Kelly’s Dispensary

Best pub around for miles.
Beer is always kept well, the staff are lovely and the age range of people that go in there is something that you will struggle to see in many pubs in liverpool.

«Who’s Kelly?!»
«No idea.»
As far as I know, the above conversation has never happened, but if it did, I imagine it would be because I started it as an excuse to talk about my favourite place since my mother’s womb.
Should you be as sad as I am as to have designed the perfect pub in your mind during a particularly dull period of work, home-​life, single-​parenting, sex etc. then you couldn’t be far removed from Kelly’s.
*DEEP BREATH* Quiz machine, plentiful seating, attractive barmaids, barmen who aren’t gobshites, cheap Guinness, quiz nights, UFC on television, jukebox, last orders at 12, jelly babies in a motherfucking bowl? YES, YES, YES and yes to infinity! It’s the best pub in the world! *EXHALE*
Don’t come though, because then you’ll see me. And that’s lose-​lose for both of us.

I’ll get around to editing this at some point in the near future, but for now, I’ll just say that this is perhaps my favourite pub in Liverpool. Easily the best of Liverpool’s ‘student’ pubs anyhow. Great atmosphere, clientele, staff and drinks.

The Dispensary is the sister pub to a pub of the same name based within Liverpool’s city centre. They are fantastic pubs, really old fashioned and emblazoned with medical curios from days gone by as a great theme for their décor.
Well, they sure cure the ills of anyone needing a decent pint a a wide selection of beers, cask ales, local ales, bottled beers, wines and spirits. They seem to have about 12 different draught beers, ales and ciders, including Hoegarden and Strongbow. They support the local Cains Brewery based near the Albert Dock area of the city by stocking Cains IPA, Cains Bitter and even Cains Sundowner as a special beer of the month.
It’s a really friendly traditional pub and it I’ve had some great nights in there. They do pub quiz on a Monday and have various other bits and bobs of entertainment every month. It’s not a rough pub so it’s a great alternative place to go out and have a laugh with your mates!

I’m struggling to think of any facet of Kelly’s I dislike but all that comes to mind is that the dryer in the gents is a tad loud. Should it lose a star for that?
The proximity to my house, cheap ale, congenial atmosphere and selection of chatty staff who will tolerate my trifling small talk with a smiley conversation all come together to make this pub a wonderful local. They even serve tiny bowls of jelly babies. Even the Ritz doesn’t do that.
The furniture and layout of the place is lovably scruffy without once being dirty. Ferns bring colour, a mangle brings antiquity and scratched wooden chairs sit at dark tables. I even like the way the floor inclines upwards, meaning the bar starts off high by the door and ends low towards the back. Not many pubs can boast their augmentation to both giants and midgets.
Kelly’s Dispensary is a mainstay for nights out, to the point that it’s probably sick of the sight of me. The Monday quizzes always feel one question away from tumbling into chaos and yet we battle on regardless, often emerging triumphant. Can I get a booyah? Then on Friday afternoons I’ll toddle along to glug on a pint of cloudy cider. Life doesn’t get much better than that.
Speaking of which, it’s that time again. I shall bid you adieu.

The Dispensary is a pub on Smithdown road with a fair bit of character. Continuing the pharmacy/​dispensary style theme on the inside it describes its wide array of real ales with true character. The atmosphere inside the Dispensary is a good fun and the layout allows for big groups and smaller gatherings too without the segregated feel of some pubs and without the openness that allows for no privacy. There is a pool table towards the back of the Dispensary that seems to get a fair amount of use adding further to the true pub experience. A deceptive pub from the outside, it would be easy to carry on walking past it like many gems on Smithdown road, however this pub is a decent place to head towards for a drink and an absolute must on any kind of pub crawl down Smithdown. The Dispensary has quite a few TV’s too making it a suitable place to go to for sport. As an added bonus, The Dispensary also offers cash back for those irritating times when it comes to your round and you’ve got 10p in your wallet — a good pub.

