Food & drink
Nobody will explain that you order at the bar, that the kitchen shuts at nine, or that the roast is a lunchtime affair. Here is the whole unwritten system, plus what to eat and what it costs.
The pub, decoded
A pub is not a restaurant and not a bar. It has its own logic, and once you know it the whole country becomes easier.
What to eat
Ignore anything marketed at visitors. These are what people actually eat, and roughly what you should expect to pay in 2026.
Eggs, bacon, sausage, baked beans, grilled tomato, mushrooms and toast, frequently with black pudding. A whole day's calories before ten in the morning. Have it once, then switch to porridge.
Cafés, 07:00–11:30
Cod or haddock in beer batter with thick-cut chips, salt, vinegar and mushy peas. Better at the coast, best from a shop with a queue of locals rather than a menu in four languages.
Chippies, 11:30–21:00
Roast meat, potatoes done in fat, three vegetables, gravy and a Yorkshire pudding regardless of the meat. A lunchtime event: served from noon, gone by four.
Pubs, Sundays only
Steak and ale, chicken and leek, or steak and kidney, under proper pastry with mashed potato and gravy. The most reliable thing on any pub menu in winter.
Pubs, all week
Sandwiches, scones with jam and clotted cream, small cakes, endless tea. A two-hour institution rather than a snack. Book, and skip lunch beforehand.
Hotels, 14:00–17:00
Britain's other national cuisine, and genuinely excellent. Brick Lane in London, the Curry Mile in Manchester, Ladypool Road in Birmingham. Order a balti in the Midlands.
Everywhere, until late
Breakfast
Once is enough
Superb the first morning, unwise the second. Porridge and a good coffee for the rest of the week.
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Cream tea
Jam first or cream first
Cornwall says jam then cream; Devon says the reverse. Both will tell you the other is wrong.
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Tea
Milk, and not much ceremony
Builder's tea with milk is the default. Asking for it black is fine; asking for it iced will confuse people.
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Timing
This is the single biggest source of hungry evenings. Dinner service peaks at seven and the kitchen door shuts at nine, especially outside big cities.
| Meal | Served | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Breakfast | 07:00–11:30 | Cafés stop cooking at 11:30 sharp |
| Brunch | 10:00–15:00 | Weekends only, book in cities |
| Lunch | 12:00–14:30 | Pub kitchens often close 14:30–17:30 |
| Afternoon tea | 14:00–17:00 | Two hours, book ahead |
| Sunday roast | 12:00–16:00 | Frequently sold out by 15:00 |
| Dinner | 17:30–21:00 | Last orders 20:30–21:00 outside cities |
| Late food | 21:00–23:00 | Curry houses, kebab shops, chippies |
Typical hours · London, Manchester and Birmingham run later than everywhere else
Regional
Yorkshire puddings the size of a bowl, forced rhubarb in spring, and parkin in autumn. Whitby does the best fish and chips in England, and it is not close.
Whitby, York, Leeds
Pasties from a bakery rather than a chain, crab sandwiches on a harbour wall, and clotted cream on everything. Padstow and Fowey for seafood.
Padstow, Fowey
Balti, invented in Birmingham and still best there. Ladypool Road, ordered with naan the size of a table.
Birmingham
Manchester's Curry Mile, Lancashire hotpot, Eccles cakes, and Liverpool scouse — the stew the city is nicknamed after.
Manchester, Liverpool
Drinking
England's drinking culture runs on two things: real ale served at cellar temperature from a hand pump, and tea consumed at a rate that alarms visitors. Both reward a little curiosity.
Drink prices
Cheapest in the north, dearest in central London
£4.20–7.50
175ml; a 250ml glass is a third of a bottle
£6–11
Flat white is the default good order
£3.20–4.60
Usually enough for two cups
£2.80–4.20
Food questions
Check the bill first. Restaurants commonly add a discretionary service charge of 12.5%, in which case nothing more is expected. If nothing is added, 10–12.5% is normal. Pubs, cafés and takeaways expect nothing at all.
Yes, unless a table is marked reserved. Find a seat first, then go to the bar. Note the table number if you plan to order food.
It was, for about forty years in the middle of the twentieth century, and the reputation stuck. Modern English cooking is genuinely good, particularly in gastropubs and market halls. Avoid anywhere with a laminated menu in four languages.
£16–24 in a decent pub, and the difference between a good one and a bad one is enormous. Look for a pub that lists the farm, book by Friday, and go at one o'clock rather than three.
Outside major cities, yes, and often at 20:30 on a Sunday. Cities run later, and curry houses, kebab shops and chippies serve until eleven or midnight. Plan dinner before you plan the evening.
West Country cider, which is dry and cloudy rather than sweet. Failing that, English sparkling wine from Sussex or Kent is genuinely good, and every pub does a decent pot of tea.
Eating help
Tell us the town and the night. We will name somewhere that takes bookings, serves after eight, and is not aimed at visitors.
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