Cheers mate!

72 Regent Street W1B 5RJ

First time I lived in the UK, four years ago, I was surprised mainly about two different things:
1. Reading is not pronounced 'riding', but 'reding', when you are talking about the London´s satellite city where I had my Erasmus internship.

2. Here in the UK they don´t use 'thank you' neither 'thanks'... they use 'cheers', some times pronounced as 'cheese'

So... cheers, Cheers! Or thank you, Cheers! Because you are a great place to be...

Kind of a confusing introduction, I reckon. I´ll try to explain myself: last Friday it was my first time in Cheers, a bar in Regent Street that is an almost perfect replica of the Cheers American sitcom. It is true enough that they serve more pints than cocktails, but, granted that, the placer really resembles the original one. Ok, as the place is in Regent Street, this is, altogether with Oxford Street the main commercial avenue here in London, it may transmit some posh feeling when you pass by it on shopping. Nothing to do with the real thing, though.

Indeed, Regent Street is really bad for shopping. All major chains with unsold cloths coming from every corner in the UK, here they always find someone to be cheated with the 'sale' label and a not good enough discount. The Apple store is really cool, that is true, and Hamley's is the best toys shop I've ever been in. But apart of that, if you want to find something exciting in the area better go to Carnaby Street, or, if you are of the posh taste, to Picadilly (the avenue, not the circus). Fuck, forget that, and just go to Camden! (I promise a Camden long post in the close future).

Hamley's way of life!

The original comedy series run from 1982 to 1993, and cast some well known actors as Ted Danson (the uncanny Sam Malone) or Woody Harrelson. However, the main star in the show was the bar itself, were all the locals met to drink. It is hence no problem the fact I have no idea how the barman of the London´s one is called, as, again, the main point is the bar itself. And it is a pretty big point, I have to say, as it is the only Cheers replica in Europe.


The venue is quite big, and it has two different bars. The first one, just as you go in in your left, has a strength and a weakness: the former, you are next to a huge window and feel you are indeed having a drink in Regent Street itself. The latter, they don't serve pints. That was not a problem last Friday, as my company CEO invited everybody to drinks (I cannot imagine how massive the final bill rated), but it might be a problem in the future. For that reason, I would go straight to the second bar, which is fact the one that resembles the original bar in its whole own magnitude. And Becks is served on the tap.

Or at least this is true if you go for drinks a Friday evening around 6. I have heard this is a real crap place if you go at nite, as it is packed with tourists, sport yobs and some other scumbag. I have no doubt there is some true in that, but... well, I just can report what I found when I was there, and that was bloody good! Blame the tequilas if you want, but I had really a great time that evening (yes, you guessed it: my non tequila absent period came to an end).

PS: Cheers is also the place to buy the I Love Soho official merchandise, if you feel tourist enough.