St. John's, NL - Guide to pubs not on George Street

Laura and I visited St. John's, Newfoundland in late summer 2011.  We loved it! In the next installment of an ongoing series of articles about this harbour city on The Rock, here's a recounting of the non-George Street pubs we enjoyed.


Yes, non-George street.  Why? Well, the George Street party scene in St. John's, Newfoundland has been well documented.  It's like a mini Bourbon Street with more bars per capita than any other street in North America.  Every visitor to St. John's should have at least one late night bacchanal here - preferably a Thurs, Fri or Sat - and merge souls with the university students and tourists.  But, once the magic of George Street wears off, you may want to explore some of the nearby pubs on Water and Duckworth Street, as well as the neighboring village of Quidi Vidi.  You'll find these pubs to be slightly more sedate, but all the more interesting.  Here's a guide to some of the ones we darkened during our recent 8 nights in St. John's.

The entrance to The Ship

The Ship Pub - 265 Duckworth Street at Solomon's Lane
The Ship, as it is known, may be the best bar I've come across while traveling...right up there with Dick Mack's in Dingle, Ireland and Gamli Baukur in Husavik, Iceland.  The Ship Pub is so welcoming that I think it took only two visits before we felt like regulars.  We kept going back, stopping in almost daily for a drink or ten.  It's the place to meet interesting, intelligent locals who, in our case, shared a lot of the same interests and world views.  The Ship had both the Storm Red and Quidi Vidi Iceberg on tap, plus Black Horse, Guinness, Smithwick's and more.  The food is good too. I wish we had been there when Ricky from Trailer Park Boys stopped in this summer.  Some locals still refer to it as The Ship Inn, although it hasn't been called that in several years.  You can simply call it The Ship.


The Rose and Thistle
At first glance the Rose and Thistle looks like it may be fairly intimidating, with bikers of the tough-looking motorcycle variety lurking about and an assortment of weird-o's inside.  I suspect that we must also be weird-o's because we found this place to be quite comfortable and saw some really good music here.  It had a dark, dive bar vibe that reminded me of Cary St. Cafe in Richmond, VA. The beer is cheap too.  I think they had Labatt Blue Star for $2.75 a bottle.  Compare that to $8.25 for a pint of Guinness up on George Street!


The Duke of Duckworth
This sports bar is arguably the most well known drinking establishment in St. John's.  I haven't seen Republic of Doyle yet (that will change soon enough!), but I've heard The Duke of Duckworth is featured in some episodes of this popular CBC show filmed on location in St. John's.  (Or they are using a set that's made to look like the Duke of Duckworth). We didn't spend a whole lot of time in this pub, but it had a friendly, laid back atmosphere.


Nautical Nellies
Nautical Nellies had a cool, down to earth, hard-working staff of young ladies manning the place.  We were in there a couple times during slower parts of the day, so it was a good location to chill and reflect on how awesome Newfoundland is.  Nautical Nellie's has a prime location right in the heart of Water Street downtown, and on a nice day if you get a table by the large retractable windows it's a fine spot to have a drink and watch people pass.  Even big burly men holding hands then passing out head down on the table. What was the deal with that?  Traditional session with Graham Wells, accordion, and Billy Sutton, fiddle, on Sunday afternoons at 5pm!


Erin's Pub
This place doesn't make much of an effort to present itself as anything more than a dump.  No offense; I say that in the nicest way possible.  This is all the more unusual because it's surrounded by some upscale, trendy looking Water Street restaurants and the contrast between those places and this one is striking.  However, Erin's is the best place to hear traditional Newfoundland/Irish session music several times a week, which is why we went there in the first place.  If it weren't for that though, I probably would have chosen to go somewhere else.

Quidi Vidi Brewery is greenish bldg. on left. Scenic location!

