The Imperial, Southport

The Imperial

Just beyond the northern end of Southport's famous Lord Street, the road's name changes to Albert Road. A few minutes' walk will bring you to The Imperial. It is one of two Southport pubs run by the Manchester brewery, Joseph Holt, the other being the Richmond on Scarisbrick New Road.

The Imperial is an attractive, large, white-painted pub that stands out prominently on the corner of Leyland Road. It has a large car park and an outside drinking area which is where dogs are welcome. They hold quiz nights on Sunday and Tuesday evenings. They offer free Wi-Fi, and their opening hours are 11.00am to 11.00pm,

Inside there are four distinct, nicely decorated areas, one of which is for meals only during the times when food is served. Although food is an important part of this pub's business, it is not at the expense of customers who simply wish to call in for a drink. They serve meals every day from 11.30am to 9.00pm. There are themed days: Tuesday pies; Wednesdays curry; Thursday steaks; Friday fish; and they also have a specials board and various special offers. Children are welcome, and they can also cater for functions.

The real ales that were on offer when I visited were: Holt's Bitter; Holt's Two Hoots; Holt's IPA, plus two guest beers: Everard's Tiger and Speckled Hen. The guest beers do change,and the week before my visit they were serving Reverend James from the Welsh brewery Brains. I tried all three Holt's beers and all were in good condition; my favourite was the traditional bitter. The beer is very reasonably priced: I paid between £2.34 and £2.54 for the three Holt's beers I had.

Definitely worth a visit. I'm told Sunday nights are especially popular, and a two-for-one offer on meals each Monday also gets the customers in. The Imperial is at 38 Albert Road, Southport, PR9 0LN. Tel: 01704 510986. Website.

This is part of a series of articles that I am writing for the CAMRA column in our local paper, the Southport Visiter. Previous reviews are here.