Everyone — real or fictional — needs a good neighborhood bar. And though here in New York City we’re surrounded by some great (and real) ones, we can’t help but think wistfully after the top notch drinking establishments in some of our favorite films and TV shows, which tend to take the cake every time. After all, they’re where our favorite characters hang out, which means they must be cool, right? Right. Click through to see our list of fictional bars where we would totally become regulars, and let us know which ones you’d choose in the comments!
Rick’s Café Américain, Casablanca
When we think of Casablanca, we think of Rick’s Café Américain. Not only is it possibly the most elegant gin joint we’ve ever seen on film, but it’s probably the most romantic one as well, and not just because of what happens there. Rick’s bar attracts a very mixed clientele, from French to American to Italian to German, both on the up-and-up and not so much, so you’re sure to get an exciting international experience — even if it means drowning out someone else’s national anthem with your own.
Kavanaugh’s Bar, The Wire
A lot of mistakes have been made in this bar, but we have to say that if we could have our wake anywhere, we just might wish to have it in Kavanaugh’s, with a crowd of foul-mouthed friends to see us off with the Pogues’ joyful “The Body of an American,” sung loud and proud with whiskeys in hand. Ah, camaraderie.
MacLaren’s, How I Met Your Mother
No matter what the night, MacLaren’s always seems to be filled with attractive women. And, did we mention, Barney is there, so you know it’s going to be legen — wait for it — dary. Past that, it seems like your typical, nondescript neighborhood pub, except much, much cleaner than the one in our neighborhood. We’re sold.
The Hog’s Head, Harry Potter
Yes, the Three Broomsticks is quite a bit less seedy, but you can still get all the butterbeer you want at the Hog’s Head, dusty glasses or no. However, any pub where you can win a dragon’s egg, hear a prophecy, sign up for Dumbledore’s Army and sneak back into the castle through a painting is a pub we want to frequent. Watch out for goats.
The Green Dragon The Fellowship of the Ring
We’re tempted to say The Prancing Pony, where it comes in pints, but the Green Dragon just looks like so much more fun. We’d gladly get up on the table and sing with Merry and Pippin if we had had a few. Note: if it’s not too geeky to admit, we also enjoy the pair’s ode to the Green Dragon at Edoras, which you can indulge in here. If there’s one thing you can say about hobbits, it’s that they sure do know how to have a good time.
The Boar’s Nest, Dukes of Hazzard
It would be good times with the good old boys all the time at this Southern watering hole. The outside of the bar says it all — just “World’s Best Tasting Bar-B-Que,” “Cold Beer,” and a handful of hubcaps to let you know you’re home.
Paddy’s Pub, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia
We think we want to hang out in Paddy’s, but to be honest, we’re not completely sure. After all, we definitely don’t want to get tangled up in any of the gang’s schemes. That being said, provided we could watch the action from a safe corner, we think it would be one of the most entertaining places in the fictional universe to grab a beer.
The Tropicana, I Love Lucy
We’d like nothing better than to visit Ricky at the Tropicana and watch him do his thing, preferably while sipping a fruity drink with a little umbrella in it. They just don’t make clubs like this anymore.
Cheers, Cheers
Perhaps the most famous fictional bar of all time, who wouldn’t want to go to the place where everybody knows your name? Safe, predictable and full of interesting but vanilla regulars, it’s the perfect pub for nights when you just need to relax, without any of that nonsense you find in so many of those newfangled bars these days.
Moe’s Tavern, The Simpsons
Moe’s, on the other hand, is for nights when you really, really hope nobody knows your name. Ragged as it is, it’s a loveable joint, and at the end of the day, if nothing else, you can count on Moe’s. No matter how many times the tavern changes (into a family restaurant, a yuppie bar, an English pub, etc) it can’t seem to get to the end of an episode without reverting to its shabby, bizarre, saloon-ish self. Which is just how we like it.