Today (August 1) marks International Beer Day, offering the perfect excuse to enjoy some tasty pints and visit Liverpool’s best boozers.
The Good Beer Guide, which surveys 4,500 pubs, is considered to be the ‘definitive beer drinker’s guide’ for those seeking the best pints in the nation’s pubs and is published annually by The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA). More than 70 pubs in Merseyside feature in the latest edition.
In honour of International Beer Day 2025, we have scoured the list and picked out 13 of our favourite pubs in and around Liverpool city centre. Take a look through our photo gallery to see 13 of the Liverpool pubs listed in the CAMRA guide – and find out why they were included.
1. Ma Egerton’s Stage Door, Pudsey Street
Ma Egerton’s Stage Door is a Victorian pub with a renowned theatrical heritage, in the heart of the city. As well as serving fine ales, wines and spirits, delicious pizzas are also on offer. The Good Pub Guide said: “Victorian pub behind the Empire Theatre named after former long-serving landlady/theatrical agent; refurbished but keeping old-fashioned character." | User calflier001 via Wikimedia
2. Doctor Duncan’s, St John’s Lane
Doctor Duncan’s is named after William Henry Duncan, the UK’s first Medical Health Officer. The pub, dating back to 1901, was built to house Pearl Insurance and is well known for its elaborately tiled interior. In honour of its namesake, it houses an authentic Victorian pharmacy cabinet, and serves a range of excellent beers. | Doctor Duncan’s via Facebook
3. The Bridewell, Liverpool
The Bridewell is an iconic Campbell Square pub which has featured in many of CAMRA’s Good Beer Guides nationally over the years. The building, once a prison, dates from the mid-19th Century and has been lovingly converted into a pub, with the cells now used as seating areas. Taken over by well known and respected Liverpool licensees Fiona and Dominic Hornsby in June 2019, the pub has gone from strength to strength. | LTV
4. Peter Kavanagh's, Liverpool
Peter Kavanagh's is a Liverpool institution named after the eccentric landlord who ran the pub for 53 years. A hidden gem, brimming with charm, the pub in the Georgian Quarter, along with its cast-iron railings, is Grade II listed. | Emily Bonner