Solo Etiquette

[Flite]

I do find that a lot of pubs don't serve evening meals on Sundays (having spent all day serving Sunday roast lunches)
Otherwise, I have often found them happy to take orders at 6.30 - 7.00ish and you get better attention then.
More touristy places have longer hours than deeply rural local pubs.
Staff can be quite chatty (it goes with the job), but I usually take a book or magazine to read if its quiet.
I often just ask for water with a meal - it's much more common than it used to be, so you won't be considered odd for not drinking alcohol.
As a veggie, I get a bit obsessed about finding good food but most pubs I have tried can be flexible about their menu especially at quieter times.

[foxyrider]

Interesting thread, and useful for many solo tourists I suspect. I'd add two bits of advice:
Firstly, I wouldn't eat at a restaurant where it's busy; sometimes you'll get bad service because you're taking up a table where 2 or 4 may have otherwise sat, and they'd bring in more money that a solo.

I have been on the back hand of this, couples etc getting better service because the waiters think they are worth more only for them to order coffee worth £5 or £6 whilst the person they avoid serving racks up a bill in excess of £25! Its a problem within the trade generally, you don't tend to find it happening in 'non european food' vendors but rather in establishments who clearly know 'their' ideal clientelle. I've taken to leaving reviews on trip advisor which will include such treatment - maybe one day they'll get the message - hungry cyclists can be worth more than lazy car drivers!

[foxyrider]

If the locals are speaking welsh, move to another pub

Only Welsh? it does limit your touring a bit if you only tour where the pub customers speak English
One of the advantages I find of touring in non English speaking areas is that you are not distracted by conversations which you just can't help overhearing when dining alone.

Its when you walk into a shop/bar etc and they are all talking English only to swap to Welsh when they realise a 'furrener' is there. Its about the rudest behaviour possible. I have no issues in any country if people are using the local language, why would i but to swap like this shows real 'chip on the shoulder' issues persist. In Germany or Denmark i've had the locals start speaking English when they know an English speaker is about - Welshies, get your act in order!

[andrew_s]

Some pubs use table numbers, so you find a seat, note table number and then go to bar and order food and they bring it to the table.

It's handy to take a jacket that you can hang on the back of the chair whilst you are away at the bar.

The Eagles in Rhyader is good for food, though not so much for veggies.

[Emyr Parry]

Welshies, get your act in order!

Thanks for that bit of advice!

Emyr

[mcallaghan]

Interesting to note.

What passes for a 'Pub' here in the USA, from my experience really, is more like a restaurant with the main focus being around the bar, with the sort of dark colors one might find in a real pub - but there is still a hostess who will seat you (unless you want to eat at the bar, free-for-all in that case) and take your order. The Irish Pub here in town, which just closed, was a nice place to go but the 'English' food they sold wasn't great...and for a place billing itself as 'Irish' I would have expected to see a UK-dominated menu with a few American Favorties, not the other way around. I think they hand Bangers Mash, Shepherds Pie, Fish'n'Chips and maybe one more item.

Luckily, I am not a Veggie - I love me steak too much. St. Fagans has been recommended to me many times over and is certainly on my list. I have a free Saturday and Sunday in Cardiff. I was hoping to catch a Cardiff City pre-season game (looks like this past year they had a game on the same weekend) but am not counting on it. If there is, that will determine which day I go to St. Fagans. I'll be staying across from the Millennium Stadium too, very close to Cardiff Castle, so I imagine I should be able to find some decent food in that area.

Same with my days in Chester. I do remember a pub there - the Cheshire Cat - but I am not sure its located within the City, if its even still around. Its my last memory of Chester from the last time I was there. I try to avoid the Touristy areas though - typically bad service and overprice due to all the people. I'd rather be in the more 'local' parts which are hopefully a bit quieter.

Ironically, I tend to eat a bit earlier than everyone else here state-side for those same reasons - better service (generally) better food (it hasn't been sitting around for nearly as long) and quieter atmospheres. I'm a pretty quick eater, but I suppose that is the benefit of not having to make conversation while you eat.

