‘What’s a subtle sign that a pub is a bit sketchy even before you’ve ordered a drink?’ – 21 hostelries to avoid like the plague

There’s nothing quite like a good British pub, is there? A place with a great selection of beer, a convivial atmosphere and hopefully a friendly resident dog.

And, equally, there’s nothing quite like a bad British pub, where you’ll receive a hostile stare from the locals, a pint of questionable Carling and a general feeling that you should escape before a brawl breaks out.

They’ve been discussing the more terrifying elements of UK “hospitality” on the AskUK subreddit after Rough-Foundation9208 asked this:

What’s a subtle, or not-so-subtle, sign that a pub is a bit sketchy even before you’ve ordered a drink?

For me it’s that uneasy nosiness when the entire room goes silent, and everyone eyes you up the second you walk through the door.

And people who wish they’d walked out again as soon as they’d walked in chipped in with their thoughts, like these…

1.

‘It has a flat roof. Massive “Sky Sports Shown Here” banners.’
–ProfPMJ-123

2.

‘England flag when it’s not the World Cup season.’
–hewhoisgay

3.

‘As a woman if I walk into a pub and I see no other women around, I’m not gonna want to stay. Just makes me feel uneasy.’
–LORD_VOLTALOX

4.

‘Sign on the door that says ‘locals only’. (I’ve actually seen this twice in London, one in Enfield and one in Croydon).’
–lukespicer

5.

‘Standard rule in our group is never go into a pub you can’t see in, never go to a nightclub you can see in.’
–AnonyCass

6.

‘Combo of Admiral/Lord in the name, faded Sky Sports banner and frosted windows with grills.’
–GeggingIn

7.

‘Meat raffle. Chair by the bar with a plaque on it.’
–MarkRand

8.

‘Plastic chairs. Landlord who drinks with the regulars and only goes behind the bar when someone is up to order. Ancient chalkboard sign advertising Fosters/Carling for like £2.50 a pint.’
–Emergency_Charge_262

9.

‘All the locals gathered at the bar yet none of the tables are occupied, you have squeeze in-between two people who continue their bollocks conversation while you try and order your drink and even start talking to the person behind the bar while they are serving you, completely oblivious to your existence. I get this a lot in posh country pubs full of mustard corduroy wankers.’
–OffWhiteBruceForsyth

10.

‘Covered in poppy flags and other such remembrance paraphernalia in July.’
–Huge_Efficiency4978

11.

‘Drunk barman, plastic glasses, bouncer on the door prior to 5pm, the Unholy Trinity (Fosters, Stella, John Smiths) on tap, no women, “you can’t sit there that’s Paulie’s seat” (Paulie has been dead since 2021), WD40 on flat surfaces in the toilets, being asked if I’ve booked a table on entry.’
–No_Ring_3348