Key Difference: Bars are retail business establishments that serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. It caters to a more vibrant, younger crowd that is looking to get drunk. A pub is generally just a place for locals to hang out, eat, and drink.

Bar and Pubs are both places where people can come together, hang out, drink and have fun. This is commonly why both these places are believed to be the same, but they are not. Though these differ, a Pub is a type of a Bar.

Bars are retail business establishments that serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ‘bar’ is derived from counter where the bartender serves the drinks to be public. Bars are more for a younger crowd, where people just come to get drunk and have a good time. They serve a variety of alcohol such as beer, wine, gin, rum, cocktails and mocktails, and offer a limited menu, with few appetizers and food options. In many star hotels, a small area is provided for a bar on the ground floor, either in or near the lobby.

Bars provide chairs up at the counter or high tables with counters for their customers. They offer entertainment such as strippers, dancers, live bands, DJs, etc, to rope in younger crowds. A Bar has an age limit of 18 or 21 depending on the country’s regulations where it is located; children are not allowed to enter the bars. May bars also have a ‘happy hour’, where they offer discounts on drinks in order to attract off-peak crowds. Bars are most commonly associated with loud, bold and bright ambience. There are different types of bars that cater to a niche clientele such as biker bars, gay bars, Women's bars, sports bars, karaoke bars, cop bars, college bars.

The term ‘Pub’ is derived from a public house and is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia, Newfoundland, and New Zealand. Pubs can be dated back to Roman taverns, which were known as Ale houses. The clientele of pubs most commonly include locals or regulars that come to relax and unwind after work. Pubs also open and offer drinks such as beer and wine in the mornings. Most pubs offer a range of beers, wines, spirits, and soft drinks. A number of the pubs are controlled by breweries, so the cask ale or keg beer may be of a better value than the wines and spirits.

Pubs also offer a wide range of food so it can also be called as a restaurant, where families and friends come to eat, drink and have a good time. Pubs also offer billiards, darts, pool, foosball and soothing music in order to entertain its customers. A pub has a more ‘homey’ feeling compared to bars. Pubs are attractive as they are mainly located close to a working location. Pubs also usually host a darts team or a trivia night and probably have a pool table or a card table. There are also themed pubs for catering to specific clientele such as strip pubs, rock pubs, biker pubs, Irish pubs, etc. Some of the old pubs also allow room for lodging.

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