Pubs and bars in Liverpool

Maja Lorkowska, Exhibitions Editor

It should be easy enough to choose a place for a drink or two in Liverpool, given just how much choice there is, in almost any area you can think of. It’s this overwhelming amount of pubs and bars to pick from though, that make that decision difficult. Fear not though, because we’re here to help – take a look below to see the best places for a pint or a glass of wine.

Fans of traditional public houses will be more than satisfied with classics like Ye Cracke and The Grapes, while dog-friendly Caledonia serves delicious vegan meals and live music nights. Bar goers might pop into the classy Jenny’s Bar (disguised as a fish restaurant) or cosy McGuffie’s.

If you can’t choose, pop into Love Lane Brewery or Black Lodge, which are difficult to categorise into either group yet both have impressive selections of drinks and, most importantly, a good atmosphere.

Our top picks

The Bridewell

The Bridewell, 1 Campbell Square, Liverpool, L1 5FB - Visit now

The Bridewell is a former Victorian police station that is now a Grade II listed award-winning pub serving cask ales, wines and spirits.

The Bridewell Pub
The Bridewell Pub

Petit Cafe Du Coin

Petit Cafe Du Coin, 60 Berry St, Liverpool, L1 4JQ - Visit now

Petit Cafe Du Coin is a Parisian-style, friendly café bar in the centre of Liverpool serving a selection of excellent wines and even better cocktails.

Petit Cafe Du Coin

Cafe Tabac

Cafe Tabac, 126 Bold street, Liverpool, L1 4JA - Visit now

Cafe Tabac is the longest running café bar in Liverpool, serving food and drinks to arty locals and curious newcomers.

food and drink
istock.com/semenovp

Ship and Mitre

Ship and Mitre, 133 Dale Street, Liverpool, Merseyside, L2 2JH - Visit now

Traditional Liverpool pub with a wide selection of draught beers and ales.

SHIP & MITRE
The Ship & Mitre, Liverpool.

Brass Monkey

Brass Monkey, 35 School lane, Liverpool, L1 3DA , Liverpool, L1 3DA - Visit now

Quirky bar with swings serving delicious drinks, tucked away down a quiet street in the centre of Liverpool.

food and drink
istock.com/semenovp

The Baltic Fleet

The Baltic Fleet, 33A Wapping, Liverpool, Merseyside, L1 8DQ - Visit now

You can’t go wrong with beer and scouse. The Baltic Fleet is one of Liverpool’s most unique pubs and its outdoors area is a great suntrap.

The Baltic Fleet Liverpool

The Caledonia Liverpool

The Caledonia Liverpool, 22 Caledonia St, Liverpool, Merseyside, L7 7DX - Visit now

Vegan-friendly and dog-friendly, The Caledonia pub in the Georgian Quarter offers up real ale, great beer and eclectic live music.

The Caledonia Liverpool
The Caledonia, Liverpool

Love Lane Brewery

Love Lane Brewery, 62 Bridgewater St, Liverpool , L1 0AY - Visit now

Love Lane Brewery offers delicious food and a wide selection of beers as well as tours of the brewery and gin distillery.

pub
istock.com/master1305

Keith’s Wine Bar

Keith’s Wine Bar, 107 Lark Lane, Liverpool, L17 8UR - Visit now

Wildly popular cafe and wine bar on Liverpool’s wonderfully independent Lark Lane.

Lark Lane Guide

The Oracle

The Oracle, 83 Seel Street, Liverpool, L1 4BB - Visit now

The Oracle is a mysteriously classy cocktail bar with magicians performing tricks at your table.

wine bar
istock.com/semenovp

Jenny’s Bar

Jenny’s Bar, The Old Ropery
Fenwick Street, Liverpool, Merseyside, L2 7NT

Jenny’s Bar is a speakeasy in Liverpool: descend a staircase to what looks like a fish restaurant, and you’ll find a bar in two parts.

Photo of a stained glass window showing the word 'Surgery'
Image courtesy Jenny's.

The Grapes Liverpool

The Grapes Liverpool, 60 Roscoe St, Liverpool, Merseyside, L1 9DW - Visit now

The Grapes is one of the oldest pubs in Liverpool – an arty haunt, with punters just as likely to be found discussing Derrida as football.

The Grapes Pub, Liverpool
The Grapes Pub, Liverpool

McGuffie’s

McGuffie’s, 10 Castle Street, Liverpool, L2 0NE - Visit now

Formerly a vintage chemist, McGuffie’s is a cosy cocktail bar located in a historic venue on Liverpool’s Castle Street.

food and drink
istock.com/master1305

Black Lodge Brewery

Black Lodge Brewery, 3 Kings Dock Street, Liverpool, L1 8JU - Visit now

Well-loved Micro-brewery Black Lodge has a taproom in the Baltic Triangle, where it serves the brewery’s latest beers on keg and cask.

Black Lodge Brewery
Black Lodge Brewery

Berry & Rye

Berry & Rye, 48 Berry Street, Liverpool, Merseyside, L1 4JQ - Visit now

Behind the velvet curtain, there are delicious cocktails and great atmosphere in this cosy Scouse speakeasy (once you find the right door!).

