Wine Opinion | Why does Hong Kong have great bars but terrible pubs?
A good pub needs well-kept beer that's not overpriced, loud music but only in one room (ditto TV screen), and a jukebox. It should be a place to go regularly to talk about sport, politics and religion
Hong Kong has some brilliant bars and terrible pubs - I can't explain why.
The distinction isn't based on journalistic pedantry but beer and spirits. (Wine bar culture here is relatively young and needs time to develop before journalists lay into it.)
A good pub, sorely lacking in Hong Kong, should sell well-maintained beer at a reasonable price and be an excellent place for banter. Despite those tediously unfunny signs, you should be able to talk about sports, politics and religion. This is a place where people can expect discussions to get heated.
There might be loud music in an upstairs room, not quite loud enough to drown out the earnest discussions downstairs about sport or children pooping on planes. Later in the night, when conversation has moved beyond sense, there should be a jukebox to fill the gaps in conversation.
Expect a darts board, a pool table and a TV with live sport, but only in one room in the establishment. A pub like this can be an anchor in your life, somewhere to come several nights a week; it's the sort of place you can find your significant other.
Some of our pubs just reek of despair. What we get is beer at ridiculous prices, sometimes pumped through pipes that haven't been cleaned in a while. Yes, there are places selling craft beer, but it is often outrageously overpriced.
