please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Was in the Fly last weekend. It was reasonably busy early on a Saturday evening. But there were plenty of staff to enable quick service. The Okell''s ales on were Bitter, MPA & Steam. They also had Robinson''s Dizzy Blonde & Kirkstall Black Band Porter & Three Swords. My porter was nice.
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Found this place to be quite soulless in all honesty. It's a big room of a place with a large u-shaped bar with a marble top, what I would expect a swanky bar in America to have. Beer on the bar included- Sharps Rye IPA, Okells Bitter, Okells MPA, Kirkstall pale, Sonoma Track, Bowland Brewery Hen. I went for Sonoma at 3.30, decent beer. The bar it quite big with a few seating areas, when I was in there was music playing and sky sports on the television. It's a reasonably interesting pub, the lights were a bit wacky. Some interesting keg beers as well I don't think I would return however.
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Visited in September during a visit to Liverpool. An Okells pub but had the atmosphere of a busy Spoons. No music but very noisy due to the volume of people. The bar was several people deep in places but managed to find a spot and get served reasonably quickly. The pint was a bit short, and I was going to request that it was topped up after I had paid, but despite trying to get the barman's attention as he handed me my change he promptly disappeared to serve someone else. A loud "excuse me" was either not heard or ignored.
Pint was fine, just would have preferred a full pint. It wasn't even that there was a large head, the head was acceptable but there was a gap of nothingness above it!
Wouldn't stop me going again though.
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The Fly In The Loaf was the third of eight pubs we visited in Liverpool on Sunday. To save repeating myself, I won't review the others. But I will request for the Merchant to be added to the site. The Fly In the Loaf always seems to be busy. But the ale choice can be inconsistent. As an Okells pub, it always stocks one of their ales. On Sunday it was their Bitter. In addition, there was Sarah Hughes Dark Ruby Mild, Firebird Two Horses & Pacific Gem, Jennings Sneck Lifter, Robinsons Trooper & Salopian Oracle. Popular for those watching the football on the TV and generally has enough bar staff to ensure service is prompt. Has a decent bottle selection too. Still one of the city's best pubs.
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Large trendy boozer. Good quality Okells IPA. Noisy, and this without any entertainment.
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I like the Fly In the Loaf as a pub. But I generally find that they lack any dark beers. There are no real ciders either. It's still an Okells pub and they had their Bitter, IPA & MPA on yesterday. For once, we stopped for a drink instead of passing it by. The Vibrant Forest Radicale Oat & Coffee Stout was lovely. They also had Robinsons Trooper & Dizzy Blonde & The Brewhouse American Hop. Always a bit of a trek to the toilets, up the stairs and along a corridor. But this pub still merits a 7/10.
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Very nice pub with the biggest range of beers in this area. The staff are friendly and know their beers, they will bring it over to you instead of expecting you to wait at the bar while it settles.
It is quite expensive though, the guest ales are about 3.60 minimum
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I'm still not the biggest fan of the Fly in the Loaf. But there's enough other really good pubs around that it inevitably ends up in the middle of a pub crawl of this part of Liverpool. Yesterday, it was our third port of call after the Dispensary and the Roscoe Head. Beers on were Arighi Bianchi 150, Liverpool Organic Kitty Wilkinson Chocolate & Vanilla Stout, Lancaster Blonde & 1842 Pilsner, Cotswold Spring Stunner & Okells Bitter.
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Nice place. The lovely barmaid took a pub call whilst we decided on our drinks but asked first if that was OK, and apologised for the delay in coming back to serve us. She told us to take a seat whilst the beer settled and she would bring our drinks over.
A lovely pub with great service, but slightly expensive.
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Sunday lunch with a pint or two of real ale was just the ticket in this wonderful pub. We sat at a table right at the end under the pulpit and scoffed our roast pork, roast potatoes and broccoli and it all went down a treat. This area of town is so rich in fine pubs that you are spoilt for choice.