Quidi Vidi Brewing Company
I highly recommend going on the brewery tour here and then sticking around for happy hour if the upstairs bar is open.  The tour costs $10, you get to sample all of their excellent beers and choose a complimentary one to have at the end.  The guy who gives the tour has a really funny, dry sense of humor.  At first you can tell he's done this many times before, but once he gets on a roll it's a whole lotta fun. We did it on a Friday afternoon and afterwards they opened the bar for a happy (three) hour(s)!  Folk musicians showed up to play and lots of people poured in for a good ol' time.  This might be just a Friday thing, and I think the bar is only open from 4:30 to 7:30pm, but that would be a good time to go.  Although I think they do the tour several times a day, several days a week. We met up with two girls and a guy here who had been hiking the East Coast Trail for several days.  They were ready to party so after some beers at the brewery we continued hanging with them until the wee hours of the morning, bar hopping at a few of the above mentioned pubs and on George Street, making for a most drunken night in St. John's and a powerful hurting of a hangover the next morning.  Yowza!

Inn of Olde
This little neighborhood place in Quidi Vidi is worth checking out for the kitsch factor.  It feels like your are in a hoarder's house/bar.  Knick-knacks and ornaments are everywhere, with no real rhyme or reason.  There's definitely an intriguing oddness to this place that makes it a stop on tourists' lists.  The owner Linda has a way with people and is instantly likable.  Both times we were there it happened to be early afternoon, so there weren't many others around.  Most folks walk in, get a beer, and then leave.  But, being the only real bar in the Quidi Vidi neighborhood, I'm guessing this place can get pretty hopping and goofy at night.  I hear it's a good place to get Screeched-In in a completely disgusting manner!   


Quidi Vidi Brewing's beers are at most bars, restaurants and corner shops.  All the Quidi Vidi beers are of a high standard, but try the QV Premium or Iceberg first. Storm Beer is a one-man operation that is every bit as good as Quidi Vidi.  The Storm Red might be the best Irish/Amber ale I have tried - or at least an equal to Colorado's Fat Tire and Blue and Grey brewery's Fred Red from Fredericksburg, Virginia.

Quidi Vidi Brewery as seen from East Coast Trail. So near yet so far!

I wasn't that fond of the Yellow Belly Brewery beers.  Granted, they were all out of their flagship St. John's Stout the week we were there, but the couple other beers of theirs that I tried left something to be desired; something wasn't quite right with the recipe.  Finally, obviously mass produced, but still made only in Newfoundland, the Molson products Black Horse and India Beer were liked very much by me, but what do I know? I don't think any of these beers are available in the States.


For my St. John's Restaurant Report click here.
Click here for my Walking, Running and Hiking Guide to St. John's.
And for a rundown of the live music I saw click here.

St. John's, NL - A Walker's Paradise

I fell in love with St. John's, Newfoundland after spending 8 days and nights there in late summer 2011.  It's North America's oldest and most Easterly city. In the 2nd installment of an ongoing series of articles about this rocky wonderland, here's a fond look back at the hiking and walking opportunities.

Sugarloaf Path

St. John's is the place to go if you love walking but also want an artsy, cultural home base to return to each evening.  The East Coast Trail, a 335 mile coastal walking trail in Newfoundland, passes right through this harbor city.  St. John's is also home to The Grand Concourse, a system of trails, sidewalks and foot paths connecting over 70 miles of walking routes within the metropolitan area and surrounding communities...offering everything from a stroll along colorful row houses to fairly substantial hikes. Thanks to Hurricane Irene we had near perfect weather during our stay, so we got out and explored a bit.  Here are some walks and hikes I would recommend to the adventurous.

Sugarloaf section of the East Coast Trail from Logy Bay to Quidi Vidi

We had Jiffy Cabs (709-722-2222 - easy to remember and they were there in a jiffy!) pick us up at our BandB and drop us off at the ECT trail head at the Ocean Sciences Center at Logy Bay.  A $17 taxi ride with a friendly driver, of course.  From there it was a pleasantly difficult 9 kilometer hike to the village of Quidi Vidi on the Sugarloaf Path. You pass lots of coastal vistas, magical woodlands, rock formations, and, ahem, a landfill.  But don't let that stop you. This was one of the best hikes I've ever done and it's a favorite stretch of the ECT for many a St. John's local. There were a few steep climbs and some slippery rocks to traverse, but it was fairly moderate overall, I'd say. Still, not one that a lot of tourists do so you'll mostly have it to yourself.  Allow 3-4 hours to stop for pictures and to take in the views.