[Vorpal]

There can be regional variations, but pubs aren't quite like in the USA. There's usually a 'bar' (or sometimes 'saloon') side, and a restaurant side. Children aren't allowed in the bar side, but it's often cheaper to order a meal, there. On the restaurant side, the menu may be different, and there is a higher expectation that you will pay a tip to your server. On the bar side, you never have to do this, but you can leave a small tip, if you are particularly happy with the food and service.

There's a little informaiton here.... http://www.sirc.org/publik/ptpchap1.html

[tatanab]

I'll be staying across from the Millennium Stadium too, very close to Cardiff Castle, so I imagine I should be able to find some decent food in that area. --------------- I'd rather be in the more 'local' parts which are hopefully a bit quieter.

That is pretty central. I used to live 20 miles away and if I went into Cardiff it would be early on a Saturday morning when the street cleaners are still cleaning up the mess and debris from the Friday night's antics. Pubs, bars, clubs will open very late on Friday and Saturday nights and like the centre of any large UK city it can be rather ---- "lively".

[thirdcrank]

There can be regional variations, but pubs aren't quite like in the USA. There's usually a 'bar' (or sometimes 'saloon') side, and a restaurant side. Children aren't allowed in the bar side, but it's often cheaper to order a meal, there. On the restaurant side, the menu may be different, and there is a higher expectation that you will pay a tip to your server. On the bar side, you never have to do this, but you can leave a small tip, if you are particularly happy with the food and service.

There's a little informaiton here.... http://www.sirc.org/publik/ptpchap1.html

There's probably enough stuff in that link to start a really long-running thread, but for the benefit of the OP, I'd say that the info about opening times is out-of-date. Putting it at its simplest, boozers can open at any time approved by the local authority. The separation of dining areas is now much less than was once the case, except for places which are very obviously a dining room. This dates back to another abolished aspect of the licensing laws which permitted extensions to licensing hours if meals were provided and there was a separate dining area. (A rich source of questions for police promotion exams.) Going on from that, dining areas used to be the most prominent exception to the "nobody under 18" law in pubs (another source of exam questions - other exceptions being licensee's children passing through to private accommodation..... ) Towards the end of the era of the old licensing legislation, "children's rooms" were permitted if they were approved by the Licensing Committee of the local bench. Around here, at least, the only stipulation the magistrates seemed to make was that children's room had to be "no smoking." That seems even stranger now that all pubs are smoke-free. IME, Children have the run of most pubs, especially where grub is a big part of the business.

One other point I noticed was the issue of paying with plastic. I don't suppose anybody is too keen on accepting a card for a fiver transaction, but I don't think there are many now that won't take plastic, especially for a tab. The only pub I've been in recently which didn't take plastic was the Ship at Low Newton and they put that down to having no phone signal. I fancy they may not take plastic in the Ship in Seahouses but the last time I was in there, there wasn't even a till: the money all went in a drawer.

[Heltor Chasca]

If you have a bit of time in Cardiff dont miss the Welsh Folk Museum at St Fagans http://www.museumwales.ac.uk/stfagans/, a remarkable institution, particularly the many buildings. Worth a whole day or more. Pontypridd Market on a Wednesday or Saturday morning will give you a real feeling of the valleys. Have fun, but avoid lavabread.

Al

+1 for this. One of the best places of this 'category' I've been to on 4 continents.

As far as solo-eating: I'm lucky in that I'm pretty gregarious so if I 'need' the company I can dip in or if I feel like being solitary, I can do this too. I quite enjoy either.
The only skill I haven't honed yet is how to stop the local regular/drunks giving me free life-coaching sessions! Why me? Reason no. 41 why I NEVER sit at the bar. It happens all around the World. I am a nutter-magnet. It's landed me with free drinks and conversation, but it's also landed me in trouble too![emoji55]

[Vorpal]

There can be regional variations, but pubs aren't quite like in the USA. There's usually a 'bar' (or sometimes 'saloon') side, and a restaurant side. Children aren't allowed in the bar side, but it's often cheaper to order a meal, there. On the restaurant side, the menu may be different, and there is a higher expectation that you will pay a tip to your server. On the bar side, you never have to do this, but you can leave a small tip, if you are particularly happy with the food and service.

