Pub etiquette
Created | Updated Mar 16, 2005
Introduction
This entry is written by an experienced English drinker as a guide to using a British pub. There is an awful lot of etiquette surrounding the pub though we do not realise it. It is intended for those visitors who may otherwise feel a little daunted by those frosted glass windows. Visitors from countries with a pub culture may still find some parts useful.
1. Which pub?
Pubs in Britain vary hugely in style and atmosphere. In one street there may be one pub full of loud music and young drinkers packed together, the pub next door all is space and serenity and the third is full of families eating meals. In my experience pub guides (Good Beer Guide, Good Pub Guide) have been very reliable as to what to expect. If it looks rough on the outside it is probably rough on the inside too! Just choose one, go in, have a brief look. If the first impression is not OK then walk away.
2. Getting a drink
Walk up to the bar, lean on it and wait for someone behind the bar to serve you. Don't shout at the staff for sevice, just try to catch their eye (very English!). Unusually for Britain you should not queue - if you can see a space at the bar, go and lean on it. Bar staff are good at serving people in order - the person who has been waiting longest should be served next. Take a look at what is available. Real British beer is served by pulling a a tall lever called a hand pump. Each hand pump has a pump clip telling you the brand and usually its strength. If you want a beer or lager tell the person serving you how much you want ( "a half" or "a pint") and the brand name of the beer (eg "Carling" or "Theakston's"). You need to give a brand name as pubs usually have more than one type of bitter or lager. You are entitled to full pint. A good server will offer to top up a pint if it is very frothy. You can ask for any of the bottles in fridges or on shelves behind the bar, red or white wine or lemonade or Coke. If you can see it you can order it! Spirits are sold in standard fixed measures. If you ask for a large or double drink (eg Scotch)you will get two measures in the glass and pay more. You will be expected to pay immediately, in cash. Do not tip. If you buy a lot of drinks you can ask for a tray.
3. The Round
This one always gets to visitors from abroad! A group of drinkers usually drink in rounds. For example if there are 4 of you one person buys a round of drinks for everyone in the group (4 drinks). The next person buys the next round and so on. This way only one person from each group of drinkers goes to the bar which makes it less crowded. A drinker in a big group would probably not want to buy a round for everyone as it could be pretty expensive. In these situations the group organises itself into smaller, cheaper rounds. You should look to offer to buy a round of drinks at the appropriate time. When you are drinking in a round with other people try not to drink faster than them. The person who is getting the next round in will wait until most people have nearly finished their drinks before they go to buy it. You don't have to have a drink in every round but you should still buy if it is your turn. The round system is open to abuse but if you drink much more than you buy for other people it will get noticed!
4. Where to drink
Once you have a drink you need to find a spot to enjoy it. You have the following options -
Sit or stand at the bar. Solitary drinkers who want a chat tend to do this. If it is quiet a good bar person will try to engage you in conversation.
Stand elsewhere. Groups regularly stand all night drinking even when seats are available - yes it is wierd
Sit at a table. If there are not enough chairs for your group then drag them over from other tables. Check no one is using the chair though!
5. Food
All pubs have some sort of food available - potato crisps, peanuts etc. You can see what there is behind the bar. Then there are pork scratchings. These are prepackaged deep fried strips of pig skin which are salted. Sounds awful, tastes fantastic especially with a pint! Many pubs now offer cooked meals at certain times of the day. Ask at the bar if cooked food is available. There will be a menu at the bar and there may be a specials board. This shows dishes that are only currently available for that day. You order food at the bar and may be asked to pay for it straight away. Pub food can be fantastic - I know of one pub with michelin stars - generally the more people are eating at the pub the better the food is likely to be.
6. Opening hours
Pubs can serve alcoholic drinks every day from 11am to 11pm. A few have a late license which means they can stay open later. They can open and close any time between these times. Pubs often close at 2pm or 3pm and then reopen at 6pm for the evening. In the evening the publican will ring a bell and call last orders. This means they will stop serving drinks 10 minutes later when the publican will call time and stop serving. Some argue that this early closing time encourages people to drink faster. If you are in the right place at the right time you may find yourself involved in a lock in. The publican closes the curtains, turns down the lights and music, locks the door and you carry on drinking into the night. This is highly illegal and hence a rare event. Seize the opportunity if it comes!
7. Women in pubs
Either alone or accompanied women are welcome in pubs. All the advice in this piece applies to both sexes. The only difference in the way women are treated is that if a man just asks for a drink ("Lager please") he will get a pint, whereas a woman will get a half pint.
8. Miscellaneous essentials
All pubs have free Ladies' and Gents' toilets for the customers' use
You get a fresh glass for each drink. The staff should collect the empties from around the pub.
The beer available is different in many pubs. The beer in a pub may be completely different to that in the pub next door.
Some pubs have a beer garden - an enclosed outdoor space with seats in it. Some beer gardens are fantastic, some are rubbish. You still buy drinks the same way.
People often go to the pub alone to meet people. You don't have to go in with other people.
A pub may host live music and show major sporting events on big screens.
In quiet pubs it is not unusual for lone drinkers to read the paper or a book while drinking
Smoking is accepted in the vast majority of pubs though some large pubs have non smoking areas. Just be considerate ( kids, people eating next to you etc) If there's an ash tray you can use it!
Pubs can be great sources of local information - what's on locally etc.
Pubs are busiest friday night and saturday night and get busier through the evening. Some pubs have door men to control numbers going in!
