The Pub- Pembroke Pines

If you are looking for a diamond in the rough, The Pub in Pembroke Pines is just the place for you. The Pub is a ways from downtown Miami but with strong urging from my friend, Herbie, I headed out on a little road trip to the suburban oasis that is Pembroke Pines.

When I got off I-75 at the Pines Blvd. exit and pulled into the newly finished Shops Of Pembroke Gardens, I must admit I wasn't expecting much. I was hoping I wasn't going to some cookie-cutter, TGIFridays-equivalent chain. The Pub has locations in Ohio, Kentucky, and Florida (Naples). I was very happy to find out this bar was the furthest thing from it. As soon as my friends and I walked in the door, the ambiance was overwhelming. You could tell this wasn't some wannabe Irish bar. The Pub is closely fashioned to a classic English pub. The wooden bar is the central focus. With its large size it takes up half of the place. It's made of quality hardwood that's simply beautiful. With multiple taps on all sides of this wrap-around bar, no beer is repeated twice which made it hard to decide which taps of beer I wanted to be closest to. The Pub has the traditional bronze taps you would find in any pub in England. The large selection of Scotch behind the bar is also amazing. The place immediately makes you feel at home. There were maybe 10 other people in this rather large restaurant/bar and it didn't feel empty at all, just from the energy of the place.



I had been told that they had a beer engine at the bar. I was excited to see what they had on the beer engine but I wasn't expecting to be so surprised. They had BrewDog's Hardcore IPA. If you haven't heard of BrewDog before it's for a couple of good reasons. One, because it's not available in Florida and two, because it isn't readily available in the US. BrewDog is a British brewery that is trying to do different and exciting things with beer. They are deviating from the old standard of English brewing by experimenting, similarly to how American brewers do things. It was strange enough to find it at all in FL but to find it on a beer engine was beyond amazing. After talking to manager, Heather Manning, about how they had this beer, she told me that The Pub has an exclusive deal with BrewDog, giving them the sole right to have their casks in the US. The states of Ohio and Kentucky, where The Pub also does business, import BrewDog, providing the supply to their FL locations. To boot, they just put on BrewDog's Riptide Imperial Stout.


As if having such a rare brand of beer available wasn't enough, they also had a few other treats. The Pub has a beer specially brewed for them by Sam Adams, which is quite tasty. They offer a large selection of English, Scottish, and Irish draught, featuring more than just the usual beers you would expect at any English/Scottish/Irish bar in the US. It is much more authentic. British beers from Tenants, Hobgoblin and Belhaven are available on tap here, as well as some good beers from American brewers like Dogfish Head, Rogue and lots of others from around the world. You can see their beverage menu here. If you can't decide which beer to get, just ask the bartender. All the bartenders seemed to be highly trained in their products and easily suggested beers to other people. This is something that a lot of bars are lacking.


Too add to all of this, the food at The Pub is really great. They consider themselves a Gastropub much in the style of bars back in London. While we were there we indulged in the Happy Hour's half-priced appetizers. We had the Curry Chips, which were nice, thick steak fries with a red and yellow curry sauce for dipping. We followed that up with some Flash Fried Calamari that came with a very complimentary sweet chili sauce. If the appetizers are any indication of the rest of the menu I can't wait to go back try the rest of it.

Overall, The Pub is the local watering hole you wish you had in your neighborhood. Even though The Pub's business is growing, there is something about it that makes you feel like it's a one-of-a-kind place; where you feel at home because you grew up next door to the people working there. I think the ambiance had me sold me right away but the stellar beer selection pushed it over the top. I look forward to my next visit to The Pub.

The Pub- Pembroke Pines
237 SW 145th Terrace
Pembroke Pines, FL 33027
Located in The Shops at Pembroke Gardens
(954) 430-4230
www.luvthepub.com

Hours:
Monday - Wednesday 3PM -Close
Thursday - Sunday 11AM - Close


Happy Hour:
Mon-Friday 3-7pm
Drinks:
$4.95 Imperial Pints (20oz.)
$2.95 10ozPints
$3.95 Well Liquor & Select Red & White Wines By the Glass
BAR BITES-Happy hour Menu-
$3.95 FARE (Bar Only)
Crab Stuffed Mushrooms
Calamari
British Dip
Chicken Tenders
Pub Wings
Tavern Crisps