British Pub Etiquette: How To Order, What To Get and Essential Advice
Pubs have been a core part of British community life for centuries. The name is a short form of Public House, and in small villages, you might find a pub even if the village has no shops!
Not quite a restaurant and not quite a bar, the pub is its own type of establishment. During the day they can be family-friendly – it’s common at weekends to see families with kids enjoying a pub lunch or Sunday roast.
In the evenings, they morph into an adults-only venue, sometimes with live music or pub quizzes.Â
So here is everything you need to know about how to visit a British pub like a local.
For even more UK travel tips, check out my full UK guide.
If you’d like to know what your own pub would be called, take a look at my free pub name generator!
How To Order and What To Get
Go To The Bar
Pubs aren’t restaurants – they don’t generally have table service. Standard practice is to find yourself a booth or table then head to the bar to order. If you are with other people, don’t all go to the bar at once and crowd the area.
Wait Your Turn
The pub staff will be keeping track of whose turn it is, so don’t try and skip the queue or make a fuss about not having been served yet.
Catch the eye of the staff so they know you want to order, and then just be patient. They’ll come to you when it is your turn to order.
Order in Rounds
If you are with several people the standard practice in pubs is to order in rounds. It’s more efficient for one person to order 5 drinks at once, than 5 people ordering and paying individually. It also makes the experience more communal and social.
Someone will ask what everyone wants and indicate they’ll buy the round of drinks. Once everyone is nearing the end of their drinks, another person will make the offer and get the next lot of drinks and so on.
Avoid ordering anything expensive when someone else is buying, and make sure that during the evening you buy a round of drinks.
If you don’t want to stay for multiple rounds make it clear at the beginning, and don’t participate in the drinking rounds. Just say you only want one or two and that you will sort yourself out separately.
Being clear that you won’t be drinking enough to be in the rounds is fine, participating in rounds when others are buying and then not buying a round yourself is considered to be very rude, and people will remember.
Order Guinness First
Keep the bar staff happy – if anyone in your round drinks Guinness, order that first. Ideally, you’ll list all the drinks you need in one go when ordering but always start with Guinness. When properly poured it has two stages and needs time to settle in between.
Ordering it last means that the staff member has to wait for the gap, rather than start pouring Guinness, and then making all the other drinks, before finishing the pint.
Pub Measures
The standard measurement for anything that could fall under the category of beer or cider will automatically come as a pint (473ml). You can ask for half a pint, but unless you specify, a pint is standard.
Avoid Complicated Drinks
Pubs aren’t bars. They aren’t the place to be ordering cocktails – the focus is on beer, cider, wine and basic spirits. The wine list won’t typically be very long. If you are ordering beer, look at what is on tap for the best options.
Order Non-Alcoholic Drinks
If you want to limit your intake, it’s perfectly fine to order a Coke, lemonade or other British non-alcoholic drink.
Just one word of warning – if you order some kind of juice, don’t expect the good stuff. Things like orange juice will be from a long-life carton or perhaps a bottle of J2O – don’t expect freshly squeezed juice!
An alternative option is to order a pint of ‘shandy’ – half beer and half lemonade. Still an alcoholic drink but not as strong as a standard pint.
Pub Etiquette
Last Orders
If you hear a bell ringing or the staff call out ‘last orders’ that is your last chance to get a drink before the pub closes.
You Don’t Need To Tip
Tipping isn’t expected in pubs. British tipping etiquette is very different to the US anyway, but in a standard British pub when ordering at the bar you don’t need to leave a tip.
Don’t Be Surprised By Animals
My local pub has a resident cat. It sits wherever it wants, wanders between tables as it pleases and interacts with the patrons if it chooses to.
Pubs are generally more dog-friendly than restaurants, so don’t be surprised if you see people come in with their pets.
Join In With Pub Events
I. Love. Pub Quizzes.
I get very enthusiastic about the prospect of a pub quiz. It’s perfectly acceptable to sit them out, but many pubs host quiz nights.
The quizmaster will go from table to table and ask if you are participating. There is usually a small fee to join in, such as £1 per person, and the winning table collects the pot.
Some pubs use quizzes they find online, others are a bit more creative.
I used to go to a pub where one of the rounds focused on whatever pop culture stories the quizmaster found interesting the week before. We’d try to guess what stories Lawrence would have liked to work out what the questions might be.
Don’t take it too seriously – some pubs have groups who do the quiz every week and have a good idea of the types of questions that’ll come up. Don’t get annoyed if you lose to those people – it’s just a bit of fun.
Some pubs have dart boards or pool tables – if you want to use them, be polite, take note of who else might want to have a go and wait your turn.
Conclusion
Pub culture is deeply ingrained in the British way of life. Visiting a pub when in the UK is a great way to experience one aspect of local life. They are a great place to chat with your friends, enjoy a few drinks and relax.
Whether you are in a city centre or a country pub, try to visit one when you are in the UK for a genuine experience of local life.
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☕ Travel in the UK doesn’t have to be all royal palaces and rainy days — find more relaxed, real-world tips right here.
