MegaSack DRAW - This year's winner is user - rgwb
We will be in touch
As above really, friend of mine has just got the keys to his first pub in Barnsley town centre, he owns a brewery so apart from the lager the beer is all sorted
So over to you to what else makes a good pub these days or where is your favourite pub and what makes it your favourite?
The customers
Clean, comfortable, good beer, nice food if it provides any if any music not too loud that's for bars.
Not being in Barnsley town centre.
Good Beer
No telly except for occasional important sports event
Quiet or no music
Dog biscuits / water bowl available free ( always goes down well)
Real fire in winter
No telly except for occasional important sports event
No telly then.
Dog biscuits / water bowl available free ( always goes down well)
You must drink in some rough pubs, I prefer beer and pork scratchings.
Real fire in winter
Ooh yeah good idea.
bouncy bar maids .good peer chat
at least three beers on handpour - a session ale, a tasty one and a porter/ stout
two lagers - one premium, one cooking
selection of bottled beers and lagers
the obligatory guinness
cider for the ladies
full stock of spirits
proper coffee machine
jagerbombs
.
peanuts
scratchings
bombay mix
wasabi peas
.
attractive staff
jukebox
Friendly and lively atmosphere.
Cheap shots.
Good music on the jukebox.
Good staff is very important, bad staff that can kill a pub.
TandemJeremy - Member
Good Beer
No telly except for occasional important sports event
Quiet or no music
Dog biscuits / water bowl available free ( always goes down well)
Real fire in winter
Very much agreed. As long as "important" sports events does not involve soccer! 🙂 This pretty much describes my fave pubs! Most notably, the Malet. Best pub in the world. FACT.
Racist chat.
Dog biscuits / water bowl available free ( always goes down well)
No ****ing dogs. I HATE dogs in pubs. Especially in wet weather.
Dogs belong outdoors, not sniffing my crotch when I want a quiet beer.
amusing signs on the bathroom doors.
plus one for no dogs!
Chatty and friendly staff
Clean and unsmelly loos
Basic but good food - don't make it uncomfortable for drinkers to sit at a table (which seems to be happening increasingly)
Guest beers on a regular basis
Lock-ins
No ****ing dogs. I HATE dogs in pubs. Especially in wet weather.
This is Barnsley though - it's all rain and whippets up there right?
Good beer & single malt selection
Jukebox
No kids allowed
Real fire
A bar you can sit at
This is Barnsley though - it's all rain and whippets up there right?
Very good point. 😀
Which pub? I'm from Barnsley.
The key to a successful pub is the licensee and spouse being in the bar 80% of the times it is open.
When they hand over to character-free and conversation-phobic bar staff for most of the time the atmosphere goes down the pan.
These days a pub needs to do something that will prise its customers from in front of the telly at home. All to many just don't make any effort.
For me - no music o quiet enough music to talk over at a sensible level. A good choice of real ales AND well-kept lagers too (too many pubs concentrate on one to the detriment of the other).
Ample, well designed seating (ie, no seats where you are constantly bumped by others trying to get by).
Clean toilets.
A sticky carpet and almost equally sticky seating (bolted down of course with lightweight aluminium ashtrays)
A Smokey atmosphere to freshen up the lingering smell of stale beer, urine and vomit
Disgusting toilets with a clean surface and straw dispenser in the ladies'.
Lipstick-smudged, plastic glasses filled with rank beer
A duke box with American Pie and Paranoid.
Plastic plants, a dart board and pool room
Short-changing, foul-smelling, alcoholic staff
A clientel made up of bikers, slutty students, dirty old men and women of disrepute.
Good selection of well kept beer
Friendly bar staff
Interesting pub interior (not just a big hall)
No dogs, kids jukebox, video games/gambling machines, TV
Large beer garden for summer
Home Made food, good service, lack of gentrification & good booze.
