Blackburne Arms

Looks like more of a restaurant that serves beer rather than a pub that serves food. It was pleasant enough, a welcome shelter from the biting weather outside with some interesting beers, but just not my kind of place.
Had a pint of Heavy Industry Electric something, which was not bad. Polished it off to make way for the piano player.

The Blackburne Arms contains nothing really stunning, but it’s just too amiable a place to dislike. This is the ideal tavern to stop for a pint or two before descending through wide Georgian streets into the city centre. Perched on the rim of town means that it’s never busy, even on the nights when a local minstrel entertains you with his musical prowess.
Two doors round the corner on Falkner Street can be found the flat Brian Epstein let John and Cynthia have as a wedding present in 1962. If Lennon never popped into this pub for at least one then he must be Britain’s Laziest Man.

Firstly, I love this street and The Blackburne encapsulates the Georgian traditional with a modern style.
A pretty little pub mid-​route in my usual Catherine Street area crawl before hitting Peter Kavanaghs up the street, it’s a great blend of character and modernity with clean cut fixtures and fittings, a glowing chandelier in the window and comfy booths which are set quite high up. (I remember feeling a little kiddy and swinging my legs.)
Anyway, it’s opposite St Agnes halls of residence so you’ll find a healthy mix of students and locals in here.
It’s an individual place with a welcoming and friendly atmosphere, the bar staff and great and you don’t feel like you’re going to be bothered if you want a quiet pint and a catch-​up with a friend.

This pub on the lovely Catharine Street with its cobbled roads and Georgian lamps is a nice mish-​mash of old and contemporary, with really quirky furniture and some excellent real ales on offer with six pumps as well as some special offers, such as their curry night. It’s the kind of place that would make a nice local.
It attracts a mixed clientele, some quite young as there are a lot of students nearby, and there are three TVs with a multitude of satellite channels to ensure that none of the major matches are missed. Having attempted to rid itself of the gastropub reputation it’s garnered over the years, the Blackburne seems very down-​to-​earth and has a lovely friendly atmosphere, the modernisation not having come at the cost of its character. There’s plenty to do here also, with live music playing regularly, so make sure you get involved. One of the nicest pubs I visited in Liverpool, that’s for sure.

I can’t say I have stayed here so I have no idea what the rooms are like although the website tells you that each room is individually styled and going from my experiences eating and drinking here I’m sure the standards will be pretty high.
The Blackburne is not just a pub its a ‘gastropub’ which means they do food. Its traditional pub food like steak and fish n chips but your chips are likely to be stacked in a jenga style shape so that means it’s a little posher than your avaerage pub. It also has a good selection of beers from local breweries which is good to see but there is a bit of a formal atmosphere so I couldn’t feel that comfortable. It’s good for a quiet drink on a Sunday but you’re not likely to hear many raised voices if you’re after a livelier night out.

A very nice and well respected pub/​hotel. Situated on the popular catherine street. As it is out of the main town it is sometimes less busy but more relaxing. The food is excellent and the bar staff very friendly.

The Blackburne Arms is an impressive building in the historic Georgian area of the city, just to the east of the Anglican cathedral. It has recently had a makeover, and apparently now also does accommodation, though we didn’t stay here.
The bar area is a single large room, with a raised eating area, and tables as well as a spacious standing area by the bar. It’s decorated in that modern style of minimalism with dark wood and dark, muted colours. It serves a wide selection of real ales, and is very popular for its food — very traditional pub grub — all at very reasonable prices (mains for around £5, and £2.50 a pint).
It attracts a mixed crowd with lots of locals — some of whom were a little worse for wear when we visited, and a bit noisy in a laddish sort of way, which was a pity, as it made the ambience a bit less friendly (and hence dropped to 4 stars). The area outside can also attract the odd red-​light custom, which single women may find intimidating, though that’s not the pub’s fault.