Kelly’s dispensary is a bit different to the many other pubs on the Smithdown road and this is no bad thing at all. Being different is certainly a good thing and this place really make it work to their advantage.
The atmosphere here is always good and the décor is excellent too and it all makes for a really wholesome pub experience.
The thing I enjoy most about this pub is the range of beers on offer, they have real ales and bottles of beer from all around the world and I felt it was my duty to try as many of these as possible and I can safely say it made for a good time.
The crowd in here tend to be older but this doesn’t affect the atmosphere it just means that rather than having a rowdy bunch of students you have a rowdy bunch of middle aged men and the occasional drunken fool like me lounging around in the corner. Good times

Kelly’s is a pretty cool pub with a chilled-​out atmopshere. It’s full of students because Smithdown is the road most of us choose to live off!
Of an evening it’s great to wander down there and watch the football, with a cheeky packet of crisps and a pint of cider. The atmosphere in there is really sociable and friendly, unlike The Brookhouse which I feel can be segregated at times.
They also do a nice roast on a Sunday, which is incredibly cheap and requires a lot less effort and washing up than it would if you tried to make it yourself!
A sociable little venue.

Kelly’s is the preferred destination for the students and ex-​grads of the Smithdown Rd area of Wavertree. It suits them perfect because —
it is not full of kids/​first years like The Brookhouse
it is not full of locals like most of the other pubs around the vicinity — and we all know students try to avoid them as much as possible
It is a good pub though with a lively collection of twentysomethings in most evenings — although it can be very quiet during the summer months — guest ales, live sports, good jukebox and DJs on Friday and Saturday nights — so don’t put your money in the jukie too late at the weekend, whyioughta!
Friday nights are probably the night to go down as it get very busy with a good atmosphere with most people looking to go to nearby hous parties or off to town.

Living just down the road, this is my local, and what a good local it is! I’ve spent many a night in here and it’s a great place to go to watch the match, I don’t even like football and yet the atmosphere is so electric you find yourself swept into the thing shouting as though you were a die hard fan.
It’s open later than your average pub too, serving til 12 and kicking out at 1 when it’s busy, which is often! It’s got a great, friendly atmosphere and a good mix between students and actual locals so it’s definitely not like the Brookhouse a little further up, which is a bit of a student hole.
They do a roast on Sunday, i mean, this is never going to be your mum’s roast but it’s pretty decent for £3.75 and as a student, i have to say cooking a roast has never been on top of my to-​do list, and why should it be if I can pay someone to do it for me without burning anything?
It’s pretty much a home away from home and a good shout if you fancy a game of pool, a few bevvies and a hearty dinner on a lazy Sunday afternoon.

A great pub, very good beer (Cains Culture and Wheat !!!). And the staff are very friendly, and Dave, the boss, are quite a friendly and reflected man.
We’ll be back.

One of the best pubs in Liverpool, without a doubt this venue combines everything about liverpool that you want; characters, tradition, local beer, and a great pint of Guiness! It plays all the football and live sporting events. Situated in the student district it is always busy and full of students.

Kelly’s Dispensary is one of the best, if not THE best, pub in Liverpool’s student district. It has lovely wood panels and floors and is a typically cosy pub. However, don’t let that fool you, Kelly’s has a mischievous side too and can be the start to many a drink-​fuelled student night.
There is a good selection of reasonably priced drink and food is also served. However, the only beverage to be drinking here is a pint of good ol’ Cain’s lager!
Kelly’s has been known to have the odd DJ spin a few tracks and the place always seems to have a buzz about it. Sport is also shown, but the Brookhouse is a better option with its HUGE screens.
Oh, and if you are going to do the «Smithdown 10» pub crawl, I’d estimate that by the time you get to Kelly’s you probably won’t be able to fully appreciate it! Make sure you come on a Sunday afternoon to fully appreciate its magic.