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The Grapes, Liverpool
Liverpool
L1 9DW
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 8 of 10) see review guidelines
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 1338 recommendations about 1324 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 2452 recommendations about 2451 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 3746 recommendations about 3483 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 2727 recommendations about 2727 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 750 recommendations about 598 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 1058 recommendations about 1023 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]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Quinno _ left this review about The Grapes
Backstreet boozer in looks (with some nice original external livery) but a boho pub within. Clientèle generally studenty plus a smattering of locals on my Friday evening visit. U-shaped, with a nice tiled floor to the left. Fairy lights (lots of fairy lights), fake open fire and a bit of shabbiness when you take a good look (the front door was rotting away at the base and had half an inch gap between it and the floor). Oriental theme in places, with a big Chinese fan on the wall, as well as Thai and Lao food available. Eclectic live music with Latin jazz on Sunday nights, Soul & Funk on Wednesdays. As seems usual in Liverpool, the gents were awful, take your waders. A good range of ales available (counted eight), my Oakham Green Devil was in extremely good nick. I also pushed the boat out and tried a 7%er, Black Jack Black Stout that was a little warm but still pretty good as it probably wouldn’t shift in same volume as the Oakham. Nice buzzing atmosphere inside and I could easily have stayed for another.
On 15th January 2015
- rating: 8
[User has posted 5099 recommendations about 5082 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Malden man left this review about The Grapes
A single U-shaped room with a boarded floor and a central bar, initially I thought the pub was actually an L however on searching for the gents I discovered a return area behind the bar which was almost like a separate space. An old style corner boozer, mixed and jovial clientele, all enjoying good beer and in some cases the rather enticing looking Thai/Laos menu which looked and smelled amazing, curries and stir fries between £6.50-£7.00 all in.
Just the nine handpumps in here, all were up and running, Liverpool Craft Brewery West Coast Pale Ale, Robinson's Trooper, Tetley Gold, Mad Hatter American Psycho, Box Steam Tunnel Vision, Hobgoblin, Pride, JW Lees MPA and Coastal Brewery Erosion (7.5%). A very good line up in anyone's book even with the mainstreamers.
It's a cosy sort of place, some of the red banquettes were sadly ripped but I understand there are plans to recover these, otherwise there were small round tables and stools. Some wood panelling, not of any age, modern art, a framed Liverpool Beatle City pub trail and a few twinkly lights provided the distractions.
Outside, the original Mellor's Brewery signage has been preserved, always a nice touch, things like that, also outside is a pleasant if tiny walled courtyard garden.
A belting little pub with a great selection of beer and seemingly getting the food right, there are a lot of great little (and big) boozers in this part of town just off the city centre, don't miss this one.
On 29th October 2014
- rating: 8
[User has posted 1708 recommendations about 1681 pubs]