Opening Hours
Until recently, all pubs closed at 11 p.m. Other establishments with different licenses could stay open late (for example, sushi bars or discos), but pubs were required to close at 11:00. New laws allow pubs to close later. You can find some that are open until midnight or even 1 a.m., and some are open around the clock. However, the vast majority still operate until 11 p.m.
Ordering Drinks and Food
Locals always find it amusing to watch tourists in a pub. After all, it's one thing to visit your local restaurants in Sevastopol, and quite another to immerse yourself in an unfamiliar environment. So visitors sit at tables and wait to be served. But there are no waiters in pubs. If a customer wants a drink or a snack, they must order at the bar. They say some people don't understand what to do for a full 45 minutes.
When ordering food, the bartender asks where the customer is sitting and sometimes gives a flag number for the table. The order will be brought when ready. No, actually there are pubs with service, but they are very rare.
Tips
Tips are simple. They are present everywhere except English pubs. Here, you do not tip. That's the rule. The bartender is paid well enough and does not need anything beyond their salary. Moreover, it is not customary. Simply put, if you really liked the place and feel awkward about not tipping, say something like "and one for yourself" when ordering. The bartender might have a pint and put it on your tab.
The Queue for Drinks
The British queue is ever-present. This applies to the queue at the pub as well. Please keep track of who is in front of you and do not even think about cutting in line. The British would consider such an act a crime.
Pub Culture
Pubs are an integral part of British culture. A good three-quarters of the population visit them, and a third do so regularly (at least once a week). They serve the role of coffee shops, for example, in the USA. In small towns or villages, the pub becomes a true community hub. Every resident has an opinion about "their local," that is, the one they visit. In London, there is one problem: it is a city where too many bars claim to be "your local." For example, you might live within a ten-minute walk of 12 decent pubs and consider three of them fairly "your locals."
One of the best features of pubs is that you can drink beer outside - there are small tables and benches everywhere, where it's pleasant to have a beer with friends. Take a stroll through London in summer, after lunch on a Thursday or Friday, and you'll see pubs in front of which a dozen or more people are standing or sitting and drinking beer.
Summary
Even if a tourist does not like beer, they should visit a pub. The pub is a true center of British culture, and you cannot understand and experience this country without spending some time there. Out of 60,000 pubs in the United Kingdom, there will always be one nearby.