The Hourglass in Exeter is my fave pub currently. If only it had a beer garden, but then it would be the Double Locks of 1984-1999.
On the dogs point - I think we know from previous posts that I am no dog lover 🙂
However my local encourages dogs - but they have to be on a short lead in the pub - tiny pub as well - no issues for me.
Definitely agree about no really loud music.
Decent beer garden is always a winner
One of the things I look out for in pubs is a decent single malt selection - even if I'm not drinking it at the time I think it's a sign of a 'proper' pub
Nice ales on tap - WELL KEPT 🙂
Interesting lagers, ciders etc
Live music can be good but usually chilled stuff and again not crazily loud - jazzy or folky stuff is good (others might strongly disagree!)
Fire is a good shout too
Decent pool table
No dogs
No kids
Telly dedicated to sports
Busty serving wenches with some idea on how to pour a pint
Blokes behind the bar you'd happily have apint with
Interesting and eclectic decoration
Four or Five real ales, maybe 2 house ones
A wide range of malts
Some more busty wenches
Background music you can listen to if you're on your own but doesn't drown out the conversation when you're not
No drunks - jakies, winos whatever you want to call them
No happy hours
Did I mention busty serving wenches?
I'm in favour of well behaved dogs and kids being allowed in.
decent lager either on tap or in the fridge.
decent ales on rotation.
Bar snacks
if they are doing food do it properly. have a selection of condiments
veggie option. flexibility. "that doesn't come with chips"
no 'roasts only' on a sunday. if i only get to eat out once a week i don't want a roast forced on me becasue it is the 7th day of the week.
no snooty ****in staff who turn their nose up cos you are a bit muddy from a ride.
comfy chairs
good beer
barkeeps of ample bosom (ideally women, but I'm open minded)
no sodding football on the telly.
no telly.
2 volume settings on the jukebox: 'quiet' and 'off'
lots of lovely beer.
lots of seating.
no dickheads.
all of which is probably very unprofitable...
Dogs, fire, good beer/ale and proper cider and in the middle of nowhere
Are there many middle aged, grumpy, dogphobic, kidphobic, workshy IT 'professionals' in Barnsley town centre? If not you might be asking in the wrong place!
EDIT - I missed off titobsessed
Dogs belong outdoors, not sniffing my crotch when I want a quiet beer.
You need to associate with a better class of woman. 😉
town centre changes things a lot.
space. space at the bar to get served, spaces to sit and drink, covered space for the smokers outside without obstructing the door or tainting the view of the pub for incoming customers
bar staff quick, efficient, friendly, conversationally-abled - they must be able to remember a round and regulars favourite tipples
music should suit the time and the clientelle, so louder and livelier during busy evenings is acceptable
secure bike parking
dogs and kids are a no for me in a town centre pub, they should only be allowed under strict control anywhere else.
comfy chairs dont promote drinking, but neither does being forced to stand..... plenty of small tables and chairs that can be regrouped as required
floor should be tiled, and muddy boots, bikers, dogs welcomed
no tv, no quiz, no 'gastro-pub'
pub should be actively involved in the community as far as possible - but i dont mean a darts league and the sunday football team particularly as this makes the pub seem cliquey to outsiders
Thanks for the comments and glad to see it's about what we have discussed already but got some good pointers thanks..
Regarding the beer he owns a brewery so there should be good cask beers on and is looking at Premium lager (Bernard)& some good ciders...
Best pub I've ever been in:
Cracking beer list, cracking jukebox and possibly the best looking barmaid I've ever seen
Regarding the beer he owns a brewery so there should be good cask beers on and is looking at Premium lager (Bernard)& some good ciders
Good brewery beer can fail if the landlord is crap at looking after it though.
Missed it was a town pub.
So dogs limited to beer garde.
Kids until about 7-8pm unless out for a family meal
Music yes depending on day of week and time of day.
Sport on TV might be a necessity then to keep customers.
low tolerance to bad behavior, . . . would be high on my list.
