Not already a member?
Join our community and
- Rate & review pubs
- Upload pictures
- Add events
JOIN for free NOW
Chat about:
Beer of the Week (w/e 15th June 2025) with Tris39
on the Pub Forum
Detail Pages
The Grapes, Liverpool
Liverpool
L1 9DW
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 8 of 10) see review guidelines
Strongers . left this review about The Grapes
The Grapes is a bare boarded L-shaped pub with a front L-shaped counter that faces seating around the exterior walls. The seating continues up the right to an open plan seating area at the rear. The counter supports three banks of three hand pumps, but it was busy during a recent bank holiday Monday evening visit so I could only see the four right-hand side pumps that were badged with Rock the Boat Brewery’s Liverpool Light and Amber Sub, Fell Brewery’s Postcard and Kelham Island’s Modern Blonde. The service was polite and there was a good atmosphere generated by the old locals and groups of students who were in attendance. This popular pub is well worth a look.
On 14th May 2025
- rating: 8
[User has posted 6133 recommendations about 6099 pubs]
Moby Duck left this review about The Grapes
A decent sized corner pub with a modern beer emphasis, eight or was it nine handpumps with good choice, I plumped for a Wild Card Five Card Draw. it would be a regular haunt if I lived up this way.
On 18th June 2024
- rating: 8
[User has posted 2183 recommendations about 2150 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Ian Mapp left this review about The Grapes
Another great discovery in what is fast becoming one of my favourite beer towns.
A knocked through corner pub, with a couple of booths to the side. Found Utopian ESB on cask - which was a real surprise.
Excellent.
On 10th July 2023
- rating: 8
[User has posted 1611 recommendations about 1588 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Blue Scrumpy left this review about The Grapes
The Grapes is probably still just about my favourite pub in Liverpool. When it's quiet (generally during the afternoon), it's a lovely place to while away a few hours and working your way through the beer selection. When it's busy (evenings), it has a really lively atmosphere and appears to be much favoured by students.
With its corner location, space around the bar is at a premium. The largest area of seating is at one end of the pub. But there are further smaller seating areas next to a set of stairs and at the opposite (Knight Street) end.
Real ales are constantly changing. The range on Thursday evening was Neptune Wooden Ships & Silenus, Mobberley Brewhouse 1924, Siren Yulu, Chapter Pemberley & Cat's Cradle & Wander Beyond Peak. The real cider was Yoxall Dark Fruits, whilst craft beers are also represented. These were Chapter As Lazarus & Suffering Is An Art, Love Lane Pale & Carnival Maple Swoon.
Staff are good at spotting those waiting to be served around what can be a very congested bar area. However, this was another pub that cannot seem to stick to its published opening times. Their Facebook page says that they open until 2am on a Thursday. The CAMRA website is in agreement. But Google turned out to be correct with its 1am listing. Nevertheless, I always enjoy a visit to this pub and 1am is normally well past my bedtime in any case!
On 10th March 2022
- rating: 8
[User has posted 3111 recommendations about 3109 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Will Larter left this review about The Grapes
Obviously once a multi-roomed pub with more external doors than you could shake a fist at, it has long since been opened out into one large room with a central bar, and been extended into the next door building. As if that's not enough, the toilets are downstairs and there's a sign pointing upstairs to a terrace, which I didn't explore, what with it being the middle of winter and after dark. The bar takes up so much room that the space around it is not so much a room as a drinking corridor, with a sort of snug to the left (with, so my notes tell me, a macaw and a mirror - should have taken a photo) and the extension to next door to the right, which now makes a bit of sense.
There are many beer options, with eight real ales and another hand pump unused where they usually have a cider, apparently. Also a dozen keg fonts, mostly mainstream. I went for a beer called Endeavour, a green-hopped beer from Ad Hop, a local brewery; I've had this beer before when in Liverpool, and it was in equally good if not better condition on this occasion. To be honest, my perusal of the other beers didn't show me anything else I would have fancied: pale and hoppy the dominant theme, with a coconut stout and the even more abominable raspberry ripple pale ale (really?) from Top Rope, a local micro, the alternatives. I liked this pub, with its interesting soundtrack and quirky decor, but I can't see a repeat visit when the beer range, despite being intended to be wide, is contradictorily exclusionary (to me, at least).
On 17th February 2020
- rating: 7
[User has posted 4348 recommendations about 3996 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Gill Smith left this review about The Grapes
Really enjoyed our visit to this 2019 Good Beer Guide pub with it's excellent line up of beers and friendly chatty customers and staff. Two beers from Salopian two from Rock the Boat and Top Rope Jabroni Juice. We started with Rock the Boat Fab Four, and Rock the Boat Waterloo Sunset, but had to finish with the 6.2% Top Rope.
On 21st August 2019
- rating: 8
[User has posted 1339 recommendations about 1222 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Bucking Fastard left this review about The Grapes
Street corner boozer with an interior largely stripped out but the star here is the ale selection so walk around the L shaped bar to see the full selection.On my trip that meant Chapter Brewing Smiling at Strangers and Forgotten Decibels (both very high ABV),Hophust APA (great nick),Rock the Boat Waterloo and Dazzle,Pig & Porter Pale O Green World,Top Rope Bash at the Beach and Neptune Hear the Sirens.That's a very eclectic and strong 8 ale line up ,which for me makes this a top ale house and a must visit when in Liverpool.
The barman was very helpful and chatty and said the focus here has shifted from cheap student beers to ale excellence.I will most certainly return.
On 10th July 2019
- rating: 9
[User has posted 2971 recommendations about 2971 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Rob Hunter left this review about The Grapes
The Grapes has been on my radar for a while and I had heard plenty of good things about it, so of course it had to be included on a recent crawl of Liverpool. Unfortunately I think it was a bit too busy to fully appreciate it at the time of my visit as it's only a fairly small place, though we did manage to pounce on a table near the strange looking fireplace when a group of people left.
At the bar were nine hand pulls including one cider. Again, plenty of choice on the pumps for the real ale lover. A nice traditional feeling pub.
On 11th April 2019
- rating: 8
[User has posted 830 recommendations about 657 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Brainy Pool left this review about The Grapes
a backstreet arthouse pub, this is a really nice place to drink with a great range of interesting ales. I thought I was alone this afternoon but then a few came down from the roof terrace. shame you can't drink outside anymore and some of the seating is tatty and uncomfortable (is this what is known as 'shabby chic'?) but otherwise another Scouse gem.
On 16th August 2018
- rating: 8
[User has posted 1174 recommendations about 1136 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Al Bundy left this review about The Grapes
Newly reopened after a refurbishment. The pub has now been extended with a new room where the women's toilet used to be. The servery has been slightly extended and there are still the 9 handpumps. There is now a small room and a beer terrace upstairs. Its still a tight squeeze around the servery so obviously you're still squeezing between various sized bellies.
14/8/15
This is a great pub and one of my favourites. The descriptions are elsewhere but the cask ales change regularly and its a big supporter of local breweries. A gem of a pub and well worth visiting.
On 1st October 2016
- rating: 9
[User has posted 3487 recommendations about 3390 pubs]