The Dispensary

The Crazy King is dead, long live the King! The Dispensary has always been an amazing pub in a fantastic location. Having been an award-winning pub in the past, the last 5 years it has been widely known as a wild pub where the manager might deck you or throw you out for no good reason (if the old Trip Advisor reviews are still there, go check them out, there are hundreds). Now under new management, it is back to its best, and we are happy to see it return to former glories.

The Vibe

The elegant wood panelling, the long bar, the raised seating at the back. The old signage from years gone by. There is a lot of authentic, old-time boozer about the ‘Dizzy’, as it is known by the regulars. After a few years of people being thrown out for ordering a soft drink, asking for a taster, using the toilet, or asking what time it was, the new owners have come in as a breath of fresh air. They’ve kept all the good bits of the Dizzy, and brought back in good levels of human decency and customer service. What this means is that this perfectly located pub (it has always acted as a start and end point for many pub crawls in the top end of the city centre), has once again become an example of what it is that makes a good Liverpool pub! It’s a great place for students to pop in for a post ‘work’ drink, where you can go and watch the football in an easy location, or where you can sit at the bar and get to know the staff.

The Drink and Food

The new Dispensary team also wanted to make the most of the delicious food being made by their original pub ‘Dockleaf’ – and have been putting out plenty of tasty homecooked pies with seasonal flavours. The Dispensary has continued the fine tradition of serving a wide range of guest ales, alongside regular lagers and beers, bottled beers, and even a range of non-alcoholic beers (which would not have been allowed under the previous ownership). There is definitely a focus on quality drinks, quality service, and a feeling of community, which makes the Dizzy stand out.

The Price

You can expect to pay average prices of around £3.40 a pint if you are drinking real ale here. A little bit more for the bottles of German beer and the draught lager and such. For a city centre pub with this much character, we’ve found that the Dizzy is great value.