Liverpool, British, Modern Restaurant Guide

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.

“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.

“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!”

2021 Review: “Consistently good food at a competitive price” plus a “useful central location and a great choice of gins” means this modern brasserie from Merseyside’s Red & Blue Restaurants group is “worth a visit”.

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.

Ellis & Liam Barrie’s two-year-old Albert Dock venue is a tribute to Welsh produce – they made their name with Marram Grass on Anglesey – and showcases some of the “best seafood ever”. It makes for a “fantastic meal out”, with “excellent food, well-cooked and served” – whether you opt for tapas-style small plates or the full 8-course tasting menu. Top Tip – “ask to sit where you can watch the kitchen”.

“Fantastic and friendly service”, “amazing food” and a “lovely wine list” is the winning combination at this modest but high-achieving local bistro launched five years ago in a row of shops by owners Chris Edwards & Owain Williams with chef Sam Grainger.

“The Locke boys are still ‘smashing it’ in south Liverpool with fresh seasonal dishes...” say fans of Adam and Matt’s “top-notch local”, a short stroll from Penny Lane. “It’s a little crushed when it’s full, but worth accepting that for what you get”: “the food is always excellent and served by friendly staff”.

“Marc Willkinson is a genius” and “never fails to impress” at his “compact” venue – an unexpected find “off the beaten track” out on The Wirral, in a conservation village bordering Birkenhead. It has, on several occasions, topped our diners’ poll as the UK’s No. 1 destination. With just a dozen covers, it’s very much one man’s labour of love with its “imaginative visuals and playlist”, not to mention his really “unusual” and distinctive cuisine, delivered as a six-course tasting menu. Save space for the end of the meal: chef really knows his way around pudding and chocolates. Early in 2022, there was news that the restaurant was to close, but this is not the case. Marc is hunting for new premises, though, and if he finds them change will be afoot.

“Described as a ‘small, local bistro’… what an example of British understatement!” – Gary Usher’s Wirral outpost (his initial follow-up to Sticky Walnut) continues to win a thumbs-up in feedback. “The friendly, cheerful and very knowledgeable staff make you feel at home instantly, and the food? Novel, inventive, well prepared and VERY tasty!”

Open in December 2021 – no feedback as yet on this new venture, which has a bird’s eye view over the very good-looking Duke Street food market from its mezzanine. A number of local food glitterati are involved (including The Art School’s Paul Askew and Bone & Block’s Harry Marquart). The menu’s local sourcing is evident, with the aim of creating an ‘intimate Scouse brasserie’.