The pub is a prominent social institution integral to British identity. This book charts the social historical development of the English public house culminating in the contemporary gastropub. It explores issues of class, gender, and national identification through the lens of taverns, inns, and pubs through time.

The pub is a prominent social institution integral to British identity. From Taverns of Gastropubs: Food, Drink, and Sociality in England charts the historical development of the English public house from the Restoration period to the twenty-first century, culminating in the contemporary gastropub. It explores issues of class, gender, and national identification to understand the social identity of patrons and how publicans conceive of their establishments' organizational identity. In the context of large-scale pub closures since the 1990s the gastropub is viewed as both a reaction to the traditional drinking pub and as a promising alternative. From Taverns to Gastropubs uses historical diaries, industry reports, and a wealth of in-depth interviews in order to understand the rise of the gastropub and how food, drink, and sociality has changed through time.

From the public television host, a tour of the US’s oldest and greatest dining spots—with “delightful tales, delicious recipes, and hundreds of photographs” (Ted Allen, host of Food Network’s Chopped). Come along on a pilgrimage to some of the oldest, most historic restaurants in America. Each is special not only for its longevity but also for its historic significance, interesting stories, and, of course, wonderful food. The oldest Japanese restaurant in the country is profiled, along with stagecoach stops, elegant eateries, barbecue joints, hamburger shops, cafes, bars and grills, and two dueling restaurants that both claim to have invented the French dip sandwich. The bestselling author and host/producer of Barbecue America shares the charm, history, and appeal that made these establishments, some as many as three hundred years old, successful. Each profile contains a famous recipe, the history of the restaurant, a look at the restaurant today, descriptions of some of its signature dishes, fun facts that make each place unique, and beautiful photos. It’s all you need for an armchair tour of one hundred restaurants that have made America great. “Browne spent three years traveling more than 46,000 miles to profile the 100 restaurants, inns, taverns and public houses he selected as being the most historic, most interesting and most successful.” —Orlando Sentinel “It is Browne’s exploration of the history behind each place that I found most interesting...The White Horse Tavern gave him the Beef Wellington recipe. Peter Luger, the legendary Brooklyn Steakhouse, shared one for German Fried Potatoes and Katz’s Delicatessen in New York City offered Katz’s Noodle Kugel. And, Ferrara in Little Italy in New York City parted with its cannoli recipe.” —Sioux City Journal “Ask any chef: It’s not easy keeping a restaurant alive for a week, let alone a year or a decade. So what does it take to last a century? After five years of criss-crossing the country and gobbling up regional specialties from chowder to chili, Rick Browne reveals the answer to that question.” —Ted Allen, host of Food Network’s Chopped

The Joy of Tippling is a toast to the importance of drinking together, crafted by the ultimate tippler. Like Ray Oldenburg’s bestselling The Great Good Place, in which he coined the now-famous term “third places,” his latest book is packed with factual information, humor and wit, personal insights, and sound sociological observations. The Joy of Tippling is a celebration of third places, and a call to community. Ray Oldenburg is known internationally for his book The Great Good Place: Cafes, Coffee Shops, Bookstores, Bars, Hair Salons, and Other Hangouts at the Heart of a Community, which appeared in 1989 and is presently in its third edition. He is coauthoring a fourth edition with Karen Christensen.

A global history of restaurants beyond white tablecloths and maître d’s, Dining Out presents restaurants both as businesses and as venues for a range of human experiences. From banquets in twelfth-century China to the medicinal roots of French restaurants, the origins of restaurants are not singular—nor is the history this book tells. Katie Rawson and Elliott Shore highlight stories across time and place, including how chifa restaurants emerged from the migration of Chinese workers and their marriage to Peruvian businesswomen in nineteenth-century Peru; how Alexander Soyer transformed kitchen chemistry by popularizing the gas stove, pre-dating the pyrotechnics of molecular gastronomy by a century; and how Harvey Girls dispelled the ill repute of waiting tables, making rich lives for themselves across the American West. From restaurant architecture to technological developments, staffing and organization, tipping and waiting table, ethnic cuisines, and slow and fast foods, this delectably illustrated and profoundly informed and entertaining history takes us from the world’s first restaurants in Kaifeng, China, to the latest high-end dining experiences.

From stagecoach stops to sushi bars, America Eats Out traces how the entrepreurial spirit of you-gotta-have-a-gimmick has been the driving force behind the restaurant business since hungry hordes first set foot on these shores. 200 black-and-white photographs.

Features more than 150 of the best pubs from all over Britain and Ireland, with over 100 recipes from the top 20 pubs. These recipes are for homely food, much of which is based on traditional British and Irish cooking. Divided into regions, there is also a guide to the best pubs in the area.

WINNER OF THE DRINK BOOK AWARD AT THE FORTNUM & MASON FOOD AND DRINK AWARDS 2017. Pete Brown has visited hundreds of pubs across the UK and is uniquely placed to write about pubs that ooze atmosphere, whatever the reason, be it food, people, architecture, location or decor. The best pubs are those that always have a steady trade at any time on any day of the week, and where chat flows back and forth across the bar. They're the places where you want to drink weak beer so you can have several pints and stay longer. Some are grand Victorian palaces, others ancient inns with stunning views across the hills. Some are ale shrines, others gastropubs (though they probably don’t call themselves that any more). A precious few are uniquely eccentric, the kinds of places that are just as likely to have terrible reviews on Trip Advisor as great ones, because some people don't realize that the outside toilets, limp sandwiches on the bar and really disturbing full-size mannequin glaring at you from the corner are all part of the charm. This charming collection of 300 pubs explores what makes each one ooze atmosphere, be it food, people, architecture, location or décor, and looks at the quirks of local history as well as different trends and types of pub. Full of pen portraits of punters or publicans, legends, yarns and myths, this entertaining book is the perfect gift for regulars of that well-loved British institution, the pub.

The portable guide to potable purveyors. “From alehouses, inns, and taverns, to the pubs we know today, Gordon Thorburn explains all . . . Cheers!” —Best of British Is there really a pub called The Toad Rock Retreat? Which one town has the pubs with both the longest and the shortest names? How many Lions, Crowns, and Horses are there? How many pubs are called The Speculation, The Triple Plea, and The Welcome Stranger? Why would you give your pub a name like The Geese Have Gone Over the Water? The author, in his valiant attempt to answer these and many other questions, has produced a book which is surely essential reading. What exactly is a pub? What should pubs be like? Why do we think that way? Is there a perfect pub? Can we imagine one that nobody would ever go in? Who does go in pubs, and why, and for what? Where is the straightest pub crawl? So, how did we get where we are, and where do we go from here? Whether it’s to The King’s Head, The Queen’s Arms, The Three Legs or The Eel’s Foot, be sure to take this book with you. “An entertaining, amusing account of pub life and culture. It is a book for dipping into rather than reading solidly, and is definitely memorable.” —Monsters & Critics