The clubs and nightlife of London

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by Thaise Poerschke Freitas

Created on: July 08, 2008 Last Updated: July 09, 2008

If you decide to come to London to work for pubs/bars or restaurants as a start, you're going to enjoy this guide. If you just come to be part of the customer experience, here is where you're going to find what to order and how to make a bartender's life easier.

Differences between restaurants, bars and pubs: Basically pubs have that old English architecture. They usually serve food in a base "order at the bar". If they don't, you're going to find a welcome note saying "bring your own food, we provide the beer". While restaurants have table service, and an architecture according to the cuisine. The majority of bars only serve bar snacks and have a big list of cocktails and wines, while in pubs you'll find beers, soft drinks, spirits with the respective mixes and some wine. Champagne is found in any of them, though in less variety.

In London kids are usually allowed in pubs until 21h, and in some bars they're not allowed. In restaurants, there's no law. Teens over 16 and under 18, accompanied by a responsible, can have one pint of beer with a whole meal, not more than that. If not in these conditions, it's extremely prohibited to sell any kind of alcohol to under 18. Bartenders are going to ask for ID.

Pubs usually close at 23h, 22h30 on Sundays. These hours apply for almost every pub in London. The last orders happen at 10 to 23h. And after 23h, you'll have half an hour to drink up. After that, please, go away because the bartenders and the manager have to clean up and go home. Thank you!

Bars close later, sometimes midnight some others 3 in the morning. Restaurants close at 23h or midnight most of the time. Only a few stay open after this time, most of them very posh and expensive. Others turn to be a night club and stop serving food after a stipulated time.

Depending on the quantity of people dining or having drinks, some of these places have license for after the time they usually close, which means that, if it's too busy, the manager can decide to let the place open until later. On the other hand, if it's too quite, like on special dates as Christmas and Easter, or that rainy winter day, they can choose to close it earlier. So, don't be surprised if your favourite pub close before or still open later.
Here goes a list of the most common drinks that we sell, with tips of how to ask for them.

BEERS

There are types of beers: Lager, Ales, Wheat beer, Dark beer, Fruity and Blond beer.