Hardens Guide to the Best Restaurants in Liverpool
Hardens guides have spent 32 years compiling reviews of the best Liverpool restaurants. On Hardens.com you'll find details and reviews of 45 restaurants in Liverpool and our unique survey based approach to rating and reviewing Liverpool restaurants gives you the best insight into the top restaurants in every area and of every type of cuisine.
Featured Liverpool Restaurants
1. Moor Hall
British, Modern restaurant in Aughton
Prescot Rd - L39
“What can I say that’s not already been said? Just superb!” – Mark Birchall’s converted manor house north of Liverpool is five years old now, but still has the golden glow of one of the UK’s most fast-rising culinary stars, and some fans say they “thought it had a chance of its third Michelin star this year”. That would be an achievement anywhere – never mind in a corner of West Lancashire long seen as a gastronomic wasteland. The long drive, the lake, the grounds, the cleverly refurbished medieval buildings… all create a “perfect and luxurious experience”. “The dining room and lounges are sleek and welcoming and the attention to detail from the kitchen garden to the cheese room, even to the cutlery is flawless”. “Best of all, every mouthful from its tasting menu is fresh, clean and sublime” and a clear reflection of the “dedication, high standards and clear technical expertise” in the kitchen. Fame is bringing one drawback though – even those who judge it a “fabulous” experience sometimes think it risks becoming an “outrageously expensive” one. And – amidst praise for “fun and unintimidating staff who don’t miss a beat” – there is also the odd fear of “an over-focus on creating theatre rather than making the customer totally relaxed”. Top Tip – “the food bonanza continues at breakfast so stay over if you can”.
2. The London Carriage Works, Hope Street Hotel
British, Modern restaurant in Liverpool
40 Hope Street - L1
2019 Review: For a “really good breakfast” or “fab afternoon tea”, this boutique hotel dining room does still win recommendations. Feedback is much more limited nowadays, though, compared with the heady days of its opening in 2003, when it was the hottest ticket in town.
3. Il Mulino Roby Mill
restaurant in Upholland
60 Roby Mill - WN8
An AA rosette award winning Italian restaurant nestled in the heart of the Lancashire countryside. Il Mulino serves high-quality produce from Lancashire farms and Italy.All of our meat, dairy & vegetables are grown or reared within a 30 mile ...
4. Lawns Grill, Thornton Hall Hotel & Spa
International restaurant in Thornton Hough
Neston Rd - CH63
A lot of water has passed under the bridge since 2019 when Boris Johnson and former Irish Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar, met for crunch post-Brexit talks at this posh hotel & spa out on the Wirral. On limited feedback, ratings for its grill are good all-round, but more plaudits go to the rather dramatically named ‘Great Wirral Afternoon Tea’ – a “well thought-out offering with good choice of sweet or savoury options” that’s “particularly nice on the terrace or lawn”.
5. OXA
restaurant in Birkenhead
1 Rose Mount, Oxten - CH43
Fine dining in relaxed neighbourhood restaurant setting, Open in Oxton serves a sophisticated tasting menu with optional drinks pairing. Ingredients are locally-sourced and treated with respect. Diners enjoy a casual chef-led experience. ...
6. Salt House
Spanish restaurant in Liverpool
1 Hanover Street - L1
Two-level tapas haunt opposite John Lewis that’s “still a big favourite” thanks to its “interesting” selection of dishes. “The only drawback can be the noise – it’s a high space with a mezzanine level and lots of hard surfaces, so it is difficult to talk when it's busy”.
7. Restaurant 8 by Andrew Sheridan
British, Modern restaurant in Liverpool city centre
16 Cook Street - L2
The flagship restaurant of award-wining chef Andrew Sheridan, 8 is one of the UK's most progressive dining experiences. Located in the heart of Liverpool - next to the original Cavern Club - diners are treated to an immersive sensory experience focusing on high quality food and drink, and music. Expect the unexpected.
9. The GPO Food Hall
International restaurant in Liverpool
35 Whitechapel - L1
2022 Review: ‘General Post Office’ now means ‘Global Provisions Outlet’ at this repurposed edifice in the Metquarter – Liverpool's biggest food hall, with 11,000 square feet in which to graze, which opened in summer 2021 and aims to champion independent vendors by offering support and incubation. High-profile initial sign-ups included Nama from Sheffield's JORO – an izakaya-style offering.
