The 11 Best Pubs in Liverpool, UK

Peter Kavanagh’s is a real ale gem in on Egerton Street. Though the pub saw extensive refurbishment in 2015, it’s still managed to keep its unique personality with wooden interiors, vintage decor and stained glass windows. This is a historic pub, proven by the snippets and quirky pictures hanging on the wall around the place.

Doctor Duncan’s is one of the more illustrious feeling boozers in the city, with elegant décor and one of the more extensive offerings of guest ales. The pub itself is named after William Henry Duncan, Liverpool’s first Medical Officer of Health in the mid-1800s.

Proudly boasting the only brewery in Liverpool that’s beneath the pub itself, The Baltic Fleet is one for the real ale lovers. Dating back to the mid-1800s, this pub is in the Baltic Triangle, just a short walk from Wapping Dock – which their home-brewed beers are suitably named after.

With an interior that mimics a ship’s galley, The Ship & Mitre’s nautical theme is stepped up to another level. Don’t worry, we’re not talking gimmicky anchors all over the place — this is far from it. This boozer is a classy nod to the Liverpool’s dockside relation and offers the largest selection of ales and continental beers in the city.

Famed as being one of the most adorned pubs in Liverpool, ‘The Phil’ is located opposite the famous concert hall it’s named after. Another one of Nicholsons’ impressive estates, you’ll really feel at home in this distinctive building.

Open since 1927, Fly in the Loaf — or ‘The Fly’ to locals — saw a period of refurbishment in 2014 and has been a massive hit ever since. Proudly showcasing a range of beers, ales, craft beers and spirits, this pub is a short walk from the city centre and perfectly located for an after-work tipple.

A must-visit for any Beatles fan, this pub is packed with nostalgia and great beers. Not to be confused with The Grapes on Roscoe Street (which is also a brilliant pub), this boozer is most famous for being where The Beatles used to go before and after performing at The Cavern Club.

This Grade II listed boozer is named after wine and spirits dealer Thomas Rigby and sits on Dale Street, slap bang in the centre of the city. Visitors can benefit from table service, a great food menu, and can also enjoy a pint in the courtyard over the summer. Draught ales are regularly changing here as the pub’s owner Okells introduces a range of beers throughout the year.

One of the most established and traditional pubs in Liverpool, The Caledonia epitomises everything that’s great about the city. Inside you’ll find a hotpot of Liverpool personalities enjoying guest ales and live music, with anything from jazz to rock ‘n’ roll on offer.

A popular boozer on the famous Penny Lane, The Dovedale Towers, or The Dovey to locals, is bathed in history. John Lennon used to play shows here with The Quarrymen and rumour has it that Freddy Mercury even once lived here! In current times the pub has been refurbished to a level which reflects its illustrious past, so sit back with a pint and try and imagine yourself back in the 1960s…

Another traditional pub with a lot of stories to tell is Ye Cracke, a wonderful boozer with a great courtyard out the back. John Lennon would visit while studying at Liverpool Arts College and often went on dates with Cynthia here too. If only the walls could talk…