Good places to eat and drink around tattoo shops?

[Graeme]

Since a lot of us are getting tattooed at the same shops, I was wondering if it would be useful to have a thread to consolidate bar and restaurant recommendations around those shops, sort of like a LST tattoo-themed travel guide. I searched the board before starting this thread and found posts about specific cities, but nothing that could be used as a general resource. Is anybody interested in this idea? If so, where do you get tattooed and where do you eat around there? Where do you go for a drink after your session? For the tattooers: what places do you recommend if your clients ask for advice on where to eat or drink?

[Mark Bee]

Good idea, Graeme. I'm happy to start. The shop I go to is The Pearl Harbor Gift Shop on Kensington Ave in the heart of Toronto's Kensington Market. There are several good places to eat in drink in the immediate area. I'll list my favorites:

Food

1. Pho Hung Vietnamese Restaurant - cheap, tasty, and proudly has the worst service around. But the pho is so good you won't care. On Spadina Ave just north of Dundas on the west side of the street.

2. Ajisen Ramen - like the name suggests, it's a Japanese noodle shop. Tastiness awaits! Also right on Spadina a little north of Dundas.

3. El Trompo - like Mexico City style tacos? This is your place. Friendly, reasonably priced, and very good. It's on Augusta Ave just south of College Street

4. Nu Bagel - on Augusta Ave. this is the best place to get a Montreal style bagel in Toronto. For those who don't know, Montreal bagels are simply the greatest dough-based product in the planet. It will run you 9$ for a dozen and 5$ for 6. Always fresh and perfect. Meet your new partner in weight gain.

[tatB]

Great idea, I love it! I have had a very similar idea bouncing around in my head lately!

"The Tattooed Traveler: Where to Eat, Drink, Sleep, and Find Cool Shit to Check Out"

[Tim Burke]

Frith St/Soho in general - London

Koya - Japanese udon noodles on Frith St, sometimes there's a bit of a wait and you can't book in advance but it's really fucking tasty and they do a good beer from the Kernel brewery.

Honest Burger - Really good quality burger served medium unless you state otherwise served with rosemary salt chips. They also don't take bookings, but if you go along and they can't seat you they'll take your number and ring you rather than having to wait so you can just toddle off for a well earned beer round the corner somewhere. http://honestburgers.co.uk

[CultExciter]

If you're in Richmond and you're visiting Absolute Art, Salvation, or Hold It Down, here are some suggestions.

1. 821 Cafe - I can't say enough about this place. Good food and beverage. Vegetarian friendly. My favorite place to eat in Richmond. Just about everyone there is covered in quality tattoos from the likes of Brian Bruno, Timothy Hoyer, Mike Rennie, Matt Brotka, Katie Davis, etc etc etc.

2. Galaxy Diner - Cheapest PBR prices in town! Deep fried pickle with every meal. What more could you want? Diner food with a little southern flair.

3. Lamplighter/Black Hand - Two great coffee joints.

4. Edo's Squid - Around the corner from Absolute. A more upscale place to eat, but really good food.

[lving4today]

1. Inksmith and Rogers - Jacksonville beach, FL. Rag time tavern is a must. Best shit in the world with some good beer.

2. Electric Ladyland - New Orleans, LA. Coops place. Bad ass jambalaya.

[Graeme]

Congress St. Tattoo/Hobo's - Portsmouth, NH

Portsmouth Brewery - Solid pub food and great beer brewed on the premises.

Surf - On the pricier side of things, but this place has excellent seafood and some great cocktails. The raw bar sampler is especially good, the lobster is some of the best I've ever had, and I had an unbelievable (and HUGE) seafood stew when I was last there.

It's about a half hour drive into Maine from Portsmouth, but Ron Henry Wells recommended that we go to the Maine Diner and it was SO good. Lobster rolls, lobster mac n cheese, and it was featured on that Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives show. And I believe on Chad Koeplinger's instagram, which should count for more here.

[Shaun1105]

Good idea, Graeme. I'm happy to start. The shop I go to is The Pearl Harbor Gift Shop on Kensington Ave in the heart of Toronto's Kensington Market. There are several good places to eat in drink in the immediate area. I'll list my favorites:

Food

1. Pho Hung Vietnamese Restaurant - cheap, tasty, and proudly has the worst service around. But the pho is so good you won't care. On Spadina Ave just north of Dundas on the west side of the street.

2. Ajisen Ramen - like the name suggests, it's a Japanese noodle shop. Tastiness awaits! Also right on Spadina a little north of Dundas.

3. El Trompo - like Mexico City style tacos? This is your place. Friendly, reasonably priced, and very good. It's on Augusta Ave just south of College Street

4. Nu Bagel - on Augusta Ave. this is the best place to get a Montreal style bagel in Toronto. For those who don't know, Montreal bagels are simply the greatest dough-based product in the planet. It will run you 9$ for a dozen and 5$ for 6. Always fresh and perfect. Meet your new partner in weight gain.

Thanks for this! On the drive home Tuesday I was thinking about how I'd need to ask you what a good place to eat would be the next time I went to the Pearl. Then @Graeme makes this excellent thread and totally saved me from remembering to do that!

[Mark Bee]

Thanks for this! On the drive home Tuesday I was thinking about how I'd need to ask you what a good place to eat would be the next time I went to the Pearl. Then @Graeme makes this excellent thread and totally saved me from remembering to do that!

Hey Shaun - lemme know next time you head to The Pearl and I can give you some more things to see and do in the area. Its brilliant in the market in the summer.

