What makes a great pub?

15 comments

1. Staff make a pub

2. Good beer selection, knowledgable bar staff, absence of fruit machine, music at reasonable level, no aggressive twats.

3. [we did this three days ago](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskUK/comments/uocgqg/what_qualifies_as_a_good_pub/)

4. Moretti is a good start. A good garden.

   I don’t like complicated bathroom signs

5. Open fire.

   Pub dog.

6. A good fire and a friendly pub dog.

7. – A large, intimidating, pub dog
   – A decent sized car park for conflict resolution
   – A very very dicey carvery
   – A jar of pickled eggs
   – A permanently piseed, Mark E Smith type who is inexplicably good at pool
   – A jukebox which only has a 50% chance of playing what you request
   – Frequent, utterly shit, karaoke nights
   – A condom machine outside of the toilets that hasn’t been used since 1998

8. Check out Men Behaving Badly, episode called “Good Pub Guide”.

   That’ll tell you everything you need to know

9. A nice cider on tap. Such as aspalls.

10. A flat roof

11. Where you can have a conversation in comfort and without having to shout above the shit music and the braying drunk idiots who knock into you or your table.

    I’ve never been into that even when I was in my 20’s. Even less so now.

12. Good beer (at least a few real ales), friendly staff, ideally an interior that has been left alone for a long time. Fireplace that actually gets lit from October-April. If it’s a larger pub I always like a dart board and a pool table, they are good for social interaction.

    What frustrates me? Table reservations. Stark, unwelcoming interiors. Fireplace that doesn’t get lit. No real ale.

13. decent range of ale and cider

14. I think staff really are the key to a great pub, they set the atmosphere. A good experience with staff sets you up for a good time. Good beer is also crucial, do not want the stress of having to take back a pint of vinegar then argue with someone who says it’s fine.

15. Heart sink is a coffee machine. If you want coffee fuck off to Starbucks

    Also if you want a cocktail and the pub unfortunately offers them … you should join a separate cocktail queue.