Traditional English pubs: How to use them

Going to the pub is the most natural thing in the world for an Englishman. But you may not realise the secret rules of what makes a 'good' pub. You may be unsure how to use a pub, and where to find a great one in London. Want to drink like the locals?

 

WHAT TO DRINK

Of course, the primary purpose of a pub is to provide a venue for conversation and the excuse for doing this is buying a drink. But with unfamiliar brandnames, measures and rules, you can easily go wrong. Don't worry - here are the typical options:

Beer

Just going up to the bar and asking for a beer is likely to lead to confused looks. It’s a bit like going to McDonalds and saying “Can I have some fast food please?” There are hundreds of varieties and different pubs stock different ones.

If the pub is not that busy you could try throwing yourself on the mercy of the bar staff and explain that you’re not a local and you have no idea what’s good and what’s not. Ask for a recommendation. Some bar staff are connoisseurs and often the locals sitting nearby will chip-in too with their thoughts – it’s a nice excuse to talk to the locals. In fact the bar is one of the few places the often-reserved Brits will initiate conversations with total strangers.

Otherwise beers are generally divided into three types:

  • Bitter and Ales – the traditional English drink and my favourite. A nice pint of Old Speckled Hen, ESB, Adnams, IPA, a tasty sandwich and a newspaper is my idea of spending a very good couple of hours at lunchtime.
  • Lager – more continental but still very popular, these are clearer and more bubbly than bitters. They have a cleaner, crisper taste than bitters, but a less rich one;
  • Stouts – this is essentially just the drink Guinness now.

All of these usually comes in pints. A pint is quite a big drink, and British beer is, by and large, stronger than American. You can also order a half-pint but most locals (men in particular) would normally go for a pint.

Once you work out which of the three you like best, you can just say 'what bitters do you have on tap' or 'what lagers do you have on tap?' next time you're in a pub. 'On Tap' means pumped, draught beer rather than bottled. It's much nicer like this.

Cider

In the UK, Cider is an alcoholic drink, and a very tasty one at that. It's roughly as strong as a pint of beer but tastes very different. There are fewer varieties on wide sale than with beer: scrumpy is the nicest (and the strongest) but isn't widely available in London: most of the time you have to go the West Country and Suffolk to get this stuff, but you may get lucky and find some in a London pub.

Non-alcoholic drinks

There’s a wide range of non-alcoholic drinks. Some pubs do coffee and tea, but all serve coke, lemonade and fruit juices as well. There's no stigma at all in just going in to a pub to have a non-alcoholic drink, many people do it.

Wetherspoons

A quick word about Wetherspoons. They’re a huge pub chain which owns hundreds of pubs – as such they can charge ridiculously cheap prices: 99p for a pint, and hot lunches for £3. It’s not haute cuisine and may lack the soul of independent pubs, but it makes their lunch and evening meal options a staggeringly good deal for London. You can tell it’s a Wetherspoons – it will be written somewhere on the pub’s signs. O’Neills is the same idea but (disneyfied) Irish; Sam Smiths pubs are a tad more expensive but still cheaper than average and usually bursting with character (try the Horse and Groom on Great Portland Street, for example). So you can really build this chain into your trip to London if you're on a tight budget.

 

 

WHAT TO EAT

These days most pubs serve some sort of food as well, especially at lunchtime. If you're not sure, look for menus or ask. There'll be several choices to choose from: again, ask the bartender for recommendations if you’re confused! Pub food prices vary but it’s probably around £6 for a hot meal per person. Traditional pub meals include:

Ploughmans (a variety of cheeses, some pickle and some bread and maybe a small salad),

Roast Beef and Yorkshire Puddings (which are savory bread-type things, usually coverered in gravy),

Jacket Potatoes,

Sandwiches,

Pies, Sausages etc.

Generally, it's hearty, filling food rather than gourmet, though some so-called 'gastro-pubs' have really upped the game in terms of quality of food provided - you can often find really fresh, local stuff at these places, with prices to match. If it looks fancy and doesn't fill your plate, you're probably in a gastro-pub.

You don’t tip at all in pubs and you order food and drink at the bar. Often you’ll be asked what table number you’re sitting at: there’s usually a small metal number embossed into the wood on the tables.

THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW

  • You can pay by credit card in almost all London pubs now and you pay as soon as you get your drinks. Cash is always welcome too though.
  • If the pub’s really busy, and you’re a large group, then appoint one of your number as a ‘buyer’ to buy the drinks for everyone. Bar staff don’t like it when loads of people all queue up individually to get their own drinks – it slows service down!
  • Pubs are different at different times of day. There’s a pub called the Angel in Islington. It’s a Wetherspoons. It’s a perfectly decent place to have a cheap lunch – though not a particularly wonderful pub. In the evening though it’s crammed to bursting with young people flirting and talking with each other. Same pub, but a completely different place.
  • There are common pub chains. There are common pub names. Don’t confuse the two. Wetherspoons or Greene King are two big companies that own hundreds of pubs. But you’d never see a pub called ‘Greene King’ or ‘Wetherspoon’. Each pub is individually named. Conversely there are hundreds of pubs called 'The Wheatsheaf' or 'the Red Lion': don’t assume they’re in any way related to each other: they’re not! It’s very confusing!

 

WHERE TO GO

Each pub has its own character, from old school charm to modern and soulless. You’ll see them everywhere as you wander round London but if you want your own ‘local’ while you’re here, a bit of prior research is in order: yes, another independent free guide, beer in the evening.

You can search for reviews of great pubs near certain tube stations at the independent guide beer in the evening – it’s designed by Londoners, for Londoners so it’s more critical than the casual visitor would be! Have a look, but don’t be too tied to what others think – investigate for yourself!

There are many different types of pubs:

  • Lively pubs for young people
  • Run-down estate pubs
  • Pubs oozing with character
  • Sleek modern pubs with metal everywhere.

In fact, there are probably as many pubs as there are types of people. If you're young and want somewhere to party then you couldn't do better than the many branches of Walkabout or the cool bars of Shoreditch. If you'd rather find a lovely traditional pub that’s not a tourist trap then that's achievable too. For my money, I prefer my pubs with a traditional feel - a certain type of character you can't put your finger on. Perhaps it's the decor, perhaps the welcome, but you know it when you see it. As you often don't know what a pub is like until you walk in, I'll always just go and take a look inside. No-one's going to stop you, that's what they're there for! If you really don't like it or it's not what you're looking for, just walk out and go somewhere else.No-one will care.

Now, if it were just me, then here's a good selection of charming and traditional pubs across London that I go for (in no particular order. A couple of these are getting quite well-known to tourists, but none are tourist traps. Most are lovely and you'll be the only visitors in there. Just don't tell everyone: it'd be a shame to spoil them.

Enjoyed my guide to pubs? You could always buy me a pint! Have you got your hotel and flight sorted? And what other attractions are you going to see when you're here?

 

This guide last revised in Autumn/Fall 2010 and is updated every six months.

 



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