Why no pubs in America?

[Detroitpete]

My wife and I both really miss Johnathon B Pub in Briarwood mall in A2, Mi. I say a map of the mall a few years back, and it wasn't listed. I really really miss that place.

Aye but there is still Frasers' and Conor O'Neil's--the later tries a BIT too hard to be 'authentic' but the stout and grub are first rate. I tend to get a pint on the house when I show up kilted.

[Galician]

There’s a few Scottish pubs I know of which could have been dismantled and taken to the States !! I think the South Bronx would have been a fitting venue for them.

As a native of that area, I don't know as I'd expect that kind of establishment to thrive there. The bars I knew growing up were the kind which would be split into men's and ladies' section, with their appropriate entrances. It was the latter which had tables and served food, but there were no dividers between them.

I would add that there were over thirty beergardens in the South Bronx, which were shut down by F.B.I. at the start of WWII. They were suspected to be bases of Nazi sympathizers (perhaps with lots of reason). Locally, that's what we consider to have been the demise of the "family bar" which the O.P. seems to mourn.

Btw, in NYC it was only in the 1970's that an establishment was allowed to use the term "saloon" for itself. There was a well-known restaurant near Lincoln Center, owned by a minor movie star of the day, which called itself "Balloon, as a result. To me that shows how legal hostility to bars died slowly.

[Streetcar]

(Warning - mass generalization ahead)
It seems most microbreweries I've seen tend to follow the sports-bar model - large open area, lots of tables, lots of televisions. Not terribly condusive to casual conversation, lingering over a book or a friendly game.

However, I've recently been seeing small breweries and bars starting to put more emphasis on the social angle. We're seeing longer, communal tables and smaller conversation areas with couches and overstuffed chairs.

Many of these places are very family friendly.
So while I agree that there aren't as many "Pubs" in the United States, they are out there if one is willing to look.

[ForresterModern]

Speaking of Scottish "family" pubs, I thought it a bit odd when my wife and I were wandering around Edinburgh last year and stopped for lunch at a pub with an interesting menu board out on the street. We went in and asked for a table, and because we had our infant son (about 4 mos old at the time) with us they said we could not be in the pub and they could not serve us, although we could order at the bar for carry out. It was right in the middle of Edinburgh on Lothian Street. I did not pursue it but must belatedly surmise that it is a local ordinance in Edinbrugh rather than a national one, if there are truly "family" pubs elsewhere in Scotland.

[Zardoz]

I've been to plenty of "real" cozy pubs here in the U.S., There are some here in Houston, like Brian O'Neil's, their interior was brought over from a pub that was being torn down in Cork County.

[MacMillan of Rathdown]

I've been to plenty of "real" cozy pubs here in the U.S., There are some here in Houston, like Brian O'Neil's, their interior was brought over from a pub that was being torn down in Cork County.

I think that sort of underscores the difference being talked about-- "Brian O'Neils'" isn't a real pub-- it is a themed tavern in the USA, a sort of "plastic pub", if you will, right down to it's imported "Irish" pub interior.

It might look like a real Irish pub (but this is supposed to be about American pubs, and the lack thereof) but culturally it is totally different than pubs in Ireland or the UK.

Does America have pubs? Culturally, yes-- the Sports Bar is the All-American pub.

[Monkey@Arms]

Speaking of Scottish "family" pubs, I thought it a bit odd when my wife and I were wandering around Edinburgh last year and stopped for lunch at a pub with an interesting menu board out on the street. We went in and asked for a table, and because we had our infant son (about 4 mos old at the time) with us they said we could not be in the pub and they could not serve us, although we could order at the bar for carry out. It was right in the middle of Edinburgh on Lothian Street. I did not pursue it but must belatedly surmise that it is a local ordinance in Edinbrugh rather than a national one, if there are truly "family" pubs elsewhere in Scotland.

We had similar experiences traveling with my infant son in England 12 years ago. We couldn't get a light meal at the pubs, because they wouldn't let us in with the child. The only exception was out in the countryside, if the pub advertised it had a "family garden" or something to that effect.

Not too any public establishments were equiped to deal with travelers with young children, and all in all it was a rather stressful trip. We probably would have had a better experience bringing a dog than an infant.

Best regards,

Jake

[PEEDYC]

Although I am a Scot I have lived "down south" for many years and am not up to date with Scottish Licencing Laws. I think I am vcorrect in stating that in England children under 13 are not allowed within something like 12 feet of the serving area/bar. It is the landlords decision if they are allowed in or not. In Scotland the pub I used to drink in during the late 60' early 70s had a public bar which was men only. They had a lounge bar which served females and you had to be seated, no standing at the bar. However when the pub was built it had a family department. This as a small vestibule with a serving hatch which was entered directly from the street. You brought your own recepticle (usually a jug) and even children woudl be able to go and get dad's beer for his Sunday lunch. Oh how times have changed. The anti smoking laws in the UK have had a dramatic affect on the attandance in pubs. I still enjoy my pint in a traditional pub in a lounge bar. The entertainment ( a juke box & a TV ) in the tap room only.

[David Thornton]

Does America have pubs? Culturally, yes-- the Sports Bar is the All-American pub.

Exactly, but it isn't a pub. And thanks for being far more civil that other places I asked.

I'll look into the references, I can see getting fairly academic over this for another month or so.

I can cook, anyone want to open a good pub in Kentucky?

[Zardoz]

I think that sort of underscores the difference being talked about-- "Brian O'Neils'" isn't a real pub-- it is a themed tavern in the USA, a sort of "plastic pub", if you will, right down to it's imported "Irish" pub interior. It might look like a real Irish pub (but this is supposed to be about American pubs, and the lack thereof) but culturally it is totally different than pubs in Ireland or the UK.

Well... As I always say, unlike some folks, I'm not an authority on everything, But...

I don't think the building always defines the pub, I'd say it's got more to the people that run it. And while there is obviously a 'cultural difference' between here and the UK, having (frequently) actually been in the Houston O'Neil's, I find that it, as well as some other places that fit the bill around here like The Harp or the original Sherlocks, while of course 'American' establishments, (more TV's and beer signs) are quite similar in "feel" and atmosphere to pubs I've seen in Ireland or England, although over there it seemed like more people were drinking Budwieser!