A simple enough question you might think, after all this is a pub review website so they should all be on here. That's fine for everyone's idea of a proper traditional pub, but what about those establishments that blur the boundaries a bit?
If the definition of a "pub" is as simple as an establishment that sells an alcoholic beverage for consumption on the premises without the obligation of buying food, that's fine and I'm happy to go with that. But that will include many places that aren't proper pubs in the traditional sense. Consider these examples:
1) Somewhere that's had a gastropub makeover, and is in reality now more of a restaurant.
2) Somewhere that actually calls itself a cafe, but nonetheless has a range of drinks on tap and you don't need to purchase any food.
3) A cocktail bar that serves no draft drinks.
I'd be interested to hear other people's thoughts, and whether there are any official site guidelines on this.
Thanks.