City Centre

In to Liverpool's city centre on a sunny Saturday afternoon for a selection of very different venues.  I started at the Slug and Lettuce:

(My picture came out all blurry - usually that happens at the end of a crawl, not the beginning - so the above is from 2021.)

Most of the signage seems to call this "S&L", I wonder if I should record a name change?

It was very busy at half one on a Saturday, is it the beginning of the Christmas rush already?  I eyed the throng at the counter with concern, the young lady at the door recommended a less crowded counter in the cellar.  She was right so I dodged the wait upstairs and ordered a Neck Oil.  This required a change of barrel or something, "take a seat and I'll bring it over".  She did, and then ejected me from my seat because the table was reserved.  I could have argued that I would be well gone before the 14:30 reservation, but instead I followed her suggestion to an even deeper cellar clearly aimed at drinkers with no table settings and no reservations.

Quite a pleasant space, if a little cold, music at reasonable volume mixed with happy chatter.  Lots of framed mirrors on the walls give the glitter ball extra effect.

As I departed the place was even busier, although the table I had been kicked off was still empty.

Over the road is Be At One:

This cocktail bar is not quite a busy as S&L but not far off.

There was a queue at the bar (NO NO NO) which I joined, but then another be barmaid popped up and asked "is anyone waiting", so I leapt in and ordered my pint, technically jumping the queue.  My only defence is that the bar is the only place in England where we don't queue, so those in front of me got what they deserved.  My order, a pint of Moretti, was a lot quicker than all the cocktails so I didn't delay anyone by much, and the efficient young lady was serving someone else before I'd completed my contactless payment.

Various groups seemed to be out for a Saturday afternoon, I was the only solo drinker in here, Billy No Mates, story of my life!  In my defence, when I go out drinking with friends it would be extremely rude of me to spend time writing this sort of nonsense, so I don't.

I browsed the multi-page cocktail menu.  No bloody mary, my favourite.

I checked my records.  This has been a number of different operations over the years, including Hogshead and William Gladstone.

Now, along North John Street to Hummingbird, never before visited:

Here I found a small upmarket cocktail bar, I had to perch on a stool at the counter as all the tables were occupied.

Very pleasant dark green decor, I really like it, but Asahi lager is not my idea of a good draft beer.  And it wasn't even a pint.  On the "is it a pub?" check list, the fact that I didn't pay for my beer when it was poured also counts as a negative.

It took two barmen to make and deliver the drinks in here, and they were busy doing what appeared to be an excellent job.

Next, the Dublin Inn:

This used to be a vodka bar called Revolution, then something called Revolver, and I've seen a picture showing it called Dubliner before it settled on the current name.  In any case I have never visited, so a golden chance for another brand new tick.

I've no idea what it was like inside before, but now it is a standard fake Irish pub, rather better done than most, I think.  Are all the antique wooden beams false?  Probably, but the interior is very good whether true or not.

And doing a roaring trade at three in the afternoon.

Obviously I had a Guinness, and with the proper pour-wait-finish it was a great pint.  There were two or three half filled pints ready all the time.

Irish music by was pretty much drowned out by animated chatter in here, what more could one want on a Saturday afternoon?

Room for one more?  How about a traditional pub, let's go to the Rose and Crown:

Now this is just like a Saturday afternoon thirty years ago:  A classic traditional boozer full of people of all ages; the music drowned out by umpteen conversations.  If you added some smoke I could be in Tuebrook in 1999! Ah, memories!!!  Okay, not quite like those days, when I would have been three rows back at the counter, but not far off.

Returning to 2026, this place is a very well done out traditional boozer.  There was a giant screen showing racing (There's no footie today, it's an international weekend I think) but no one I could see was watching.

So, five pints down, but it is not even four o'clock.  Time to go home, I think.  Two brand new ticks, and three required ones, what more could one ask for?

Pub of the day: Rose & Crown
Beer of the day: Guinness
Miles walked: 1.6
Merseyside pubs visited in the last five years: 1,036
Maybe coming soon: Undecided