It’s no secret that a lot of literary giants loved their liquor and would go the extra mile for it. If authors of yore that thrilled us with mere sentences made some bars their favourite haunts, you know they were definitely worth it. Surprisingly, a lot of them are still standing and are iconic, not just for their history and famous patrons, but also for their ageless charm.
Kennedy’s, Dublin
You’re going to see a lot of Dublin in this list but this one’s got some extra history attached to it. Not only did Oscar Wilde enjoy several drinks here, he once worked in the shop attached to the bar! Samuel Beckett and James Joyce were also regular customers so there’s no way drinking a glass of beer here is going to dissapoint you.
Vesuvio, San Francisco
If you happen to be in SF, you can’t miss the Vesuvio. It’s stood the test of time with famous authors of the Beat generation including Jack Kerouac, Alan Ginsburg and Dylan Thomas. You’ll spot tons of memorabilia from that time and you can even visit the alley next to it, named after On The Road author Kerouac.
Toners, Dublin
Told you there’d be more Dublin. Toners is a class apart from the rest, especially because of the Irish authors and poets that loved the bar so very much. Bram Stoker and Patrick Kavanaugh would often kick back in the private lounge area called a snug, here. But the best bit of Toners history is that it is known to be the only pub W.B. Yeats ever visited, and then subsequently never visited a pub again. We wonder why.
The Eagle and Child, Oxford
You’re not a true fantasy fan if you haven’t been here. Known to be where J.R.R Tolkien, C.S Lewis and many other literary celebrities met and formed The Inklings group, The Rabbit Room withing the pub seems like my to-be favourite. They’ve still got testimonials and memorabilia from their famous patrons. So what are you waiting for? Go pay them a visit!
La Closerie de Lilas, Paris
Paris was always the go-to for the intellectual elite and La Closerie de Lilas was one of the most popular. Ernest Hemingway and Scott Fitzgerald made this a home in their time, with Hemingway even penning down ‘Fiesta’ here. The Dada movement of artists in Paris died here with a famous argument between Andre Breton and Tristan Tzara in 1922. Today there are plaques to indicate where Picasso and Hemingway used to sit so you can park yourself on a bit of history.
