I don't like bars anymore

I prefer pubs. I should be more specific - I don't like London bars. They're overpriced and full of pretentious wankers. I was in one called Lonsdale in Notting Hill on Friday. To be fair it wasn't such a bad place, the service was good and the cocktails were very good. Now that I think about it, £23 for 3 drinks is about right. So it was a pretty good bar all round. I think it just grates that it is Notting Hill and not Soho or something. Still a pretentious place. It somehow feels like a sham, which is a good name for a bar.
I never really feel comfortable in a bar. At least they're not smoky anymore but they are invariably packed, with huge queues, overflowing toilets, toilet attendants, and ear blisteringly loud. Bars only seem to get better the more intoxicated you get, which doesn't really say much about them. Pubs are far better. There you can actually talk to people which is what I want to do when I go for a drink.
I've got a friend who only goes to bars and hates pubs. I'd rather go to pubs and never to bars (at least not locally, not when popping out for a drink). Its proving hard to find a compromise with her, but if nothing else, Notting Hill has more than its fair share of good locals though they're becoming harder to find.