No matter what kind of night out, post work pint or lunch time tipple you're after, Liverpool has plenty of pubs on offer to suit everyone.
From traditional Victorian waterholes to iconic music spots steeped in cultural history, if you're after a pub then Liverpool is the place to venture to - no matter what your taste.
Following the coronavirus shutdown, pubs have now been back open after for nearly a month but social distancing rules remain in place, so you can expect more table service, and limited numbers in certain venues. In no particular order, we've rounded up some of the best pubs in the city that are back open after lockdown.
1. The Albert
This traditional Victorian pub is based in the heart of Lark Lane, one of the city's busiest independent streets.
The pub's bar is in the centre of the listed building, with several rooms coming off it to provide intimate space to indulge in a beverage or two. Or six. It offers live entertainment, karaoke evenings and quiz nights.
66-68 Lark Lane, L17 8UU
2. Ye Cracke
This multi-roomed back street pub is full of character and charm.
Like many places in Liverpool, the pub has a connection to The Beatles as it was one of John Lennon’s favourite watering holes and is the spot where he took his first wife, Cynthia Lennon, on their first date.
The pub stocks ale from microbreweries and also sells farmhouse ciders.
13 Rice Street, L1 9BB
3. Baltic Fleet
Across the road from the famous Albert Dock, this nautical-themed pub was originally two pubs in one - the 1853 'Turners Vaults', which faced Hurst Street, served the locals while the Baltic Fleet was built in 1856 to serve the dockers on the other side.
The pub used to have many doors to allow patrons to escape quickly should press gangs make an appearance.
Although it's snug and inviting inside, its exterior is equally beautiful with its unusual 'flat iron' shape and tall windows which have become a recognisable feature on Liverpool's dock road.
33a Wapping, L1 8DQ
4. The Globe
This cosy pub is in the heart of the city centre and features traditional decor including wood panelling, stained glass windows while newspaper cuttings adorn the walls as a nod to its history.
The pub won the CAMRA Best Community Pub Award in 2012.
17 Cases Street, L1 1HW
5. The Philharmonic
'The Phil' has to be one of the city’s most famous pubs – and in recent years featured as part of Paul McCartney’s Carpool Karaoke segment on The Late Late Show with James Corden.
It was built in around 1900 for Robert Cains brewery and features impressive wood panelled-rooms decorated with stained glass windows and dramatic plasterwork.
The gents’ toilets are kind of a big deal, too.
36 Hope Street, L1 9BX
6. The Pilgrim
This little pub on the cobbled Pilgrim Street is popular among students and locals alike and regularly hosts comedy nights, quiz nights and is a popular venue for fringe theatre performances.
Offering a range of draft beers, bottles and even slush, the quirky space also has a wrought-iron spiral staircase to its upper level which is often used as an events space.
34 Pilgrim Street, L1 9HB
Eating out in Liverpool
7. Ship and Mitre
A popular spot that offers a wide range of world beers, hosts beer and cider festivals and has 15 hand-pulls serving an array of real ales.
Built in around 1935, the pub gets its name from a combination of two of its previous names, The Flagship and The Mitre.
The downstairs bar has been designed to look like the interior of a ship and the pub has won awards from CAMRA.
133 Dale Street, L2 2JH
8. The Lodge
This popular pub is located on the busy, bohemian Lark Lane and serves a range of regular cask ales.
The pub also has a restaurant area so if you’re after some pub grub with your pint, then this is the spot to visit.
32-34 Lark Lane, L17 8US
9. The Dovedale Towers
An impressive building located on the famous Penny Lane, Dovedale Towers is a thriving pub in the heart of south Liverpool.
Its location isn't its only music link as the Quarrymen, John Lennon’s first band, played here and Freddie Mercury is rumoured to have lived in the flat upstairs, albeit briefly, in the 1960s.
60 Penny Lane, L18 1DG
10. Cavern Pub
Located opposite the world-famous Cavern Club, this intimate city centre spot has rock memorabilia on display and features live music almost every night.
There’s free entry so it provides the opportunity to catch some new artists on a budget – maybe before they hit the big time.
5 Mathew Street, L2 6RE
11. Thomas Rigby’s
This is a multi-roomed Grade II listed building named after the wine and spirit dealer Thomas Rigby.
The pub has an extensive range of world beers on offer on draft and in bottles to suit every beer aficionado.
23-25 Dale Street, L2 2EZ
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12. Doctor Duncan’s
One of Liverpool’s most ornate pubs, even the tiles in this Victorian style pub are awe-inspiring, decorating the walls and fireplaces throughout the entire building.
Built for Pearl Insurance in 1901, it features medical memorabilia throughout, including a Victorian pharmacy cabinet which is a nod to its namesake, William Henry Duncan, the UK's first medical officer of health.
The pub serves a selection of cask ales.
St John's Lane, Liverpool City Centre, L1 1HF
13. Crown Hotel
Located on Lime Street, this impressive building is as intricately detailed on the outside as it is on the inside.
It features ornate plastering, a ceramic fireplace, a copper-front bar and a glazed dome above its winding staircase.
After getting off the train, it makes for an ideal boozer to welcome people into the city.
43 Lime Street, L1 1JQ
14. Lion Tavern
This pub, which has been recognised by CAMRA as having a nationally important and historic interior, underwent a near-£300,000 makeover a few years ago but didn't lose any of its traditional charm.
Some of the most impressive features of the Grade II listed pub include the timber and etched glass bar, the art nouveau tiled dado and the carved screens in the front windows.
It’s definitely worth pulling up a pew in this historic spot.
67 Moorfields, L2 2BP
