Ye Cracke — Restaurant in Liverpool

Best pub in town.

☝️My original review from 2018.

It's now late August 2025 and the Cracke has new owners and has been reopened this week after months of tasteful renovations. It needed work doing, absolutely, and I'm pleased to see that they've kept it pretty much the same, just the occasional new fixtures and fittings and things moved around a little, whilst still keeping proud of its heritage as John Lennon's local.

I'm sad to see that the staff have been let go as they were characters, Zadia especially, but the new team are very friendly and welcoming.

Nice to see that pies are now being served: you couldn't even get a bag of crisps previously!

One complaint, the politics have gone from the place. The noticeboard by the gents used to have a framed LFC shirt, a commemoration of Hillsborough, and various flyers for good campaigns and causes, and it's been removed. The chalk board was always reflective of things, such as the anniversary of Grenfell, pro Palestine sentiment and anti Tory, Reform and Trump rhetoric. Gone too. This is really disappointing. I know a lot of this came from Zadia but The Cracke is a community pub and Liverpool is a proud left wing, liberal city. More than most, this historic pub should absolutely reflect that. I hope this appreciation of the city and its regulars will return once the pub is back in its stride in the weeks and months to come. Hopefully the room upstairs will continue to host meetings for socialist parties and other campaigns.

I also hope the new owners continue the tradition of allowing local artists to display and sell their work in the art area of the bar too.

Until these return I'm dropping my rating down from...

I have visited this pub several times and enjoyed the visit however on my most recent visit, i had my dog with me, I had in advance of this visit done a search for dog friendly pubs, ye cracke appeared on the list. it is not dog friendly , I get that now ,there is a sign inside the pub telling you but a very vocal woman sitting inside the bar was very quick to shout at me the pub's position. When I pointed out that google listed it as dog friendly I was treated in a rude way, I would go as far as to say the pub (on this occasion) was not people friendly. Now this might have just been a very rude customer but she claimed to be management. She had a go about me having a Scottish accent. (Xenophobia??!!) In summary don't take a dog here but if you go without pets you will be made most welcome Write that on your review was the last words I heard as I went in search of a dog...

Some rude staff. Was asking the gentleman working there if he knew where John might have sat when he drank there. The woman also working there interjected to say "how would I know?!?".. quite an odd and unwelcoming response to a bar that decorates its bar with pictures or John throughout.. The customers were friendly and the beer was decent, as well as a rich history despite the unfortunate interactions with staff. I'm not sure if this is due to bias against tourists, but I'd potentially go elsewhere to avoid unwarranted rudeness. I was hoping to give this place 5 stars, but alas such is the way things go...