Visiting Pubs, Cafés, and Brown Bars
London, Paris, and Amsterdam may be international and outward-looking, but they also have distinctly local establishments full of unique character. For London, this is the pubs; in Paris, its cafés; in Amsterdam, the brown bars. No trip is complete unless you’ve spent some time in these can’t-miss haunts.
Pubs in London
No institution has as profound a hold on British life as the pub. These drinking dens proliferate in all environments and are where shared culture takes place. Large or small, upscale or down at heel, they are all places to gather, drink, chat, and let off steam. Instantly recognizable by their idiosyncratic names and signage that can reference local history, coats of arms, or broader pub tradition, many have storied pasts stretching back centuries. Even if they don’t, they boast that atmosphere.
How It Works
Informal by nature, pubs don’t offer table service. Order at the bar, even when you’re ordering food. The bar area is one of the few places in England where it’s totally acceptable to strike up a conversation with strangers. In the rest of the pub, expect standard British norms of privacy and personal space.
Where to Go
Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese
Competing for the title of the oldest pub in London, Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese, just off Fleet Street, wears its history on its sleeve, and a drink here feels like stepping into the city’s past. It’s a huge wood-paneled warren with multiple anterooms and snugs, and there’s also a large underground bar complete with sawdust on the floor. The pub is run by the Samuel Smith Brewing Company, so prices are slightly lower than at other pubs, and there are no international beer brands; all come from the same Yorkshire brewery. Traditional food is also served.
145 Fleet St., 20/7353-6170, info@yeoldecheshirecheese.com, ye-olde-cheshire-cheese.co.uk, open daily, nearest tube station: Temple or Chancery Lane
The Fitzroy Tavern
The most famous pub in Fitzrovia, London’s old Bohemia of the 1930s, the Fitzroy’s bar was once propped up by the likes of George Orwell, Augustus John, and Dylan Thomas. Today it’s a large and popular traditional pub that still attracts an artistic, or at least media-adjacent, crowd. Owned by the brewery Samuel Smiths, who put an emphasis on history, many of the pub’s original Victorian features have been retained, such as the mahogany partitions. The beers all come from the same brewery in Yorkshire and are slightly cheaper than in other pubs.
16 Charlotte St., 20/7580-3714, info@fitzroytavern.co.uk, fitzroytavern.co.uk, open daily, nearest tube station: Goodge St.
The Devonshire
A brand-new sensation built on the idea of the perfect pub distilled into a single place, it’s famous for Guinness, serving 20,000 pints a week. It gets very busy around peak hours.
17 Denman St., Soho, 20/3556-6018, devonshiresoho.co.uk
Plan your trip:
From awe-inspiring monuments and museums to cozy pubs and cafés, get to know these iconic cities like a local with author Chris Newens.
Cafés in Paris
The quiet clatter of coffee cups, a cigarette on the terrace, cognac ordered at the bar, a waiter in a penguin suit, tables and chairs facing the street, a light breakfast, a hearty three-course lunch, drinks to mark the start of the evening, and arguments about philosophy deep into the night: The Paris café hosts a whole neighborhood ecosystem and metes out the rhythms of the day. They are the second home for many residents of this cramped city, serving as both audience and stage, and they are literally everywhere.
One of the best ways to experience Paris is to spend more time in a café than you would at home. Let the city and its people come to you. Crack a notebook and write down the things you see. It worked for Hemingway, after all.
How It Works
Most cafés operate table and bar service, with prices lower if you order and drink at the bar, and sometimes higher on the terrace. Many cafés will clear out people who are just drinking during lunch service, so unless you’re eating, don’t get upset by waiters trying to move you along.
Where to Go
La Palette
Hiding in the backstreets of Saint- Germain, La Palette is almost as storied as the famous literary cafés on the boulevard and more likely to be frequented by locals rather than tourists. Its stylishly tatty interior doesn’t look to have changed much since its founding at the turn of the 20th century, while the menu brims with French bistro classics. The omelet is worth trying, with some locals whispering that it may be the best in the city.
43 Rue de Seine, 1/43-26-68-15, la-palette.res-menu.com, open daily, $$, nearest métro: Saint-Germain-des-Prés
Les Deux Magots
One of the former haunts of the Lost Generation as well as the philosophers Simone de Beauvoir and Jean-Paul Sartre, this literary café remains one of the most refined and well-run places for a coffee or omelet in central Paris. The food is only OK for the prices, but what you’re paying for is a temporary piece of real estate with excellent people-watching and a sense of living history. The waitstaff here are second to none.
6 Place Saint-Germain des Prés, 1/45-48-55-25, lesdeuxmagots.fr, open daily, $$$, nearest métro: Saint-Germain-des-Prés
Brasserie Wepler
It may seem strange declaring a restaurant of this size and popularity a hidden gem, but to many who visit Paris, that’s what Wepler is. One of the storied literary cafés in the capital, dating to the Belle Époque and the haunt of writers like Henry Miller and painters like Amedeo Modigliani, its international fame never took off in the same way as its Left Bank counterparts, and so it retains a more authentic link to its past. Famous for seafood, particularly oysters, dining is a refined private experience, with tables well-spaced in a large art deco dining room. Servers are deferential and the food is steeped in old-fashioned flavor.
15 Place de Clichy, 1/42-93-11-50, https://www.wepler.com/en/, open daily, $$$, nearest métro: Place de Clichy
Brown Bars in Amsterdam
Bruine kroegen or brown bars are wood-lined cafés that welcome visitors and locals alike with cold beer on tap. These neighborhood spots allow for conversation, and tap lists feature great craft beers produced in the city. In summer, Amsterdammers flock to the terraces along the canals and outside cafés to people-watch and slurp gin and tonics, a favorite among millennials. With atmosphere that can feel speakeasy or divey, you’ll find one to your taste.
How It Works
Service at brown bars is usually at the bar itself, not at the tables. Despite being drinking dens, they tend not to get raucous. Conversation is more valued than revelry.
Where to Go
In’t Aepjen
In the heart of De Wallen, have a drink at the now-sleepier In ’t Aepjen, a historic bar known for its previously rowdy reputation.
Zeedijk 15-1, 20/626-8401, open daily, nearest tram stop: Centraal Station
Proeflokaal Arendsnest
For a proper education on Dutch craft beer, Proeflokaal Arendsnest is an Amsterdam institution that offers a beautiful location along the scenic Herengracht canal.
Herengracht 90, 20/421-2057, https://www.arendsnest.nl/en/enjoy-beer-from-dutch-brewers/, open daily
Café De Doelen
Dating to 1895, Café De Doelen is a strange mix of divey and upscale, with a mounted goat’s head, sand on the floor, and stained glass lamps.
Kloveniersburgwal 125, 20/624-9023, https://www.facebook.com/cafededoelen/, open daily
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