Harbourside Walk North to North Head Trail to Signal Hill

North Head Trail

This has got to be one of the coolest and most challenging - potentially life threatening! - hikes in any city of this size.  Start on Duckworth Street in the downtown area and head towards Signal Hill (can't miss it!). Bear right onto Battery Road, which will take you through the quirky Battery community. Check out the houses that look like they're about to fall into the harbor.  The road turns into a trail that turns into a cliffside path.  Do not attempt if it's foggy out, if you're drunk, or if you're scared of heights.  If none of those apply to you, then proceed on a hike that will take your breath away, and not just for the hundreds of steps you'll have to go up! The views of The Narrows here are some of the best you'll encounter.  Eventually, after lots of careful climbing, lots of hydrating, and lots of breaths, you'll reach the peak of Signal Hill at Cabot Tower and feel so much cooler than the oodles of tourists who take the easy way out and just drive their car up there.  From here you can skip on back to town on Signal Hill Road - an easy descent - or continue your hike on some of the other nearby paths, all of which will be more moderate than the one you just finished.  While you're in the vicinity why not climb up Gibbet Hill for yet another scenic view and interesting story?

Quidi Vidi Lake Trail
Looking for a nice, easy trail run?  Looking for some nice looking people out on a trail run?  Look no further! A loop around the whole lake is just under 2.5 miles, and it's flat the whole time - no ups for downs.  Great for a brisk exercise walk or run. There are lots of ducks and other seabirds in the lake just waiting for you to give them bread, and lots of wildflowers to be seen and smelled.  As is often the case in St. John's you can easily extend this walk if you like.  Other walkways that spin off of Quidi Vidi Lake include Rennie's River Trail, the Virginia River Trail, Cuckold Cove Path, Lake to Lookout Trail, and also the Sugarloaf section of the East Coast Trail mentioned above.

Rennie's River Trail

Rennie's River Trail

This 1.8 mile trail leads from Quidi Vidi Lake all the way up to Pippy Park and on into Memorial University.  It's a really pleasant trek that parallels Rennie's River (more like a stream) most of the time, where you'll encounter some mild rapids and falls and some nicely placed benches to sit for a spell.  The best thing about this trail, I think, are the backyards of the houses that you'll walk past.  You can tell that these are some upscale homes and most folks have their back yards landscaped in a way that takes advantage of the proximity to the river.  Stop and enjoy some of the wild berries that grow along this and many other trails in the area.

Pippy Park - Long Pond Walk
Another nice walk, kinda similar to the Quidi Vidi Lake path but with the added benefit of being more remote and forested, is the Long Pond Walk in Pippy Park.  It's about 1.75 miles, mostly level, and goes around Long Pond, another prime gathering place for waterfowl. This walk is worthy of mention simply for the fresh scent of pine in the air.  You can get here by car, but try walking from Rennie's River Trail.  From here it's not too far to the Memorial University Botanical Garden and the adjacent Long Pond to Oxen Pond walk will take you there.  There are some nice views of the city and Signal Hill from up here as well.

East Coast Trail from Fort Amherst to Blackhead, Blackhead to Cape Spear
We wanted to do this hike but didn't make it happen.  If we'd have had one more open, sunny day we would have done it but it'll have to wait until next time.  It was highly recommended and the Freshwater Bay/Deadmans Bay portion was said to have been very appealing.  We probably would have had a cab drop us off at the small community of Blackhead and walk back, or if we were feeling really adventurous we could have started at Cape Spear and walked back, making a whole day of it.  For a better description of the Fort Amherst to Blackhead hike w/ lots of pics see this blog post by Dottie Maggie.  I also heard that Cape Spear to Maddox Cove is perhaps an even nicer hike, but that would have required two cab trips I guess?

