In the UK very briefly last month, and saw signs on every pub we encountered to the effect that 'persons under the age of 21 are not allowed on premises'.

Is that so even if they're not served alcoholic beverages? What if they're there with their parents, looking to try their first taste of real 'pub grub'? Is the restriction absolute, or simply about drink service?

We just took a group of 16 to London and ate in several pubs. 10 of the 16 were under age 21. One of the adults would inquire before the whole group would enter and then we would go in to eat. We were a non-drinking group, so we didn't have any problems with those restrictions. We had lots of great pub grub and often were places in separate non-smoking rooms--YEAH!

The signs mean exactly what they say.

But the sort of pub that has that sign isn't the sort of pub where you'd get pub grub real ot otherwise as they will tend more to extremely loud music & expensive bottled drinks

Odd that every pub you saw had this sign.

Anyway, it tends to be city centre pubs with a 'lively' nightlife/clientele in rougher areas that have this restriction.

by law you can buy alcohol at 18 (and drink, in private, from 5), its just recently many pubs are trying to 'raise the tone' of the establishment by barring under 21s, whether theyre buying alcohol or not.

Its pretty discriminatory as it has nothing to do with the alcohol laws - I bet some lawyer could argue the case against it in an EU court of law.
Some pubs even require anyone looking 25 or under to show ID at the bar, which is most annoying to a 28 year old like me who looks 25, being ID'd for not being 18.

Out of interest, where were you ?

In my experience this is pretty rare and usually just seen at pretty rough pubs.

As someone else said by law you can drink alcohol at 18, there's some obscure law about over 14s (ish) being allowed in but not to drink alcohol, and many pubs (especially ones which serve food) allow children of any age up until a certain time, ttypically 8pm.

BTW all pubs are totally no-smoking now in Scotland.

Britain's pub laws are complicated. But in England, there's one universal law: the publican is widely known as 'guv'nor' because what he says, goes.

Quite possibly, as zupermaus hints, someone will try to get the EU to tell us how to run our pubs. Which might get the population to summon up the energy to quit that corrupt economy-killer. Except that the European Court of Human Rights, which is the fount of anti-discrimination laws, has nothing to do with the EU.

But, until that day, those (very, very rare in my experience, and I've mis-spent a great deal more of my life in and around pubs than JeffreyJ) "over 21's" signs mean what they say.

Pubs with them probably wouldn't mind a few young children eating shepherd's pie. But it's the 14-20 yo binge drinkers they're trying to keep out, and it really would be impossible to police (or even write with a straight face) an "under 14's and over 21's only" policy.

&quot;<i> . . . and saw signs on <u>every</u> pub we encountered . . . </i>&quot;

Either this is a great exaggeration or you were mostly in dodgy/&quot;clubby&quot; areas. You do say you were only there very briefly - like a couple of hours maybe??

I saw signs saying &quot;If you're lucky enough not to look 21 you have to prove you are over 18 to get inside this pub&quot;. My son who is 20 and lives in Uk often has to show his ID. Lucky him and the 28 year old!