Are there many inns in Middle-earth?

Question

The Lord of the Rings is narrated as experienced by the hobbits of the Fellowship. That is why we get a rather detailed description of the Shire. And its inns, of course. There would be the Green Dragon, the Golden Perch, the Ivy Bush, the Bridge Inn, the Floating Log, and All-welcome Inn within the Shire.

Walking out of the Shire, things look less hospitable. There's the Prancing Pony in Bree. The Forsaken Inn is reported east of Bree. Much further south, an Old Guesthouse is mentioned briefly in Minas Tirith, and presumably there are more there.

[source]

Are there many more inns? Mentioned, implied, or reasonably to be expected?

After all, folks did travel. Not just the Rangers, but less sturdy individuals, messengers, traders, etc. That alone might keep a travelers' inn or two going even in some of the otherwise uninhabited areas along major roads.

Moreover, I'd assume, in densely populated areas people would tend to gather for an evening occasionally (as hobbits did with some enthusiasm).

On the other hands, hospitality seems to be largely household-based in LOTR: well-to-do houses will frequently receive guests, based on various connections or recommendations. Nevertheless, there are many inns right within the Shire.

I wonder whether one might argue that inns, somewhat like smoking, are rendered primarily as a hobbits' pastime in the books.

Answer 1

Unknown

Those listed in the question are the only inns, taverns, pubs, or guesthouses explicitly mentioned in the Lord of the Rings. Pippin also mentions having looked for inns in Minas Tirith, but found none (emphasis mine):

'Er well,' said Pippin, 'if I may venture to say so, rather a burning question in my mind at present is, well, what about breakfast and all that? I mean, what are the meal-times, if you understand me, and where is the dining-room, if there is one? And the inns? I looked, but never a one could I see as we rode up, though I had been borne up by the hope of a draught of ale as soon as we came to the homes of wise and courtly men.'

^{_{Return of the King Book V Chapter 1: "Minas tirith"}}

If there are any others, they're neither mentioned nor implied. However, it's unlikely that there are any, at least not ones that aren't behind city walls. In The Hobbit, Rivendell is frequently referred to as "the Last Homely House"; for example (emphasis mine):

They asked [Gandalf] where he was making for, and he answered: "You are come to the very edge of the Wild, as some of you may know. Hidden somewhere ahead of us is the fair valley of Rivendell where Elrond lives in the Last Homely House. I sent a message by my friends, and we are expected."

^{_{The Hobbit Chapter 3: "A Short Rest"}}

It's also described thus in Fellowship (emphasis mine):

Frodo was now safe in the Last Homely House east of the Sea. That house was, as Bilbo had long ago reported, `a perfect house, whether you like food or sleep, or story-telling or singing, or just sitting and thinking best, or a pleasant mixture of them all'. Merely to be there was a cure for weariness, fear, and sadness.

^{_{Fellowship of the Ring Book II Chapter 1: "Many Meetings"}}

The implication of the phrase is that Rivendell is the last place (if you're travelling east from the Shire, anyway) where a traveller can expect a warm bed.

As anemone points out in comments, this doesn't tell us a whole lot about what's to the north or south, but there's not really a lot we can say about those directions:

• The north of Middle-earth is what used to be the Kingdom of Arnor, which is barren and uninhabited. Unless the Orcs are setting up taverns, there's probably nothing there
• South of Middle-earth is Harad, which Tolkien wrote basically nothing about. It does seem likely that there are inns of some sort in that area, but we can't confirm

It does seem likely that some manner of inns or taverns exist in other population centers, if only because people always want ale, but we can't say anything conclusive on the matter.