bars Archives

Cocktails in the Tonga Room, San Francisco.

Tonga Room San Francisco review: California’s most famous tiki bar

In an era when many cocktail bars disappear so far up their own backsides, the entire menu is basically grimly unpleasant to drink, the Tonga Room keeps things pleasingly old school. This iconic San Francisco tiki bar delivers shamelessly sweet crowd pleasers with big pours…

Why plastic seats are the sign of a great Bangkok bar

Thailand’s capital is at its best when it’s cheap and international – and the best bars in Bangkok have plastic seats. People-watching in Bangkok’s bars The posh type on the next table is braying about how he used to be his school’s top dope dealer.…

Route 66 sign in West Hollywood, California.

West Hollywood – the gay capital of Los Angeles

In Los Angeles, the small independent city of West Hollywood has an unusual back story and a penchant for partying under the rainbow flag. Santa Monica Boulevard On Santa Monica Boulevard, a sign says: “Car wash to the stars”. It is underneath a billboard advertising,…

Four great places to eat and drink in Prague

After repeated visits to Prague over the last two decades, I’ve learned that the best places to eat in the Czech capital aren’t always immediately obvious. Elsewhere on the site, I’ve written about where to drink in Prague away from the tourist traps. But for…

Where to drink in Prague away from the tourist traps

A guide to the best wine bars and beer pubs in Prague, away from the tourist traps and stag parties. The Prague Beer Museum in Vinohrady Most visitors to Prague don’t make it as far as leafy, well-heeled Vinohrady. Vinohrady’s drinking scene is far more…