The Dispensary

I went in to watch the Liverpool match on Sunday and ordered a sparkling mineral water. They didn't have any but sold me a glass of soda water for one pound. As I was quietly standing near the back watching the match 10 minutes later on a small screen TV the landlord confronted me and said don't think 'that soda water is gonna last you the match, not even until half time!' As I looked at him in disbelief he pushed his face up to mine and said 'Do you know who I am?'. When I told him I wasn't interested in who he was he lost it and told me to get out.
At least Basil Faulty was funny - why would the brewery want a complete moron running their pub?
I'm a tour guide and bring many overseas visitors to Liverpool every year, the Dispensary won't be on my list of recommendations!
Deryck Brown

Rude, obnoxious and frankly vile landlord.  The good beer selection sadly does not make up for the poor manners and overly aggressive landlord.  As a lone female, I was made to feel very uncomfortable when having to watch him screaming at other customers.  One star is too much, will never visit again.

Nice old style pub which reminded me very much of the Cock & Bottle in Notting Hill. Had some kind of 4.6 pc beer called Kiwi which was more interesting than it was delicious!

Pharmaceutical decor.

I have been going in pubs all round the country for many years but never have i or a member of my party been as badly treat as we were in this pub. I was drinking lager and my wife was on wine and soda but my friends who had recomended the pub to us in order to watch the footie were on soft drinks. We were stood near the door minding our own business when the landlord piled over and just out of the blue shouted if your only having soft drinks you can F##k off. Never have i seen anything like it and would not recommend this pub to anyone!! The landlord was abusive and needs to go on a course of customer service and anger management.

The Dispensary is allegedly one of the best pubs in Liverpool. Well, according to CAMRA anyway. And whilst I'd say that they were being slightly too accomodating, there is still a certain warm, homely cosiness about it which makes it a great place to pop into for a quick pint.

The best thing about The Dispensary is undeniably its range of real ales - I loved the fact that I could get pints of Cain's Raisin Beer, and that a pint cost less than £3 too. And, whenever I've been there, I've always found the staff behind the bar to be wonderfully friendly. Although saying that, I've never been in on match day.

The only downside to The Dispensary is its size. It is slightly on the small size, and it can be difficult to find a seat if it's a bit busy. However, the historical pharmaceutical items add a nice touch to the place - making it look authentic without being tacky.

I'm not sure if The Dispensary is the best pub in Liverpool, but it's certainly the best pub on Renshaw Street. Well, for now anyway.

Busy city centre pub.Good range of beer but the manageress and her husband ruin the pub.After buying 3-4 rounds of drinks we asked for a glass of tap water with our beer.We we told in the strongest terms that they didn't serve tap water (illegal as of 6/4/10) and that we would have to buy bottled water from behind the bar.When we explained that this policy was against the law we were told to leave!I could understand if we were just drinking water but we'd put £20-£30 in his till.His attitude and reaction was totally out of proportion to our request.They must be doing something right as it was busy on the night we were there.Maybe their customers like this atmosphere or don't drink tap water!One to avoid,in my opinion.

The pub is quite small with limited seating. Also getting served can be a challenge with many people crowding around the bar, but it's worth every minute. 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 the atmosphere nice. Good music.

Where do you go in Liverpool if you want classic rock music, good beer, food and football? Answer: there isn't anywhere. The nearest you'll get is The Swan (Wood St) with good beer,good music and food (no football) and the Dispensary (Renshaw St) with good beer and football (but no music or food)

But I had a seriously bad experience in the Dispensary recently. I went to there to watch the Everton match and have a pint and a sandwich. But they didn't sell sandwiches so I went round the corner and bought some Tesco sandwiches and was eating them at the bar (with a pint of the excellent cask mild) while watching the Everton match.

The manager told me to stop eating the sandwiches which I did without any fuss or protest. About 10 minutes before the end of the match I had finished my pint so I didn't buy another one. I planned to leave the pub at the end of the match so that I could get back to work and eat my sandwiches!. The manager said that I would have to buy another pint if I wanted to watch the end of the match.

I said I would buy another pint if he would let me eat my sandwiches. He was enraged by this and asked me to leave immediately. "In that case",I said, "I'll have another pint" He said he wouldn't serve me a pint and that if I didn't leave immediately he would physically remove me. His level of aggression was scary and disproportionate.

I obviously wouldn't want to use the pub again (even if they were willing to serve me) but the beer and football is good so I would recommend it.

Just don't get on the wrong side of the manager, don't eat your own food, and don't finish your pint 10 minutes before the end of the match unless you intend to buy another one.

BTW I am not a troublemaker. I am exactly the opposite, a friendly and sociable person. The response of the manager to my attempt to negotiate another pint + sandwich (rage and aggression)was so disproportionate that there must be other factors in play. Perhaps he has personal problems or bad problems that day or perhaps my face didn't fit. His clientele is fairly conventional and I am fairly unconventional (e.g. long haired and a bit scruffy)

This is my favourite pub in Liverpool. Cains Raisin and Cain’s Pilsner are both rare finds on draft and increadibly well kept here. The customers are welcoming and I seem to always end up talking to somebody. As of September 08 you can pick up a list and map of all real ale pubs in the city from here, well worth it, just ask the helpful barman.

The Dispensary is a traditionally-styled pub, which won the award from English Heritage for the most sensitively refurbished pub in 2000. As you might expect, the decor is enlivened by historical pharmaceutical items. There's a single, large room, with a raised seating area at the rear.

The pub serves to full range of the local Cain's real ales, and is popular with a slightly more mature, down-to-earth and predominantly male clientele (on our visit, over 90%!). There's a TV screen showing mainly soccer, so perhaps that explains it. Whatever the reason, it has a loyal crowd of regulars, enjoying well-kept real ale.

On our visit, bar service was good but, for some unfathomable reason, the landlord insisted on propping open the doors (while keeping the heating on), despite the fact it was about 3C and windy outside. Why not turn the heating off, and cut out the draughts? That'd get an extra star from me.