WORLD CUP 2010

The wait is so nearly over! To celebrate the 2010 FIFA World Cup, rather than send out our usual weekly where-to-go list, The Good Time Guide has decided to list loads of venues in and around Guildford you should check out as you watch the greatest sporting event in the world.

So without further ado, acquaint yourself with the following places, and keep your eyes peeled for another one of these emails should England progress well (pray, people, pray...)

The Stoke

One of our very favourite venues, not least because they constantly dish out free pizzas with your TGTG Offer Card, you won't find too many venues providing better coverage of the 2010 World Cup than The Stoke. Following a very recent refurbishment, the place is looking fantastic, and with six 50 inch HD widescreen TVs and one 42 inch widescreen, you can be guaranteed your spot watching the game in crystal clear quality.

But this is just the start - treat yourself to the VIP function room, complete with giant projector screen for £50 per head, which includes free burger and Budweiser vouchers for 7 games AND table service - call 01483 504296 for more info on that. For those of you after a more low key experience, 5 bottle buckets of Budweiser are £12, and there will be three satellite Bud bars inside, outside and in the function room. Moreover, there will be a BBQ , live music and sweep stakes for all England games, and football food in the form of burgers, hot dogs and hot roast beef sandwiches served throughout the World Cup. Phew, got all that? We think The Stoke should certainly be frequented at some point this World Cup with all those treats!

Pews Wine Bar

If you're not a football fan (and if you're not, why are you here?!), you may want to steer clear of Pews Wine Bar & Restaurant for, well, a while. If you love football, rejoice! Pews don't take things like the World Cup lightly, so there's going to be an 80 inch (EIGHTY!) projector outside, with a tiny little 60 inch (note: irony) alongside. Plus, Pews isn't a venue confined by noise restrictions, so cheer and yell to your hearts content!

What if it's raining or packed outside, you cry? Well, there's a new private room with 3 screens, which you can enter on a first come first serve basis, as well as 2 screens in the bar area. And, for good measure, there's a BBQ during every England game. Really, the guys at Pews are spoiling you, people. Click here to see what else they can offer you in the week.

The Keep

A lovely pub just opposite Guildford castle, The Keep is a great venue with some rather tasty food (which, of course, you save a whole hunk of cash with your TGTG Offer Card) - but this is World Cup month, so let's talk footy.

There's a VIP room upstairs, with bookings available for up to 40 people - that could be one good party, so dial 01483 450600 to enquire of it's availability. All the games will be shown up here, so why not book your own World Cup room? For the regular joe's, there's a big old screen at the bar. And, especially for the World Cup, there will be a £4 burger and fries combo, a jug of Foster's or ale for a tenner, a bunch of sweepstakes and more! Click here for any more you'd like to know about The Keep.

Bar Med

A party venue during the weekend, Bar Med is also a fantastic venue for a bit of sport as well. Well, it would be, with 8 screens about the place, meaning you can pretty much look every way but down to see man kicking ball.

You don't need more than that really, but there's plenty of World Cup offers abound, such as a cheese and bacon burger for £2.49, a bucket combo of chicken wings and gougons for £5.95 and a Coke and chips 99p. Drinks wise, ten measley pounds will get you a five-bottle bucket of Budweiser, with some very persuasive shot deals as well (see the bottom about drinking responsibly). So, in a nutshell - lots of screens, cheap food and drink. Simple, but we think, very effective - good on you Bar Med!

Ha Ha Bar & Grill

Covering the bases of both bar and restaurant convincingly is more difficult than you might think - sure many places claim bar and restaurant, but really it's one or the other. Not so in Ha Ha, and you can add great sports venue to that list too, with two massive screens downstairs and a projector upstairs.

You can also add this to your list of 'reasons to go' - booking a table with a £2 deposit per head and you get table service, and if you want a private party, say with the office, the upstairs room can be booked; call 01483 573534 if that sounds good (which it does). Moreover, there are some great World Cup deals, such as £10 for 4 bottles of beer (Budweiser / Becks / Peroni), £10 for a bottle of Chenin Blanc Kleine Zalze and £10 platter of food for 2 (don't forget, if you fancy something else, you get 25% off your food with that wonderful TGTG Offer Card). To Ha Ha, ladies and gents!

The Wooden Bridge

Having once boasted The Rolling Stones and Eric Clapton take to their stage (really!), The Wooden Bridge is steeped in history, so if it's traditional surroundings you want to accompany your footy, this is the place to be!

Despite this there are, of course, the obligatory seven screens inside, one outside, and an afternoon BBQ (12-3pm) before the evening games, and conversely an evening BBQ after the earlier kick-offs. Good food galore! Moreover, they'll be doing five bottles of Budweiser for £11 - a good deal in anyones books. Want more info? Click here!

