The back room of this pub reminded me of the canteen in "On The Buses" Wapping beers, especially Summer and the Stout, have been on tip top condition of late. Belgian stock a bit low, heres to a draught Karmeliet or Goulden Carolus!Great selection of beers, a little bit out of the city but is now a little more accessible through L!.

Well worth a visit

Wahay,well said snarler. Do you snarl as much as Father Jack? If so see 23rd Feb 2008. This pub scores two ten out of tens - ten out of ten for beer and ten out of ten for ignorance. You can be sure of being blatantly ignored in favour of the CAMRA cronies. There ARE other pubs in the city that serve a decent pint.Was going to go to my local in south Liverpool for a couple of afternoon pints last week but thought sod it, I'll catch the train into town and go to the Ship instead to see what new beers they have on. And that's the good thing about the Ship, you can can come here and try a different ale each time you visit. If you want your regular Cains fix then Doctor Duncans is 2 minutes down the road, but if you like variety come to the Ship!

One more pint of bitter to buy and I get a free one with my loyalty card. A trip to Liverpool's ESSENTIAL point of call, The full range of Cain's mouth watering brew's to choose from, 8/10Great interior decor, can get very busy. A great selection of Cains Ales.

I can recommend a bottle of the Cains Raisin beer. Great.

Must visit pub ideally located close to public transport links

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!
I agree with matt_wilkins, which is why I always walk past it and go down the back streets!

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)

Went here last weekend and it was crowded. Lots of people who had been to the Liverpool Beer Festival popped in here. Had a pint of Festive Stout. Not sure which brewery. Landlord got a bit stroppy because some people sat at the back next to me had their coats on the seats and he said it was stopping punters from coming in (!?!?) so everyone was ordered to hang their coats up and we all ended up crammed in like sardines. Would have stayed for another pint but impossible to get to the bar due to those strange breed of people who drink their drinks at the bar making it impossible to get served!! The landlord was more interested in making as much as money as possible instead of making it a pleasant environment!Currently having one of its beer festivals, only three Cains beers but five guests, sadly I was too far gone to note them down in readable form! Festival finishes on Sunday 22nd February.

Comfortable old high ceilinged and dark wood pub selling well kept beers, mainly the Cains range plus two or three guests. There is a lower seating area round the bar with a TV for sport, and a lounge like upper area with softer seats. Service is always good and it's a freindly place. It is quite popular with us coffin dodgers.Well worth a visit. Good selection of beers. Gets crowded at weekends.
Not far from the Fly in the Loaf and the Philharmonic.

Visited here for 1st time in 2 years. Had a pint of one of the guest ales which was well kept. Landlord was very welcoming. The Roscoe has a good reputation and is popular for all the reasons that people have commented on below. There was a couple from the Isle of Man who chose to come here for a few pints before their flight back home. The Roscoe Head is by far my favourite pub in Liverpool. This is a traditional multi room pub that can only be described a classic. Excellent, well kept beer - with the Jennings Bitter being particularly recommended. As other reviewers have already said, this pub has been in all editions of The Good Beer Guide – and once there, it is easy to see why. What can I say, just brilliant!!There have been some recent changes in the small snug to the left as you enter, no tables or seating now except three bar stools, and a drinking shelf complete with foot rail installed down one wall, coat hooks on the wall and a small wall mounted TV complete this make over. God knows why; I suspect the telly is the clue but it will never compete with Sky Sports on big screens at the Fly and the Flute up the road. One other make over is a thinning out of the stools in the other small front snug, at least you can move around in there now. Beer on offer was the usual complement of Jennings, Tetley Bitter and dark Mild, Burton Ale plus two guests. All I tried in excellent form as usual, you can see why this has been in the Good Beer Guide for 35 years.

Further to the post by oldboots, I like to linger here when not in a group! Probably the safest pub in Liverpool - despite all of the "heavy metal fans and goths". Would rather be amongst them (probably because I am one - ish) than the scallys!

Have been taking notes and recently here I have had Hook Norton - Hooky Gold; Cottage - The Underdogs; Oakleaf (Gosport) - Heart of Oak; erm, and some others !!!The pub is noted for being popular with heavy metal fans and goths, plenty of old codgers like myself in there tonight but not many yoofs. Lighting in the downstairs bar is kept low and the juke box volume kept high. Long queue at the bar mainly due to a short barmaid not being able to reach the glasses shelf! Soon got a pint which was well worth the short wait. Great range of beers always on, too many to list; being spoiled for choice the innocent bystander in front of me asked for a sample which was graciously given, needless to say he had a pint. Not as worrying as the Cracke can sometimes be, but not a restful experience or somewhere to linger unless in a group, still very good quality beer and always fun.
Had another pint here last week. Don't ask me what it was called though and what brewery it was from! If you're not local and are visiting Liverpool for a day (or 2, or 3) go to the Swan. You will not be disappointed, or if you are you must be mad!

