public house vs saloon

public house and saloon both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
public house	Yes	No	No	No
saloon	Yes	No	No	No

As nouns, public house and saloon are synonyms defined as:

public house and saloon: tavern consisting of a building with a bar and public rooms; often provides light meals

Other synonyms of public house include gin mill, pothouse, pub, taphouse.

public house (noun)	saloon (noun)
tavern consisting of a building with a bar and public rooms; often provides light meals	a room or establishment where alcoholic drinks are served over a counter
	tavern consisting of a building with a bar and public rooms; often provides light meals
	a car that is closed and that has front and rear seats and two or four doors