Cross Keys, Liverpool

An odd back street pub that has obviously suffered from the attentions of ill trained pub “improvers”. Basically one long room with another small room at the back and a spiral staircase leading upstairs. Finished in trendy fashion there are odd shaped and probably impractical alcoves dotted about, furnishing is equally idiosyncratic with bench seats pretending to be sofas, proper sofas in too small a space and low tables coupled with normal height chairs. Carpeted throughout apart from the space by the bar counter which has stone tiles, the counter looks like an unrolled barrel. There are some interesting pictures and a lot of screens, young men especially forming the clientele. If bored with the sport on the screen you can look out the big clear windows at the back of some offices. There are also a lot of keg founts with only Leffe being of more than passing interest, two handpumps with the less than inspiring choice of Deuchars and Bombardier. My Bombardier tasted a bit bland and strangely smokey.