The Belvedere, Liverpool

The Belvedere with etched front windows has a room to the left of the entrance with seating and a tiled fireplace on the left-hand wall. I didn’t venture in here because there was a banjo lesson/practice session in progress, so I entered the L-shaped bar area to the right where a couple of small tables sit in the corner next to a burner in the fireplace on the right-hand wall and four bar stools line the serving counter in the left rear corner. This isn’t a big pub. There are four hand pumps on the bar that were drawing Howling Hops Brewery’s Tropical Deluxe, Marble’s Graphene, Big Hand Brewery’s Melyn and Green Arches’ Best alongside Guinness and a craft and European keg selection across ten fonts. I though the service was very friendly and I enjoyed this quiet little spot of Liverpool, well worth a look.

In any other City - this would be a destination pub for the beer variety alone. A tiny (2) roomer around a central bar, with an extensive cask, keg offering detailed on a large chalk board. More continental bottles, including dunkels, orvals and rarely seen Stiegl Goldbrau. Only needs a handful of afternoon deserters to create an atmosphere, with some fine pubby banter from the other patrons. A pleasure to drink in. Starting to believe Liverpool is our finest pub City.

With the nearby Cracke not sticking to its published opening times and with the usual dismissive attitude from the owner, we concluded our evening in Liverpool in the Belvedere. This is a tiny mews pub with a small bar area and a side room either side of a narrow corridor. There is a unisex toilet in the corner, which has recently been refurbished and is a noticeable improvement on what was there previously. New owners appear to be friendly and welcoming. They have retained the real ale selection, which is now listed on a large blackboard opposite the bar. Ales were Castle Rock Army of Me, Carnival Ribbons of Distinction - Nelson & Spitting Feathers Session Beer. Craft beers were Vaux Double Cross, Polly's Trouble On Central & Mobberley Loco Juice. There's always an interesting crowd in here offering equally interesting conversation. Well worth seeking out.