Excellent value beer at this majestic pub right next to Lime Street station. £1.20 a pint is amazing these days, and the environment and atmosphere here ensure that this is no Wetherspoons-type experience. Be sure to check out the plasterwork on the ceiling and the sumptuous exterior with it's original brewery signs. Although the pub has been opened out, it still retains separate drinking areas, including a back rom with a similarly impressive ceiling. Upstairs there is a separate (and less remarkable) restaurant area, although food can still be consumed downstairs. 4-5 ales to choose from, including Cains and Tetley Bitter which are as cheap as chips. The food too is very cheap and served all day, and although it's nothing special still represents excellent value for money. A few concessions to modernity- quiz machines etc.- don't detract too much from the ambience. Unsurprisingly, it's always busy with a mixed crowd. Well worth a visit. Not a bad pub at all, can get a bit packed at times, but one of the cheapest boozers in Liverpool. Handy if your getting on or off a train at Lime Street and dont make the mistake of going to Wetherspoons opposite! Nice pint of thwaites "nutty black" for only £1.80 from this gbg listed pub. Two meals for a fiver also on offer, well worth a visit spesh if waitin 4 a train at the nearby lime street station, 7/10

Since the smoking ban, you can smell the gents lav all over the pub. Also the beer costs too much.What a great pub, with an excellent selection of ales. Split up in to several small rooms it has a good atmosphere. Can get busy at times. A great selection og Whisky with the owner being very knowledgeable about them. There is a whisky club you can join.

A must for visitors to Liverpool just out of the shopping area to be found in the business area, only 5 mins walk out from shopsI worked near this pub for 30 years and used to go in there frequently.
I went in again recently on a Friday lunchtime to re-acquaint myself with the cheeses and great ale. I was not disappointed.
This pub must go through a huge number of different ales on an annual basis.
Go there if you are visiting Liverpool city centre but it can get busy at lunchtime.

Great pub worth a visit, reasonable ale and some good pub food.

Friendly staff and clienteleSmall city-centre pub with a nice feel to it. Good selection of ales. Food available. A pleasant sanctuary from the shopping madness outside.
No Cains Bitter when I went in a few days ago (probably due not being re-supplied after Christmas) so I reluctantly chose a pint of John Smiths. I'm glad I did because that was the best pint of John Smiths I've had in years!

Best visited when it is quiet so that you can relax & enjoy the ornate interior. Limited choice of real ales on my recent visit but the Deuchars IPA was on good form.A victim of its' own success. I couldn't get in recently due to it being so crowded!
awesome building, must see if you haven't been, but agreed it is perhaps resting on it's laurels and a bit complacent.

Nice to see the Belv reopened last night. Good crowd, nice redecoration and a good range of 4 beers from Betwixt Brewery.All the best for the future John.Been shut the last few days, including the weekend, so the promised refurb, under new ownership (The Lion of John ODowd?) asppears to be happening.Heres to a well run Pub, that is open, serving good beer.Surprised to hear it is getting refurbished again so soon.....interesting

Paid a recent visit with my daughter. Beer (Copper Dragon) was in great nick, the atmospher was friendly and relaxed and...wait for it.... the gents is in the advanced stages of refurbishment. Great pub.Built 1852 as Ruthin Castle probably after a ship of the time. Nicknamed Ye Crake as small original Rt Hand bar could only hold 10 people. Adjoining house added in 1876 but name stuck. 5 rooms cluster around 2 bars, one is the Snug known as The War Office, where dispatches from Boer War were read & discussed. Large collection of ink drawing of 1960s Liverpool by RW Thomas adorn largest room. Beatle memorabilia relates to this being a favourite haunt of John Lennon while at college. 8 hand pulls give a changing range of beers in fine condition. Good value pub grub Cod+chips £4. Toilets recently refurbished. Popular walled beer garden, one of few in city. Still a good mix of locals, students, and visitors like me. Great Pub - THANKS!
Reviewed 21/02/09 by SADCATS on Tour! SCORE- 7.
under new management but everything seems pretty much the same as always although the atmosphere feels a little different, warmer and friendlier somehow. There were certainly more women customers than usual when I called in. Multi roomed pub with a good array of well kept beers from smaller and micro breweries. Always a lively pub to visit but some of the customers can look a bit dodgy. I sat in the big room and enjoyed the drawings of 1960s Liverpool by RW Thomas, a great reminder of the lost city you can still see traces of in modernised Liverpool. If you're in the Crake take a look at them.

a small pub noted for its sloping floor and wrinklies, at least I wasn't the youngest person in the pub this visit. No surprises in the beer range available, all very very well kept but largely international or regional names. The staff may be old but by god they can move fast towards the rustle of a £10 note. They also keep the place spotless and can handle any scallys who wander in. Always an interesting pub to visit and definitely one to treasure.
Here is the thing, as a tourist i have to say: this is what i am looking for when i want a daytime pint.Even the background music was pefect-stones and pink floyd etc.A great little pub selling a very nice pint of Cains Bitter, Cains Mild and a guest ale.
Sixties music played at a level so as not to stifle conversation, very friendly staff and clientelle. My first pint in The Globe was in 1973. It was a good pub then, and it's still a good pub now. It's supposed to be an 'old man's pub', but my lad is 19 and really enjoys visiting The Globe.

This pub is almost always busy due to its location on Matthew Street. The place is getting tired now and is in need of some work to bring it up to scratch. It is open late of a weekend and atrracts a variety of clientele.

The beer in here is of a below standard quality and the food is of the same standard, although the food is cheap.

They pay music very loud and have a DJ of a weekend to intice people in. I would not recommend this place to anyoneA tacky old pub that would have few customers if it wasn't in Matthew Street. Why do they have to play music so loud?
I used to use this pub in the late 60's and seventies - just after the Beatles deserted Liverpool for The Smoke. I can tell you that it is now nothing like the pub it once was. The layout and bar are completely different. Last time I popped in I was 'served' by a lazy fat old bird who had quite obviously made the wrong career choice. It was adecent boozer in the 60's and 70's - all the bands playing at the Cavern would pop in between sets. Now it's a tacky old dump.