Public refreshment facilities with more emphasis on drinking, normally alcoholic beverages, than on eating or entertainment, which if provided usually occurs in separate, often back rooms, and offering no accommodations; originally a shortening of “public house". Use "saloons" for pubs or bars in the style of the 18th to early 20th century US; use "taverns" for establishments offering public accommodations as well as general refreshments, but no entertainment other than social gatherings.
