Dress Code in Pubs in London
May 7th, 2003, 10:32 AM
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Bizarre though it may sound, some pubs do have dress codes. They are almost always posted on the door. They can include:
- no "dirty working clothes" (ie, clothes, say, construction workers have been working in)
- no collar and tie, or formal suits (I swear! One or two pubs want to be fun places, and don't want people coming straight out of the office)
- no bare feet
- no whatever-is-the-sartorial-mark of whichever group the pub landlord doesn't want on his premises.These rules, in city centres heavily trafficked by young men, are often enforced by very large men at the entrance
Pub landlords, apart from having specific business models which might require certain clothes, are notoriously individualistic people. That individualism can present itself in all sorts of ways, including downright daft dress codes. But these codes are rare, and are unlikely to affect a visitor
Incidentally, it is becoming increasingly common in some areas (incl St Martins Lane in London on Fri and Sat nights) to have "no single, or groups of, men" entry codes.
- no "dirty working clothes" (ie, clothes, say, construction workers have been working in)
- no collar and tie, or formal suits (I swear! One or two pubs want to be fun places, and don't want people coming straight out of the office)
- no bare feet
- no whatever-is-the-sartorial-mark of whichever group the pub landlord doesn't want on his premises.These rules, in city centres heavily trafficked by young men, are often enforced by very large men at the entrance
Pub landlords, apart from having specific business models which might require certain clothes, are notoriously individualistic people. That individualism can present itself in all sorts of ways, including downright daft dress codes. But these codes are rare, and are unlikely to affect a visitor
Incidentally, it is becoming increasingly common in some areas (incl St Martins Lane in London on Fri and Sat nights) to have "no single, or groups of, men" entry codes.
May 7th, 2003, 12:40 PM
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FlannerUK: Are you there? You seem to be very knowledgeable about pubs, maybe you can help me. I'll be in London in a couple of weeks with a female traveling companion and hope to do more pub-hopping than sight-seeing. I'm "not gregarious" (to quote some old boyfriend) but nonetheless friendly enough and I do enjoy chatting with fellas whenever I can. What's the protocol in pubs? Your note about "no singles or groups of men" is disheartening, to say the least. Does that mean all the fellas will have dates? Is it considered poor form to converse with bartenders? Is there any way to find out what pubs cater to what groups (age, education, interests)? In other words, what's the best way (and best places) to meet some blokes, have some interesting conversaton and a few laughs, but go home alone? and, by the way - we aren't 22 anymore, we are educated but hardly coolly sophisticated, and have no tattoos or piercings. (good grief, I'm seriously having second thoughts about posting this - but, what the hey - here goes!) Thanks.
May 7th, 2003, 03:06 PM
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There could well be the odd Pub with restrictions, but I sure never encountered anything that would keep me out . . and I go back to the days of the "divided" Pubs with "gentlemen" on one side and workers on the other. I used to hang in the worker side, even in a suit and tie, because service seemed quicker there. No one ever objected, and in fact, I had many very good conversations while on the "wrong" side"
One thing you can do it to stick your head in and observe the crowd . . if they don't look like you want, go to another . . You will easily find one that you are comfortable in.
And . . a single woman entering a Pub does not carry the stigma they might in a bar in the U.S. . . you will see many singles, male and female in the Pubs, particularly the city Pubs after work.
Have heart and enjoy . . Rich
May 8th, 2003, 12:18 AM
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Usually the "no groups of singles" means no large group unisex groups and some landlords stipulate this to keep out hen and stag night parties etc. Both single men and single women are indeed allowed in pubs - they are not all full of couples!!
Apart from the ones mentioned above, such as no bare feet, no colours etc the dress code is pretty non-existent in the majority of pubs. Tends to be more casual than very smart in most but not all pubs but since many will go for a drink in the pub before going out to a club, this can depend on where the pub is.
Go, enjoy, drink and be merry!
Apart from the ones mentioned above, such as no bare feet, no colours etc the dress code is pretty non-existent in the majority of pubs. Tends to be more casual than very smart in most but not all pubs but since many will go for a drink in the pub before going out to a club, this can depend on where the pub is.
Go, enjoy, drink and be merry!
