Lion Tavern, Liverpool

A good old fashioned pub with some original features.Very pleasant and helpful barmaid who knew about the beers and offered samples to taste.Although it was fairly full there was a relaxed atmosphere. Great pork pies too!

This lovely old traditional pub boasts one of the finest interiors in the city. Located opposite the old Liverpool Exchange station and named after the steam locomotive that ran from here to Manchester, this is another Liverpool pub built for Robert Cain and its well preserved interior has seen it awarded Grade II listed status. The front of the pub has an elongated L shaped bar with bare boards and a few high tables and stools. There are etched glass windows and the bar back is also fitted with a lot of elaborately decorated panes, although one, carefully hidden behind the pie fridge, has been replaced with plain glass. There was a TV screen in this room, although it was turned off on our visit. Moving towards the back of the pub, the wonderful coloured tiles that ran under the windows in the front room, continue around the back of the servery where there are a couple of serving hatches giving customers in this part of the pub access to the bar. The floor is mosaic tile with carpeted seating sections at the rear underneath an amazing cupola. Curved banquette seating and patterned wallpaper make this a comfortable and pleasant space to relax with a pint. There is also an old-fashioned juke box which is mostly full of hits from the 1960’s. The beers available on our visit were Lees Bitter, Young’s Ordinary, Sharp’s Doom Bar, Adnams Bitter, Robinson’s Unicorn, Deuchars IPA, Brains Rev James and George Wright Lion Returns – the latter being a commemorative beer to celebrate the installation of the Lion locomotive in the new Museum of Liverpool earlier this year. I tried a pint and thought it was very nice as well as being the most interesting option amongst a line-up focussed on some of the UK’s bigger family breweries. This place was certainly one of the highlights of my time in Liverpool and I’d be more than happy to visit again. A more exciting choice of ale might be the difference between a short visit and staying for a longer session