Public house facts for kids

The Sun pub, a traditional place that serves drinks

The Gate, a pub built in the 1900s in Leeds

Public houses, usually called pubs, are places where people can buy and drink beverages. They serve drinks like beer, cider, and ale. They also offer non-alcoholic drinks such as lemonade, cola, tea, and coffee. You drink these inside the pub. Pubs must follow special rules called licensing laws. If they don't, they can be closed down. Many pubs also sell food, like fish and chips or meat pies.

You can find pubs in English-speaking countries such as England, Wales, Ireland, Scotland, Canada, Australia, and the United States. In many villages and small towns in England, Wales, Ireland, and Scotland, pubs are important community places. Some pubs have bands or singers to entertain their customers. If a pub has rooms where people can stay overnight, it is often called an inn.

How Pubs Are Run

Pubs can be owned and managed in different ways. Sometimes, companies that make beer own many pubs. Other times, large food and drink companies might run pubs like a franchise. No matter who owns it, a pub is managed by a "landlord" or "landlady."

Who Works at a Pub?

Many people work at a pub to give good service.

• Bartenders (also called "barmen" or "barmaids") serve drinks at the bar.
• Most customers order their drinks at the bar. They wait for the drinks to be made, then carry them to their tables or seating area.
• Some pubs have servers, called waiters or waitresses. They bring drinks to people sitting at tables.
• Some pubs also have staff to clear away empty bottles and glasses. Often, bartenders do this too.

Food and Entertainment

Pubs that serve food have cooks, dishwashers, and servers. These staff members prepare, cook, and serve the meals. Bands and singers who perform in the evening are usually not regular employees. Instead, the pub makes an agreement with them. The entertainers agree to perform on a certain day for a set amount of money.

Pubs and Nightclubs

Another type of place that serves drinks is a nightclub. Like pubs, some nightclubs also serve food and have entertainers. Most people go to nightclubs to enjoy music and dancing.

Drink Choices

Nightclubs often have a much wider selection of alcoholic drinks than pubs. They usually sell many different kinds of spirits, liqueurs, wine, and other drinks. Bartenders at nightclubs often make a larger variety of mixed drinks, also known as cocktails, compared to those who work in pubs.

Images for kids

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  A country pub with a thatched roof, The Williams Arms, near Braunton, England

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  A city pub, The World's End, in Camden Town, London

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  The Ale-House Door, a painting from around 1790 by Henry Singleton

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  An 1899 map showing the number of pubs in central London

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  Ye Olde Fighting Cocks in St Albans, England. It holds a Guinness World Record for being the oldest pub in England.

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  Peasants before an Inn by Dutch artist Jan Steen from about 1653

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  Goldfinger Tavern, Highworth, a pub from the mid-1900s

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  The inside of a typical British pub

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  A Victorian beerhouse, now a pub, in Rotherhithe, Greater London

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  The Eagle, City Road, Islington, London. It shows a line from a nursery rhyme about an older pub on the same spot.

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  The Clock, Birmingham – a pub built in a mock Tudor style. It was later taken down for the expansion of Birmingham Airport. Many like it were built between the world wars.

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  The Crown Inn Chiddingfold

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  The Dutch House (now closed), a typical 1930s roadhouse on the busy A20 road in Eltham, Greater London.

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  The pub sign of The George, Southwark, showing St George fighting a dragon

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  Indoor Quoits being played at a pub in Parkend, Gloucestershire.

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  Pub grub – a pie served with a pint of beer

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  The Sun Inn, Herefordshire. It is one of the few remaining "parlour pubs."

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  'The Crooked House', Himley, is famous for its extreme lean. This was caused by the ground sinking due to mining.

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  Ye Olde Man & Scythe, Bolton

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  A pub being taken down in 2008

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  Jamaica Inn in Cornwall inspired a famous novel and a film.

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  The Red Lion in Whitehall is near the Houses of Parliament. It is often visited by Members of Parliament (MPs) and political journalists.

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  U Medvídků, one of the oldest pubs in Europe

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  Pub Pikilinna, an Irish-style pub in the Tammela area of Tampere, Finland.

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  The made-up Queen Victoria pub from the TV show EastEnders, London

See also

In Spanish: Pub para niños