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I popped in the Fly at opening time while the wife was at the organ concert in the cathedral. Obviously the place was empty. The landlord greeted me in a very convivial fashion and I ordered a pint of real ale. I was surprised to see him going about some extraordinary task and even more surprised when I saw water coming out of the pump. He assured me that this cleaning process would only take a minute or two. The result was that five minutes later I was quaffing a perfect pint. As an occasional visitor to the UK I was mightily impressed and can now understand why many Liverpool pubs have such a good reputation when it comes to its real ale quality.
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The usual wide selection of beers available last night.
My mate had a very dark German beer (name escapes me) and I had a beautiful pint of Salopian 'Lemon Dream' - cost �6:85.
Pity it is such an expensive pub.
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On a return visit to Liverpool from Brighton this weekend, was disappointed they wouldn't give me a snifter of two unfamiliar ales to sample, and ther bar person didn't have a clue what they were like, so I had to stay with a familiar brew. Lovely room somewhat spoiled by unavoidable TV screens throughout playing football. It's dropped a couple of points since my last visit as a result.
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The manager takes some beating and the staff are always keen and attentive but there is always something Weatherspoonish about this pub. I don't know if its the layout, the fact that it gets very noisy or the fact that you need to take a packed lunch with you when you set off to the toilets.
All in all, there are plusses as well as minuses. Worth a visit though.
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I was surprised to see that it's been nearly 3 years since I last reviewed this pub. So Sunday may have been my first visit for that samel length of time. I've still to be won over by this pub. Yes, there is a good range of real ales. But these are surpassed in other Liverpool pubs. The lack of a real cider is always a letdown for me. But then these days, I'm just as at home drinking ales. But the atmosphere is for me somewhat lacking and the trek to the toilets is still a little annoying. Beers on yesterday were Liverpool Organic 24 Carat Gold, Dorset Piddle Thunder Box Porter, Maypole Little Weed, Cains Biiter, Lancaster Black, Lancaster Red & Fullers London Pride. Still a 7/10 for me. But I still find it overrated for what it is.
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Usual good selection of ales last night. I had a pale ale (name escapes me) and it was well kept. Still expensive though.
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good pub. Rubbish food
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Re. comments below. Fair play to the manager.
Will definitely re-visit when next in the area.
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Just to add to the previous comment - it's usually the manager who brings your drink to the table to save you waiting at the bar; and yes, he even does it when the pub is busy, and I've even seen him do table service when it's busy so people don't have to go up to the bar.
A great pub whose staff treat their customers with respect. A couple of months ago I was in there and a stag party were being very noisy and rowdy and annoying everyone else in the pub. One of the bar maids told them politely to be quiet and calm down - and they did. ;-)
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Pleasant long smart bar, not cheap of course but has enough going to justify it's pretensions. For a late Saturday afternoon visit the Okells was in fine fettle, and rather than let us stand there waiting for our pints to settle the barman delivered them to our table. Might not have happened if it was busier, but a nice touch all the same. Probably not for those looking for pubs with a bit of edge, but an acceptable way to while away time as you plot your next move.
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A friendly, big pub, with a a good atmosphere and good selection of beers. Quick service and well worth a visit when in Liverpool
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A fantastic experience. Longest bar in Liverpool with half a dozen real ales and good selection of ciders. Must try lunch there on my next visit. Food looked wonderful and the price even more wonderful. Plenty of TVs for football. Great atmosphere in the morning but I don't think Friday and Saturday nights would be to my personal taste.Very nice publican and very pleasant staff.
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I like my real ale but when I come here I always get a pint of Thatchers Gold - now sadly selling at �3.00 a pint! :'-(
Bar staff are still great though and it's a nice pub if you want to stay clear of the riff raff!
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Went here mid afternoon when it was very quiet. I can see that this pub would be a real find when busy in the evening. Impressed with both the beer & service.
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Further to my previous comment back in May, I now come to the Fly at least once a week. I occasionaly have one of the guest ales but nearly always have a pint of Thatchers Gold, which at �2.90 a pint is expensive, but then again, over the past 6 months bar prices in Liverpool have been steadily rising and are now more in line with the south!
