The Granddaddy of all Fantasy fiction tropes must surely be the Medieval Inn, with its open hearths and wenches in low-cut bodices, unsavory characters lurking about, and bowls of hot stew. (No less a luminary than Tolkien created the seminal template with The Prancing Pony.)
In truth, inns served a vital function in the Medieval/Renaissance world. Travel and commerce were becoming more common, and at the same time, highwaymen and robbers began to make open-air camping unsafe near settled areas. Where there was a business need, then as now, a business sprang up to serve it. The hospitality and food inns served was diverse, depending on the area’s resources and its wealth.
Here’s a list of randomly generated inn names you can use in your own works, and a list of House Specialties they might serve to their hungry patrons.
Inns, Taverns, and Eateries
| The Grotto of the Dark Virgin
The Merry Peacock The Whistling Fox Retreat The Longshoreman’s Treasure The Double Apple Inn Bunker of the Foolish Dragon The Windlass The Laughing Moon The Bard’s Dogfish The Four Bottles Alehouse The Monk’s Tumbling Mug The Sapphire Phoenix The Whistling Horse Inn The Dagger and the Pearl Four Mugs Hideaway The Minstrel’s Jewels The Tipsy Pine Golden Dragon Tavern The Black Star Inn Inn of the Sleeping Moon The Admiral’s Blue Haven |
Mermaid’s Golden Alehouse
Keep of the Prudent Virgin The Happy Basilisk The Captain’s Crab Shanty of the Puzzled Mug The Silver Compass Alehouse of the Blue Dog Fifty Crown Alley The Grinning Raven The Mermaid’s Flying Anchor The Stumbling Weasel Inn The Thirsty Frigate The Salty Cockerel The Prince’s Plow The Wench’s Dirty Dungeon The Fainting Gypsy Retreat of the Four Jewels The Pirate’s Plot The Singing Shark Tavern Manor of Dancing Spirits The Golden Dog |
On the Menu… (House Specialties)
| Devil’s Pudding: Pureed mussels and collard greens.
Goodwive’s Wonder: Slow-roasted bacon glazed with raspberry juice and the whites from goose’s eggs. Poslim: Eel and pumpkin stew. Geltonshaft: A creamy cheese with a red-orange rind. Gorgon’s Omelet: Slow-roasted gizzards glazed with berry juice and scramble-fried with hen’s eggs. Blueberry Sinner: A nutty ale from the east. Dibbleqat: Fermented goat’s milk sweetened with apple-quince syrup. Duke’s Dice: An alcoholic drink made from bulgur mash beer mixed with milk. Peach Wonder: A delicious ale from the far south. Whore’s Stew: Roasted fish mixed with collard greens. Dascups: Fried oat and garbanzo bean cakes. Savorfern: A savory pasty cheese made from mare’s milk. Grundyrice: Thin slices of suckling pig dried in the sun until chewy. Vanbittant: Cold fermented kefir blended with mead. Scullylunga: A soft, filling cheese flavored with lemon. Spinsalt: A starchy white cheese made from unicorn milk. Dashobble: A dark, pasty tea brewed from alini leaves. Scaddylak Scarlet: A local beer. Dame’s Cross: Frothy cucumber juice flavored with nutmeg. Gobblelunge: Fried goat with pickled mushrooms. Gods’ Broth: Slow-roasted pork soup decorated with the whites from chicken’s eggs. Funnack: Roasted pike stuffed with boiled broad beans. Bobbleflan: Roasted tripe served with lentils. Rummyborne: A northern brandy that tastes of cherry and fennel. Caskdrop: A local beer. Raspberry Envy: A bright pink alcoholic beverage brewed from hyzenberries. Scullybeck: A soft cheese flavored with bacon. |