Waterford River Walk to Bowring Park
Another path we had hoped to do but didn't is this stroll through an affluent looking old neighborhood that is also the beginning of the Newfoundland T'Railway. At close to 550 miles, the T'Railway is a recreational trail going across Newfoundland that's open to walkers, bikers, horseback riders, snowmobilers and cross country skiers.  For the city dweller's purposes though, it's enough just to ramble along Waterford River to Bowring Park, a lovely, historic park known for its swans and fountains.

We were really impressed by the fitness-driven mentality here and the amount of people out taking advantage of this wonderful network of walking routes.  Yet another thing to love about St. John's!

Click on the following links to read more about my St. John's trip and the pubs, live music and restaurants I experienced.

St. John's, NL - Restaurants

My wife Laura and I fell in love with St. John's, Newfoundland after spending 8 days and nights there in late summer 2011.  It's North America's oldest and most Eastern city. In the first of an ongoing series of articles I intend to write about this paradise, here's a fond look back at the restaurants we tried.

Thai One On - Pad Thai from The Sprout

The Sprout - 364 Duckworth Street, 709-579-5485
The Sprout is St. John's only 100% vegetarian restaurant; each dish has a vegan option. The food is delicious and very reasonably priced. If there was a place like this in Ashland I would eat there all the time! The menu is extensive and offers some unique twists on favorites like poutine. We ate there twice and I'm still thinking about the incredible pad thai. I also tried the chili and the Bravocado (avocado and cheese) sandwich, which was also great. Not only is the food good, but this is also the place to meet a beautiful vegan girl*! (*Neil Conway reference for those in the know!).

The Ship Pub - 265 Duckworth Street at Solomon's Lane, 709-753-3870
For bar food/pub grub I can't imagine a better place than The Ship.  The food is tastier and made with more care than it needs to be for a place like this.  Try the breakfast burrito, the fish and chips, the fish cakes, or the poutine - possibly the best poutine in the city.  They stop serving food at 8pm though, as most pubs here do, so get there early if you want to eat.  After eating it would be perfectly fine and normal to stay the rest of the evening drinking at the bar, chatting with the regulars and tourists alike, enjoying the great local Quidi Vidi and Storm beers on tap, and taking in the world-class music they have there almost nightly. And then come back and do it again the next day!  Here's a great article about The Ship written by Candice Walsh for West Jet up! 

Afgan  Restaurant - 375 Duckworth Street, 709-754-2230
Across the street and a little over from The Sprout is the aptly named Afgan Restaurant.  A lot of folks may miss or overlook this little place, but if you like simple chicken, kabab and naan bread meals then this is definitely worth trying. If I remember correctly, the menu only had a few options but you really can't go wrong here.  The pricing is good too.  I would eat here fairly often if I lived in St. John's.

International Flavors - 4 Quidi Vidi Road,709-738-4636
If you're visiting St. John's for any length of time you have to try this place!  It's Pakistani food at its best!  It is all the way at the other end of Duckworth towards Signal Hill and The Battery, but not too hard to find.  They are open noon to 7pm most days (closed on Sundays I think).  The coolest thing about this place is there really is no menu.  There is one dish being cooked and you can get it with or without meat (chicken or pork) in a size small, medium or large. I love that concept!  I ordered the medium plate and it was a lot of food; all I could do to finish it.  Also, it is very inexpensive for St. John's standards. If I lived here this is definitely one place I would take visitors.

