The word pub is short for public house. There may be more than 60,000 pubs in Great Britain (53,000 in Britain and Wales, 5,200 in Scotland and 1,600 in North Eire). One of the oldest pubs, Fighting Cocks in St. Albans, Herts, is found in a building that dates back to the eleventh century.

Pubs are well-liked social meeting places - Bars are a crucial part of Brit life. Folks talk, eat, drink, meet their buddies and relax there. Boozers regularly have 2 bars, one often quieter than the other, many have a garden where folks can sit in the summertime. Kids can go in pub gardens with their mum and dad. Groups of buddies routinely buy 'rounds ' of drinks, where the person whose turn it is will buy drinks for all of the members of the group. It is frequently complicated to get served when pubs are busy: folks don't queue, but the bar staff will customarily try and serve people who have been waiting the longest at the bar first. If you spill a stranger's drink by accident, it is good manners to offer to buy that person another drink.

UK Lager - Most pubs belong to a brewery (a company which makes lager) but sell many different types of lager, some on tap (from a massive container under the bar) and some in bottles. The most well-liked sort of English lager is sour, which is dark and served at 70 degrees (not hot, not cold). British beer is brewed from malt and hops. More well-liked today though is beer, which is lighter in color and served cold. Guinness, an exceedingly dark, creamy sort of lager called a robust, is made in Eire and is popular all over Britain. In the West of Britain, cider made of apples, is highly regarded. Like wine, it is described as best or dry, but is drunk in lager glasses and can be stronger than lager. Lagers are served in "pints" for a massive glass and "halves" for a smaller one.

Other Lagers served - Most pubs supply a complete range of lagers, local and imported, with German, Belgian and French lagers being in demand. Bars sell sodas as well as alcohol; although most folk think pubs are places where folks drink alcohol, pubs in reality sell alcohol-free drinks too. British people drink a mean of 99.4 liters of lager each year. More than eighty percent of this lager is drunk in pubs and clubs.

Opening Hours - English pubs are required to have a license, which is tricky to get, and permits the pub to operate for as much as 24 hours. Most pubs are open from 11 to eleven.

Bar Food - Almost all pubs sell pub lunches. One of these is the Ploughman's Lunch a great wedge of Cheddar cheese, some bread, some pickle, and an onion. Other common pub foods are scampi (sort of shellfish) and chips (fried potatoes), pie and chips, and chicken and chips.

Any pubs have a waiting service, where orders are taken by waiters at the tables and not paid for right away. There's often an indicator in the pub which tells you that diners will be served at the table. It is usual to tip your waiter / waitress at the end of the meal (approximately ten percent). Infrequently this is included in the bill. The landlord is the founder / one in control of the pub.