The best Brit pubs are social hubs. They’re humble yet spirited watering holes in which one feels absolutely at home downing a pint with friends. And if the UK trappings are true — football (soccer!) matches on telly, bangers and mash on the menu — so much the better.
On the outside, this cute little white house a block east of Macleod Trail on 53rd Avenue Southeast looks like your grandmother’s place. Inside, gran’s done the place up as a fully functional Brit pub. Guinness is the house pint, fish and chips the house dish. Live music Thursday through Saturday evenings includes a fun and festive open jam.
This converted funeral home is a main stop for 17th Avenue Southwest club hoppers in search of drinks, darts and Bombay butter chicken. Central to its always-shakin’ main floor is a sizeable stage that features folk, rock and pop-music tribute bands several nights a month.
A favourite haunt of the city’s alternative music crowd, The Drum is also an excellent spot in which to sip a well-poured pint of Guinness or Big Rock Monkey Lager. Its particularly good Brit-style pub menu features UK curries, bangers and mash as well as all-day Brit breakfast. Enjoy televised Premier League football matches on Saturdays.
Homey as a UK rec room, Kensington Pub is a fixture of Calgary’s Kensington Village. Another quaintly converted house, it features an intimate upper floor as well as a wee rooftop patio. Its food menu features loads of North American and Brit pub delicacies, the latter including cod and chips, bangers and mash as well as beef and Yorkshire pudding.
The most rock ‘n’ roll of the city’s UK pubs, The Ship is one of the top social spots on the 17th Avenue Southwest strip. It’s also a live music venue featuring alt-rock gigs and a very popular Saturday jam populated by folk and roots performers. Also enjoy weekly televised UK and international soccer matches.