The Frog & Onion Pub

Description:

• Within the dark and shadowy premises of the former 18th-century cooperage (barrel-making factory) at the Royal Naval Dockyard, the Frog & Onion is the most traditional British pub in Bermuda. It's "named" for the founders, French-born Jean-Paul Magnin (the Frog, who's no longer associated with the place) and Bermuda-born Carol West (the Onion, who is). The place rambles on through at least three rock-sided dining rooms and two separate outdoor decks, so we recommend that you wander around a bit to find the table that best suits your mood. You might opt to relax with a pint of English lager near the cooperage's cavernous stone fireplace, perhaps pondering the majesty of what used to be the British Empire. Many folks stay to dine: At lunch there are standard sandwiches, salads, and some tasty bar pies. We especially like the version with curried mussels for a real taste of Bermuda, although you might opt for the shepherd's pie. The dinner menu includes all of the lunchtime choices plus a grilled sirloin steak with mushrooms, Thai-style shrimp or chicken curries, yellowfin tuna sashimi, and melted Brie with walnuts. The food is not spectacular, but it is well-prepared and hearty. Since portions are large, no one leaves hungry. A few years ago, the brewing equipment, which had previously been associated with the also-recommended North Rock Brewing Company in faraway Smith's Parish, was installed inside a former stable within the Dockyard, a few steps from this restaurant. And although the five kinds of brew it produces are still cheerfully hauled in barrels to other restaurants on the island, the brewery's proximity to the Frog and Onion means that the beer is fresher here than virtually anywhere else in Bermuda.

• © Frommer's 2013