Isla Campbell raises a glass at the drinking dens the late chef actually visited and endorsed, and finds the whole thing genuinely moving
With the Anthony Bourdain biopic Tony about to land in UK cinemas, I joined a small, slightly reverent group doing the actual bar crawl of drinking dens Bourdain visited or endorsed during his time in London, and came away considerably more emotional than I expected from what was, on paper, just an excuse to drink on a Wednesday.
Why This Particular Bar Crawl Felt Different From My Usual Wednesday Approach To Drinking
Because every stop came with an actual story attached, a specific reason Bourdain had loved this particular corner of this particular pub, which transformed what could have been aimless pub-hopping into something closer to a proper, considered pilgrimage.
What Actually Struck Me Most About Following Someone Else’s Curated London
How specific and unglamorous most of his actual favourite spots were, tucked-away places with genuinely good pints rather than anywhere flashy, a reminder that the best version of this city rarely photographs particularly well.
How The Group Actually Responded As We Moved Between Venues
Genuinely warm, swapping our own favourite Bourdain clips and half-remembered quotes between rounds, the kind of shared, low-key reverence that only really happens when everyone in the room actually cared about the same slightly niche thing beforehand.
Whether I’d Actually Recommend This Crawl To Someone Who Hasn’t Seen The Biopic Yet
Absolutely, though I’d suggest doing it after seeing Tony rather than before, since the context genuinely deepens every single stop along the route.
What This Whole Evening Revealed About The Specific Kind Of Grief A City Can Hold For Someone Who Simply Loved Visiting It Well
Mostly that London remembers its genuine admirers fondly, and that raising a pint in the actual corner someone loved is a surprisingly effective, considerably cheaper form of tribute than anything more formal could ever manage. More London nights out continue at bohiney.com.
SOURCE: https://bohiney.com