The Pepper Mill - 178 Water Street, 709-726-7585
Water Street is where a lot of the fine dining restaurants are located.  If you're planning to dine at any of them during peak dinner hours, I suggest you call ahead and make reservations. We didn't know this and happened in The Pepper Mill on a Monday night after the first place we tried was full up.  As walk-ins, we only got a table due to a cancellation. I'm not a real fancy eater, so there's a point where some of the things you're supposed to appreciate at a nice restaurant are lost on me.  Fortunately The Pepper Mill does their best to make your dining experience all that it can be, even for regular folks like me.  The Pepper Mill returns on your dining investment with perfectly cooked, well chosen entrees.  I had the halibut on special and the portion size was larger than I expected.  I finished it, but I was very full.  And actually their prices are pretty reasonable, I would find, for this type of place in St. John's.  Add in a good wine and beer menu and if you're looking for a nice, romantic dinner this is the place I would go.  Side note: I had packed lightly for this trip, mostly hiking clothes, not exactly stuff you'd wear to a nice restaurant. Fortunately St. John's is a relaxed, non-snooty city so although I was a little under-dressed in my opinion I was never made to feel uncomfortable in nice restaurants.

Aqua Kitchen and Bar - 310 Water Street, 709-576-2782
Aqua is the other fine dining place we tried.  The food was pretty good - more like comfort food and very rich.  It's a little more pricey than The Pepper Mill.  The $26 Southern Fried Chicken meal I got was nice but I felt like I payed a little bit too much, and the attempt to fancy up this down home dish was perhaps a little under-appreciated by me. I did try some wasabi mashed potatoes which were out of this world! Not too spicy with just a hint of wasabi. Wicked. The bread with olive oil and sundried tomato for dipping they brought out was an unexpected bonus.  This place has a good reputation, it's hip and is often packed, so again, it's best to call for a reservation if you want to get a table here.

Zachary's - 71 Duckworth Street, 709-579-8050
On our last night in St. John's we popped into this unpretentious, more Newfoundland like local restaurant for dinner.  It was a quiet night there, being far removed from the maddening crowd on George Street, but the food hit the spot!  Home-cooked chowder, grilled cheese, salad, fish and chips, fish cakes, local beer...they have it all here!  Zachary's is the kind of quaint place you'd expect to find in some tiny fishing village and not a booming, industrial habor town like St. John's.  The restaurant is more known for its breakfast and lunch...try it then!

Venice Pizzeria - 81 Military Road, 709-738-7373
We wanted pizza while in St. John's and saw several pizza places scattered about, but we were directed to Venice Pizzeria on Military Road near Bannerman Park. They stay open late and the pizza is great for beer munchies after a night of drinking.  Nothing fancy here - just great, traditional, crunchy pizza the way it's supposed to be.

Linda's Inn of Olde - 67 Quidi Vidi Village Road, 709-576-2223
The Inn of Olde in Quidi Vidi is more of a funky neighborhood watering hole and I will write more about it when I cover pubs, but after a long day hiking the Sugarloaf section of the East Coast Trail their seafood chowder with a side of bread and a Black Horse beer was just what I needed. The fresh cooked chowder was creamy with celery and carrots in it.  By the taste of the ingredients you could tell it wasn't out of a can.  They also offered chili but we didn't try that. This is a place you'll want to linger a while to take it all in.

Asian Taste - 250 Duckworth Street
The only other place we ate at was this Asian sushi place on Duckworth on a day we were undecided about what to get for lunch.  They had some good sushi box lunch combo options - slightly expensive - but a lot of food and very satisfying.  Nothing incredible, but just as good as similar sushi places we have back home.  They also have Chinese dishes. Oh, and pictures of everything are shown on the menu, which can help someone like me with ordering.

I was surprised by the number of ethnic restaurants within walking distance offering excellent quality food.  This is the type of stuff we like to eat, so we ate at these types of places more frequently than typical visitors might, and a little less at the traditional Newfoundland establishments.  I regret now not having the standard boiled dinner that a place like Velma's offers, but I think we got a good taste of the food being offered in St. John's and definitely lucked out into finding a few favorite places.  If we were there longer we probably would have tried the Basho Japanese restaurant (expensive!!!), or India Gate (for the lunch buffet), or Shalimar (another Southern Asian place), or Blue On Water (more fine dining), as all of these places were recommended to us by locals, but there was only so much we could sample in a week.  Until next time!

Click on the following links to read more about my St. John's trip and the pubs, live music and hiking I encountered.