The Philharmonic

Great pub with an amazing old-fashioned ambiance. Food-wise it delivers - salad and pies were reliable. Service is fast, which is a definite plus if you are dropping by for drinks before a concert in the Philharmonic hall across the street. The well known attraction of this pub, the men's toilets, are indeed one of a kind - but the rest is nice too. Well worth a visit!

We arrived just as the after-work crowd was winding down. The main banquet hall was noisy but quieted down as people left. Jane ordered the shepherd pie and I ordered the ribeye steak. Jane loved the shepherd's pie, my ribeye was a bit too rare for 'medium rare' and was a bit gristly, but tasted fine. The greens on the accompanying salad were very good, but the dressing was nearly water. (This was true of other places we ate as well). Overall it's a lovely place and a must-visit stop in Liverpool.

Loved it. Iconic stop in Liverpool. Good beer and G&T. The ambiance is not to be missed. You slip back into another time. We enjoyed an odd hour afternoon so it wasn't busy and we had a nice corner table to watch the coming and goings.

Why a lovely pub, great atmosphere, great service, nice drinks served by friendly bar staff

I love the phill so much. I've pretty much grown up in there with some of my family members even being in the philharmonic choir and I've played with an orchestra there a few times too. My family always books one of the boxes and we go and watch the Christmas show. The atmosphere is lovely and you can marvel for hours at the beautifully painted walls. The sound in there is amazing too!! I've seen many of my favourite bands play in there and they're memories I'll hold forever. The bar area is usually PACKED at the intervals so I'd recommend avoiding there or being noise cancelling headphones if you struggle with loud sounds or large crowds of people . The staff there are also very helpful and always happy to greet you at the doors! Overall one of my favourite places to go.

This amazing pub is an essential place to see on any week-end visit to Liverpool. In a city full of astonishing Edwardian pub interiors, the Philharmonic's takes the first prize. It is a Grade II* listed building, features in CAMRA's National Inventory of Pub Interiors, and is regarded by many as Britain's finest pub interior.


Built in 1898, there is a central bar, with four main rooms: a small front lounge; a pair of small lounges (called 'Brahms' and 'Liszt' in best Cockney Rhyming slang) and through a short passage, the former billiard room, known as the Grande Lounge. (The present dining room is on the first floor).


Everything - and I really mean everything - is heavily decorated. The entrance, with its partly gilded ironwork screen, sets the tone. The floors have mosaics, the glass is etched and stained, the mahogany woodwork is carved, the bar fronts have more mosaics, the ceilings have elaborate strap-work plasterwork, walls feature panelling or glazed encaustic tiling, and there are Tiffany-style lights and chandeliers everywhere. An unusual feature is the series of beaten-copper reliefs set in some of the wall panelling, especially in the main dining room.


But perhaps the most famous room is the Gentlemen's lavatory: the urinals are set in beautiful polished red marble, as are the sink surrounds, the walls feature yet more glazed tiles and the floor is covered in delicate art-nouveau mosaics.


Thankfully, it's also a decent pub - there is usually a choice of half a dozen real ales, and they also do food (although I've not eaten here). Service is OK, although it can get frenetically busy at week-ends.


If you've not seen it before, you have to go.

This is a must-visit for the decor alone, although the dimmer switch lighting in the main room isn't always on the most favourable setting. It's large with lots of seating of various types, including in small rooms.

Getting drinks took about 15 mins but food arrived relatively promptly - decent pub grub of bangers and mash and scampi and chips. I didn't fully check out the ale situation but my impression is there's not exactly a load of real ale on cask here but you probably will find something drinkable, even if it's in a can. I had a reasonably priced and drinkable glass of chardonnay.

I really think a trip here, even just for 1 drink, would enhance any visit to Liverpool, so definitely recommend.

We were looking for a place to eat lunch while visiting Liverpool and this place was recommended by a friend. The Hop On Hop Off stopped right in front so that made it easy to get to. They have a number of small rooms with tables that have numbers on them. So you pick out your table and go to the bar to order and give them your table number. We picked a little room off to the side with a beautiful stained glass window. We started out with drinks. They have quite a few kinds of beer so to make it easy they have a sampler of three kinds in small glasses. So you choose what three you want to try. I picked a Hopopotamus, Black Sheep and a Doombar. They were all good but, probably the Hopopotamus was the best. For lunch I picked the Shepard's Pie and my wife got the Fish & Chips. They were both delicious. The wait staff was friendly and helpful. The men's restroom is an amazing room with antique marble uranals and sinks. You will not go wrong eating here.

Great pub opposite the Liverpool Philharmonic Hall.

This is a great place to hit after a concert at the (admittedly mediocre) Liverpool Philharmonic Hall, or ahead of a concert. Comfy seating, very pleasant dark wooden interior with a bit of a musical bent (there are opposing "Brahms" and "Liszt" rooms, alluding to the feuding late-19th century schools of classical music. Decent selection of hand-pumped ales, plus the usual roster of lagers. Generally nice staff. Beer prices okay.

Warning: Does get very busy on concert nights.

Lovely experience. Food is delicious. Love the friendly and smiley staff. The decor is high class and absolutely eye-satisfying.
My full course was:
- Drink: Little Rebel. British craft beer. Tropical flavor.
- Starter: Pulled Pork Hamhock and Pitaschio Rilette. The pork was flavorful and go nicely with pitaschio and piccallili on side.
- Main: Grilled seabass with hollandaise sauce and fennel relish. Fish should be marinated more with fennel. Skin wasn't cripsy. Sauce is a little buttery. But lovely overall.
- Dessert: Rhubarb, plum and cherry crumbles. Should have more cream on side. The portion is enough for 2 people, or 1 sweet tooth like me :)