A field guide to the great British pub

Why this site exists

Pubs are easy to take for granted until they are gone. The good ones are more than somewhere to drink: they are where a town keeps its memory, its gossip and its friendships. I started writing these pages to keep a record of the ones worth crossing a town for, and to give anyone visiting somewhere new a straight answer to the only question that matters: where should I go for a pint?

What you will find here

Reviews of individual pubs, organised by city and town. Write ups of beer festivals and food markets. City guides as they get written. Each pub page records the things people actually ask about: whether there is a beer garden, whether the dog can come, whether there is parking, what the beer is like and how the place feels on a normal evening rather than a press night.

Celebrating pub culture

This site is unashamedly on the side of the pub. That does not mean every review is glowing; it means the writing starts from affection for the institution. A pub that keeps its cask ale well, welcomes strangers and looks after its regulars is doing something quietly important, and it deserves to be recorded properly.

How reviews work

I visit, I drink, I eat if there is food, and I pay like anyone else. Pubs do not know a review is coming. Notes get written up soon after the visit while the detail is fresh. If a pub changes hands or changes character, the review gets revisited. When I get something wrong, tell me and I will fix it.

The full method, including how independence is kept and what happens when a pub disagrees with a review, is set out on how we review. Common questions are answered in the FAQ.