There's a little informaiton here.... http://www.sirc.org/publik/ptpchap1.html

There's probably enough stuff in that link to start a really long-running thread, but for the benefit of the OP, I'd say that the info about opening times is out-of-date. Putting it at its simplest, boozers can open at any time approved by the local authority. The separation of dining areas is now much less than was once the case, except for places which are very obviously a dining room. ...

One other point I noticed was the issue of paying with plastic. I don't suppose anybody is too keen on accepting a card for a fiver transaction, but I don't think there are many now that won't take plastic, especially for a tab. The only pub I've been in recently which didn't take plastic was the Ship at Low Newton and they put that down to having no phone signal. I fancy they may not take plastic in the Ship in Seahouses but the last time I was in there, there wasn't even a till: the money all went in a drawer.

It must depend on where you go. In Essex and Suffolk the opening hours flexibility seems to have been used mostly to allow night clubs to stay open until 2 am. The pubs I've been in, still have separate rooms for bar/restaurant, and fairly traditional hours. A few are substantially less expensive on the bar side; the other's a bit fancy. Maybe the opening times are dated, but I've been caught out more than once, not being able to get a meal when I wanted one It was few years ago, now, but once when walking long distance, each successive pub I came to from 11 am until 7 pm was closed, until I got to my destination. My tiresome threshold for Boots sandwich+drink+crisps meal deals is quite low. As for paying with cards, yes, it's true that most places take them these days, but there are still some that don't. And there are also a few that always seem to have problems with the card machines, too.

[GasPipeWarrior]

St. Fagans has been recommended to me many times over and is certainly on my list. I have a free Saturday and Sunday in Cardiff. I was hoping to catch a Cardiff City pre-season game (looks like this past year they had a game on the same weekend) but am not counting on it. If there is, that will determine which day I go to St. Fagans. I'll be staying across from the Millennium Stadium too, very close to Cardiff Castle, so I imagine I should be able to find some decent food in that area.

Not sure which weekend you have in mind for visiting Cardiff, but later this year it's the Rugby World Cup and warm-up matches are taking place at the Millennium Stadium on Saturday 8 August and Saturday 5 September. Quite colourful and noisy events.....

[mcallaghan]

My full days in Cardiff are August 1st and 2nd. I head back to Chester on the 3rd (3 hr train ride) where I have the 4th in Chester and fly back to the states on the 5th.

Still lots of planning to do in regards to what to do with my days off.

[Dudley Manlove]

It's been a while since been over to Ireland, but it suprises me they'd eat so late.

Overhere pubs typically serve food till about 9-10-ish. It is probably normal to eat and hour or two before. It's a little confusing, as imo, at resturants, people will eat later and they might be open till 11 or 12. At least in cities or towns.

But it's quite informal, people eat at all hours and there's no big deal eating alone, late, or whatever. As long as they're still serving food, you're sorted. I agree with posts about staying in hostels if you want to socialise. In B&Bs people tend to keep to themselves, maybe the exception being breakfast.

[Dudley Manlove]

Spoons food can be a bit outofabox but the steaks are decent (especially if you pay extra for the aberdeen angus) and the beer is great, varied and cheap. No great etiquette at any time - select a table, note the number, order food at bar, relax.

Agree - as long as you stick to steaks, burgers, etc., you can't go far wrong. For the price tbh, you can't go far wrong with otherstuff, but the steaks do have the potential to be nice 'price disregarded' and not just good value.

Point about rural wales tho - often there's no pub and the hotel is the local watering/feeding hole? It's the impression I've got particularly up in the north and west anyhow.