I try and come here in the afternoon or early evening when it's quieter and sometimes come here to watch the football on TV when it can get very busy.
But, even when it's busy the bar staff are very efficient, polite and friendly, and have been seen to bring you your drink (or drinks) over to your table to save you waiting at the bar. A lot of this seems to be down to the young(ish) manager who takes pride in this establishment which other pubs in Liverpool should take note of!
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This is a pub I nearly always visit when in Liverpool, usually it is very busy and last night was no exception. Some of the ales on included Okells Bitter 3.7%, Cosmic Black Hole Brew 4.2%, Houblon IPA 4.2% and Box Steam Brewery Steam Porter 4.4% - all these were tried by my mates and me and all scored 4/5 on the CAMRA beer scoring method. Yes, we are the Real Ale Twats!
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Not a bad Okells house though it does have a chain pub feel to it. Had a very nice pint of Nelson's Loose Cannon here. Alludes to it's former existence as a bakery but that was eons ago - don't think it is in anyone living's memory.
anonymous - 6 Dec 2010 16:38 |
Splendid facade, boldly proclaiming "Vienna Bakery - Bakers to the Queen - Kirkland Bros - Scotch Confectioners" above the large bay windows either side of the doors (above which on a balcony is added "By Appointment" below a royal crest and underneath you will find a fine mosaic with the former owner's name). Inside, there is a long bar which is rather dark unless you can get a seat at the front or near the side windows towards the back. There are also some incongruous features such as stonework arches and a pulpit which seem to have been moved from an old church for no obvious reason. Appears to be an Okells pub, with a good selection of their beers on handpump plus some interesting guests (such as Blackwater Ska at �2.80). Well worth a visit.
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Went up in May to Liverpool and did alot of the real ale pubs again, this one was fairly average and I found the staff rude, prefer The Baltic,Roscoe,Philarmonic and particularly the Ship and Mitre. Ive also reviewed more than one pub.
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I can honestly say that this is the best real ale pub in liverpool. yes some beers are expensive but they are worth it. people are generally happy to pay �3.50 for a 330ml bottle so why not �5 for 568ml pint?
the taster thing is an absolute joke. i never ask for tasters as i like to try new things. the beers in this pub are always superb so i know i wont need a taster 'just to see if ill like it'. id never ask for a taste of a bit of steak in a restaurant before trying it so why should real ale be any different.
the bouncers at weekends are a neccessary requirement by law if any pub is to stay open later than 11pm. the everyman bistro has bouncers too and thats another one of my favourite pubs. just means i get to stay out a few hours later drinking real ale.
the staff are amazing compared to other local pubs in that area. it can be 3 people deep at the bar and you will still be served within a few minutes. with a smile too!
all in all i consider this to be my favourite pub in town. never a dodgy pint. atmosphere is amazing and staff always serve you with top class standards.
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Have visited a couple of times over the past month during the day when it's quiet. Didn't make a note of what ale I had; it was nice but expensive.
The only reason I came back here was to test the place out and see if I could make it one of my regular haunts.
Sadly not. I don't think I'll be back to the Fly for a while!
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This place could be excellent. However, it falls well short in a number of areas.
The policy of not giving tasters is utterly bizarre. It often gets busy at the bar, meaning you really don't want to be buying a half pint in order to try a new ale, only to have to queue for several more minutes if you decide you like it. So, you have to buy a whole pint and hope you like it. That's money down the swanny.
Which brings me to my next point. This place is expensive. Certainly one of the worst value pubs in the city.
Whilst I like my sport, I find it annoying when crap games of football/rugby are on screen when clearly nobody is watching. Just turn the screens off and put a bit of gentle music on.
I tend to think that if managed correctly, this place would be top notch. As it is, it's promise remains unfulfilled.
Oh, and I echo the comments re bouncers.
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I like everything about this pub except the prices.
