please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Almost opposite the Vines on Lime Street is a new micropub called Sanctuary which does a few decent brews and is probably the best ale pub near to Lime Street station.
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Closed.
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The interior of his place is very nice to look at and it seems to have a few rooms off of it but one of the rooms looks a bit more like it's used for ceremonies than for casual drinking. The bar itself is quite large in here. as other posters have said it's all keg, so i tried the 'Manns Chestnut' as I have never tried it before. It was okay and at 3.05 seemed a bit overpriced in my opinion. Probably worth one pint to have a look aroundat the place but I wouldn't hang around.
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Surprisingly until yesterday, this was one of the few Liverpool city centre watering holes I hadn't had a drink in. I had previously walked in and walked straight back out again, due to the lack of real ales. But yesterday, I was feeling a little more adventuous. True to form, there were no real ales on offer here yesterday. The keg range was Carlsberg, Heineken, Chestnut Mild, Guinness, John Smiths Extra Smooth & Extra Cold, Fosters, Murphys Stout, Strongbow & Kronenbourg. Some kind of disco was ongoing in the main bar, with middle aged people strutting their stuff! We chose to sit in a quieter room at the side. The interior and exterior architecture is splendid and almost as good as the Philharmonic. It is just the drinks range and the clientele that let the pub down. With its location and its stunning interior, this could be a fabulous pub. It's a shame it does not reach its potential. Nevertheless, it is still worth paying this pub a visit if passing.
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Was closed - possibly for refurbishment - when we were in Liverpool last week. There were no obvious notices about a reopening date, but from what little I could see through the windows, the Vines does have a quality interior, so hopefully the closure is temporary.
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another pub with quality interior shame about the expensive prices for the bog standard beer available, if it was a premium product then fair enough but its just any normal beer you can find in any pub!
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Unfriendly staff, expensive standard brew. Not the best.
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Worth a visit just to see the building and its interior. Quite proud to have such an ornate building in my city. It does get quite full at times, weekends can be a bit boisterous, so I suggest coming in during a Sunday lunchtime or weekday afternoon. It gets a 9 from me for the stunning architecture!
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I still come here at least once a week. It hasn't changed and I don't think it ever will. I remember about a month ago I went here and the only drink on tap they had was Kronenburg. I assume there was a delivery problem but I don't know why they even bothered opening.
It gets very busy on Friday nights and all day Saturday and Sunday - so unless you like kareoke and loud drunk lairy scousers I'd avoid it at these times.
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What Snarling_Mallard said.
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A high rating from me purely on architectural merit. Staff were okay but no proper beer and what was on offer wasn't up to much - had to plump for lager. Still worth dropping in to see it.
anonymous - 30 Oct 2009 12:36 |
wa here for the bank holidat weekend we stayed in the rooms above the bar the rooms are basic but clean and the breakfast is great.you can come down for breakfast any time of the day which is brillant your not restricted to geting up at certain time.the staff are great atmosphere is great and the lives bands excellent all in all a great place to be.
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Great old pub this one and it ticks all the boxes for me. Deffo be my Saturday afternoon pub to watch the footie score roll in.
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Another of the glorious victorian gin palaces Liverpool excels in and sadly another case of �if only they sold better beer�. It appears to be run by an Irishman so the Guinness is by far the best choice here while you enjoy the d�cor. Three rooms in the highest Victorian style plus a Heritage Suite which was locked and had a �Smart dress essential� sign, the toilets were also locked, key at the bar, but thank god no dress code for them. Carved wood, marble fireplaces, polished copper including the bar front, and incredible plasterwork in the ceilings, just a pity about the trashy modern floorings. It is on Lime Street but not the worst place to drink there.
anonymous - 11 Jun 2009 12:56 |
Still no real ales. �2.50 for pint of Strongbow or �1.95 in the Irish bar down the road (which is bloody cheap for an Irish bar!). Excellant pub though and friendly bar staff! A must visit if in town!
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Imposing & ornate architecture on both the inside & outside of this pub know locally as "The Big House". There are several rooms decorated with a mixture of mahogany, stained glass & carved plaster it is like stepping back in time to the Victorian period.
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Good pub but as other people have said there's no real ale. If you've got time to kill before you have a train to catch from Lime Street I would recommend here instead of some of the other dodgy pubs close by.
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Little to add really to my September 2005 posting, except to say that the Vines is an architectural masterpiece, both inside and out and second only in this respect to the Philharmonic amongst Liverpool's many classic unspoilt boozers.
The present Vines dates back to 1907 and was constructed by the same architect as the Phil ( on which I have just posted ).
My early morning visit on 3 April coincided with the first day of the Aintree race meeting and the pub was heaving with our Irish cousins wolfing down hearty cooked breakfasts.
I made do with a pint of John Smiths Smooth - yes, the Vines is a real ale free zone - but if it's possible to savour a pint of John Smiths Smooth, this is the place to drink it.
This is one of the few pubs in the country that I will visit, in the full knowledge that there is no real ale, and I recommend you do too.
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Fantastic building but serving no real ale. Worth a visit to look around but I would bother expecting anything decent to drink.
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Watched the Irish stuff England last Saturday and was surrounded by Irish scousers! THe Cains was good though
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The Vines is better known in Liverpool as `The Big House` and is one of a number of grand Victorian boozers in the city (see also the likes of the Phil, the crown, the lion tavern).
I found the ale here quite decent, it is definately worth a stop off on a crawl.
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I am staggered that this pub does not appear to be on this website already - it is one of the most famous of Liverpool's classic Victorian pubs. It is a "must visit" pub for its classic unspoilt interior. Ask the Duty Manager to show you the special function room - which is often closed - with its superb wood pannelling and paintings. Also note the copper fireplace and bell - pushes in the back room. The pub is quite close to Liverpool Lime Street station - about 2 minutes walk from The Crown which is also worth visiting. Unfortunately, however, whereas the beer in The Crown is passable, the beer in The Vines is crap.
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