Don't sell WKD or cheap lager, that should keep the rif raf out!
Sport on TV might be a necessity then to keep customers.
Dunno about this. I don't think you NEED a TV in a pub at all (imo). You get sports bars for that. My local doesn't have a TV and it's always busy. There are plenty of people not interetsed in sport to keep a good pub busy, even during a big event.
My list would be,
No TV (I can watch TV at home)
good beer
good food
nice staff
nice locals / patrons
nice garden for the summer
not having to queue for too long
somewhere to sit
good food, but not at the expense of a pub atmosphere.
if i wanted to see the tables already laid, i would go to a restaurant
As this thread is also being used to promote fave pubs
check out 'the wheel' in naphill - bucks
or the star inn' - talybont, which incidentally has a beer festival on this weekend
Before you make any call you need to decide your market. A pub that caters for a young crowd who are "on the town" will be very different to one that caters for an older "out for a couple of drinks" crowd.
Dunno about this. I don't think you NEED a TV in a pub at all (imo)
I don't either but town centre pubs need to pull in customers and football games sadly attract a lot customers into pubs.
What my local does witht eh TV is it is on for stuff the bars regulars want - so Scotland Football and rugby internationals only. Ie its a service the the regulars not a tool to attract people
Hold on a minute - blokeowns a brewery doesn't know what makes a good pub? Bloody hell - what is the world coming to...?
Lots of the pubs described up there are the quintessential country pub. Which is fine and that, but this is Barnsley. Where men are men...and so are most of the women.
Pubs in towns are for drinking, not eating. Unless the food you do is homemade, quick and wholesome. I've seen sausage barms (sorry, I've become northern - baps) rustled up just like that, speciality pies and pasties, and - in Sunderland - new potatoes with butter and mint.
As it's a drinking pub, the bar needs to be clear of crap and nicely lit. Soft drinks come from bottles, not those horrible hose things. Beers revolve regularly, and they're all well kept (even the cooking lager).
Floor is tiled or boards - no carpet. Ever.
Tables are small - people only need to put their drinks down and it makes standing easier.
No bar stools. These attracts regulars, who are usually pillocks. Also makes it hard to get to the bar.
Decent selection of spirits (not just scotch - vodka, etc.). Served from the bottle - via a measure - into the glass. No optics.
Belgian beer. Every pub should have a proper (not just Leffe Blond or Duvel) selection of Belgian beer.
My favourite city centre drinking pub: Britons Protection in Manchester.
Roast Potatoes put out as bar snacks, also a meat raffle goes down well!
blokeowns a brewery doesn't know what makes a good pub? Bloody hell - what is the world coming to...
Very different things though - making beer is entirely different to selling it.
the locals make a pub what it is.. new owners often fail to realise this..
hence the long drawn out death of the traditional english boozer..
tragic really
mind you, no tv but kids and dogs allowed [url= http://www.theoldforge.co.uk/ ]here[/url] which is about as good a pub as I know.
good beer and a sunny garden
No tv,
No music
No lager
Good mix of people
Good local ale
Dog friendly
No miserable anti dog people
Ancient characterful building
Run by same family for generations
Welcoming of muddy boots and wet bums
I seem to have described my local The Bell, Aldworth
+1 ourmaninthenorth
..and that's coming from a publican...!
I think ourmaninthenorth may have missed his true vocation in life
Good Beer
Telly, it's a city centre bar for god's sake, doesn't need to be blasting out at all hours.
Lots of loud music, juke box so the punters can choose
No dog biscuits / water bowl ( it's a city centre pub FFS!)
Real fire in winter for everyone to stand around rather than going to the bar...
Good beer.
Tapas.
Outside seating/beer garden
All depends on his target market. What's around him? Young lively bars for students? Trendy bars? Dominoes for the oldies bar?
which pub is it in barnsley? i'll pop in when it's open and report back 😉
My favourite city centre drinking pub: Britons Protection in Manchester.