2 pints of Erdinger, 1 pint of Okell's Bitter and 1 pint of guest beer - �12:60.
I noticed one of my favourite beers was on draught, Sierra Nevada, I've previously only had it in bottles from Tesco. I thought I'd better ask how much it was. �5 a pint was the answer! They are taking the piss!
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One of the best pubs in Liverpool. It has an amazing range of beers, almost too many to chose from. Luckily the staff are on hand to help you make your mind up. The staff are some of the best in the city, they can serve 4 people at once and not make mistakes. It can get very busy on some Friday nights. There is never any trouble in this pub.
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Gave this place another try and it's not too bad.
Although the previous comment about it being a "smart converted bakery" needs correcting.
Yes - it was a "bakers to the queen" aeons ago, but for many years was Kirklands wine bar in the 1990's, followed by several years as a strip club.
It still has a bit of a reputation and gets very busy at weekends; not helped by the fact that they employ bouncers/doormen at the weekends which is a "turn-off" for me.
Any pub/bar that has doormen is expecting trouble!
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Smart converted bakery in an area which is a hotbed of fine pubs. the old signage and curved windows are pretty splendid, whilst inside the large isngle room has an airy, smart but traditional feel, with its tiled floor and large bulbous bar lamps above the bar. Lots of wood panelling and small alcoves off the bar add to the pleasant atmosphere. Sky sports is shown silently on small TVs.
The pub really stands out for its beer range, with two Okells beers plus guests from microbreweries and an impressive range of Continental beers. Had a Salopian Hop Twister which was excellent, my pint of the day. A must visit in a city of fine pubs.
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Best described as a temple to beer, this is a simply magnificent place to explore all things hoppy. Okells beers are on, along with ever changing others, but for me, the real treat sits in the fridge - Chicago's Goose Island Brewery's Honkers Ale and IPA. Both of these are splendid beers and the IPA surely has to rank as one of the world's finest, an explosion of hops. Go steady on it as it's knocking on 6%, but boy is it good. A rare treat to find this beer.
A great find for us having recently moved to the Merseyside area. As others have noted, the staff here know their stuff and were on my visit, a busy Friday night, super-efficient. The wife liked her red wine too - recommened by the staff and served (sensibly as default at 175ml) in a nice oversized goblet to help with the nose (apparently, this matters to her!).
Highly recommended.
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Fantastic pub with lots of different beers available (including foreign ones). There are also a wide variety of different seating areas. Rivals the Ship and Mitre in my opinion!
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Last pub on the crawl before heading to Lime Street, after seeing Colchester�s disappointing away draw at Tranmere. Very large busy pub and an interesting exterior and interior. Competent bar staff meant we didn�t have to wait long for our beers, and I can only remember the name of one CBG or something - I really must write them down. Good lively atmosphere with TVs showing football and rugby, probably the best for atmosphere on the day, but then Liverpool in the evening is a lively place. Visited 26/9/2009. 7.5/10
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First visit this week. Really nice place, loads of decent cask ale and the biggest selection of German Weiss beers I've ever seen in a pub. Very freindly, enthusiastic and knowledgable bar man.
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Great pub with various drinking areas. Pub is owned by Isle of Man brewery Okells and their beers are complemented by an ever changing, good selection of other micro-brewers beers. Beers are kept well and on every visit I've made the staff have been friendly and efficient. Good atmosphere, clean and airy and the front windows are great for watching the world pass by.
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Pleasant atmosphere and a small but good range of ales including Derventio Nero on this occasion. May suffer from the competition as there are other good pubs including the former CAMRA regional pub of the year the Grapes nearby.
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We were here again on Saturday, Lions were on the TV so it was very busy. All the handpumps in use, good service, good beer, not a bad refurb in sight in my opinion and I've been in most of the pubs in a "two minute walking radius" and this is still one of the best.
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Nice pub, reminded of me of a proper London boozer. Good selection of ales and loads of foreign beers if you're into all that malarkey. Agree about the staff, makes a change for quick helpful service, nice to sit at the front watching the local talent stroll by.
