A Teddy Top 10

Funny- or Quirky-Named Bars and Restaurants from Movies and TV

This month, we take a break from our current series of articles in which we have been spotlighting funny- and quirky-named bars, restaurants, and taverns in and around Maryland and Washington, D.C. So far, we have featured everything from One-Eyed Mike’s in Baltimore to Easy Like Sunday in Roland Park to Jailbreak Brewery Co. in Laurel. All three are dream places to visit. All three also take their cues from funny- and quirky-named eating and drinking places that we here at the Beverage Journal would love to visit if we could! 

Here are our Top 10:

1. The Club Obi Wan – “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.”  Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) and damsel in distress Willie Scott (Kate Capshaw) have just escaped Chinese gangster Lao Che (Roy Chiao) in a Hong Kong nightclub by jumping out a top-floor window. Awnings break their fall as they plummet to street level, and the two end up clinging to the last awning before dropping into a getaway car driven by Indy’s faithful sidekick, Short Round (Ke Huy Quan). As they dangle, the camera lingers on the dining club’s exterior signage for a few seconds, long enough for fans of writer-producer George Lucas’ other great movie franchise to laugh at the great in-joke he and director Steven Spielberg named the place . . . The Club Obi-Wan!

2. The Regal Beagle – “Three’s Company.” In the late 1970s and early ‘80s, there was no better fictional neighborhood watering hole to want to visit than the Regal Beagle on this zany ABC sitcom. There, you could go meet friends, have a drink, and decompress from a day’s work. The Regal Beagle was the favorite watering hole of Jack Tripper (John Ritter) and Janet Wood (Joyce DeWitt) and their friends, roommates, and neighbors. Down at their rendezvous, they shared plenty of laughs and hijinks over beer, wine, and other spirits.

3. The Boar’s Nest – “The Dukes of Hazzard.” When I was a kid growing up in the late 1970s, The Boar’s Nest was the first bar/restaurant I ever wished was real!  I really, REALLY wanted to visit it and listen to the honky-tonk music of Johnny Paycheck, Donna Fargo, and Waylon Jennings and share a few “Yee-haws!” with Bo and Luke Duke (John Schneider and Tom Wopat); Cooter (Ben Jones); Boss Hogg (Sorrell Booke); and, of course, Daisy Duke (Catherine Bach).

4. The Ink and Paint Club – “Who Framed Roger Rabbit?” This 1988 Robert Zemeckis-directed hit motion picture tells a 1940s detective story set in a world where animation and live action coexists. So, it stands to reason that characters like Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig, and Mickey Mouse would have a place in this world to go to for a few drinks after a hard day pounding the pavements of Toontown. The Ink and Paint Club provided just such a respite. Just imagine being able to share a brew with Daffy or Donald Duck, Mickey or Mighty Mouse, etc.

5. The Prancing Pony – “The Lord of the Rings.” The Prancing Pony is a tavern and inn located in the town of Bree in J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle Earth. It becomes a key location in “The Lord of the Rings” saga when Frodo (Elijah Wood) and his companions first meet Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen), who vows to help them destroy The Ring of Power before the dark lord Sauron can re-acquire it. The inn rather memorably features an exterior sign that depicts a fat pony rearing on its hind legs.

6. The Drunken Clam – “Family Guy.” Let’s face it. Moe’s Tavern in “The Simpson’s” isn’t a quirky or funny enough name to warrant inclusion in this article. But the central meeting place of its long-time, Fox-TV animation rival certainly is. Rumor has it, the writers and producers wanted to name it The Bearded Clam early on, but network censors said, “No way!” Of course, that didn’t stop Quagmire from saying, “Giggity!”

7. Bada Bing! – “The Sopranos.” Oh, now. You just knew I had to include a movie or TV strip club on this list somewhere! In real life, numerous gentleman’s clubs have been known to serve some of the best eats and drinks around. Or, uh, so I’ve heard. This is one of those fictional places that was made for people who like to yell “Fun fact!” For instance – fun fact! – the name Bada Bing! was chosen only after the proposed name, The Final Lap, was scrapped because a club in Minnesota shared that same name. Also – fun fact! – Bada Bing! represents a deviation from reality in that real-world New Jersey state law prohibits topless or nude dancing in establishments that sell alcohol. Again, or so I have heard! This has nothing to do with my last rather boring visit to my Aunt Carol in Trenton. That dear lady goes to sleep every night at 9 p.m., and well. . .

8. The Alibi Room – “Shameless.” There has never been a better-named bar or tavern to escape to when you might have done something a little wrong, a little naughty, or you just need a place to say “Uh, yeah, I was there the whole time!” The Alibi Room was that kind of dive bar.

9. Jack Rabbit Slim’s – “Pulp Fiction.” There are many ‘50s-themed diners spread across the country, and several in and around Maryland. But this fictional one from writer-director Quentin Tarantino’s 1994 masterpiece is still the one to beat. Jack Rabbit Slim’s is designed with a strong 1950s aesthetic, with customers eating in booths shaped like vintage cars and being served by staff who are look-alikes of such famous ‘50s entertainers as Buddy Holly and Marilyn Monroe. Best of all, there’s a floor show – The Twist Contest – that you may find yourself under extreme pressure to win if you’re there with your crime boss’s coked-out wife.

10. The Pit Stop, “Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby.” The Pit Stop is the perfectly named place where race car drivers and race car driving fans gather for a drink and some bar food. It’s also the place where racing legend Ricky Bobby (Will Ferrell) insists that no jazz music ever be played and where he has to represent America when a rival French driver (Sacha Baron Cohen) asks, “What have you given the world apart from George Bush, Cheerios, and The Thigh Master?!”

HONORABLE MENTION (in alphabetical order): The Bang Bang Bar, “Twin Peaks;” Bob’s County Bunker, “The Blues Brothers;” The Double Deuce, “Road House;” The Feisty Goat Pub, “EuroTrip;” and The Slaughtered Lamb, “An American Werewolf in London.”

HARRY POTTER: For a series of movies featuring a large cast of children wizards throughout, the  “Harry Potter” films sure had their fair share of quirky-named eating and drinking places. Top ones include The Hanged Man, The Leaky Cauldron, and The Three Broomsticks.

BARS AND RESTAURANTS IN KIDS’ SHOWS: Speaking of kids’ entertainment, several animated programs and flicks over the years have featured funny and clever-named service establishments. They include The Krusty Krab and Salty Spitoon from “SpongeBob SquarePants;” The Poison Apple from “Shrek 2;” and, lastly, The Snuggly Duckling from “Tangled.”

NAUGHTY NAMES: And, finally, there are those movies that are most definitely NOT kids’ entertainment and dare to throw in a few naughty named bars, restaurants, and taverns. Personal favorites include The Dirty Sanchez in “DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story;” The Famous Cock in “The World’s End;” Porky’s from “Porky’s;” and, my personal favorite, The Titty Twister in “From Dusk Till Dawn.”

Click Here to check out the article as it appeared in The Journal.