May 8th, 2003, 01:24 AM
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There was a post on this some months ago which included the following link to Kate Fox's 'Passport to the Pub'
http://www.sirc.org/publik/pub.html
Both tongue-in-cheek and founded on genuine sociological research (participant observation techniques, I would guess
, this should answer most of your concerns...
There are differences between big city-centre bars, which are more likely both to want to specialise and to have had trouble with large groups of people out on the town and therefore to have the kind of explicit rules mentioned above, and small 'locals' in residential areas, where you are, in effect, in the landlord's own house, and in what locals view as an extension of their own home. Either way it should be clear what the custom of the house is: but it's hard to believe anyone here would dress or behave to extremes anyway.
http://www.sirc.org/publik/pub.html
Both tongue-in-cheek and founded on genuine sociological research (participant observation techniques, I would guess
, this should answer most of your concerns...There are differences between big city-centre bars, which are more likely both to want to specialise and to have had trouble with large groups of people out on the town and therefore to have the kind of explicit rules mentioned above, and small 'locals' in residential areas, where you are, in effect, in the landlord's own house, and in what locals view as an extension of their own home. Either way it should be clear what the custom of the house is: but it's hard to believe anyone here would dress or behave to extremes anyway.
May 8th, 2003, 01:46 AM
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To everyone
My posting may have misled. Some pubs have dress codes: they're often odd, there's no consistency, and, as there's lots of pubs, there are a fair few with codes. But the absolute overwhelming majority (say 95%) don't have codes, and those that do practically always put them on their doors. So don't PLEASE let me mislead you. If you do find yourself in a boozer that bans red-haired people, there'll be lots nearby that don't.
Shanna:
I'm a bit old to be up to date on pick-up etiquette for girls. If you want to get the nuances of the code, and better directions than I can offer, the UK branch of the Lonely Planet forum site probably has the highest concentration of expertise on the issue: the code - not enforced by the pub but by the clientele - does vary a lot from place to place. Again, though, don't let me mislead you. Most towns have HUGE and highly boisterous pick-up zones, as well as more genteel chatting-up places (mostly wine bars) and the odd establishment that tries to make us old farts comfortable by protecting us from armies of young people on the pull.
I'd suggest the highest concentration of "pulling" bars close to central London is along Upper Street Islington, though any non-tourist place in Covent Garden will work as well.
Arm yourself with Time Out and the Evening Standard to keep in touch with music and comedy in the pubs.
The only way I can suggest for matching pubs to their predominant client type is to define yourself that way and think about where most such people are likely to be. But, oddly, I think it's a lot easier if you're gay or lesbian, as there are loads of "pink" guides. Personally I've never seen a guide to good heterosexual pulling places: my youth might have been more colourful if there were.
My posting may have misled. Some pubs have dress codes: they're often odd, there's no consistency, and, as there's lots of pubs, there are a fair few with codes. But the absolute overwhelming majority (say 95%) don't have codes, and those that do practically always put them on their doors. So don't PLEASE let me mislead you. If you do find yourself in a boozer that bans red-haired people, there'll be lots nearby that don't.
Shanna:
I'm a bit old to be up to date on pick-up etiquette for girls. If you want to get the nuances of the code, and better directions than I can offer, the UK branch of the Lonely Planet forum site probably has the highest concentration of expertise on the issue: the code - not enforced by the pub but by the clientele - does vary a lot from place to place. Again, though, don't let me mislead you. Most towns have HUGE and highly boisterous pick-up zones, as well as more genteel chatting-up places (mostly wine bars) and the odd establishment that tries to make us old farts comfortable by protecting us from armies of young people on the pull.
I'd suggest the highest concentration of "pulling" bars close to central London is along Upper Street Islington, though any non-tourist place in Covent Garden will work as well.
Arm yourself with Time Out and the Evening Standard to keep in touch with music and comedy in the pubs.
The only way I can suggest for matching pubs to their predominant client type is to define yourself that way and think about where most such people are likely to be. But, oddly, I think it's a lot easier if you're gay or lesbian, as there are loads of "pink" guides. Personally I've never seen a guide to good heterosexual pulling places: my youth might have been more colourful if there were.
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