Introduction to Gastropubs
It is very usual for working people in the UK to frequent pubs. Such neighborhood joints make it easy for their clients to enjoy an assortment of beverages plus the essential comfort foods, popularly called pub grub. The list of usual pub grubs comprises of fish and chips, pasties stuffed with meats, shepherd’s pie and other well-liked meals. However, during the early 1990s, a few innovative British chefs determined to upgrade some pubs with the intention of attracting richer clients, and named these restaurants with a new style as gastropubs, a mishmash of the French term gastronomique along with pub.
Gastropubs provide food items of excellent quality, though the recipes for most are like those of traditional pub grubs. Gastropubs frequently serve connoisseur meals next to traditional foods on the same table. The prices of these meals may be rather exorbitant, prompting many critics to portray such eateries as “gastronomically expensive.” Traditional pubs are not really considered as competitors for gastropubs, which may however be considered as competitors of upgrade restaurants.
In line with the traditions of public houses, a number of gastropubs serve alcoholic beverages together with gastronomic meals. It is not unusual for a gastropub to include a microbrewery in its premises. The ambience of a classic gastropub is typically modest and classic, comprising of glass and brass fittings, with a dining room having a friendly setting, or a lounge area playing soft music on a piano or a single vocalist.
Gastropubs are beginning to gain popularity in the US as well, where one would normally find them in urban areas. These enjoy the patronage of young professionals. A few of them may endorse themselves as gastropubs, but many would prefer to endorse themselves as traditional chic restaurants. Usually, a gastropub is expected to provide a more personal setting, compared to many other kinds of restaurants, and is likely to have restricted hours of operation for serving lunch/dinner.
In the US, the opponents of gastropubs trend to think that these are meant to attract high-class gentry, and in the process, they limit the options of affordable eating places for the working class in their neighborhood, as many local eating places have been transformed to gastropubs with the purpose of attracting richer clients.
It may be too early to say that gastropubs have a stable future. However, as an increasing number of people come to know of the superior quality of foods that are served in a pleasant ambiance, there is a strong likelihood that many more gastropubs will come up in the US and other countries in the not too distant future.
