks that will fit you all. P.S. They’ve probably got the best burgers in town.
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Photo courtesy of me.
Quinn’s (1070 Bank St.)
Quinn’s Ale House is an Irish pub that doesn’t try too hard and that’s one of the reasons I like it. The small-ish room is darkly lit with the bar on one side, a few tables and some big arm chairs that you can just sink into. It’s a bit different for the places mentioned above as it caters to the sports crowd with it big screens and TVs. I don’t see this as a bad thing - you just need to be in the mood. Another plus for Quinn’s… it’s seconds away from the Mayfair Theatre, which makes it an awesome place to grab a pre- or post-movie drink and a bag o’ chips.
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Courtesy of said_the_lorax on Flickr.
Mayflower Pub (247 Elgin St.)
There’s something special about this “old man” British-style pub hidden in the back of the Mayflower Restaurant. I’m not sure if it’s the old, yellowed wall paper covered in English posters and political prints, the scarlet booths or the brighter lights. I think it’s the overall sense of authenticity and history that the Mayflower oozes that I like. This place has seen a lot. It’s been around since the 1970s and has not changed a bit. You can get some food from the restaurant, and probably order some pretty good cognac, but I go to this place for the locals and the ambiance. If you’ve been paying attention, you’ve probably seen the Mayflower’s photo pop-up on our banner once in a while.
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An honorable mention to Pub Italia (434 Preston St.) who’s disqualified from this best of because of its size. But the ambiance, various rooms and sheer diversity of beers offered makes it worth the trip, and could definitely qualify as cozy if it couldn’t house two full football leagues at once.
It’s been a while since I’ve lived in Ottawa but I always loved The Cock & Lion (Sparks Street) and The Earl of Sussex…
I would have to say Chez Lucien and the Manx are two of my favourites - great food, great beer, and you feel special when you can actually get a seat.
The Imperial has its moments, but some people hate the service.
Also, I’d like to point out an issue my brother first drew to my attention: we need to stop telling people about the Manx. It’s awesome, incredible, perfect in every way - and you can never get a table. I say we have a moratorium on Manx praise for like 6 months, see if we can’t make it more accessible. Selfish, I know, but we have to protect our natural resources any way we can.
I’m sneaking out of my RSS Reader as this post rocks. I am not a big fan of “um tsa um tsa” kind of clubs, and much prefer pubs. So, to have a whole post on comfy pubs is heaven.
When I went to Carleton, Quinn’s was called something different, but equally rocked. The space is great. I have to check out the Manx as I love board games. Thanks for the great post.
Honestly, I’m going to stop planning to go to the Manx. The past few times I’ve tried, I’ve ended up going elsewhere because of the line. I love it there - but i think i’ll wait until February to go again… or perhaps the summer when people are looking for patios. Therefore - I second Peter’s proposal for going dark on Manx talk for a while until things cool down. Tough to enjoy a pub when you can never get a seat
I love Quinn’s but I had a strange experience there this past Saturday. I ordered the sweet potato fries, which are usually excellent. This time, however, they were so salty that I could not finish my plate. They tasted as though they had been deep fried in sea water.
Two of my friends ordered the same thing and were also surprised by how salty the sweet potato fries were that night. We had all had them in the past and they were always perfectly fine until last Saturday. I hope this was just a one-time mistake. I would hate to give up on those otherwise delicious fries.
/rant
@Jonathan - there is no such thing as too-salty fries
@Erin - ditto on the Earl of Sussex!
While I love the Earl of Sussex, it’s mentally filed under “patio” for me. The inside is great, but it’s sitting outside on a warm summer evening that really sells it for me.
My favourite on this list is Chez Lucien. Great atmosphere, great drink selection, and excellent food at kickass prices. Awesome.
Mon commentaire n’a rien à voir avec les Pubs en ville, il a plutôt pour but d’offrir à toute votre équipe des félicitations pour votre 2e rang des meilleurs nouveaux blogues en ville. Fabienne de Québec
Chez Lucien has Wapoos cider. MM-MM good.
I really like Chez Lucien but have had some pretty spotty service. My favourite place is the Rochester Pub. Good food. Great beer on tap and friendly staff. It’s only really packed right after work and sometimes for brunch. If you don’t count the upstairs, which is pretty much only open Friday evening, it’s pretty cozy.