Last night I went with some friends and colleagues to a new ‘Irish’ pub in Nagoya, called The Glass Onion. I was very excited to go, and I wasn’t disappointed!
Arriving was strange. I’m used to pubs just being there on the street, not being up one floor in a shiny elevator… But, nonetheless, when the elevator doors opened it was like I had suddenly been whisked back to London! The pub was perfect inside – every little detail was there – and the staff even spoke excellent English. English/American pop and rock music was playing, an English football game was playing on the big screens (Chelsea vs Bolton, I think), and all the furniture and fittings were spot on!
Now, they advertise it as an ‘Irish’ pub, but I don’t think you could have gotten closer to London really. I guess the only Irish part was the Guinness and Kilkenny on the drinks menu, but overall it was more British than Irish. If anything, it was a subtly Beatles-themed pub! The name, ‘The Glass Onion‘ comes from The Beatles’ White Album, and there was a plaque of the Beatles by the door. Even the bar mats mentioned The Beatles:
“The Walrus was Paul. by John Lennon” it claims. (”And here’s another clue for you/The Walrus was Paul” is a line from The Glass Onion.)
Everything was authentic, and I felt really thrilled to be there. I love Japan, but I’ve been here nearly 2 months now, and I do miss some things about England. So it was really nice to be somewhere familiar, somewhere where for the first time in ages I knew more about how things worked than everyone else! When it came to ordering drinks, we had to go to the bar. In Japan, it’s not customary to do this though, so it confused people a little! I, however, bounded up to the bar to order a Guinness, and show them all how it was done! 
The barman was lovely, Japanese but with great English, and he even put a clover on top of my pint for me. Now that’s service!
When the food came, I realised I was back in Japan again… First of all, we were sharing on tiny plates, as is customary in most Japanese restaurants. I explained to everyone how in a pub in England you would usually just order a meal for yourself, unless you ordered a sharing platter. I like to share, of course, but, oddly, I do kinda miss going out and having my own meal! haha!
But that wasn’t the strangest thing about the food… and you’ve got to laugh, because I think this would really only happen in Japan…
Here’s a photo of the fish and ‘chips’:
Yes, once again, the invasion of American English has ruined my food! Here we have fish… and crisps. Of course, in American English, crisps are ‘chips’. I can only assume that’s where the error occurred. Bless.
Other than that (and I have to say, the fish was lovely!), the food was pretty good! They even did mini shepherds pies, for the meat eaters.
I had a thoroughly good time, and would really recommend this pub to anyone interested in experiencing a bit of British culture in Nagoya. It would even make excellent preparation for someone planning a trip to the UK! One really good thing about the pub was that it wasn’t crawling with gaijin. I think a lot of the ‘foreigner bars’ in Sakae get jam-packed with loud, drunken Americans/Brits/Aussies, and can be a bit unpleasant. But this place actually had a lot of Japanese people in it, the foreigners who were there seemed fairly tame, and it wasn’t actually that full, considering it was Saturday night!
So, The Glass Onion comes with my highest recommendations! Here’s a review, which also gives good directions to get there: http://www.seekjapan.jp/article/1596/Nagoya+Pubs:+The+Glass+Onion.
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Sounds like a good alternative to a trip back home, and a lot cheaper, too! Thanks for the tip!
The shamrock in the head of the Guinness is a sure sign of English-ness! （＾＾）
Do they still warn you about the price when you order a pint of Guinness?
Other thing I’ve only seenn in Japan but apparently it’s common (ish) in the US. half and half. Half Guinness, half lager. It looks quite pretty at any rate.
Haha, yeah, they did warn me of the price! I thought 900 Yen was ok though. A little pricey, but not too bad.
And yes, they did sell the half and half drink. I was curious, but I like my Guinness straight!
You could almost pay that in places in London.
a warning about shamrocks in Guinness from Dara O’Brien
Haha! Classic. If I can’t find a fork, can I use a chopstick?
Hey all, nearly all japenese gaijin sports bars/pubs you order by yourself,thats normal nothing unusual…paying 900 yen a pint is though!!half that in the U.K.
The photo of the fish and chips at the onion looked awful!fish and chips my foot!god man are you british???
can`t beat England !theres no comaparison when it comes to real fish and chips!
Elephants nest do okay grub…shephards pie is not bad..( Fushimi next door to the hard rock)
cheers!
noisy rowdy brits aussies americans….?wow you have become japanized….thats the point of going out with your mates!tohave laugh!…god you boring fart…….
Dan, so nice of you to stop by and leave your oh-so polite comments…
I think perhaps you missed the point of my post… as I was saying, I had hoped for good old British fish and chips, but what I actually got was fish and CRISPS. It was funny, but maybe you had to be there. The food in the Onion was very good, and I highly recommend it. I haven’t tried the Elephant’s Nest yet, so I can’t compare the food.
And the other point of my post, was that yes, of course it’s normal to order at the bar – it’s simulating a British/Western pub. What’s unusual is this experience for most Japanese people! They’re used to having the order taken at their table, like in an Izakaya.
Hmm… if I have become “Japanized”, then thet’s great – that’s why I came, after all! Most of my mates are Japanese, so it can be a bit off-putting for them to be surrounded by too many loud foreigners when we go out. Perhaps they’re shy and will be scared to try their English. I know that’s how I’d feel if I was surrounded by drunken, shouting Japanese salary men – I’d be too scared to open my mouth.
And yes, Dan, perhaps I am a boring fart… but I came to Japan to experience the culture and learn more about this wonderful country. Not to hang out with other foreigners, get pissed, cause a riot, and hit on Japanese women. I assume that’s why you came?
Just a note, I have since found their own website, here: http://www.glassonion.jp/index.html.