When you head out for a drink, assuming they are both within easy reach, would you head for an 'English Pub' or Swiss bar?

The English on holiday are renowned for heading for the nearest pint of English beer plus Fish & Chips. As you settle down in Switzerland, do those tendencies die down?

Looking at the threads where I have seen them mentioned, the English pubs don't seem to be rated very highly.

What factors influence your choice? Missing English beer, English language spoken, atmosphere, price, company etc.

As a visitor, I have only been to a couple of English Pubs (Mr Pickwick in Lucerne and The White Horse in Montreux), but felt slightly guilty that I haven't integrated more at the time.

Rod

the music, the price of the beer and if the place is filled with smoke or not.

Depends who I'm meeting, what the weather's like, and what mood we're in.

After almost 9 years in Zurich my preferences have definitely changed. In the early years e.g. 1 to 4/5, I always gravitated towards the English/Irish pubs, the main one being The Noble Dubliner. This has changed because of various reasons:
1)I much prefer Swiss beer to English / Irish beer. It seems a lot “cleaner” and of better quality, not all but most. (I used to get rotten stomach aches after drinking the GB/IE beers, could have been down to quantity rather than the quality though

2) I got sick of hearing loud mouthed idiots around me bragging, being generaly obnoxious gits. Maybe this reminded me too much of the pubs back home, where the "black catter" syndrome was rife - you know "I've got a black cat and it's blacker than yours"!!
I’m not saying this doesn’t happen in the Swiss establishments, just maybe that I can’t understand them sufficiently to work it out!!!

I do still go to the GB/IE pubs if there’s some event or just for a comfort factor drink, but I’m usually reminded of the above and it’s a good while before I go back again (for exactly the same reasons).

Mix of the two, I don't go down Pickwicks that often, but smetimes, it seems just everyone is down there, you're also almost bound to meet someone you know if you want to just go out for a quick pint. Their beer is expensive, but they have a lovely spot by the river. No smoking, which is plus/minus.

Is Swiss bar correct? I'd hardly go down the real old time swiss bars, I like a lot of the bars in town though, any place they don't have TVs, and decent music is a plus.

For me it has to be Swiss bar because that's all there is in my neck of the woods. If there was something like a real english country pub with open fires, English Sunday newspapers and an "Old Amos" landlord serving your favourite beer I'd travel miles to go there, especially in Winter. Not enough bars, restaurants etc with open fires here, even in the countryside. If anybody knows of one let me know. I haven't found what I'd call a genuine english pub anywhere outside the UK - with an authentic atmosphere. Sure there are some decent theme English/Irish pubs here in Switzerland but except for the beer they're not that different from a lot of local bars. These days I tend to go to the places with the best terraces or the best views. In the UK I used to go to a pub just because the beer was special. Here, the beer's pretty much the same wherever you go. That's not a complaint - I like the stuff - but there's not much variety.

i agree somewhat. My swiss husband always tells me that the "english pubs" around thurgau or other cantons (not zurich city) are hardly british or english at all. it's just the name. inside it really is a 'swiss bar' ie. swiss staff serving mostly locals and swiss-like food.
so i guess i would define the english pub as more where more english food is served or where more brits hang out?

i personally like wine bars anyway 'cos i am a "lifestyle & s'parti" person

I only really go to the English/Irish pubs now to watch footie or if I really fancy an ale. They're more expensive as well.

Having said that, I'm going off weissbeer at the moment and want some English ales again! Just have to settle for London Pride at Piwi's methinks.

English pubs in England can be very good, I wouldn't go out of my way to go to one above a "none English" pub anywhere abroad.

sorry if it's going slightly off topic, but can someone tell me is there really an "english pub" anymore in London? (i only frequent there, sorry)
'cos i seem to recall reading an article about the pub going all gastropubby and wine bar etc...ist this true?
or is it just 'cos London is so big, there isn't that cosy-local-down-the-road thing? i also remember being in Brighton alot and the pubs have all gone trendy also (serving fajitas and what not)

My old local "The Star" is a proper pub including a painting of a dog in military dress on the wall and carpets that you can puke on without feeling bad.

Did you ever toss your cookies? That means throw up, or puke. It's gross, but just about everyone has done it.

I have puked, thrown up, vomited and chundered. I don't recall ever tossing cookies.

Slang of the Week: toss your cookies
vomit
****

I hate those English/Irish bars. I wouldn't drink in the ones I've been to here if they were a pub in England. They are only good if you like watching sport on TV. I went to them a bit when I first moved here but now I go to games here I don't really have the need.

Never heard of that before.

I love the real englsih country pubs but the English pubs over here really do not compare.

Good atmosphere, clean, great food and drink, good company etc that's what matters.

I know one up around St-Cergue in the woods. It's a thirty minute walk from where you have to leave the car, so it can be a very good walk+lunch+walk outing.

You're spot on. An awful lot of pubs are now either restaurants with a bar area or standardised national pub chains like Wetherspoons which are the same but on a bigger scale. I guess it's because times and tastes have changed in the UK. There are so many wine bars because that's what people want and with no real "restaurant" culture outside the big cities the pubs filled the gap and morphed into gastro pubs (tho' "gastro" is a joke). As for the "local" I think the car and commuting were the nails in the coffin. People don't limit their evenings out to one place anymore. There are some pubs in the centre of London which still cling to the more traditional tho' even they have moved with the times. Here are a few:
Argyll Arms in Argyll street near Oxford circus
Dog and Duck Frith Street Soho
Ye Old Mitre, Ely Court, Chancery Lane
Old Cheshire Cheese off Fleet Street
The Old Cheshire Cheese is my favourite - It's just off Diagon Alley (Or Wine Office Court as it's known in Muggles speak) if you can find it! They even used to have sawdust on the floor but it's a while since I was there so I don't know if they still do. I think Harry Potter and Hagrid are regulars:
http://www.pubs.com/pub_details.cfm?ID=216
Another good one is the Prospect of Whitby in Wapping Wall, down by the river and not too far from St. Katherine's dock.
http://www.pubs.com/pub_details.cfm?ID=227

thanks nev,
will try that one out next time i am in london (now i don't have to suffer in those all-bar-one clones anymore! never liked them...aways felt like it was like being 16 again , too crowded...)

now where did i put my Helga Hufflepuff costume....

When i first moved here (many many years ago) my favorite pub was the Pickwick pub, because of the atmosphere, and the people who went there, but now i prefare the Swiss bars. Even if i wanted to go to the Pickwick pub i couldn`t because it closed down in St.Gallen a few years ago, so we have no English Bars near us.