What makes a perfect pub?

Strong lager, football on the TV, and as many snacks as you could wish for, right?

Wrong.

A YouGov survey has revealed what Britons look for in a drinking establishment - and the results might not be what you expected.

As it turns out, the most important attribute in a pub is whether or not it serves food.

In total, 67 per cent of those taking part said meals were a huge part of their ideal pub.

There were only five aspects which more than half of people agreed on.

A beer garden was important to 63 per cent, while 52 per cent like a fireplace and 51 per cent want bar staff to know customers by name.

Exactly half wanted their boozer to sell snacks.

A YouGov spokesman said: "The results also highlight how different men and women’s ideal pubs would be.

"For instance, women are more likely than men to want their ideal pub to serve meals (74 per cent vs 60 per cent).

"When it comes to drinks, men are much more likely to say that their ideal pub would serve real ale (46 per cent, vs 28 per cent for women), while women are more likely to want it to serve cocktails (31 per cent, vs 14 per cent for men).

"When it comes to appearance and ambience, women seem to be the most likely to prefer those walls of hardback books that no-one reads (32 per cent vs 18 per cent).

"They are also more likely to appreciate the presence of a fireplace (58 per cent vs 45 per cent of men) and have background music (39% vs 30%), while men prefer televisions on the walls (22 per cent vs 13per cent of women).

"More men want both televised and pub sports in their ideal boozer.

"They are more likely than women to want it to show football/sports (27 per cent vs 9 per cent of women), and also have a snooker/pool table (29 per cent vs 19 per cent) and dart board (21 per cent vs 13 per cent)."

The complete results were as follows:

  • It serves real ale - 37 per cent
  • It hosts live music - 35 per cent
  • It has background music - 35 per cent
  • It hosts pub quizzes - 34 per cent
  • It allows dogs - 32 per cent
  • It doesn't allow children - 27 per cent
  • It has bookcases full of books - 25 per cent
  • It has a snooker or pool table - 24 per cent
  • It serves cocktails - 23 per cent
  • It shows football/sport - 18 per cent
  • It has televisions on the walls - 17 per cent
  • It has a dart board - 17 per cent
  • It has Victorian architecture - 16 per cent
  • It has leather seats - 14 per cent
  • It provides tankards - 13 per cent
  • It has quiz machines - nine per cent
  • None of these - seven per cent
  • It sells cigarettes/tobacco - six per cent
  • It has fruit machines - five per cent

Which is your favourite pub? Let us know in the comments below.