10. Bundobust
Indian restaurant in Liverpool
17-19 Bold Street - L1
2022 Review: Born in 2019, a Liverpool branch of the Manchester- and Leeds-based street food chain that “specialises in Indian vegetarian food and craft beers. It’s always good, lively, and popular” and “very good value” too.
11. Fonseca's
British, Modern restaurant in Liverpool
12 Stanley St - L1
2019 Review: The original Delifonseca (re-named to avoid confusion with its spin-off), now with vintage cocktail bar, wins praise for its “really good food and interesting choices” from a daily-changing blackboard menu. Change may be afoot, however, with the owner eyeing a vast, Kickstarter-funded expansion of its dockside spin-off (home to a famed market hall), with plans to eventually operate from one base.
12. Mowgli
Indian restaurant in Liverpool
69 Bold St - L1
Former barrister Nisha Katona established the template for what is now an 18-strong (and counting) Indian street food chain with the 2014 launch of this “amazing conversion of an old bank”, serving “fabulous dishes” in a “vibrant atmosphere, full of hustle and bustle”. The “excellent value tiffin boxes” and “delicious yoghurt chaat bombs” are singled out for particular praise. Top Tip – “avoid sitting on one of the gimmicky swings, which prevent you from raising your elbows to eat!”.
13. Lunya
Spanish restaurant in Liverpool
55 Hanover Street - L1
“This Liverpool tapas institution continues to go from strength to strength”, with a “menu heavy on Spanish classics but with a Scouse twist” – “you do feel you’re getting a genuine taste of Spain, with the fabulous paella and a great Spanish vermouth to kick things off”. It was launched in 2010 by Peter & Elaine Kinsella, who followed up with Lunyalita in the Albert Dock. Top Tip – “don’t miss the excellent Catalonian deli as well”.
14. The Italian Club Fish
Italian restaurant in Liverpool
128 Bold St - L1
2022 Review: “You can’t fault the way seafood is served, from whole fish and seafood platters to battered oysters” at this popular venture from an Italian-Scottish family, that transforms from a daytime café into a “bustling trattoria” in the evening, serving a “very good traditional Italian fish menu”.
15. Six by Nico
International restaurant in Liverpool
11-15 North John Street - L2
“Such amazing value for a six-course, themed, tasting menu” that changes every six weeks – that’s the USP of Nico Simeone’s national chain, which, over five years, has grown from its Glasgow base to number nine in total (with London having two: in Fitzrovia and Canary Wharf). Of course it’s “slightly gimmicky”, but on the whole it’s “a good effort at a budget experience”: “you get what you pay for, and while not all dishes hit the mark, and service can be a bit hit ’n’ miss (particularly at busy times), it is innovative, has a great buzz and is a lot of fun”.
16. Albert's Schenke
German restaurant in Liverpool
16 Hanover Street - L1
2021 Review: Sibling to Manchester’s popular Albert’s Schloss, this ‘bohemian bier halle and cook haus’ replaces The Hub Alehouse. It’s unlikely to be a hugely foodie destination, but – if we’re reading the runes correctly – it should be a good laugh with hearty scoff (schnitzel, burgers, raclette) to soak up some fine brews.
17. Wreckfish
British, Modern restaurant in Liverpool
60 Seel Street - L1
“Good quality cooking and ingredients” and “wonderful helpful staff who never intrude” keep everything ticking over nicely at the Liverpool outpost of chef-entrepreneur Gary Usher’s Elite Bistros operation, which opened five years ago on the strength of a £200,000 crowdfunding drive. It has a “limited menu, but done well”, which helps keep costs from spiralling.
18. Roski
British, Modern restaurant in Liverpool
16 Rodney Street - L1
“Amazing food and good value compared to equivalent standards elsewhere” help inspire ongoing high ratings for MasterChef: The Professionals winner, Anton Piotrowski’s stylishly sparse venue. Its 8-course tasting menu for £85 wins it very high ratings from fans. The only gripe? – “wish they had smaller menus in the evening: by the final courses I am just too full!”
19. San Carlo
Italian restaurant in Liverpool
41 Castle St - L2
2022 Review: “Always busy and buzzing with conversation”, this “reliable upmarket resto in the business district of the city centre” – a link in the glitzy national Italian chain – wins solid marks for its “atmosphere, good-quality produce and cooking”.
20. Fazenda
Brazilian restaurant in Liverpool
Unit B, Horton Hs - L2
2019 Review: “The meat’s good quality, and there’s no limits to what you can select” at this branch of a Brazilian buffet chain, where you eat as much as you like for a fixed price; by its nature, it’s “good for groups”.
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