Here’s what your favourite Liverpool pub says about you – based purely on vibes

From pizza fries to pub quizzes, and three for £9 cocktails to dancing on the table in an Irish pub, there’s a drinking spot for everyone around town, no matter your vibe. Even though you might be five days into Dry January already, you’re probably having withdrawal symptoms from your favourite pubs or bars that you’re dying to get back to next month.

There’s something about piling into Disco Spoons and pretending you’re enjoying your time on the dance floor, but at least it’s better than paying £8 for a turbo shandy in the Cavern Quarter.

In Liverpool, your choice of pub says a lot about who you are – and trust us, it’s not always flattering. So grab a pint, settle in and discover what your Liverpool pub really says about you. Don’t hold us to anything though, we’re running purely on vibes for this one.

The Sphinx

Ah, The Sphinx. The definition of the comfort zone for students still tethered to the umbilical cord of campus life. Pint between lectures? Standard. You’ve probably never ventured more than 10 minutes away from a uni building since Freshers’ Week, have you? The weekday deals may seem like a bargain to start with, but when you’re working with zero vibes and barely anywhere to sit, it’s just not the one.

Plus, you know full well that everyone rocks up fashionably late on a society pub crawl just because they don’t want to go to The Sphinx. Let’s face it – venturing beyond the bubble won’t kill you.

Your vibe: Familiar, friendly, and tragically stuck in your student rut. Spread your wings already.

The Hope and Anchor

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You’re here for sticky floors, sweaty singalongs, and nights that escalate in ways you’ll definitely regret. Talent is irrelevant – karaoke is your oxygen, and “chaotic good” is your guiding life philosophy. Bonus points if you’ve lost a shoe here. 

It stinks, it’s probably full of rugby boys, and the toilets are too far away. It’s like a slightly more hipster Wetherspoons, but will defo become your go-to watering hole during your first year. If you lived in Philharmonic or Vine, you’ll be far too familiar with the triangle we’re about to discuss.

Your vibe: Loud, energetic, and shamelessly unpolished. You’re the human equivalent of a party popper.

The Flute

The Flute is the tip of the Bermuda Triangle of dignity. Pre-drinks always seem to start here, and so does your descent into pint-spilling oblivion. Anything can happen – and it probably will, from awkward dance-offs to regrettable DM slides. 

It’s definitely the top of the list when it comes to the loudest pub music to ever exist. You’ve most likely rocked up to The Flute dressed as a pea, a Smurf, or some other swimming cap wearing character, and downed a pint of Guinness or two right in front of the bar.

Your vibe: Wild, carefree, and blissfully unaware of tomorrow’s hangover.

The Scholar

Sticky tables? Meh. Fancy cocktails? Overrated. If The Scholar is your choice of stomping ground, you care about cheap drinks and zero pretense. You’ll sit anywhere as long as there’s space for another round, even if it means sharing with someone’s half-eaten kebab.

On a quiet night, the £3 frozen cocktails definitely do most of the work when it comes to good vibes in The Scholar. If you’re a John Moores student, you’ve probably spent more than half your time in Liverpool sinking doubles in here.

Your vibe: Laid-back, thrifty, and the last person standing when the lights come on.

The Lime Kiln

I didn’t think it was possible to both love and hate a place simultaneously, but our beloved Disco Spoons is definitely one that haunts my memories of first year. If you want to see a bunch of rowdy, paralytic society members getting down to a niche Pitbull remix, then this is the place to be. It’s dirty, sweaty, and it’ll take you an hour to get a drink, but it sums Liverpool students up perfectly.

You’ve probably never known what it’s like to be blackout drunk until you started a pres in The Lime Kiln at 6pm. You think stealing the mayonnaise bottles is the peak of uni humour, but start panicking when you lose your mates and realise there’s absolutely no signal in there other than the right hand side of the girls’ toilets.

Your vibe: Naive, nostalgic, and mostly a massive lightweight.

Dirty O’Shea’s

If Dirty O’Shea’s is your watering hole of choice, you’ve got a PhD in pint-chugging and questionable decisions. You’re here for the chaos – the messier, the better. Rugby shirt? Probably. Spilled Guinness on your shoes? Definitely. Every night starts with “just a few” and ends with you leading a full pub singalong to Mr. Brightside like it’s your life’s mission.

Your vibe: Rowdy, resilient, and always up for one more round (even when you shouldn’t be). You live for the craic and embrace the carnage – Monday regrets be damned.

The Augustus John

Where? Exactly. Slap bang in the middle of campus but so easily forgotten, The AJ is the middle ground between those who like to stay in, and those who can’t get enough and are desperate for a swift half pint in that 10 minute lecture break.

You love a good quiz night – and by love, I mean you get aggressively competitive. Big opinions? You’ve got them by the gallon, and you’re not afraid to drown your friends in unsolicited debates. The AJ is a haven for those who can’t resist the sound of their own voice.

Your vibe: Smart, opinionated, and convinced you’re the main character.

The Monro

Let me guess – you’re currently wearing a fisherman’s beanie, a knitted jumper with some kind of Guinness logo on, and a pair of thrifted Carhartt carpenter pants that only just sit above your Dr Martens loafers. Only the coolest of the cool knew this place was opening last year, because there’s nothing edgier than drinking a pint of stout opposite a real wood fire, or worse, inside an old garage.

The Monro is a vibe for anyone with patchwork tattoos and an affinity to vintage shops. You probably study some kind of arts degree, wear hiking gear but have only ever climbed Brownlow Hill, and have The 1975 on your Spotify Wrapped every year.

Your vibe: Quirky but classic, not in a phase, and more than happy to pay over £6 for a fruity cider.

The Black Cat

Extremely similar vibes when it comes to The Black Cat in Smithdown. You exclusively drink IPAs because it makes you seem niche and in touch with yourself, and you always carry a pen in your pocket so you can carve your name into one of the booths at the back of the pub.

You discovered Black Cat via the Wednesday night pub quiz and now you religiously have three pints there a week because you think your pop culture knowledge is above average. You sit in there day and night, only leaving to get a meal deal from the Asda down the road, and you don’t care that it’s always stupidly busy and so so so sweaty.

Maybe one day you’ll realise that out of the minimal amount of pubs in Smithdown, Black Cat is everyone’s favourite, and you’re not half as quirky as you think you might be.

Your vibe: Defo had a Tumblr account back in the day, a true old soul but not as cool as you think.

This is only a tiny snippet into the pub scene that Liverpool has to offer. Anywhere you go, you’re bound to bump into the workwear-wearing-moustache-having indie kids drinking Guinness and smoking rollies outside the pub, but at least they’re supposedly more understated than anyone who drinks at The Scholar. Only joking. We love all Liverpool pubs equally. Kind of.