Liverpool, British, Modern Restaurant Guide

Liverpool’s restaurant scene has come a long way in the past 15 years – but this agreeably understated fixture, in a Georgian townhouse near the Anglican cathedral, is still a bit of a beacon for its “consistently high standard of food and service”.

“Great flavourful fare, consistently high standards, and good value for money” enthuse fans of this Wavertree favourite, in an unpromising location off Penny Lane; if there’s a negative, it’s the “cramped tables”.

FKA Delifonseca – the deli part has now moved both literally and in name to its dockside sibling – this Stanley St spot is “still an old favourite, which manages to be both reliable and interesting”. Upstairs is a booth-lined dining room; downstairs, the former deli is now a vintage-chic cocktail bar offering nibbles and takeaways.

This appealingly vivid, art-lined café, by Sefton Park, is a “lovely place for a long relaxing brunch or lunch”, or “good all-day food and wine”. Children, dogs and large groups are all “welcomed, accommodated and (except the mutt, perhaps) very well-fed”.

Ever-polarised reports on this grand and trendsetting design hotel; the problem is that “dishes vary too much here…some can be excellent and others very disappointing” and, despite its reputation, there “isn’t much of a buzz about the place”. The hotel part must be doing better: an extension to add 12 rooms and 12 suites was green-lit in January 2017.

A new, all-day cafe for Liverpool, on the corner of Castle Street and Derby Square. Early signs are impressive - not least because the team behind it are responsible for Bacaro, Salt House tapas and Hanover Street Social. Locals will recognise the name (which belongs to the owners' dogs, we are told) from their residency at Baltic Market, which ended in April 2018.