Does anybody know whether these pubs allow children in for lunches or dinners?
Museum Pub
Salisbury Pub
Sherlock Holmes Pub
Thanks!

According to the web Museum Pub does until 4:00; Sherlock Holmes does until 6:00 and the it appears the Salisbury does not.

When visiting pubs with kids it is always polite to send an adult inside to inquire if children are welcome (rules can change) and where they would like the family to sit. In our experience you'll get much nicer and better service if you don't just expect that your family has a right to be served.

I have been to England numerous times, and have never been to a pub that didn't allow children. A pub is a restaurant/bar. Now, there may be "bars" that don't allow children in the UK, but I'm yet to see one of those either. That's why they serve Shandy's! Have a great time..!

Isn't a shandy lemonade and BEER?

A pub is a bar that sometimes has food. Quite a few do not allow kids, especially in cities. And yes, a shandy includes beer and is therefore alcoholic and not allowed for kids under 18.

wanderlust clearly choses some very strange pubs to drink in.

It's actually an offence leading to near-certain licence loss (and possibly worse) for a licensee to allow children into pubs that don't have a separate eating area. These still constitute the overwhelming majority of British pubs.

Even many pubs that do have separate eating areas don't allow children in: in the course of far more mis-spent years cavorting round the pubs of St Martin's Lane (the street where the Salisbury is) than has been good for my bank balance, liver or waistline, I've not encountered a single pub there that tolerates children.

And without wishing to offend anyone, I know no responsible parent (except in the outer fringes of Stoke Newington liberalism) who'd contemplate taking their children into the Salisbury anyway.

Call it old-fashioned prejudice if you will - but rearing families has rarely been a priority for most clients at this, the queen of beautiful boozers.

how interesting. There must be versions like a shirley temple, because in the pubs I've been in, under Non Alcoholic Drinks, Shandy's are always listed, and it states they contain no alcohol.

I found this interesting site though;
http://www.timetravel-britain.com/05/July/pubs.shtml

it has a lot of info about the pubs, the rules and includes the comment about shandy's having beer in them. But I have seen - and even had a sip of - a shandy that didn't have any beer. Guess it was like a virgin daiquiri.

How strange. As Shandys only contain beer and lemonade (like 7-Up), then without the alcohol it would be just lemonade. Unless they use alcohol-free beer, but even that does have a small amount of alcohol in it.

Some prepacked shandy has an ABV of less than 0.5% and so, I believe, is regarded as a non-alcoholic drink which can be sold without a license.

A draught shandy would probably be at least 1.8% or so.

<u>wanderlust5</u>: Nope - that shandy someone gave you 99.999999% positive, did have alcohol in it.

A Shandy IS an alcololic bev . Anything else would be lemonade. Not what Americans call lemonade - but more like squirt/sierra mist/7up.

<u>lynny</u>: Pubs that have a separate dining room <u>might</u> allow kids - but not all will. And less will in London than in some country towns. Pubs that have outdoor seating often do allow kids - but again less so in London.

Pubs that are all one room for the bar and dining can't allow children.

The Sherlock Holmes has several rooms including an upstairs dining room so it would be OK - but it is really more of a tourist attraction than a typical pub.

The Salisbury is definitely NOT a children-friendly pub. It is a wonderful pub - but wander in and you will know at once whether you are comfortable there or not (I mean an adults-only visit - not kids)

My family's non-scientific poll of London pubs over a seven-week visit in the autumn of '04 concluded that no pubs allow children. After doing precisely what sprin2 has suggested -- time after time -- we finally stoped trying altogether.

It was quite pitiful when our two and a half year old was heard to wail outside a pub near Eaton Place, &quot;but I WANT to go in the pub! I really want to go in NOW!&quot; He was speaking for all of us, of course....

When I was in London I stopped by a couple of pubs and immediately left because the smoke was so thick. I don't think you would want to subject your children to that.

Don't weorry about smoke, pretty soon it's going to be barred in England.

In Scotland the ban starts March 26th

Finding a family-friendly pub in London is not as easy as in the countryside. And finding a family-friendly pub where you would want your family, can be harder. We rely on the Good Pub Guide and think the descriptions are helpful in picking pubs.

It is good to eat early (stop for lunch between 11:30 and 12:00 before the office workers) or later, after the lunch rush. Reservations (yes, reservations) can be good, especially in the gastropubs or crowded places like the Churchill Arms. Sometimes a pub will allow children, but if they don't have a table available they can't / won't let you in. Finally, if the weather allows eat outside -- almost every pub in the UK (but not all) will allow kids to sit outside (if there are tables) and eat.

I've got a list of &quot;children welcome&quot; pubs in London if families are interested.

Thanks for your helpful replies! I will NOT take the kids to the Salisbury. I think they would enjoy lunch at Sherlock Holmes with the displays!
Sprin, I am very interested in getting your list of family friendly pubs!
I promise--no shandys!

You can get bottled or canned shandy which has no alchohol. You would have to specify this in a pub though.

Otherwise a real shandy is 50% lemonade and 50% beer or lager. Although I know someone who likes them made with coke but that is a bit weird and all the barmen/maids look at him like he is barmy.

Sprin,
Which web site lists the hours that children are allowed?

Wow, I have never heard of parents wanting to take their children with them while they go to a bar/pub to have alcoholic drinks? We love our before dinner booze but I have always had a rule to never have alcohol while in charge of a child.

vacationwannabe,
If you're heading to the UK as part of your vacation then get used to the idea. I expect parents taking children to restaurants and bars in other parts of Europe and having an alcoholic drink isn't a big deal either.

Below are the sites I've found useful for scouting pubs where I would take my kids for meals in London (and the rest of the UK).

As I said we use the Good Pub Guide, and they have a searchable web site http://www.goodguides.co.uk/pubs/search.asp although we always buy the guide. You can usually find it in the travel section of Borders or B&amp;N to look through.

I also find these websites useful Timeout http://www.timeout.com/london/
search on bars &amp; pubs

http://www.fancyapint.com/ Good for overall pub advice, although their kid / family info isn't as extensive.

http://www.pubs.com/
Will note when children are allowed, but I don’t know how comprehensive the pub listings or info is.

http://www.thepubfinder.net
They have a symbol for children / families but their reviews and information isn't well populated.

http://www.beerintheevening.com/
Enter London and Children in the search guide

http://www.pub-explorer.com/index.html
Lists play rooms / family rooms, although again I don’t think it is well populated.

I'm also fond of CAMRA's Good Beer Guide, but you can't really search it online and get much family information. It is a great purchase for serious beer lovers and the print guide lists reliable family info. CAMRA also publishes some regional family pub guides (don't think there is one for London) but I've found that they aren't really well conceived and just hit the most popular pubs allowing kids, which aren't always best for families.

lynny, happy to send my list if you post your email...