Berry & rye liverpool bar

Liverpool Arts Bar, Hope Street

Liverpool Arts Bar, Hope Street, 22 Hope Street, Liverpool , L1 9BY - Visit now

The arts bar is a vibrant, creative hub nestled between the city’s cathedrals, offering a platform for local creatives to showcase their work.

The Botanical Gin Garden

The Botanical Gin Garden, 49 New Bird Street, Liverpool, L1 0DN - Visit now

A seasonal outdoor gin bar, open six months a year, serving a wide selection of delicious (mostly) gin drinks.

food and drink
istock.com/master1305

Frederiks

Frederiks, 32 Hope Street, Liverpool, Merseyside, L1 9BX - Visit now

Frederik’s neighbourhood kitchen & bar has been the hub of the Georgian Quarter since 2013. Award winning cocktails and a great Sunday roast!

Photo of Frederiks bar
Image courtesy Creative Tourist

Peter Kavanagh’s

Peter Kavanagh’s, 2-6 Egerton Street, Liverpool, Merseyside, L8 7LY

Peter Kavanagh’s is a pub with an interior so traditional (yet quirky), it’s worth popping in just to take a look around.

Peter Kavanagh's pub in Liverpool.
Paul Holloway

Where to go in

Asmara Bella
Manchester
Restaurant
Asmara Bella

Eritrean & Ethiopian Restaurant in Manchester’s Northern Quarter, serving up traditional food from the Horn of Africa.

Rochdale Town Hall is a Victorian-era municipal building in Rochdale, Greater Manchester, England. It is
Manchester
Rochdale Town Hall

Rochdale Town Hall is a Victorian-era municipal building in Rochdale, Greater Manchester, widely recognised as being one of the finest municipal buildings in the country.

Cafe Beermoth
City Centre
Bar or Pub
Cafe Beermoth

Cafe Beermoth is the very definition of a modern Manchester pub – relaxed, friendly and with a wide range of carefully curated booze options.

Chorlton
Restaurant
Horse and Jockey Chorlton

Chorlton’s magnificent Horse and Jockey has had an almighty do-over, transforming it into one of South Manchester’s top must-visit drinking and dining destinations.

The Curling Club - Vinegar Yard
Castlefield
The Curling Club

New Jackson in Manchester is having a full scale seasonal takeover. Think curling lanes, lively bars and a packed line up of DJs and performances.

Chadderton Town Hall
Manchester
Event venue
Chadderton Town Hall

Chadderton Town Hall is a magnificent example of Edwardian architecture . Built in 1912/13 in the style of ‘English Renaissance’ and recently restored maintaining its traditional features in regal reds

Cumbria
Restaurant
Heft

A Michelin star restaurant and homely 17th century inn in the Lake District, with food provided by esteemed chef Kevin Tickle.

Tangerine
Chapel Street
Restaurant
Tangerine

Manchester’s latest must-visit multipurpose venue, offering top-level food, drinks and live shows.

Bar Posie
City Centre
Bar or Pub
Posie

A new cocktail bar from the crack team behind 10 Tib Lane and Henry C.

Visitor Guides

New Openings in Manchester

Manchester’s food and drink scene is thriving. Here are the recently-opened venues who are worth your pounds, shillings and pence.

Manchester Restaurant Deals

Manchester's restaurants are bending over backwards to create deals that take the sting out of eating out. Here are the best of the bunch for January.

Classical Music in the North

Read our latest highlights from the live classical music offer in Manchester and the North, taking in a number of the region's most cherished orchestral forces and venues.

Bars & Pubs

Pint of mild, limited-run natural wine or cocktail drowning in dry ice? You'll find them all in Manchester. But maybe not together

Vegan and Vegetarian Food

Whether you’re a proud vegan or merely curious, let us guide you towards the best vegan food in Manchester for Veganuary.

Image by Jonathan Schofield.
Spotlight on

Walking Tours in Manchester by Jonathan Schofield

Presenting the best walking tours in Manchester for history buffs, culture enthusiasts, and those looking to scratch beneath the surface of the city.

Take me there

Culture Guides

Music in the North

We have an eclectic mix of gigs for you this month, moving from experimental electronics and noise rock to synth pop, opera, and hyper-local R&B.

Food and Drink in the North

Hear ye, hear ye. Take some eating-out tips from our wintertime guide to food and drink in Manchester and the North.

Textured portrait image of Jarman
Theatre in the North

Theatre across the North West splits between festive escape and sharp, urgent work exploring politics, power and resistance.

A doll with makeup peeks out of a hanging wall of butter yellow fabric. Red and black threads descend and cascade around the doll.
Exhibitions in the North

This season, exhibitions across the North West feel attuned to the world beneath the world – the forces and stories shaping how we see, feel and imagine.

A performer in a bright red costume sits on a snowy stage set, holding a large snowball between their legs with a surprised expression. The colourful winter backdrop features snowflakes, hills, a snowman, and a traffic light with glowing lights.
Family things to do in the North

Whether you’re after storybook theatre, museum wanderings or illusion-bending play spaces, there’s plenty to keep curiosity ticking through winter and beyond.

A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night
Cinema in the North

There's no shortage of great films out at the moment, whether you're looking for the latest blockbuster, that hot arthouse flick fresh from Cannes or a cosy classic.