Easily the most impressive Victorian pub in the city, and possibly the best building in Belfast, the Crown Liquor Saloon piles on the atmosphere. The old “gin palace” owes its ornate appearance to Italian workers who came to Ireland in the late 19th century to work on churches but ended up building this, in 1873. Some of the finer features definitely have something ecclesiastical about them, from the stained glass in the windows to the pew-like “snugs,” their elaborately carved doors designed to shield the more refined class of Victorians from their fellow drinkers. The floors are intricately tiled, and the ceiling is gorgeous hammered copper. This place was considered so important to the iconography of Belfast that it was actually bought for the nation by the National Trust in the 1970s, ensuring its impeccable upkeep while it continues to run as a working pub.