Hailing from Scotland and having lived for a while in England, I occasionally develop a hankering for some good, English pub grub. I stumbled (no, I wasn't drunk despite the stereotypes that exist about the Scots) across a flyer for Churchill's during a visit to The British Shop on Thomas and Hayden (SW corner) and thought I'd pay it a visit one night with my family and satisfy those cravings I'd been having.
Overcoming the fact that this pub was in a strip mall (unusual as anyone from Britain will tell you), I stepped in and was immediately greeted by a very friendly co-owner with an authentic, English accent. "Boy, they weren't kidding when they described this place as quintessentially British, were they?" I thought to myself. True to form, premier league (English) soccer (or football as we Brits tend to describe it) was playing on every television set. A dart board lay off to the side and a pool table occupied the space adjacent to the bar. I also noticed some posters, which were advertising the pub/restaurant's quiz and karaoke nights -- both hallmarks of a decent establishment back in the old country believe it or not. The next test for me was the menu.
I wasn't going to be disappointed. All the classic, British pub favorites were on the menu, e.g., bangers (sausages) and mash (mashed potatoes), bubble and squeak (tasty concoction of potatoes, cabbage, and leeks), shepherd's pie, and of course, fish and chips (fries -- you'd be surprised how many people screw that up). I chose the fish and chips and thoroughly enjoyed my meal with a little malt vinegar and just a dash of salt and pepper. The organic apple cider (alcoholic -- we don't have non-alcoholic cider back in Britain -- we call that apple juice) was quite excellent. My husband (the designated driver that evening) drank the coffee, which he swears was better than that sold at Starbucks and Dunkin' Donuts. He paired this with the prime rib, which he claimed was perfectly cooked in between mouthfuls.
At one point during our meal, the owners came around and asked how everything tasted. Why is it everyone has a knack of asking you that question when you're in the middle of chewing? Anyway, after hastily swallowing our food, we duly informed him that we would be returning for a little taste of home. I was very impressed by the overall quality of the food (yes, quality is a word that can be associated with British food), as well as the friendliness of the staff and owners.
This is a great place to meet up with friends (even with kids -- they love the pool table) and enjoy a relaxed meal and a couple drinks and I'll definitely be doing that on occasion with my friends. Five stars!