[Shaun1105]

Hey Shaun - lemme know next time you head to The Pearl and I can give you some more things to see and do in the area. Its brilliant in the market in the summer.

Will do for sure. The other day was my first trip to Kensington market and looks pretty awesome even on a freezing cold spring day.

[jade1955]

Frith Street-Koya

Smith Street- Prime Meats, Court Street, Blooklyn.

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Frith St/Soho in general - London

Koya - Japanese udon noodles on Frith St, sometimes there's a bit of a wait and you can't book in advance but it's really fucking tasty and they do a good beer from the Kernel brewery.

Honest Burger - Really good quality burger served medium unless you state otherwise served with rosemary salt chips. They also don't take bookings, but if you go along and they can't seat you they'll take your number and ring you rather than having to wait so you can just toddle off for a well earned beer round the corner somewhere. http://honestburgers.co.uk

@Tim Burke Thats useful info about Honest Burger taking your phone number.

I turned up there in January. I didn't fancy the idea of waiting outside in the freezing cold for 20 minutes.

[Graeme]

Prime Meats is so good. It's also pretty much next to Black Gold which is a coffee shop/record store/collection of weirdness that is (co?) owned by Dan Santoro.

Lots of great little cafes, bars, and restaurants along Court Street and Smith Street too. I really like Carroll Gardens.

[CABS]

Temple Tattoo - Oakland, CA.

If you're getting tattooed here in Oakland, grab a beer at Beer Revolution in Jack London Square. The phrase "beer nerd heaven" is an understatement. Total dive bar. If you're looking for a classier vibe, then you gotta go to The Trappist in Old Oakland. Not as many beers on tap as Beer Rev though. If beer is not your thing, Cafe Van Kleef in Uptown/Downtown makes an awesome Greyhound.

Unfortunately, these watering holes are not exactly walking distance. If you got a car (or bike) though, it's a quick little ride.

[Johannes]

since none of you will end up in gothenburg it's kinda useless for me to tell you where to eat. too many places. so i say, if you're in my town, i'll cook for you!

[Eilin]

Ahh! Good thread @Graeme! As I LOVE good food and getting tattooed this is the perfect thread for me :o Definitely going to check out Koya when I'm at FST next :) Also there is very good Mexican place near the shop, I'v been there once but can't remember the name exactly, but I think it might be called Wahaca! Good stuff! :o

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haha! Here in Oslo we got some awesome restaurants but the once worth mentioning will all be so friggin expensive I think most people would rather save up that money to go get tattooed. Yes @Iwar, you heard me! :p

since none of you will end up in gothenburg it's kinda useless for me to tell you where to eat. too many places. so i say, if you're in my town, i'll cook for you!

[Johannes]

eilin, i know! i ate pizza in norway once. won't happen again! could've gotten a three course meal back home for the same money!

[gougetheeyes]

@Graeme great idea! I will contribute to this fully tomorrow when I am.. awake.

[Delicious]

eilin, i know! i ate pizza in norway once. won't happen again! could've gotten a three course meal back home for the same money!

why is food so expensive in Norway?

[el twe]

why is food so expensive in Norway?

Everything is expensive in Norway! I spent a week there over the summer - a cheeseburger ran at least $20, plus another $11 for a beer.

[Graeme]

Saved Tattoo - Williamsburg, Brooklyn

So there are about a million places to eat at in Williamsburg and from my experience, quite a few of them are very good. The one place me and @Pugilist have made a pre-tattoo ritual though is a sandwich shop on Metropolitan called Saltie. They have a vegetarian sandwich called the Clean Slate that is hummus, bulghur, pickled vegetables, and coriander on naan that along with a cup of genmaicha is hearty and filling but doesn't sit in the bottom of my gut and is pretty much exactly what I need before getting tattooed. I am including a picture below.

Spuyten Duyvil is a bar also on Metropolitan that came recommended by Thomas Hooper and has a pretty crazy selection of rare and obscure bottled beer...lots of sour beers from tiny European breweries and things like that. A nice selection of draft beer too. One of the bartenders has that Hooper Dürer four horsemen sleeve.

Personally though, I prefer The Commodore on Metropolitan and Havemeyer because they have my favourite beer, Harpoon IPA, on tap, and you can get some good greasy food there. The fried chicken was surprisingly really good, and the nachos are huge and delicious.

Walter Foods on Grand is a good bet too. Nicely done and pretty classic New American food, and @Pugilist says they make the best Old Fashioned in the world.

[Delicious]

Everything is expensive in Norway! I spent a week there over the summer - a cheeseburger ran at least $20, plus another $11 for a beer.

wtf? wow how do they afford to eat?

[Johannes]

they don't. everyone in norway is totally criminal so they can survive. you see senior citizens mugging tourists during summer and such.

ooor maybe they make enough money so the prices doesn't bother them as much as us others visiting.

[Delicious]

Its just so shocking how high the cost of living is

[CaptCanada]

Yeah Norway is the UAE of Europe. Give me some of that oil money.

Good idea for a thread. Sorry can't add anything for Tokyo.

[slayer9019]

Invisible NYC/Daredevil

Food: Mikey's Burgers is the spot I usually hit up for an awesome burger. Old style greasy-spoon burger joint with as confirmed by my coworker the best burger in NYC.

Drink: Top Hops is the place I always go to as part of my "tattoo ritual". 700+ beers 24 taps of amazing beer served by true beer nuts. Also pretty cool vibes from the place.