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Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo
National
Dan Haygarth

Best Liverpool city centre pubs for a pint at Christmas

There's nothing quite a trip to the pub at Christmas.

Fortunately, Liverpool is not short of options. Many in the city centre lend themselves perfectly to a pint at this time of the year, offering a welcoming, warm and often cosy space to spend the evening.

As work winds down for many, we've picked five pubs from Liverpool's Georgian Quarter which make great spots for a Christmas pint. From favourite spots of the Beatles to a side-street venue with a roaring fire, there are plenty of great options within close proximity of each other.

READ MORE: Morrisons shoppers taken aback as Christmas turkey costs £137

As such, they'd work nicely as a pub crawl, if you're that way inclined.

Roscoe Head

Found on Roscoe Street, just off Leece Street, the Roscoe Head is the only pub in the North of England (and one of only five in England) to make it into every edition of Camra's Good Beer Guide. Split over four rooms, with a classic bar greeting drinkers as they enter, it is a pub made for winter evenings.

The Roscoe Head Pub on Roscoe Street, Liverpool (Liverpool Echo)

The pub's compact snug is the ideal spot for a pint at this time of year, while a range of well-kept ales are on offer, keeping any beer connoisseur happy.

The Grapes

The Grapes has been on the corner of Roscoe Street since 1775 (Andrew Teebay/Liverpool Echo)

Also on Roscoe Street stands one of the city's most distinctive and characterful pubs. The Grapes' roof terrace and pavement drinking make it a great option for summer. However, its compact downstairs area, decorated in an warm and eccentric manner, makes the pub a great winter drinking spot.

Serving local cask ales and offering plenty of choice, there are few better places to fall into on a December evening. It attracts a diverse crowd and a lively atmosphere is guaranteed, especially on Sunday nights, when the pub plays host to live jazz.

The Philharmonic Dining Rooms

If you want a pint in a grand setting, The Philharmonic Dining Rooms is the place. Calling itself "the most ornate pub in England', the Victorian building is as impressive on the outside as it is within, as the island bar stands as its impressive centrepiece.

You'll have to arrive early to claim a seat in one of its snugs, but its atmospheric main hall is not a bad consolation prize. A favourite bar of John Lennon's, the Phil is also noted for the marble urinals in the gents' toilets, which were Grade I listed before the pub itself was.

Ye Cracke

The Ye Cracke pub on Rice Street in Liverpool (Colin Lane/Liverpool Echo)

Few pubs in Liverpool can claim to have nearly as much character as Ye Cracke. Found on Rice Street, off Hope Street, it was famously a haunt of John Lennon and Cynthia Lennon while they were at art school.

With a welcoming atmosphere, dark wood features distinctive decoration and a side room called 'The War Office', it's the perfect place to lose a few hours on a dark winter's day. There's often Scouse on offer too, if you need something even more warming.

The Belvedere

Outside The Belvedere on Sugnall Street in Liverpool's Georgian Quarter (Iain Watts/Liverpool Echo)

Found on Sugnall Street, off Falkner Street, The Belvedere was saved from closure after coming under threat from a housing development in 2006. An attractive exterior gives way to a compact bar, notable for its wooden features.

Maybe the smallest pub on this list, you have to be assertive to make your way through the crowds to the bar, but it is certainly worth it once you do. Once served, drinkers gather around its roaring fires, while two snug rooms upstairs have plenty of character.

Local ales are always on offer and the pork pies are definitely worth a try.

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