Salt Dog Slims

After some excellent meals at Slim’s Pork Chop Express next door in the past, we popped into Salt Dog Slims for a drink whilst on a bit of a bar crawl around the city.
The initial space is actually quite small, with just a few booths, but it appears there is more seating (and actually another bar altogether) in the back/​upstairs. The bartender caught our eye instantly and welcomed us in, chatting through their drink and food options without a prompt. Although some might find this invasive, it just felt like attentive and interested customer service to us. Before we even ordered our drinks, he was making conversation about where else we’d been that afternoon and recommending where we should go next.
Although I did have a look over the cocktail menu — the names are worth the read alone — I was already drinking beer, so stuck with a simple Fruli. Beers are served in tankard style glasses, which actually make a nice change from the trend for unusual shaped beer glasses often apparent in craft beer bars.
The ladies’ was small, and I can imagine it would become a bit too hectic in there for me on a Friday/​Saturday evening, but there was an unusual but fun touch in the shape of a toilet roll hatch at the base of the door! Perfect for any emergencies…
We stayed for two drinks and then moved on, but I can safely say that the ‘Slim’s family’ will remain a cornerstone of our Liverpool visits.

In all honestly we only pulled into salt dogs for a quick drink on the way back to Lime Street Station (10 mins walk) but from all of the bars in the Seel Street area it easily looked the coolest and most like our cup of tea.
It’s definitely got that Williamsburg neighbourhood bar feel about it, the kind of feeling like you’re in someones lounge and could possibly be… The bartender was friendly, the décor eclectic and the beer selection was of the American craft persuasion. My friend had a G&T (at least her 7^th of the night but she seemed to think it was great, although after 7 who knows…)
I wouldn’t recommend their «beer garden» though — more like parking space in terms of size, ambience and the amount of fumes generated by smokers — so make sure you sit inside!

The bar scene in Liverpool is fickle. One place gets cool, and then gets really cool, then gets popular and dropped. People have to be inventive to make their bar stand out, and sustain. Salt Dog Slims have taken an interesting route. Downstairs is themes like a classic American Dive bar, many different types of beer, and sweet candy flavored cocktails, the Shirley Bassey with a twist was a favorite of mine. BUT, if you know your stuff, there is a big metal door, hidden away, upstairs, You knock, give a code (which changes each night) and are welcomed back to a 1940’s classic cocktail bar. It is beautiful. The menu reflects the style, with classic cocktails– all with a twist. The Tonic and Tweed is, hands down, THE BEST one I’ve ever had. Hendricks Gin, Fentimans organic Tonic water, with a sprig of rosemary. Yum Yum. The staff are amazing, they are cool and friendly, they know their stuff and try to teach you about what your drinking while they make it. The code system might seem pretentious, but I think it is clever. It makes you want to go. And the truth is that they let most people know the code if they ask politely. DO IT

Great place, with a good atmosphere and great cocktails. I would recommend visiting outside the normal friday and saturday rush hours, as the place is packed and the waiting can be long for a cocktail.
If you visit on another day, the service is super and the staff is really nice.