Best Irish Pubs In Liverpool

• Location: 25 Harrington Street, Liverpool City Centre, L2 9QA
• Price: £
• Why we recommend: it has a weekday happy hour until 6pm, with draught pints at some of the most competitive prices in the city centre (the weekend happy hour runs until 2pm)

Scruffy Murphy's, with its two sites on Harrington Street and Mathew Street, pitches itself somewhere between the Emerald Isle and the Lower East Side, and it pulls off the combination with more conviction than you might expect.

The Harrington Street original's décor is a knowing nod to Irish-American sporting culture: local artist Paul Curtis's murals of basketball and racing legends line the entrance, setting the tone for a pub that takes its sport as seriously as its craic. Live music runs seven nights a week, and the karaoke format, where singers perform with a live band rather than a backing track, is a mighty crowd-puller.

• Location: 18a Slater Street, Ropewalks, L1 4BS
• Price: £
• Why we recommend: we think that The St Andrew's Building exterior is genuinely striking - this is a pub that looks as good from the outside as it feels from within

Slater Street has long been one of Liverpool's most rewarding stretches for a night out, and it's where you'll find Durty Nelly's, tucked into the ground floor of the handsome St Andrew's Building. A solid wood bar is at the centre of things, as well as walls dressed in vintage enamels and Irish memorabilia, and a warmth that takes hold quickly. 

Live music, DJs, and karaoke fill the weekends, with named acts performing late. The late licence, running until 3am on Wednesdays through Saturdays, means it's well placed as both a destination and a final port of call on a longer evening in the Ropewalks.

• Location: 33–35 Ranelagh Street, Liverpool City Centre, L1 1JP 
• Price: £
• Why we recommend: Lanigan's also boasts the largest LCD video wall in Liverpool - a 12-foot screen that dominates the far end of the bar 

Some Irish pubs in Liverpool wear their heritage lightly. Lanigan's does not. The flagship bar on Ranelagh Street, the first Liverpool outpost of the Lanigan family's long-established venue in Kilkenny, is one of the most fully realised Irish pub experiences in the city, and it has been since the day it opened in 2015.

There's a dedicated snug, the Fitzgerald Snug, for those who want to escape the main room, and outdoor seating that looks out onto the bustle of Ranelagh Street. Live music runs every night of the week, from traditional Irish ballads to DJs playing until 2am. The drinks list is one of the most comprehensive of any Irish bar in the city, with a wide range of Irish whiskeys and gins alongside a Guinness that the bar claims, with some justification, is the best in the North West. 

• Location: 25-27 Victoria Street, Liverpool City Centre, L2 6QE
• Price: ££
• Why we recommend: from Trad Tuesday open mic nights to weekend acts spanning Irish folk, ska, and reggae - there's always something on, and it's always good

Molly Malones on Victoria Street stands out as a Liverpool Irish pub, not because it shouts the loudest, but because it gets the fundamentals exactly right. The interior is warm and unhurried, dressed in Irish detail: dark wood, sporting memorabilia, and the low hum of a jukebox. There's a stage, and it gets used - properly used, by acts who know their craft, from traditional balladeers to bands that'll have you on your feet before you've finished your first round.

That first round, of course, should be a Guinness. Molly Malones has built a quiet reputation for pouring one of the finest pints in the city - a claim that carries real weight in Liverpool, where the competition is fierce, and the drinkers are discerning. The bar staff, many of them Irish themselves, treat the pour with the respect it deserves.

• Location: 18 Mathew Street, Liverpool City Centre, L2 6RE
• Price: £
• Why we recommend: we know that Mathew Street can get densely packed, particularly on weekends, so it's great that the venue's split-level layout disperses crowds effectively

Situated right in the heart of Liverpool's iconic Cavern Quarter, The Flanagan's Apple stands as a staple of traditional Irish hospitality on Mathew Street. Spread across three distinct floors, this venue encompasses the energetic spirit of a traditional Irish pub.

From the ground floor, where well-poured pints of Guinness flow alongside live acoustic music, to dedicated floors for live sports broadcasts and private party spaces (such as 'The Craic' event suite), it offers a customised night out for you and your friends. 

• Location: Cains Brewery Village, Grafton Street, Baltic Triangle, L8 5XJ
• Price: £ 
• Why we recommend: you can have a night out all under one roof here, as the venue connects directly to sister spaces like Arcains (retro video games) and Hotshots (interactive darts)

Punch Tarmey's is the largest Irish bar in Liverpool, which happens to be named in honour of Michael 'Punch' Tarmey, a champion prize-fighter from the late 19th century. The bar fuses industrial heritage with traditional rustic charm, complete with exposed brickwork, reclaimed timber, and vintage boxing memorabilia.

The cavernous space offers dual-zone entertainment featuring a massive interior main stage alongside the Soundyard (an outdoor covered courtyard with its own live performance setup). Combined with huge screens broadcasting live sports, rare Irish whiskeys, and seamless access to sister venues like Arcains interactive arcade, it delivers a multi-activity night out all under one roof.

• Location: 68 Hanover Street, Liverpool City Centre, L1 4AG
• Price: £
• Why we recommend: a great pub lives or dies by its draught taps. O'Neill's takes pride in its Guinness line management, serving properly settled, ice-cold pints with the signature creamy head intact

If you're on the hunt for an affordable Guinness, head to O'Neill's - the bar serves as a lively, open-plan anchor point between Liverpool ONE, Bold Street, and Liverpool Central Station. A staple on the city's high street, this expansive venue has classic Irish pub warmth with a sports and music setup.

It's a very versatile boozer, which transforms from a breakfast spot into a live sports fanzone, depending on what day of the week you catch it on. One thing's for certain, though: it'd be rude to skimp on its full Irish spread to start the day.