As the name suggests, a pub is a public house where drinkers can gather to relax and socialise. A pub can also serve food, and many have rooms for overnight stays. Unlike bars, which generally serve alcohol only, modern pubs tend to offer both meals and drinks. The type of drink served in a pub is usually beer, wine or spirits.
A pub typically has a range of facilities, including a pool table or dart board and juke box. Those that play pop music or hip-hop, for example, are usually called dance bars, while those that show rugby union and football on big screen televisions are known as sports bars. Some pubs also hold special events, such as tournaments of aforementioned games, pub quizzes or karaoke nights.
Many people believe that going to a pub is a destructive way to spend one’s time, but recent research has found that people who regularly visit their local pub are happier than those who do not. This is because pubs provide a productive social environment and encourage people to enlarge their circle of friends.
A good pub should be comfortable to sit in, have a grand view of the water, the cityscape or the countryside and preferably catch a bit of sunlight. It should be a pub with a history and an atmosphere, not a bar that’s trying too hard to be a gastropub. There should be a gentle hubbub of animated conversation, but no fist-fights (well, OK, maybe once in a blue moon). There should also be a sense of authenticity, not a pretence to culinary grandeur that turns a pub into a French-ish boules park or part-time disco.
