The origin of the ‘pub’ or ‘public house’ can be traced back as far as the 1^st century AD with the arrival of the Roman Empire to the British Isles. The first inns, called tabernae (from the latin taberna for tavern), began to appear as places where travelers could stop to obtain refreshments and seek lodging during their travels. After the decline of the Roman era, the Anglo-Saxons established alehouses which quickly evolved into places for folk to socially congregate, gossip, and arrange mutual help within their communities. It is the relaxed, social-drinking establishment that became the focal point for many villages and a prominent, long-standing part of British culture.

By 1577, a taxation survey in England and Wales recorded 14,202 alehouses, 1,631 inns, and 329 taverns, representing one pub for every 187 people.

Traditional English ale was made solely from fermented malt. The practice of adding hops to produce beer was introduced from the Netherlands in the early 15th century. Alehouses would each brew their own distinctive ale, but independent breweries began to appear in the late 17th century. By the end of the century almost all beer was brewed by commercial breweries.

The 18th century saw a huge growth in the number of drinking establishments, primarily due to the introduction of gin. By 1740 the production of gin had increased to six times that of beer and, because of its cheapness, it became popular with the poor, leading to the so-called Gin Craze. Over half of the 15,000 drinking establishments in London were gin joints.

Under a banner of "reducing public drunkenness" the Beer Act of 1830 introduced "beer houses", a new lower tier of premises permitted to sell alcohol. At the time, beer was viewed as harmless, nutritious and even healthy. Even the evangelical church and temperance movements of the day viewed the drinking of beer very much as a secondary evil and a normal accompaniment to a meal. The freely available beer was thus intended to wean drinkers off the evils of gin.

In the first year, 400 beer houses opened and within eight years there were 46,000 across the country, far outnumbering the combined total of long-established taverns, pubs, inns and hotels.

The Wine and Beerhouse Act of 1869 introduced stricter controls and regulation on public drinking spaces. The sale of beers, wines or spirits required a license for the premises from the local magistrates. Further provisions regulated gaming, drunkenness, prostitution and undesirable conduct on licensed premises, enforceable by prosecution or more effectively by the landlord under threat of forfeiting his license. The Sunday Closing (Wales) Act 1881 required the closure of all public houses in Wales on Sundays, and was not repealed until 1961.

A favourite goal of the Temperance movement led by Protestant nonconformists was to sharply reduce the heavy drinking by closing as many pubs as possible. In 1908 Prime Minister H.H. Asquith—although a heavy drinker—took the lead by proposing to close about a third of the 100,000 pubs in England and Wales, with the owners compensated through a new tax on surviving pubs. The brewers who controlled the pubs organized a stiff resistance, supported by the Conservatives, who repeatedly defeated the proposal in the House of Lords. However, the "People’s Tax" of 1910 included a stiff tax on pubs.

Since 1915, the UK licensing laws had changed very little, with comparatively early closing times. The Licensing Act 2003, consolidated the many laws into a single Act. This allowed pubs in England and Wales to apply to the local council for the opening hours of their choice. It was argued that this would end the concentration of violence around 11.30 pm, when people had to leave the pub, making policing easier.

Ireland banned smoking in early 2004 in pubs and clubs. In March 2006, a law was introduced to forbid smoking in all enclosed public places in Scotland. Wales followed suit in April 2007, with England introducing the ban in July 2007. Pub landlords had raised concerns prior to the implementation of the law that a smoking ban would have a negative impact on sales. Many pubs suffered initially while others survived due to a growing emphasis on their food services.

Some pubs have a long tradition of serving food, dating back to their historic usage as inns and hotels where travelers would stay. Other pubs were simply drinking establishments, and little emphasis was placed on the serving of food, other than sandwiches and "bar snacks" which helped to increase beer sales.

In the 1950’s some British pubs would offer "a pie and a pint", with hot individual steak and ale pies made on the premises during the lunchtime opening hours. The ploughman’s lunch, a serving of cold meats, cheeses and bread became popular in 1960’s. In the late 1960’s "chicken in a basket", a portion of roast chicken with chips, served on a napkin, in a wicker basket became popular due to its convenience. Family pubs which served food in the evenings gained popularity in the 1970’s.

With the introduction of microwave ovens and freezer food, "Pub grub" expanded to include British food items such as steak and ale pie, shepherd’s pie, fish and chips, bangers and mash, Sunday roast, ploughman’s lunch, and pasties. In addition, dishes such as burgers, chicken wings, lasagna and chili are often served.

Since the 1990’s food has become a more important part of a pub’s trade, and today most pubs serve lunches and dinners at the table in addition to (or instead of) snacks consumed at the bar. They may have a separate dining room. Some pubs serve meals to a higher standard, to match restaurant standards;  these are sometimes termed gastropubs.

The most popular term in English-speaking Canada used for a drinking establishment was "tavern", until the 1970’s when the term "bar" became widespread as in the United States. In the 1800’s the term used was "public house" as in England. A fake "English looking" pub trend started in the 1990’s, built into existing storefronts, like regular bars. Most universities in Canada have campus pubs which are central to student life, as it would be bad form just to serve alcohol to students without providing some type of basic food. Often these pubs are run by the student’s union. The gastropub concept has caught on, as traditional British influences are to be found in many Canadian dishes.

Since 1982, the number of pubs in the UK has declined year on year. Various reasons are put forward for this, such as the failure of some establishments to keep up with customer expectations. Others claim the smoking ban of 2007, intense competition from gastro-pubs, the availability of cheap alcohol in supermarkets or the general economic climate are either to blame, or are factors in the decline. Changes in demographics may be an additional factor.

In 2015 the rate of pub closures came under the scrutiny of Parliament in the UK, with a promise of legislation to improve relations between owners and tenants. The Lost Pubs Project listed 31,301 closed English pubs on 19 July 2016, with photographs of over 16,000.

In the fifteen years leading up to 2017 over a quarter of London’s pubs have closed. The closures have been ascribed to factors such as changing tastes, rise in the cost of beer due to applied taxes and the increase in the Muslim population.

But while there are a number of reasons for closures over the years – the high price of a pint, the 2007 smoking ban and the 2008 recession – the new business tax rates revaluation introduced this year is the latest “ticking time bomb” to devastate the sector’s remaining pubs.  The total is now down to fewer than 47,000, with 21 typically closing every week.

“The British pub is unique, rooted in our island’s history, dating from Roman and Saxon times,” said the Good Beer Guide editor Roger Protz. “There is no better place for people to meet, enjoy a beer, strike up a conversation, make new friends and put the world to rights. Above all, the British pub, both ancient and modern, has character and an atmosphere that could never be replaced.”