New Pubs Have British Flavor

Not too long ago, Irish pubs ruled the bar scene. Now, the tide is turning toward -- horror of horrors -- the English variety.

Maybe the team behind Union Jack's British Pub was on to something when that nightspot opened in Bethesda four years ago: a mix of cheesy theme decor (a room "inspired by" Harry Potter?) and loud music, which still draws crowds. The owners added a second location in a former Macaroni Grill in Ballston Common Mall Dec. 4, which has become a happy hour hot spot.

Meanwhile, the owners of CommonWealth in Columbia Heights are taking an opposite tack, with Washington's first self-proclaimed gastropub. The term means a comfortable pub with above-average food, but CommonWealth has an above-average beer menu, too.

These two bastions of Britishness are just the tip of the iceberg: The chain Elephant & Castle, currently pouring pints at 12th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW, plans to open a new location at 19th and I streets NW in a matter of weeks, says Brian Comins, manager of the new spot. And the Firkin chain, which operates pubs in Stafford and Dulles Airport, has pubs in Fairfax, Manassas, Centreville and the District "in development" in 2009, according to the company.

Can't wait to go for a pint down the pub? Try these on for size.

CommonWealth

1400 Irving St. NW. 202-265-1400. commonwealthgastropub.com.

Atmosphere: Instead of a good pub with great food, they've created a great restaurant with a very good bar area. Chef Jamie Leeds's traditional British cooking, with its roasts and bangers and oyster pies, is clearly the draw, though the bar area is a nice place to plant yourself for a few hours.

As with the restaurant, the bar has a modern, deconstructed warehouse feel with cinder-block walls and large windows. Grab a comfortable seat on the leather-backed banquette that runs down the wall, and settle in for a game of backgammon or checkers; boards are inlaid on the tables.

Drinks: CommonWealth's gimmick is that it serve beers from the United Kingdom and the four American states that are commonwealths, including Virginia and Pennsylvania, with a few exceptions. The draft lineup includes some of the usual suspects (Newcastle, Guinness, Strongbow cider) and a few curveballs, such as the hard-to-find Belhaven Twisted Thistle IPA and the smooth Tetley's.

Still, I'm more likely to order one of the two cask ales, which are hand-drawn as they would be in England. They are lower in carbonation and more flavorful than most other beers, and CommonWealth has been getting special kegs from Pennsylvania's Victory Brewing. Check the chalkboard by the bar to see which beers are on.

All beers can be ordered as a 20-ounce imperial pint, as you would get in a London pub, or the smaller (and cheaper) 16-ounce U.S. pint. However, this is not a budget night out. An imperial pint of Guinness is $7.50. Some of the better half-liter bottles, such as Black Sheep's malty Riggwelter or Coniston's traditional Bluebird Bitter, are $9 each.

Food: While you can sample the entire menu at the bar, it's better to stick to the bar snacks, such as delectable Scotch eggs (hard-boiled eggs wrapped in sausage and bread crumbs, then deep-fried), which arrive with a trio of dipping sauces.

Happy hour: Weekdays from 4 to 7 p.m., domestic drafts and wines are half-price, while premium mixed drinks are $4. The late-night happy hour, which starts at 10 Monday through Thursday, offers $2 Natty Boh and PBR cans (how very British) and $2 off cocktails.

What people are saying: "The thing I tell people is that I was here the day they opened and I've never left," says Rachel Lange, 35, an economist who lives around the corner. She and her friends like to hang out at CommonWealth's bar because "it's not like [nearby] Wonderland [Ballroom], where everyone is 24 and just out of school."

"I've never been into beer," says Lange's friend Nina Horowitz, a policy analyst, "but they turned me on to some interesting beers here."

Union Jack's

671 N. Glebe Rd. (inside Ballston Common Mall), Arlington. 703-778-3568. unionjacksballston.com.

Atmosphere: If the inventors of T.G.I. Friday's had grown up in England, they might have come up with something like this raucous theme pub, where walls are covered in soccer flags, old beer signs, painted "views" of Parliament Square and old castles. There are three rooms: a library-style dining area, the large main bar and a rear game room with darts and pool tables. All are filled with large flat-screen TVs; no matter where you sit, you can watch several at once.

The heavily lacquered back bar area is louder and has more standing room, making it convenient for the groups of 20- and 30-somethings who pack in at happy hour or show up late on Friday and Saturday, when a DJ spins dance music and Union Jack's becomes a pseudo-nightclub.

Drinks: There's a decent selection of English beers lurking amid the Bud Light and "Union Jack's Ale." A pint of Fuller's ESB is $6; though you can upgrade to a 22-ounce draft for $2 more. I was happy to see half-liter bottles of Ruddles County, a traditional ale.

Food: American bar food (wings and burgers) meets British pub grub (shepherd's pie and fish and chips).

Happy hour: There are daily specials, such as half-price appetizers until 9 p.m. Wednesday and half-price burgers during Monday's trivia night. Thursday's happy hour draws the biggest and liveliest crowds: Selected beers are $1 from 4 to 5 p.m., with the price rising 50 cents an hour until hitting $3 at 8. Appetizers are $2. And three times during the evening, the bar holds drawings for trips to Puerto Rico, Jamaica and other sunny destinations. No wonder the place is packed.

What people are saying: "I like the atmosphere a lot, and I like the half-price burgers on Mondays," says Tom Harris, who recently moved from New York to Ballston. "On the negative side, the trivia seems too easy."