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Cant fault this place at all, always good beer and mellow atmosphere. Staff are outstanding though, never wait to be served, always friendly and more than willing to recommend various ales. Although there is better pubs within walking distance, I would and have happily spend a whole afternoon / evening drinking here!
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I agree with matt_wilkins, which is why I always walk past it and go down the back streets!
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Went for the first time on sunday. Whilst quiet as sunday dinner time, beer choice was excellent and staff were friendly and knowledgeable.
Big open pub, but with a number of seating areas, and sport on the tele
Will definitely return upon our next return to liverpool (everton game probably)
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fao: oldboots
the place is a bad re-furb mate, and as such is in no way superior to all the others within a two minute walking radius.
roscoes head
pilgrim
ye cracke
dispensery
philharmonic
the swan
grapes
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Great selection of real ales, with guest ales changing on a regular basis. A very large pub which often shows live sports events.
Great atmosphere and well worth a visit. Can get busy at the weekends
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Went to the Fly in the Loaf this Saturday for the first time. The pub is one single long room with a similarly long bar. There were several real ales on offer during my visit - RCH Pitchfork, Cotleigh Harrier, Okells Bitter, Rudgate Alf's Golden Ale (had a hint of blackcurrant), Blackwater Voodoo and Fuller's Discovery. Draught ciders were Aspalls and Thatchers Gold. The atmosphere was good and the pub was well decorated, including the stairs and corridor leading to the toilet. They were also showing the Saturday lunchtime Premiership game on the screens.
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Great selection of beers but a bit pricey.
Lovely old wood panels on walls.
Interesting trek to the toilets!
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Isle of Man brewer Okells run two excellent pubs in the city, this is the more excellent of them. It's been praised many times on BITE for the quality of the beer, the service and the surroundings and rightly so. Lots of British and Continental beers on draught complimented by a superb range of Belgian/German/etc bottled beers. It has competition from some very fine pubs nearby but is probably the best all round. The toilets are upstairs through the door to the right of the front door, you only have to ask the wonderful bar staff.
anonymous - 16 Jan 2009 17:28 |
Big and emty-daytime. Interesting to try and find the toilets.
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Visited 3 times over a long weekend recently. Great pub with a decent selection of real ales, Okells + guests. We ate here one lunchtime and the food was good, it looked a bit pricey at first, but then we realised it was buy one get one free! The beer was excellent on all 3 visits as was the service. It was absolutely packed on the Saturday night, still got served OK though. One to visit.
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Visited at 10.15 on a very busy Saturday night...I have to say that the staff were absolutely exceptional and probably the best crew I have ever encountered in nearly 30 years of pub-going. We managed to squeeze into a corner at one end of the long bar and had a perfect view of them in action. They were a constant blur of motion and action, but each used a split-second to acknowledge your presence and the fact that you were next. Even with an order for two beers coming one from each end of the bar, there wasn't a hint of impatience from them and they still found time to recommend different tastes and different beers to people who weren't sure what they wanted. The beer quality and choice was excellent, too.
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A great pub! Very efficient manager and very efficient staff. The beer is spot on. Probably the only pub in Liverpool where you can have a conversation about Rugby League with the manager and some of the staff which makes a nice change from the over-hyped Premiership chat which goes on in other pubs.
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I had the impression this was an underrated pub, but I'm glad to see the comments here reflect the efforts of the staff. The beer, in terms of range and quality, has always been impressive when I'm in.
Staff have already been complemented by others, and I think that should stand.
Essential place if you're taking in a few pubs, due to location, but similarly conducive to a session
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Love this place! Superb selection of continental lagers & plenty of handpumps on the enormously long bar. Bright wooden tasteful decor, flat screen TV's & a great food menu. Great atmosphere & good service. At the very back of the pub there is a pulpit! Not sure what thats all about!
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Expensive!
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Well-kept beer and a friendly welcome in this relaxing pub.
