Liverpool
Liverpool's craft-beer scene runs deeper than the tourist taps. These ten are where locals drink. The craft beer bars on this list span every neighbourhood worth a trip, Baltic Triangle, Ropewalks, Cavern Quarter, Georgian Quarter all show up, and every price tier from a $5 local pour to a $25 hotel-bar tasting. Each bar earns its spot for a different reason.
ROPEWALKS · $$$ · COCKTAIL BARS
Liverpool's most awarded cocktail bar. Order: Mersey-rye Old Fashioned. Best time: Tuesday and Wednesday before 9pm, when the regulars haven't filled the room yet. Best for cocktail-curious drinkers who want technique without theatre. Saturday after 10pm gets crowded, book ahead or arrive early.
ROPEWALKS · $$$ · COCKTAIL BARS
Cocktail bar with a tight rotating menu. Order: Mersey-rye Old Fashioned. Best time: any weeknight between 7pm and 9pm, when the bar settles into its rhythm and the bartender has time to talk. Best for cocktail-curious drinkers who want technique without theatre. Friday from 8pm fills up; reserve a counter seat or a high table.
ROPEWALKS · $$$ · COCKTAIL BARS
Speakeasy hidden behind a knock-on door. Order: Mersey-rye Old Fashioned. Best time: Sunday from 6pm, when it's the room's quietest premium night and the kitchen is unhurried. Best for cocktail-curious drinkers who want technique without theatre. Avoid post-match nights if the local team is playing, the upstairs gets loud.
HOPE STREET · $$ · COCKTAIL BARS
Heritage Victorian gin palace from 1898. Order: Mersey-rye Old Fashioned. Best time: Thursday late or Friday early, when you'll catch the room building toward its weekend tempo. Best for cocktail-curious drinkers who want technique without theatre. First-Friday traffic in the district can mean a 20-minute wait at the door.
BALTIC TRIANGLE · $$ · COCKTAIL BARS
Open-air bar-and-music venue inside a converted warehouse. Order: Mersey-rye Old Fashioned. Best time: Tuesday and Wednesday before 9pm, when the regulars haven't filled the room yet. Best for cocktail-curious drinkers who want technique without theatre. Saturday after 10pm gets crowded, book ahead or arrive early.
GEORGIAN QUARTER · $ · COCKTAIL BARS
Heritage neighbourhood pub from 1862. Order: Mersey-rye Old Fashioned. Best time: any weeknight between 7pm and 9pm, when the bar settles into its rhythm and the bartender has time to talk. Best for cocktail-curious drinkers who want technique without theatre. Friday from 8pm fills up; reserve a counter seat or a high table.
Use this guide either as a single curated route through Liverpool or as a checklist to revisit over a long weekend. Reservations are flagged where they matter. Otherwise, walk in. Below: the ten craft beer bars that any serious drinker in Liverpool would tell you to put on the list.
Liverpool's most awarded cocktail bar. Order: Mersey-rye Old Fashioned. Best time: Tuesday and Wednesday before 9pm, when the regulars haven't filled the room yet. Best for cocktail-curious drinkers who want technique without theatre. Saturday after 10pm gets crowded, book ahead or arrive early.
Cocktail bar with a tight rotating menu. Order: Mersey-rye Old Fashioned. Best time: any weeknight between 7pm and 9pm, when the bar settles into its rhythm and the bartender has time to talk. Best for cocktail-curious drinkers who want technique without theatre. Friday from 8pm fills up; reserve a counter seat or a high table.
Looking beyond Liverpool? See our guide to the best craft beer bars worldwide, or compare craft beer bars city by city. Or find craft beer bars near you.