Tucked away on a small side street, away from the bustle of Dale Street, stands The Denbigh Castle.
The pub has been found on Hackins Hey for years, taking many different names. It was revived by Fiona and Dominic Hornsby, who took over the pub in 2020.
When they bought it, the venue was called Jupiters Bar and it was far from firing on all cylinders. The Denbigh became Fiona and Dominic's second pub in the city, having already found success with The Bridewell - a Grade ll listed police building from the mid-19th century which was converted into a pub.
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After giving it a revamp, the couple returned the pub to its former name. Smarter and with a renewed sense of identity, it has gone from strength to strength.
Now, known for its selection of excellent German lagers (it's hard to go wrong with Veltins or Warsteiner), craft beers and cask ales, it is a pub with something for everyone. It has also become an unofficial Everton hub in the city centre, buzzing on matchdays and hosting fans for a subsequent 'Denbigh disco' regardless of result.
Set over a number of rooms, the Denbigh has the feeling and styles of a classic pub but retains a sense of modernity. It is a great place for a pint after work and is a key part of Liverpool's 'Beer Quarter' of venues around Dale Street and the business district.
Earlier this year, as the ECHO spoke to pub owners in the city centre about challenges facing the industry, Fiona spoke about how she and Dominic found success with the pub.
She said: "When we took the Denbigh Castle on, it was Jupiters before and it was failing. Going in, cleaning it up, brightening it up, rebranding it with some nice beer and decent staff - all of a sudden, you've resurrected something. We think it's a great pub with loads of boss customers in.
"Where did they come from? Where did they used to go? And what did we offer them that they weren't getting where they used to go before?"
The customers that the Denbigh has become home to are both younger and older drinkers, adding to its charm.
About this, Fiona said: "In both of our pubs, we get a lot of old fellas that come in. Pricing is a key for them, they'll pay for a quality pint but they won't overpay.
"If they've been to a certain place and they're charging 40p or 50p more than a pint than we are, they'll know. There's a value to it now and if you're going to pay a fiver for a drink, then you expect service, you expect cleanliness. If they go somewhere and they pay a fiver but don't get any of those things then they don't go back."
The pub's Everton connection has also proved an unexpected boon. Fiona explained: "It has been massive for us, but it was never intentional. I'm a season ticket holder and I go home and away, but it was never an intentional thing, it just kind of happened.
"Covid had a bit to do with it, because we opened every time we could and we were booking tables for the match. You get a few Blues in, so there's a camaraderie, a shared experience, then you get a few more and all of a sudden it becomes what it is.
"It's brilliant, it's such fun. When they win, it's so much fun, but that's been few and far between over the past 12 months.
"On a matchday, everyone has got to know each other and people are bouncing around from group to group. That shows what a pub should be - a community.
"I enjoy it, I like the camaraderie. It doesn't just happen on a matchday, they come in during the week and have a pint, whether they're having a wander or meeting mates or whatever. Everybody is just able to moan about Everton."
However, it is not just feeling blue about the Blues that should drive you to the Denbigh. It is a pub for anyone, where the values of a good local are front and centre.
Fiona said: "Whereas pubs have changed in lots of ways, the idea that goes back hundreds of years hasn't. The essence of a pub is the same - it's all about people.
"During the pandemic, the thing people missed the most was meeting friends and talking to other people. They were stuck in their houses with whoever they lived with and many people had nobody.
"We see it in droves in the pub - the amount of people who would talk to anyone. We need that as human beings, we need it for our mental health, you need that nonsense chat, argument, banter, whatever it may be.
"Sometimes you just want to go out on your own and you want to go somewhere where somebody in there can speak to you and you can share a chat about whatever, be it Liverpool, Everton, Rugby League, horse racing, your wife, your husband - you want someone who will sit and listen.
"You need that to lift you from the mundanity of life."
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