If you’ve ever wondered how to order a beer in a pub in England, you are not alone. Visiting a new pub for the first time can be confusing, even if you are British.
We will help you discover how to have fun and enjoy a tasty meal in a British pub. Here’s what to expect, how to find a pub you like, what to order, how to order, and how to get the most out of this British institution, even if you don’t like beer and have never touched a drop of alcohol.
Different types of pubs in England
Different types of pubs draw different types of crowds. If you know what kind of place you are about to wander, you have a head start on what to expect.
- The City Pub: Pubs in city centers attract people who work nearby. At key times during the day – lunch and right after work – they will likely be very crowded with groups of coworkers disconnecting from their jobs or meeting friends after work. Loud and boisterous, they are places where people gather to drink and laugh. Depending on where they are, they can close when the last office worker goes home or stay open during busy times before and after shows and movies.
- Theme Pubs – A subsection of city pubs, rarely found outside of larger cities and towns, theme pubs bring the city pub to a unique crowd of guests. Goth pubs, jazz pubs, comedy pubs, rock pubs such as The Cavern Pub in Liverpool (across the street from the Beatles famous Cavern Club), can be found on local listings, magazines or websites of the city. Name your special interest and there is probably a theme pub that caters to your audience.
- The Country Pub – The ‘heritage pub’ that shines in all those tourist authority images really does exist, but what looks like a pub on the outside doesn’t necessarily match what you’ll find on the inside. Visitors looking for the warm glow of firelight and a cozy 17th century interior might be disappointed by the presence of an armed bandit (called a fruit machine in the UK) and a microwave menu of packaged burgers and fish and orange fries.
- The Destination Pub: A subsection of the country pub, destination pubs are the kind of pubs that people will travel for miles to visit (even plan a day out in the country) because of the food, the wonderful beer garden, the character or history.
- The Local Pub – Local pubs are just that, very local. They are often not the most welcoming places for outsiders. As a visitor, don’t expect a friendly welcome unless you’ve been introduced by another local, and even then, everyone will evaluate you to see if it’s worth your attention. How can you tell if you’ve stumbled upon a local pub? If the conversation stops and everyone looks at you before returning to their drinks, you are in a local pub.
- The Free House: Today most pubs are linked to breweries through direct ownership or through various financial arrangements with the owner or publican. This means that they can only serve beers and other beverages made or distributed by the parent company. The free houses are independent pubs that can serve any beer and drink that the owner and the punters (paying customers) like. Although they are rarer, free houses can still be found throughout the country. The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) is a big advocate for free houses, and you can find them, along with linked bars offering a good selection of guest beers (like the Anchor in Walberswick), in the CAMRA Good Beer Guide.
- Chain – You are likely to find chain pubs in large train stations, shopping malls, and city centers. Some are themed, like O’Neill’s Irish pubs, and others are simply gigantic food and drink mills, like Wetherspoons. They offer standardized rates for the mass market and, like everything that is mass produced, there are good and bad. One thing they don’t offer is royal character.
So how do you choose? The easiest way is to just walk in and see how you feel about it. If you find a pub uncomfortable or substandard for any reason, find another. With over 50,000 pubs in the UK, you are sure to find one nearby that suits you.
What to order
Pubs sell beer, wine, and spirits (whiskey, gin, etc.), along with soft drinks (usually at least Coca-Cola and Diet Coke), bottled fruit juices, cider, and perry (more on the latter two in a minute). Sparkling water from a pump is generally free.
- A variety of ales and ales, including bitter and pale ales, are available on tap. There may be some beers on tap as well, but many bars have a greater variety of bottled beers. If you want a cold beer, you will have to order beer. The British don’t think you can taste a beer if it’s very cold, so they drink beer at cellar temperature. It’s not hot, but it’s not very cold either. Ask the bar staff about local craft beers. Some regional breweries, such as Fullers in London and Shepherd Neame in Kent, bottle special seasonal beers.
- Except for the popular Irish stout, Guinness, which is widely available on tap, porters and stouts are rich in alcohol, specialty beers often available in bottles. Just keep in mind, if you decide to experiment with these, some have a 7-9% alcohol content. Draft Guinness has an alcohol content of about 4.2%, Murphy’s and Beamish are Irish beers that may also be available in some pubs.