The Jolly Farmer

A truly gorgeous pub just outside of Guildford, you could do far worse than shout yourself hoarse at The Jolly Farmer. These lovely folk will be showing every single game (don't become the barfly though), and you can even take your football hating spouses/friends as the restaurant and bar area are football free zones throughout the World Cup.

But you're here, reading this here newsflash, so you want to watch football right? Well, it's worth noting that the Garden will have a screen undercover and outdoor bar, so you will never miss a moment, BBQs come rain or shine (and these guys know food) - if this isn't enough, The Jolly Farmer boasts a stupendous and very sizeable garden out back, so you can while away the non-football hours comfortably too!

The Albany

New to the TGTG roster of greatness, The Albany is a true gastropub with a rather exquisite interior. A classy establishment it is, and one that should certainly be in your thoughts when considering where to watch a game, be it a fairly innocuous tie between two minnows or the inevitable final involving England (we're a 'glass half full' kind of company) - The Albany will be showing them all.

Four screens adorn this fantastic venue, but their ace in the pack is the BBQ and live music that follows the final whistle - that should be enough to convince you, with their locally sourced food sure to get the juices flowing. More info? Here ya go!

Live and Let Live

A true footy pub, the Live and Let Live will throw a few curveballs this summer - for example, how many other pubs will be boasting that, after England's first game against the USA, there will be a DJ and then football karaoke? Yeah, we thought it was a great idea too!

But that's just one game - we recommend seeing a lot more than just that, as the Live will boast an awesome 10 foot (you read that correctly) projector screen outside for all the England and evening games - and two 50 inch plasmas inside! Free BBQs will also feature, along with £10 Carlsberg pitchers holding four pints. See? Live and Let Live take their football very seriously, so ensure you spend at least part of the World Cup there!

The Britannia

Rightly a very popular haunt in Guildford town, located next to the river, The Britannia have a rather lovely menu which, us being so good to you, you save 25% on with your TGTG Offer Card. No no, please don't thank us, it's our job.

Anyway, it's no frills at The Britannia - but all the matches will be played on their two TV's, so you can frequent this great venue knowing that you can watch a game. A selection beers, wines and ales, great food and a great atmos - no reason not to go really. Click here for all the details you should need.

Fahrenheit 55

A very cool little place indeed, Fahrenheit 55 is always packed out at the weekends, and rightly so - it's atmosphere is fantastic, and you get half price cocktails with that wonderful card we dish out - probably one of our best deals, and they have a fair few to choose from!

Anyway, we digress - Fahrenheit won't be showing all the World Cup games, just the England ones; however, they'll make it worth your while, serving burgers and hot dogs at half time and after the game. Aren't they nice? Moreover, there will be special deals on a World Cup Cocktail menu, and during the games you can get a bucket of four Corona's for £10. So if you want a place to go and see the beloved Three Lions play, think of Fahrenheit 55!

Cliche Shisha Bar

Now, here's a slightly different idea to football watching. While the mainstay of sport is the pub, why not do something a little left-field and watch the nation's finest at Cliche Shisha Bar? It's difficult to describe this place as there's nowhere really like it in the area, but think of a coffee shop only smarter, with excellent munchables and hookah pipes!

So, fancy an ice cold milkshake (very tasty they are too) and a go on some flavoured tobacco? Their screens face outwards so you can do so watching the game. Moreover, they have two cracking deals with your TGTG Offer Card! So for an alternative, we say try Cliche!

The Star

Having been closed for several weeks, The Star in Guildford will make its glorious return on Thursday 10th June - why, that's the day before kick-off! I wonder if that was deliberate? Anyway, it's going to be pretty special, having undergone a massive facelift and re-furb, and the football is to be shown on a large projector in the new function room. Bear in mind though folks that the capacity is 100 people - this is a popular place, so get there early!

Again, don't worry if you're with a football hater - those so-and-so's can just hang around in the main pub, which will remain a football free zone. Expect a full listing from The Star soon, showing off it's new look, but if you want any more details in the meantime call 01483 532887.

Finally, Remember to Drink Responsibly People...

This here is the Pubwatch logo, which encourages you to drink and behave responsibly. Don't let us down by behaving badly ladies and gents...

Other Ideas...

First up, we apologise to you non-Guildfordites for being rather Guildford-centric this time around, but there's so much going on in the area we had to cram it all in! For example, there's not even enough room to tell you that the Tickled Ivory will be showing footy, with live music after every game!

So for other ideas outside of Guildford, how about Yates's Woking? Or The Talbot Inn, Ripley?

On the other side of the county, you've got Lounge and The Red Lion in Godalming. In Farnham, The Mulberry Inn will be showing all the football on three large projectors.

So, non-football fans, you may have a difficult month ahead...