Cool (for teens) London Pub
 

I want to take 16 and 19 year old girls to a pub for lunch or dinner. Where would you recommend? We have tentative hotel reservations in Bloomsbury at the Montague. Do you think the hotel is too dowdy for teens?

Odd question. What did you want out of a pub? Cask ale? 3 or 4 star Cask Marque? Live music? Eel pie? CAMRA rated? Historical interior? Hip and modern? Chock full of locals? Thai food? Cheap 2 for 1 specials? A chain property?

Any pub will probably be cool for teens.

Really depends where you will be on any particular day - I wouldn't journey across London to simply experience a pub lunch; you could likely do this every day at lunchtime.

Time Out reviews pubs in many neighbourhoods.

http://www.timeout.com/london/bars-pubs

And of course the 19 year old will be old enough to drink. Plus young people aged 16 or 17 can drink beer, wine or cider with a meal if it is bought by an adult and they are accompanied by an adult.

https://www.gov.uk/alcohol-young-people-law

the 19 yo can go into any pub she wants w/ or w/o you.

<<Any pub will probably be cool for teens.>>

They're teens, nothing is cool.

Fact is, your 19 year old can do whatever the heck she wants viz. pubs.

And since she and her sister are both higher teens and capable of using the internet, make them do the work - after all, they'll figure out what's "cool" to them better than you or a bunch of old blighters on Fodors.

We stayed at the Montague with our son some time ago, when he was 10yo (he's 21 now), and he loved it. It's very English. One evening we had drinks in their bar (he had tea), and it was peaceful and beautiful. We have stayed there since then, minus kids. Mostly we don't get their (expensive) breakfast, and eat our usual light breakfast elsewhere; one time we did eat there, and the breakfast area was full of demanding older guests.

We love the Bloomsbury area (but usually stay at a less expensive hotel), and have had drinks at several area pubs. To us Americans, some pubs seem unfriendly and have more locals; others are just fine (just like bars where I live, I would go into some, but not others). Also, it seems to be English custom to stand outside with your drinks; us adults would rather sit down when we drink. We've had drinks, with son (when 18) at the Museum Tavern just down the street, but not a meal.

A well-known pub that we met London-based friends at, but again only for drinks, is Lamb & Flag. It was a lovely Friday evening, and packed - we stood outside.

We found that application of food and beverage rules for under-18s to be confusing for us; an employee a one pub told us locals don't always understand them either. I decided it was similar to how some establishments apply laws where I live - to make their lives easier, in terms of who they have to card, they may prohibit anyone under 18, whether they're eating or not. I'm ok with that, it's a business decision.

Thanks, Lexma, glad you liked the Montague. Will skip their breakfast and take a look at the Lamb and Flag but not for breakfast.

This may give you some ideas

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...-in-london.cfm

>>Also, it seems to be English custom to stand outside with your drinks<<

Smokers have to stand outside, and in London groups of office workers having a drink on the way home may find it easier than getting space together inside. But it's really not a custom for the rest of us.

>>Also, it seems to be English custom to stand outside with your drinks;<<

Not unless you take up smoking between now and your trip (or already do)

A lot of times people stand outside because it is a rare nice day and we want to enjoy it, or because it's cooler outside than inside!