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what an absolutely superb boozer. Well kept ales, magnificent array of continental beers and very spacious. Excellent - I know i'll be back.
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Fantastic looking pub, with very good beer and friendly bar staff.
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Lets here it for the real pub landlord, Dominic. You always get a great beer here. Period. In over five years of visiting I have yet to have a 'bad pint'. Definitely sets the standard that other pubs, real ale servers or not, should aspire to. All hail to the ale, glasses to the bar please!
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Excellent range of beers. Unusually for a real ale pub it is usually full on a weekend, mainly with a younger crowd. It is a very spacious pub but you don't get that impression due to the sheer number of people in most of the time.
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Excellent pub!
Good food, plenty of quality real ale, friendly atmosphere and large screens to watch sports....perfect!
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What a lovely pub. Enjoyed the beer from a wonderful range on offer. The decor is great and I had to go and stand in the pulpit!
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Included this on a recent pub crawl. Well worth a visit.
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What makes this place special for me is the fact that the relatively young landlord is so passionate about keeping all elements of the pub on top form.... If only there were more like him, well done.
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Extremely helpful and friendly couple of girls served us(as we had not been Liverpool b4 and were after directions). Great old pub full of character and great selection of foreign beers,of which i opted for a raspberry beer. 8/10
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What's all the fuss about - 'Merseyside Best Bar' Phaw!! There are better places than this. Pleasant enough environment with good stock of beers - Okells pint was a bit cloudy!
Food was certainly nothing to get excited about! Chip-shop sausages & reconstituded mash!! AND it took an age to arrive (there were only 3 other poeple in) so they wern't exactly rushed!!
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Been here once. Great place for a chat and a laugh with your mates. Don't go expecting to pull. Staff are very good and the decor makes it an interesting place to be.
Revel - 23 May 2006 17:33 |
Even better now, with plasma TVs showing the football. And the staff and beer range are as good as ever.
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Good pub in busy street, excellent range of Okell, guest and Belgian beers. Friendly staff and good manager. You'll never be bored if you can get a window seat here.
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A fantastic selection of drinks, not just beers, but some really interesting soft drinks, which is a welcome change. Service is quick and efficient.
anonymous - 3 Jun 2005 16:24 |
Great pub with well-kept real ales. Staff are professional and polite, one of whom is very 'easy on eye' but, I digress! If you enjoy a relatively smoke-free atmosphere, appreciate a wide selection of beers from around the world then give The Fly a try. They do food too!
Oh, the men's rest room is a disgrace.
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Good friendly pub which we found by accident, But finding this pub will never be an accident again. It will be intentional. Good beer, friendly staff and though I didnt have any they serve 'proper chips' which I had to laugh at. Its a must when visiting Liverpool.
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Quite a new pub. it is a refreshibng change from the other pubs in the Hardman street area. Owned by Okells IOM Brewery, and offering beers from around the world, 50 diffrent beers on last count.
The Staff are excellent. Always well mannered and presented, and you never wait very long to be served.
Ever changing Guest Ales make it a fantastic place to enjoy a nice pint. The prices are a little steep but it is the only place where you could enjoy such a vast amount of different beers in such a nice pleasant, calming environment.
The windows at the front of the pub are amazing, and it is a great way to watch people scurry by why you sit enjoying a nice cold pint.
10/10 great bar!
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Fairly new pub replacing the previously murky Kirklands, this is now owned by the Okells Brewery from the Isle of Man.
Very long bar serving Okells beers and guests plus several draught and bottled continental beers. Never quite got round to ordering food, just sat in the window drinking, watching the world go by, knocking on the window when an old face walks past and inevitably on to the next stool.
A bit pricey but not bad, and this probably keeps out the students who inhabit this end of town.
Friendly staff and a good manager poached from the Dispensary down the road. The upstairs room wasn't finished when I was there but they plan to have live music up there.
Crap name.
palmwinedrinkard - 27 May 2004 17:38 |
