The Monro, Liverpool

Even the unheralded pubs of Liverpool have something to offer. This has a ruin bar kind of feel. All distressed plasterwork and things hanging from the ceilings. I did like the ship busts standing either side of the bar. Friendly service - with the bar staff asking how my day had been before serving a lovely Neptune Aries.

Since my last visit, it has been whacked through into next door and given a very traditional Irish style pub interior, though the holes in the ceiling seem a bit excessive? Not to worry, it carries a lot of atmosphere and now a vast range of real ales as well. I was initially a bit underwhelmed by the selection but I then continued to the far end of the bar where there were some more options. A good pub now, one to consider for your crawls of the area.

The Monro has been closed for a number of years, but has recently re-opened as what I believe is the 6th of a chain of pubs which also includes the nearby Red Lion, the Vines, the Queen of Hope Street and the White Hart. The group behind these pubs have done a good job of restoring pubs and the Monro seemingly has the biggest cask ale range of them all yet. The pub has quite a traditional, but well worn feel. The ceiling is missing in places. I assume this is intentional to make it look even older than it is! There are a couple of different levels that I saw, but we stayed on the entrance level, which has a long bar with all of the cask options along it. Make sure you continue to the far end as there are more handpulls there. In all, the cask selection was Titanic Plum Porter, Carnival Pacesetter, Salopian Shropshire Gold, Brimstage Scarecrow, Ossett White Rat & Yorkshire Blonde, Theakston Quencher, Weetwood Eastgate, Pennine Roaring Ale, Abbeydale Daily Bread, Bowland Pheasant Plucker, Black Lodge Baltic Best, Timothy Taylor Golden Best & Northern Monk Eternal. A further handpull had Lilley's Mango Cider. A decent cask ale range. Although a dark beer would have been nice. Whilst our visit was on a Saturday evening, the Monro was extremely busy for a newly re-opened pub. It's been many years since I was last in here and the changes that have been made since Marston's had the pub do seem for the better. This is another good addition to Liverpool city centre's nightlife. I'm sure I'll be back again soon.