Harden's survey result
Summary
“A spacious, beautiful building” in the Georgian Quarter next to ‘The Phil’ (built in 1888 as a ‘Home for Destitute Children’) hosts Paul Askew’s culinary bastion – still, after ten years in operation, the most high-profile all-rounder in the city in our annual diners’ poll. At heart this is high-quality “traditional” – if contemporized – dining: the ‘Excellence’ menu is a three-course à la carte, although there is also a six-course ‘Tasting’ option at £125 per person: “fabulous food, tremendous service, and a lovely atmosphere”.
Summary
“Best in Liverpool” is a credible claim made by fans of Paul Askew’s “classy” venue: a bright, contemporary dining room, next to ‘The Phil’ (built in 1888 as a ‘Home for Destitute Children’), which provides “a ‘proper’ fine-dining experience that’s exceptional in every way”; not least “perfect service” and “top-notch” cuisine that makes “excellent use of local produce from the Wirral and Lancashire”. Top Tip – “the prix fixe menu lunchtime and early evening is brilliant value”.
Summary
Paul Askew’s “high-class” venue (“next door to the Philharmonic”) is the most commented-on in ‘The Pool’ in our annual national diners’ poll and wins extremely high scores for all aspects of the operation. “Brilliant” cooking is the main talking point, providing “very subtle flavours and textures from a varied and ambitious menu”. But service too “is like a well-oiled machine” (“so slick!”, but with a touch of “Liverpool friendliness and good humour”) and the venue itself is a “bright and airy space, complete with white linen and shining cutlery and tableware”. Celebrating its eighth year: “this is a place to savour and it is a mystery as to why Paul does not get recognition from the Michelin guide”.
Summary
“Paul Askew’s cooking continues to excel”, in a “lovely airy room” next to the Liverpool Philharmonic that “really does the business”. The restaurant is “definitely a cut above the rest” and the menu is “always interesting and beautifully presented”. It’s “formal but not stuffy, and a go-to for business lunch meetings as well as special-occasion dining”. Top Tip: “fixed-price lunch (also available pre-theatre in the early evening) is excellent value”.
For 33 years we've been curating reviews of the UK's most notable restaurant. In a typical year, diners submit over 50,000 reviews to create the most authoritative restaurant guide in the UK. Each year, the guide is re-written from scratch based on this survey (although for the 2021 edition, reviews are little changed from 2020 as no survey could run for that year).
Have you eaten at The Art School?
1 Sugnall St, Liverpool, L7 7DX
Restaurant details
Prices
| Availability | 2 courses | 3 courses |  |
 |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lunch | £49.50 |  |
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| Dinner | £95.00 | |
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| Cost | Availability | Courses | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Menu1 | 125.00 | Always available | 8 |
| Drinks |
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|---|---|
| Wine per bottle | £24.00 |
| Filter Coffee | £3.00 |
| Extras |
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|---|---|
| Bread | £0.00 |
| Service | 10.00% |
1 Sugnall St, Liverpool, L7 7DX
Opening hours
| Monday | CLOSED |
| Tuesday | 12 pm‑2:15pm, 5 pm‑9:15 pm |
| Wednesday | 12 pm‑2:15pm, 5 pm‑9:15 pm |
| Thursday | 12 pm‑2:15pm, 5 pm‑9:15 pm |
| Friday | 12 pm‑2:15pm, 5 pm‑9:15 pm |
| Saturday | 12 pm‑2:15pm, 5 pm‑9:15 pm |
| Sunday | CLOSED |
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