This entry is written by an experienced English drinker as a guide to using a British pub. There is an awful lot of etiquette surrounding the pub though we do not realise it. It is intended for those visitors who may otherwise feel a little daunted by those frosted glass windows. Visitors from countries with a pub culture may still find some parts useful.
1. Which pub?
Pubs in Britain vary hugely in style and atmosphere. In one street there may be one pub full of loud music and young drinkers packed together, the pub next door all is space and serenity and the third is full of families eating meals. In my experience pub guides (Good Beer Guide, Good Pub Guide) have been very reliable as to what to expect. If it looks rough on the outside it is probably rough on the inside too! Just choose one, go in, have a brief look. If the first impression is not OK then walk away.
2. Getting a drink
Walk up to the bar, lean on it and wait for someone behind the bar to serve you. Don't shout at the staff for sevice, just try to catch their eye (very English!). Unusually for Britain you should not queue - if you can see a space at the bar, go and lean on it. Bar staff are good at serving people in order - the person who has been waiting longest should be served next. Take a look at what is available. Real British beer is served by pulling a a tall lever called a hand pump. Each hand pump has a pump clip telling you the brand and usually its strength. If you want a beer or lager tell the person serving you how much you want ( "a half" or "a pint") and the brand name of the beer (eg "Carling" or "Theakston's"). You need to give a brand name as pubs usually have more than one type of bitter or lager. You are entitled to full pint. A good server will offer to top up a pint if it is very frothy. You can ask for any of the bottles in fridges or on shelves behind the bar, red or white wine or lemonade or Coke. If you can see it you can order it! Spirits are sold in standard fixed measures. If you ask for a large or double drink (eg Scotch)you will get two measures in the glass and pay more. You will be expected to pay immediately, in cash. Do not tip. If you buy a lot of drinks you can ask for a tray.
3. The Round
This one always gets to visitors from abroad! A group of drinkers usually drink in rounds. For example if there are 4 of you one person buys a round of drinks for everyone in the group (4 drinks). The next person buys the next round and so on. This way only one person from each group of drinkers goes to the bar which makes it less crowded. A drinker in a big group would probably not want to buy a round for everyone as it could be pretty expensive. In these situations the group organises itself into smaller, cheaper rounds. You should look to offer to buy a round of drinks at the appropriate time. When you are drinking in a round with other people try not to drink faster than them. The person who is getting the next round in will wait until most people have nearly finished their drinks before they go to buy it. You don't have to have a drink in every round but you should still buy if it is your turn. The round system is open to abuse but if you drink much more than you buy for other people it will get noticed!
4. Where to drink
Once you have a drink you need to find a spot to enjoy it. You have the following options -
Sit or stand at the bar. Solitary drinkers who want a chat tend to do this. If it is quiet a good bar person will try to engage you in conversation.
Stand elsewhere. Groups regularly stand all night drinking even when seats are available - yes it is wierd
Sit at a table. If there are not enough chairs for your group then drag them over from other tables. Check no one is using the chair though!
5. Food
All pubs have some sort of food available - potato crisps, peanuts etc. You can see what there is behind the bar. Then there are pork scratchings. These are prepackaged deep fried strips of pig skin which are salted. Sounds awful, tastes fantastic especially with a pint! Many pubs now offer cooked meals at certain times of the day. Ask at the bar if cooked food is available. There will be a menu at the bar and there may be a specials board. This shows dishes that are only currently available for that day. You order food at the bar and may be asked to pay for it straight away. Pub food can be fantastic - I know of one pub with michelin stars - generally the more people are eating at the pub the better the food is likely to be.
6. Opening hours
Pubs can serve alcoholic drinks every day from 11am to 11pm. A few have a late license which means they can stay open later. They can open and close any time between these times. Pubs often close at 2pm or 3pm and then reopen at 6pm for the evening. In the evening the publican will ring a bell and call last orders. This means they will stop serving drinks 10 minutes later when the publican will call time and stop serving. Some argue that this early closing time encourages people to drink faster. If you are in the right place at the right time you may find yourself involved in a lock in. The publican closes the curtains, turns down the lights and music, locks the door and you carry on drinking into the night. This is highly illegal and hence a rare event. Seize the opportunity if it comes!
7. Women in pubs
Either alone or accompanied women are welcome in pubs. All the advice in this piece applies to both sexes. The only difference in the way women are treated is that if a man just asks for a drink ("Lager please") he will get a pint, whereas a woman will get a half pint.
8. Miscellaneous essentials
All pubs have free Ladies' and Gents' toilets for the customers' use
You get a fresh glass for each drink. The staff should collect the empties from around the pub.
The beer available is different in many pubs. The beer in a pub may be completely different to that in the pub next door.
Some pubs have a beer garden - an enclosed outdoor space with seats in it. Some beer gardens are fantastic, some are rubbish. You still buy drinks the same way.
People often go to the pub alone to meet people. You don't have to go in with other people.
A pub may host live music and show major sporting events on big screens.
In quiet pubs it is not unusual for lone drinkers to read the paper or a book while drinking
Smoking is accepted in the vast majority of pubs though some large pubs have non smoking areas. Just be considerate ( kids, people eating next to you etc) If there's an ash tray you can use it!
Pubs can be great sources of local information - what's on locally etc.
Pubs are busiest friday night and saturday night and get busier through the evening. Some pubs have door men to control numbers going in!
