Beer, revisited
- Thread starter SerenityNigh
- Start date
Lao
Player Valuation: £35m
for some reason I first read that as Sieg Heil! Very topical brew
RufusCat
Player Valuation: £6m
Back in the day locally it was a choice of Higsons or Greenalls, I invariably chose the latter as I just did not like the taste of Higsons bitter (Greenalls wasn't great but it was drinkable).
summerisle
The rain, it raineth every day
Liverpool has the best pubs of any English city – and it’s not even close
From turn-of-the-century gin palaces to cosy backstreet boozers, this northern hub has it all
Travel writer
12 September 2025 1:00pm BST
At the Volunteer Canteen, a charismatic street-corner pub in the north of Liverpool, a man is explaining why his fluffy dog is grumbling and whining and staring plaintively up at him. “He’s 12 and he’s only got a window of time he can be anywhere for,” he explains, tongue firmly in cheek, gesturing towards an arriving group of friends. “It’s their fault for being late.”
Fair enough, although it’s hard to understand why anyone – human or dog – would choose to leave the Volunteer on a drizzly Merseyside evening. This is the acme of a backstreet pub. In the carpeted lounge, there are two cockapoos, a pair of old blokes nursing pints of Carling, a man boasting about his ability to eat pork stuffing sandwiches (six rounds!), a well-dressed, good-looking couple and a friend chatting about acting and occasionally popping out for a cigarette – oh, and me.
A lot of English cities lay claim to having the best pubs in the country, but I think Liverpool has the most appealing blend. Sheffield has great beer; London has beautiful venues; Newcastle has energy to spare; and Norwich has more welcoming street-corner classics than a city of its size has any right to expect. But Liverpool scores highly in all areas, and it has an ace up its sleeve.
In the Philharmonic Dining Rooms and The Vines, Liverpool has the two most impressive turn-of-the-century pubs in the country. There aren’t many others that compare: Sunderland’s Dun Cow, the Bartons Arms in Birmingham, The Black Horse in Preston, maybe a few others. The quality of the decor in Liverpool’s two great show pubs is jawdropping, from the Philharmonic’s Art Nouveau wrought iron and copper gates (probably my favourite bit of decoration on any pub in the UK) to The Vines’ resplendent former Billiard Room, with its chandeliers, mahogany panelling and stained-glass dome.
And these aren’t necessarily Liverpool’s most enjoyable pubs, even if they’re unmissable for visitors to the city. You’ll probably get a better flavour of the city in a place like the Lion Tavern, down by Moorfields Station. The last time I visited, the walls reverberated to the sound of a dozen amateur musicians taking on a variety of tunes in a variety of styles: folk, country, traditional Irish and rock and rock.
The Lion has its own remarkable bit of interior decoration, in the form of the corridor connecting the main bar with two rooms at the back. Here you’ll find a delightful tiled wall, cream and green with Art Nouveau flowers, and a grey mosaic floor, both installed in 1915 and in pristine condition. You get a lovely view of it from The News Room (named because it was a place to read the papers back when lots of people couldn’t afford them), with its upholstered, curved burgundy seating, open fire, and images of old Liverpool on the wall. Perfection.
Liverpool has something for everyone when it comes to pubs. There are genuinely bohemian places, like Peter Kavanagh’s, which has clientele as quirky as its decor; there are great places for beer, like the Ship and Mitre, with its impressive Art Deco exterior; there are lively neighbourhood boozers, like the Cobden Vaults in Woolton; and theatrical pubs, like Ma Egerton’s, where I once fell into conversation with a Scouse couple about Everton and their various travails. It’s even got one great pub based in a former jail, The Bridewell, where you can enjoy award-winning cask ale in a cell.
Of course, you can discuss football in every city in England. You can find good-looking pubs in most of them, too, and there are some cities where the quality of the beer is more consistent. But I don’t think there’s any other city where you can be so confident of having a good time. Liverpool’s culture is a blend of English, Irish and Welsh, and you can feel that in the pubs. The best of them have a touch of each.
And the very best, for me, is the Roscoe Head, a 1930s gem tucked away on Roscoe Street, not far from the Philharmonic. Like a lot of the best pubs, it’s got a great back-story: landlady Carol Ross battled for years against pubco owners, eventually winning the right to buy the pub in 2020. And, like many of the best pubs, it has a variety of rooms. My favourite is at the back, the Snug, with its simple cushioned fixed seating and beer served through a hatch.
Speaking of beer, theirs is excellent, too: The Roscoe Head is one of only five pubs to appear in every edition of CAMRA’s Good Beer Guide, stretching back to 1974. The last time I visited, it was full of brewers who’d been attending a conference in the city. Like dogs, they’re often found in the best pubs – although they’re less likely to be trying to leave.
