Top 10 bars inspired by film and TV

Whether it’s a butter beer in the Leaky Cauldron or a pint at the Rovers Return, recreating a fictional world in reality elicits a certain nostalgic allure, particularly among super fans.

Saved by the Max will open in Chicago throughout June.

This has not been lost on the world of food and drink, which has long capitalised on the power of sentiment, offering fans a ready-made slice of rose-tinted nostalgia through themed bars and restaurants.

Only this week, the internet went crazy for a pop-up diner inspired by 90s teen comedy Saved by the Bell. Set to open in Chicago, it will serve dishes including AC Sliders and Macaroni and Screech, and be called Saved by the Max in homage to the Bayside High teens’ favourite hangout, The Max. Events planned include daily costume contests (with the chance to win $100), themed karaoke, trivia and 80s and 90s dance parties and appearances by the Zack Attack cover band.

A generation of now 20 and 30-somethings familiar with Zack, Screech, Principal Belding and the gang will no doubt flock to its dining halls, driven by a warm, fuzzy feeling of nostalgia and desire to recapture their youth.

However Saved by the Max is far from the first to take a TV show and turn it into reality. The annals of film and TV provide ample inspiration for retro concepts, with the following collection of bars taking their dedication to film and TV to the next level.

George’s Bar, Melbourne, Australia (Seinfeld)

Catering to the hardcore Australian Seinfeld Australia, earlier this year a bar dedicated the character George Costanza opened in Melbourne.

Pictures of George, played by Jason Alexander in the hit US sitcom Seinfeld, and signed photos of the cast adorn the walls of George’s Bar. Its menu is also inspired by the character with dishes including ‘The Costanza’ toastie, and cocktails such as the ‘Bloody George’, a twist on a bloody mary, and the ‘Marissa Tomei’, described as a classic Pina Colada. Classic Costanza quotes from TV show also feature throughout the bar such as “it’s not a lie if you believe it” and “everyone must like me, I must be liked.”

News of the bar’s opening has reached the actor himself, Jason Alexander, who took to Twitter to joke that he “may not have an Emmy”, but did have a bar in Melbourne.

Co-owner and operator Dave Barrett told Fairfax Media that his love of Seinfeld had fuelled the creation of the bar, who hopes to expand his collection of Costanza artwork in the future.

One guy contacted me last night who lives in Melbourne and who is in the middle of eight different George Costanza paintings”, said Barrett. “We are talking about doing a show with him.”

The Lockhart, Toronto, Canada (Harry Potter)

The Lockhart opened in Toronto last year, loosely based on JK Rowling’s Harry Potter. While its association to Harry Potter will be apparent to the casual observer, its menu and decor is laced with hidden meanings and references that only the ardent fan will pick up on. Named after one of numerous Defense Against the Dark Arts professors in the acclaimed wizarding series – The Lockhart. The menu takes inspiration from alchemy and potioneering, and offers serves such as Befuddlement Brew, a Shacklebolt and Ludo’s Debt. Designed to look like an apothecary with its exposed brick walls, the venue swaps cocktails for “potions”, some of which are served in glass cauldrons.

The bar’s logo is a large stag’s head with a keyhole lock for an eye – a nod to Harry Potter’s patronus in the books as well as a play on the venue’s namesake character, Gilderoy Lockhart. Further features include a neon light up sign with the words “All was well”, which is the closing line in J. K. Rowling’s final book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

Cheers, Beacon Hill, Boston, US (Cheers)

Many bars have opened inspired by the success of their favourite TV series or film. However in this instance it was a bar that inspired an iconic sitcom, Cheers. Cheers on Beacon Hill in Boston is the bar (where everyone knows your name) that the US show is based on. Previously known as the Bull & Finch Pub, the bar was founded in 1969 and became the original inspiration for the TV show after producers of the show went in search of a location to depict the ideal American bar. The TV show premiered on September 30, 1982, ending its run 11 seasons later in 1993, but the bar that inspired it is still in business.

The Cantina Bar pop-up, For the Love of the Force Convention, Manchester (Star Wars)

Star Wars fans were whipped into a frenzy when it was announced last year that an upcoming Star Wars convention in Manchester would include a pop-up bar inspired by locations from the film series, with the aim of transporting fans to a galaxy far far away.

Named the Cantina bar, the pop-up formed part of the For The Love Of The Force convention and served blue “bantha milk” cocktails, which Luke Skywalker first drinks in Star Wars Episode IV. In the films blue milk could be found on most planets across the galaxy and was known for being rich, refreshing and sweet. The Cantina cocktail is made with Irish Meadow Country Cream, Red Square Vodka and a dash of blue food colouring.