Other drinks you’ll find in bars
British pubs are as much about socializing as they are about drinking. In many rural communities, the local pub is the focal point of the village’s social and civic life, a place where everyone enters, including families with children. To cater for all tastes and ages, a wide variety of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages are available. You will probably find:
- Cider (at least one brand) is usually on tap. British cider is more like a beer made from apples than the sweet ciders you are used to. It is also stronger than beer with an alcohol content of between 4.2 and 5.3%. Strongbow, Bulmers, and Magners are popular brands that are widely available on tap.
- Perry is similar to cider but is made from pears. Some commercial brands used to be available as “feminine” drinks before wine was available in pubs. They experienced a revival in 2009, although the popularity has since died down. You can find it in country pubs, particularly in fruit growing areas.
- The wines found in bars used to be terrible and were often served in stingy 125-milliliter glasses. All that has changed. Most pubs now carry one or two reasonable quality red and white wines in small (175 ml) and large (250 ml) glasses. Some pubs even cross into wine bar territory, offering a good selection of high-quality wines by the glass.
- Liqueurs can also be found in most pubs, which often serve brand name whiskeys, vodka, gin, rum, and brandy alongside specialty alcohols such as Advocaat, Ginger, and English fruit wines. Available mixers include sparkling water, toner, orange, and tomato juice. If you order a mixed drink, a gin and tonic, for example, you will get a measure of gin in a glass, a small bottle of tonic water and a lemon or lime wedge. Then, mix as much toner as you like and add ice cubes from the bucket on the counter. Pubs aren’t bars and publicans and waitresses aren’t mixologists, so don’t order fancy cocktails. You will be disappointed and you might even be the target of some sarcastic teasing.
- Soft drinks, coffee and tea are also available for those who do not drink alcohol. Pubs serve bottled juices, cola, and a small selection of soft drinks. Some especially British soft drinks are Lemonade, a carbonated drink in the UK, and St. Clements, a carbonated mix of orange and lemon flavors.
How to order
One of the most mysterious aspects of pub behavior for many beginners is how to order and receive service. Pubs don’t have table service, as a rule, and at peak times, with people crowded around the bar four or five deep, getting the attention of the owner or bar staff can seem next to impossible. Don’t worry though, because by some mysterious trick of pub server magic, they see it and seem, in its chaotic form, to serve people, generally, in order. Here’s how to make sure you get service with a smile.
- Be patient – of course, have your £ 5 or £ 10 note ready and visible, but don’t wave it to get the server’s attention. That’s a surefire way to get ignored in a busy pub. So it’s yelling for the server. Make eye contact, when you can, and smile. Pub servers work their way up and down the bar and notably no one leaves thirsty.
- Know What You Want and Order It – Dithering in a crowded pub bar annoys everyone. Before you hit the bar, have a rough idea of what you want and how much. Beer and cider are served in pints and halves (half pints), so order whatever beer or beverage you want in any quantity you want, along with any snacks, all at once. “Two pints of beer, half the bitters, and three packets of French fries, please.”
- Know what to expect:
- Brits don’t like a big frothy head in a beer glass (it makes them feel like they’re being cheated on a pint or a pint), so don’t be surprised to be served a full glass of beer. The headless edge. The exception is Guinness, which is valued for its creamy head.
- Draft beer is served slightly cooler than room temperature. Cold beer comes from bottles.
- Ice for soft drinks is generally available, but is rarely offered. If you order a Coke or orange juice, ask for ice if you like. You can get one or two buckets, or you can be directed to a bucket where you can help yourself.
Pub manners
Keep track of a few rules of pub etiquette and you’ll be crawling like a native.
- Be nice to the waiter or waitress, that way they will remember you and greet you more quickly later on. Thank them with a cheery “Cheers” and tell them to keep the change. If you have a large order for multiple people, you can drop a little more money, maybe the price of a beer, and say “bring me one.” By the way, this is a throwaway line, don’t make a big deal out of it. And if you are served by the owner of the pub, being nice is enough advice: you do not need to leave money.
- Don’t hog space at the bar. Particularly when pubs are busy, bar space is at a premium. Once you have your drinks in hand, walk away and find another place. On the other hand, if a pub is really empty, the bar staff won’t mind a bit of a chat.
