One of my favorite things to do in London was walking into a pub on a below freezing evening and getting a pint of Guinness to warm up. Suhasini and I frequented the Duke of Clarence, which was walking distance from her place in South Kensington.

It is hard for me to find a similar pub experience in the United States. It is a very social experience, where you go after work with your colleagues or go to meet up with old friends. Everyone takes turns to buy rounds. Or people buy pints individually. You can stand. You can sit and drink. There is even a stack of board games which you can play. There aren’t many rules except, don’t disturb the neighbors.

The attention to detail is worth noting. The Duke is impeccably clean and inviting.  It was the first pub I have ever been to that had a clean bathroom.

I’d recommend grabbing a bite to eat too, the food isn’t bad at all.  Some of these places are emphasizing drinks with a quality selection of food. These gastro pubs are popular with menus that contain items like a Spicy Tomato Bisque and a Lamb and Mint Chutney Burger, it is hard to go wrong.

For me, I could easily see myself coming everyday…and people in London do!  I wonder if places like this exist in San Francisco. I need to hunt for them, because many pubs in the United States conjure images of a dark place with wooden floors that have been soaked by years of spilt beer. Maybe I need to move out of SOMA to find a neighborhood pub.  Or I can just start one up myself!