Other cocktails on pour included Wookie Juice, featuring Red Square Sloe Vodka, lemon juice and sugar syrup; a Princess Punch made with vodka, elderflower cordial, lemon juice and soda; and Jam Jar Binks, which blends Red Square Toffee Vodka with apple schnapps and lemon juice. The bar features an Ewok village, Yoda’s Dagobah swamp and Jabba The Hutt’s palace complete with an eight-foot model of the slug-like creature.

The convention ran from December 4-6 at the Manchester Bowler’s Exhibition Centre, with its manager hoping the cocktail bar could find a permanent home if it proved successful. 

HR Giger Bar, Chur, Switzerland (Alien)

Designed by the Swiss surrealist painter Hans Rudolf Giger, this bar forms part of the HR Giger museum in Switzerland, taking its interior design inspiration from the sci-fi film Alien. The cavernous bar is filled with skeletal remains including a huge double arch vertebrae structure that criss-crosses the ceiling of the ancient castle.

The Way Station, Brooklyn, New York (Doctor Who)

Calling all Doctor Who fans – The Way Station in Brooklyn is the place to be. Complete with its own full size tardis and decorated with retro wallpaper and Who paraphernalia, a visit should be on every Whovian’s bucket list. Fans of the show gather every Sunday at 4pm for Doctor Who and other sci-fi-related screenings.

Stay Classy New York, New York, US (Will Ferrell)

With so many one-liners to his name, it was only a matter of time before someone in the drinks industry jumped on the on the Will Ferrell band wagon and opened a bar in his honour. “Stay Classy New York” opened in New York’s Lower East Side, inspired by the comedy stylings of Will Ferrell. The bar, which pays homage to the comedian through its Ferrell-inspired art gallery and one-liner drinks menu, is the brainchild of Zach Neil, a long time fan of Ferrell, and his business partner Brian Link.

Adorned with Ferrell-related art, the bar’s menu is an ode to Ferrell’s one liners. Priced from $8 to $12, highlights include the Glass Case of Emotion, a blend of rosemary, peach, whiskey and lemon juice, and Milk was a Bad Choice, a blend of Vanilla Stoli, Vanilla Schnapps, milk and ice, both inspired by Anchorman. If those don’t appeal guests can try a Mugatu Mule with Tequila, lime, bitters and ginger beer, based on Ferrell’s appearance in Zoolander, or The F*ucking Catalina Wine Mixer, house-made Sangria, based on the now legendary fictional event featured in Stepbrothers. The You’re My Boy Blue cocktail, based on the film Old School, includes Hendricks gin, blue curaçao and pineapple juice.

The Hobbit Pub, Southampton (Lord of the Rings/The Hobbit)

Coyote Ugly, various locations (Coyote Ugly)

Every current 20-something will surely remember Coyote Ugly, the 2000 guilty pleasure starring Tyra Banks and John Goodman that spawned Leanne Rimes’ hit Can’t Fight the Moonlight. However you may not know that it was based on a real-life chain of bars.

Known for their rowdy nature and western-themed style, Coyote Ugly’s female bartenders are known as “Coyotes”, and regularly dance choreographed routines on the bar top. The chain operates a strict “no “frou frou” shaken or stirred concoctions when it comes to drinks, with any serve that requires a blender or more than two ingredients to make barred.

Founded in 1993 in New York City’s East Village, Coyote Ugly currently has 21 locations across four countries including the US, Russia, Ukraine and German, and announced its its first foray into the UK earlier this month. The first UK Coyote Ugly bar will open in March in Cardiff.

Bar Luce, Milan, Italy (Wes Anderson)

Designed by film director Wes Anderson, stepping into Bar Luce in Milan is like stepping onto the set of a film. Its design, seats, formica furniture, floor, veneered wood wall panels and colours are intended to mimic Italian popular culture and aesthetics from the 1950s and 1960s. Of his approach, Anderson said there was “no ideal angle for this space. It is for real life, and ought to have numerous good spots for eating, drinking, talking, reading, etc. While I do think it would make a pretty good movie set, I think it would be an even better place to write a movie. I tried to make it a bar I would want to spend my own non-fictional afternoons in.”

Known for his visually striking set designs, the interior design of Bar Luce is reminiscent of Anderson’s Grand Budapest Hotel, but is intended to recreate the atmosphere of a typical Milanese cafè. Part of the newly opened Prada Foundation – an art and culture complex – Bar Luce opened in May and carries a selection of pastries, coffee and alcoholic drinks.