The box weighed more than I expected. I dragged it up two flights and my back still remembers. When I opened it, the table top looked fine. But once I bolted the legs on and set it in the corner, I saw the problem: it swallowed the entire wall. I measured the room beforehand, but I measured the table top, not the footprint with chairs pulled out. That's the mistake. Don't make it.
Here's what caught me: a pub table set for 2 is wider than you think. The base is often a wide X or a pedestal that sticks out further than the top. Plus bar stools don't slide under completely—they stick out and make the overall depth scary. I thought a 30-inch top would fit, but with two stools pulled out, I needed a 5-foot-wide clear area. My room had 3 feet. My table was a mistake from week one.
Also, the stools were flimsy. The set claimed solid wood, but the legs wobbled after two weeks. I tightened the screws three times. One day the crossbar snapped because I leaned back—no, I wasn't just being dramatic, it was thin metal. I ended up buying separate stools later. The table alone was decent, but the included chairs were garbage.
So what should you actually do? Measure twice, literally. Tape out the size on your floor. Walk around it. Sit in the spot where the stool will be. Can you slide the chair out? Does it hit the wall? For a pub table set for 2, you need at least 36 inches of clearance on each side for chairs. And check the seat height. My table was 41 inches tall, but the stools were 29 inches—seemed fine, but the footrest hit my calves. Uncomfortable for sitting for more than half an hour.
Buy a set only if you like the chairs. I didn't realize the second chair was just a color match, not a build match. The table legs had a nice matte coating, the chairs had bubbled paint. And delivery was a hassle: the box was beat up, a few scuffs on the tabletop. Returns? Not free. I had to pay $75 to send it back to the manufacturer.
If you want a pub table set for 2, skip the combo and buy the table alone plus better stools. I looked at a used one later and the owner said the same thing. Or measure the stools' footprint—that's what matters. I eventually measured a few sets and wrote up I Measured 2 Seater Dining Table Sets: What $200 vs $800 Actually — the pattern is clear: the cheap sets have awful chairs.
A wrong-height table is worse than a small one. I had to eat on the couch for a month. Now I have a drop-leaf table I found secondhand; it works with bar stools I picked separately. The stools are solid, the table fits, and I actually use it.
So next step: before you buy any pub table set for 2, write down the room dimensions. Tape the floor. Sit on a chair where it'll go. Then buy. You'll thank me.