Crown Liquor Saloon, Belfast

I do like Nicholsons’ pubs as they’re normally very traditional and well kept with a reasonable selection at the bar. I must say that the Crown is probably the most splendid original Victorian pub that I have seen, both inside and out. The bar lined with bar stools along the left wall faces screened booths that look like first class train carriages, doors and all. There are interesting features from the ceiling down through the carved fish scale columns to the tiled floor, far too many to list on here. Drink wise, I counted six handpumps that were drawing Whitewater Brewing’s Maggies Leap, Bass, Nicholson’s Pale, Thwaites Wainwright, Big Smoke Brew Co’s Solaris and Weston’s Family Vintage Cider. Standard and premium keg is also available, as is food. There is a restaurant on the first floor. I found the service to be polite and would recommend that if in Belfast this is a must visit pub.

This is undisputedly one of the finest examples of unspoilt Victorian interior decoration that there is. Just look at the photos on here or on the CAMRA Pub heritage group website to see how magnificent it is - or you could visit the place to see for yourself. When I had a couple of hours to spare in Belfast I obviously spent them in the Crown. If I manage to get Belfast again then I'll undoubtedly visit again. Being a Nicholson's there were several real ales on - I noticed Landlord and Purity Mad Goose (£5.05 a pint) and of course Nicholson's Pale. I saw people eating but I didn't bother to examine a menu.

Described elsewhere as the jewel of Northern Ireland’s pubs and really it’s very hard to disagree, it’s astounding both inside and out and is up there with the best interiors in Britain - it may well be the most ornate. Described in depth below, so a tl;dr – ‘high Victoriana’, amazingly intricate tiled exterior which matches the inside - doored booths (labelled A-I), ceramic bar frontage, stained glass windows, illustrated mirrored panels, carved wood features and animals, patterned floor tiling and probably a load of other stuff I didn’t note – every time you look round you notice something new. Leased by Nicholsons via the National Trust, so I was pleased to see three cask ales on; Black Sheep 2020 (sadly a flat musty aspiratored mess, NBSS 1), Titanic Plum Porter (3.5) and TT Landlord. Also Whitewater Stout and lager on the keg, tried both of those as well (the lager was decent). Staff were well-drilled and on-the-ball, with one lass asking us if we wanted a booth seat when one was vacated. Ate here and the food was standard pub grub, if a little on the expensive side. Beware that it’s actually a fairly small pub so time your visit for the quieter hours – there were a dozen or so people turned away on my visit as the place was at COVID capacity, and that was on a cold blustery Sunday evening in January. Should be number one on your Belfast visit list, you won’t want to miss it. Just a shame about that first ropey pint… 8.5