How do you mean by friendly?
Hard to say what is a good pub these days. Myself that is.
I don't like loud pubs. I am fussy. If it is a loud club, I expect a band to be playing live and not playing loud crap music with loads of 12-18 year olds pointing to the sky and binge drinking.
A pub where everybody knows each other isn't so bad. But they don't exist anymore for whatever reason, apart from the ones that are filled with 1) People on benifits or 2) people that will go for the cheapest pee-poor pint in town. (aka pubs on blackburn road)
I guess Railway on a sat when people from accyweb meet might be a good idea. Go and say hello or whatever. I haven't done that myself yet. I am a bit shy and reserved; of which makes meeting people and pubs hard work.
I have to say I prefer a pub where they also serve food. Often you don't get idiots staying there for long, that is when football isn't also being shown. Football idiots & me trying to enjoy a pint and a meal. UGH
LOL this has turned into more of a rant than anything. OK so pubs I have enjoyed in the past couple of years(without "incident"):-
Whittakers arms, Hare & Hounds, Calder, Wetherspoons and Adelphi.
Adelphi is closed now, but they used to serve Warsteiner( a great beer ) that was a very big dive of a pub, but it had the kind of youth that liked Rock/Metal music. They reminded me of myself at their age.
The Greyhound in Clayton. Well Its actually in Altham before Clayton. That is an unusual pub. Me and a friend went in and he actually heard one person say whisper to another "strangers, strangers" A bar that, to my knowledge does not allow music of any kind. If you like any brand of beer other than Samuel Smith don't even bother going there! But. The pints are cheap and that Alpine lager isn't a bad pint.