Good man. Only pub I've ever been in that has a whisky menu.
Anyone who doesn't like dogs automatically barred. I'd rather have a damp dog scrounging the odd crisp or peanut than some boring to$$er talking about work or football! No telly. No Tapas. It's Barnsley not Barcelona.
Anyone who doesn't like dogs automatically barred. I'd rather have a damp dog scrounging the odd crisp or peanut than some boring to$$er talking about work or football! No telly. No Tapas. It's Barnsley not Barcelona.
Is this directed at me?
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Not been to the bell for probably 18 years but back then it did not actually have a bar just a serving hatch, is that still so?
Bazz > that's a bloody disgrace. Plastic glasses?
Mossimus, yes still the same serving hatchand still run by same family. If you went now it would be the same as last time! Looking at my previous post I agree I wasnt describing a town centre pub but a country pub.
Where everybody knows your name and they're always glad you came - Cheers.
Where everybody knows your name and they're always glad you came
He's got a pub, not a "happy ending" massage parlour....
+1 ourmaninthenorth..and that's coming from a publican...!
I think ourmaninthenorth may have missed his true vocation in life
I'm not a fan of drunk people when I'm sober. So, if I were to run a pub, I'd be a diseased alcoholic just to get through the day.... 😉
I find our local ideal:
weekly guest ale - tick
range of fatty/salty snacks - tick
open fires on cold wet nights - tick
use of hosepipe in the yard to hose down bikes/boots/riders post ride - tick
no complaints about mud deposited on carpet or seats - tick
A very personal thing I'm sure.
In summer, a well maintained garden with well serviced benches (i.e. plates cleared away regularly) far enough from each other that you can't easily be overheard, and a nice safe kids area where they can't be heard.
In winter a roaring log fire or two.
Whatever the time of year roomy interior (not tables fitted in as tight as they can get them) friendly attentive staff, unchilled bitters and ales (yuk!), a welcoming attitude to well behaved children, an unwelcoming attitude to misbehaved children and/or adults, a lovely dog, a friendly cat, other pets a bonus. Good food freshly cooked. Out of the way and not 'popular'.
Live music events, barbeques, etc. all good.
Oooh, and no bloody TV!
selection of ales, possibly including a local one
clean glasses and well kept beer
simple food/menu but well executed
A decent range of wines, kept in decent nick. For da laydeez. Or indeed gents who prefer wine to beer. None of your Stowells of Chelsea wine-box pish.
Our pub-going habits have fallen off a cliff over the last couple of years and one of the main reasons for this is that 'er indoors is invariably served a glass of stuff that would taste better poured over her chips and is charged near enough a fiver a glass for it.
Space. I hate being shoulder to shoulder.
Good staff and plenty of them so you don't have to wait too long queueing.
Good beer and a good selection.
No. I think we just differ in who we'd rather drink with. I'd rather have a drink with a wet smelly dog than with someone who wants to watch telly and eat Tapas. Each to their own. 😉 An open mike night and pork scratchings no problem with that.
No silly cocktails that take ages to make. Or at least separate queues for those who want a drink and those who want to watch the barstaff dance about for 20 minutes with a flask.
No bottles of cheaply made third world lager - you know the ones, trendy label, less than half a pint in the bottle. Tastes like watered down fosters / carling but they want £6 a time. Peroni and that Mexican one are the usual suspects.
Good man. Only pub I've ever been in that has a whisky menu.
You have never been drinking in Scotland then ?
There's two main this a pub should have
1 excellent drinks in the right glasses and
2 excellent staff if I walk into a pub and don't get served quickly or get served a shit pint I will leave
what makes a pub good?
You can please some of the people all of the time.
You can please all of the people some of the time.
But, you can't pease all of the people all of the time.
Food to mean crisps and scratchings. No kids.
Beer, in tip top condition