Dog & Partridge bartender Hayley Cockayne pours a couple of cold pints at the pub in Bury St. Edmunds. (Bryan Mitchell / S&S)
Dog & Partridge bartender Hayley Cockayne pours a couple of cold pints at the pub in Bury St. Edmunds. (Bryan Mitchell / S&S)
The sign says it all. (Bryan Mitchell / S&S)
BURY ST. EDMUNDS — For the young and hip crowd that can keep the party shuffling till the morning birds chirp, it’s called the D&P. But to the elder generation more likely to down pints after a shift at the mill, it’s known as the Dog & Partridge.
Whatever you call it, the tucked-away watering hole may be the least “pubby” pub in a town with dozens upon dozens of grandfatherly places.
First, there’s the interior aesthetics — inviting in its architectural design but still functional.
The back entrance off the rear patio is an oversized conservatory that allows sunlight to splash into the bar by day and for the moonlight to reflect over the denizens by night.
The Dog & Partridge has two bars that meet in an L shape and give way to a snooker room and a front sitting room with low ceilings and wooden benches. It changes personality every few steps, but stays cozy along the way.
The 18th-century building has come a long way since it was home to the chief brewer to the Greene King Brewery, which is less than 100 yards from the Dog & Partridge.
Today, the pub’s customers include the guests in its nine bed-and-breakfast suites. It boasts a full traditional English menu, which almost always means a curry night. The specialty is served on Tuesdays.
But for British and American locals more interested in unwinding after a hard week’s work, it’s the nightlife, and not the bangers and mash, that keeps the register ringing.
On most weekend nights, an electric crowd of fun-loving 20- and 30-somethings sway to underground hip-hop mixed with acid jazz over ice and another round of Carlings.
Once a month, the D&P gets creative by combining good-natured philanthropy with impromptu romantic chemistry in its famed charity speed-dating night.
Depending on your disposition, it may or may not be more challenging than another pub quiz night, but it will certainly offer more of a return on investment in time.
It’s a chance to practice your one-liners, save the cheesy no-brainers and give romance a quick shot in a pub just one leather love seat short of swank.
See previous After Hours reviews here.
Dog & Partridge
Location: 29 Crown St. in Bury St. Edmunds.
Directions: From RAF Mildenhall, follow the A1101 to the historic center of Bury. The Dog & Partridge lies in the unmistakable shadow of the Greene King Brewery directly across the street from the Abbey Gardens.
Food: A full menu at reasonable prices.
Service: Drinks flow as fast as the tap allows.
Phone: 01284 764792
