Snuggled in

T om’s Little Havana (5428 Doyle) is the coziest
downtown pub and always wins a Coast award for Best Place to Drink
Alone. It’s a welcoming, well-lit bar and there’s booths in back for a
tete-a-tete. Then there’s Freeman’s (6092 Quinpool), open till
late, with high, well-worn old Naugahyde booths. Sure, your butt might
stick to the seats, but many nights have been spent snuggled away from
the cold, drinking beer and eating pizza with friends in the dead of
winter. Upstairs at 2182 Gottingen there are three cozy nooks in the
Menz Bar, away from the dance floor, with fireplaces and
high-backed chairs. Several cozy places to drink beer are restaurants
that feel like bars. You might have to order food to drink, but they
are all convenient neighbourhood places with decent beer selections on
tap and in bottles. The Armview (7156 Chebucto) is better from
Thursday to Saturday, and there’s a DJ at the end of the bar on
Fridays. Their kitchsy ’60s space is low lit and formica-nouveau. The
Brooklyn Warehouse (2795 Windsor) might be better after the
dinner rush, from 8:30 onwards. The Cellar (5677 Brenton) has
been around for ages and has reliably good beers. The Old
Triangle (5136 Prince) is huge, but they have private snugs where
you can escape the crowds. Possibly the quirkiest bar in the city is
Joe’s Pub on Portland Street in old Dartmouth: It’s a laundromat
with a little bar attached. Last time I was in, two guys were playing
chess at the little bar and drinking Olands. I don’t know if they were
doing laundry or not. —A.M.

This article appears in Mar 12-18, 2009.