What is an English Pub...restaurant, bar? Best place for pub

Sherlock Holmes pub was fun. They served the traditional English pub food on the ground level, there were locals there as well as tourists, and it has the advantage of being quite close to many of the theatres. There is also an enjoyable pair of Sherlock Holmes display rooms (bought from some exhibition) upstairs, which you can view, even if you are eating in the pub and not the upstairs restaurant. But there are lots of other pubs in that area.

PUB is short for Public House. Originally they were places that served as a sort of village town hall or social club. Now they combine a place for social actiity, drinking, and sometimes food. "Typical" pub grub includes things like shepherd's pie, steak and ale pie, roast chicken, sandwiches, plowman's lunch(bread, cheese, pickels)bangers and mash, hunter's chicken (BBQ and cheese),etc., as well as snack type items (fries, etc.). Some will serve fish and chips, "Sunday" roasts (chicken, beef, pork, etc),and what some think of as comfort food (meatloaf, etc.)Quailty can vary drastically (some of the best meals I ate were at pubs as well as some of the most forgetable) "Gastro pubs" are much more upscale and cutting edge with the food. The menu will be posted outside the pub. We like the Shakespeare, across from Victoria Station. Hubby loved their fish and chips and I usually got shepherd's pie or similar.

The best advice for pubs is to try one or two in the neighboring vicinity. In my first trip to London, I criss-crossed the city a few times going to other peoples' recommendations. After two or three samples, I realized they were no better or worse than the pubs in the immediate area where I stayed.

We have lunch at Lamb & Flag near Covent Garden on every trip to London and have always had really good food. I think it is prepared by some older ladies and has a real "home cooked" appeal. Meals are served upstairs so pass on through the crowded lower level which is usually packed with people in for a pint. The building itself is ancient and interesting--had a sordid past--but upstairs is cozy and comfortable. And the menu offers plenty of items other than fish & chips.

Just another word - restaurants are usually more expensive, while pubs are more informal, and many locals stop there just for a pint of ale, not to eat. Nevertheless, most pubs now serve food and some of it very good. We almost always prefer pubs to restaurants unless we're eating ethnic or out for a really big splurge. Julia

If all else fails, ask a local where they go when they want a pint and a meal. I do that everywhere I go and find I get the best food at the best price.

Joanna, I hope now you know what a pub is. I've never met a pub meal I didn't like, well almost never. Here is another vote for the Sherlock Holmes. It's at 10 Northumberland St. just off Trafalgar SQ. They are famous for their fish and chips and I like their bangers and mash but you're safe with ordering anything that hits your fancy. If a pub has a restaurant attached,as does the SH, food is generally cheaper in the pub. Ask your landlord where his favourite pub is.

To answer the question in your title, "bar or restaurant?" A pub is a bar. They are NOT full menu restaurants - they are primarily places to drink that also serve food to fill the non-drinking hours. Just like bars in the states the food probably isn't the best but can be good, simple and cheap and the menu is usually limited to certain cliches (but instead of "hot" wings and burgers it's steak pies and burgers.) That being said they do have a much more friendly feel than American bars.