- Take your turn buying rounds . In Britain, it is customary for groups of people to meet in a pub so that each person takes turns buying a round of drinks for everyone in the group. People who never seem to buy a round are noticed and commented on. If you can’t afford to take turns buying drinks for everyone this way, then at least offer to pay for your own drink when someone else buys a round.
Food
- Bar snacks: Even pubs that don’t serve meals have some savory bar snacks available: French fries (potato chips) in a variety of flavors, packets of peanuts and pork scratches, and sometimes large glass jars of pickled eggs and pickled onions.
- Bar Food or Bar Menu – Some pubs serving lunch and dinner may also have a snack menu throughout the day. Bar food is only prepared once and is only available while it lasts.
- Pub Meals: Better pubs serve lunch and dinner during set hours. These range from basic and acceptable foods to the highest reaches of gastronomy. Various so-called gastropubs have even achieved multiple Michelin stars.
Pub meals may be cheaper than traditional restaurant meals, but whether they are a better value depends on your taste. You might like a Sunday roast (steak, potatoes, Yorkshire pudding and three veggies) for less than £ 10. Or you might find it overcooked and tasteless – it’s up to you and the pub. However, there are a few pub fare you can count on, including:
- Sausages and mash, using locally made butcher sausages.
- Steak and Beer or Meatloaf and Kidney
- Plow lunches – salad with a piece of bread and local cheese. You can include ham or chicken.
Careful with:
- Oversized Menus – If the pub menu seems to offer a large selection of all different types of food, including many different ethnic options, it will probably all come out of the freezer and go straight into the microwave. Stay away and order a plow instead – it’s pretty hard to freeze and heat lettuce and tomatoes in the microwave.
- Burgers – Unless you can be sure your burgers are freshly made from ground beef, pub burgers are likely made from preformed and often frozen patties, dense and terrible.
- Pickles – British pickles are not the pickled cucumbers and vegetables you may be familiar with. Instead, they are intensely bitter and dark hot sauce-like condiments that are acquired tastes.
Service
Not many pubs have table service. Even in very smart gastropubs, you may have to order your food at the bar and pay for it before bringing it to your table. When in doubt ask.
Before you go to the bar to order, check your table to see if it has a number or letter. This is how the server will find you to deliver your food, so make a mental note of it.
These pubs serve high level food:
- The Sportsman, near Whitstable, with a Michelin star and prices to match.
- The Hand and Flowers, Tom Kerridge’s 2 Michelin star pub in Marlow
- The Pipe and Glass Inn, a Michelin star East Yorkshire pub
Hours and closing time
Pubs used to be open at strictly fixed hours. Closing after lunch until reopening in the evening and then closing at night at 11pm. Licensing laws have changed and pubs can now negotiate with their local licensing authorities for a variety of opening arrangements. There are, for example, pubs that serve breakfast for night workers and pubs that stay open all day and into the night. Many smaller pubs in the country still maintain traditional opening hours, closing after lunch and until noon on Sunday.
Even if a pub is open, it may not be serving food outside of the set hours. The best way to find out is to simply ask if they are still serving food.
Regardless of what hours a pub has, it will still have a closing time, signaled by the sound of a bell or the owner’s shout: “Last orders!” or the oldest: “Drink, gentleman, it’s time.” That’s your signal that you can order one more drink before you get kicked out.
About children and pets
If you are traveling with children or the family dog, you will probably be able to bring them to the pub. While there are age limits for drinking, there are no strict rules about whether children can be present where alcohol is served. It is left to the local licensing authority to decide what conditions regarding children apply to the license.
In general, children accompanied by adults are allowed in bars that serve food. Some pubs restrict children to rooms out of sight of the bar or only allow them to enter the beer gardens. If the local authorities allow children, you can feel confident that the environment will be suitable. Some pubs even have playgrounds and playrooms for children.
Whether dogs are allowed depends on the pub owner. Most allow well-behaved pets. But if the pub has a resident dog or cat, your own pet may not be welcome.
How to find the best pubs
Word of mouth from people you trust and friends you’ve made on your travels is always a good way to find good pubs. However, this is a case where asking a local may not be a good idea, as they may not want to share a favorite spot with you. For a complete list of British pubs, try The Good Pub Guide or CAMRA Good Beer Guide, well-established and popular guidebooks used by Brits and visitors alike.