Liverpool has the best pubs of any English city – and it’s not even close
From turn-of-the-century gin palaces to cosy backstreet boozers, this northern hub has it all
The Philharmonic Dining Rooms is among the most impressively decorated pubs in England Credit: getty
Travel writer
12 September 2025 1:00pm BST
At the Volunteer Canteen, a charismatic street-corner pub in the north of Liverpool, a man is explaining why his fluffy dog is grumbling and whining and staring plaintively up at him. “He’s 12 and he’s only got a window of time he can be anywhere for,” he explains, tongue firmly in cheek, gesturing towards an arriving group of friends. “It’s their fault for being late.”
Fair enough, although it’s hard to understand why anyone – human or dog – would choose to leave the Volunteer on a drizzly Merseyside evening. This is the acme of a backstreet pub. In the carpeted lounge, there are two cockapoos, a pair of old blokes nursing pints of Carling, a man boasting about his ability to eat pork stuffing sandwiches (six rounds!), a well-dressed, good-looking couple and a friend chatting about acting and occasionally popping out for a cigarette – oh, and me.
Credit: Paul Cooper
A lot of English cities lay claim to having the best pubs in the country, but I think Liverpool has the most appealing blend. Sheffield has great beer; London has beautiful venues; Newcastle has energy to spare; and Norwich has more welcoming street-corner classics than a city of its size has any right to expect. But Liverpool scores highly in all areas, and it has an ace up its sleeve.
In the Philharmonic Dining Rooms and The Vines, Liverpool has the two most impressive turn-of-the-century pubs in the country. There aren’t many others that compare: Sunderland’s Dun Cow, the Bartons Arms in Birmingham, The Black Horse in Preston, maybe a few others. The quality of the decor in Liverpool’s two great show pubs is jawdropping, from the Philharmonic’s Art Nouveau wrought iron and copper gates (probably my favourite bit of decoration on any pub in the UK) to The Vines’ resplendent former Billiard Room, with its chandeliers, mahogany panelling and stained-glass dome.
And these aren’t necessarily Liverpool’s most enjoyable pubs, even if they’re unmissable for visitors to the city. You’ll probably get a better flavour of the city in a place like the Lion Tavern, down by Moorfields Station. The last time I visited, the walls reverberated to the sound of a dozen amateur musicians taking on a variety of tunes in a variety of styles: folk, country, traditional Irish and rock and rock.
The Lion has its own remarkable bit of interior decoration, in the form of the corridor connecting the main bar with two rooms at the back. Here you’ll find a delightful tiled wall, cream and green with Art Nouveau flowers, and a grey mosaic floor, both installed in 1915 and in pristine condition. You get a lovely view of it from The News Room (named because it was a place to read the papers back when lots of people couldn’t afford them), with its upholstered, curved burgundy seating, open fire, and images of old Liverpool on the wall. Perfection.
The Art Nouveau tiling of the Lion Tavern has remained in pristine conditions since their conception over a century ago Credit: Martin Bond/Alamy Stock Photo
Liverpool has something for everyone when it comes to pubs. There are genuinely bohemian places, like Peter Kavanagh’s, which has clientele as quirky as its decor; there are great places for beer, like the Ship and Mitre, with its impressive Art Deco exterior; there are lively neighbourhood boozers, like the Cobden Vaults in Woolton; and theatrical pubs, like Ma Egerton’s, where I once fell into conversation with a Scouse couple about Everton and their various travails. It’s even got one great pub based in a former jail, The Bridewell, where you can enjoy award-winning cask ale in a cell.
The Vines is a popular pub with locals and tourists alike Credit: alamy
Of course, you can discuss football in every city in England. You can find good-looking pubs in most of them, too, and there are some cities where the quality of the beer is more consistent. But I don’t think there’s any other city where you can be so confident of having a good time. Liverpool’s culture is a blend of English, Irish and Welsh, and you can feel that in the pubs. The best of them have a touch of each.
And the very best, for me, is the Roscoe Head, a 1930s gem tucked away on Roscoe Street, not far from the Philharmonic. Like a lot of the best pubs, it’s got a great back-story: landlady Carol Ross battled for years against pubco owners, eventually winning the right to buy the pub in 2020. And, like many of the best pubs, it has a variety of rooms. My favourite is at the back, the Snug, with its simple cushioned fixed seating and beer served through a hatch.
Roscoe Head is a cosy four-room pub where Real Ale and hot pies are served daily Credit: Paul Simpson/Alamy Stock Photo
Speaking of beer, theirs is excellent, too: The Roscoe Head is one of only five pubs to appear in every edition of CAMRA’s Good Beer Guide, stretching back to 1974. The last time I visited, it was full of brewers who’d been attending a conference in the city. Like dogs, they’re often found in the best pubs – although they’re less likely to be trying to leave.
They`ve missed a few out there too, but a really good piece.
I had a pint of Light Work, by the LH Brewery, in The Denbigh this afternoon and it was marvellous.
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