Liverpool, Italian Restaurant Guide

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”.

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”.

2021 Review: “Italian small plates (this time)” “from the Salt House tapas stable” – win solid ratings for this “friendly, buzzy restaurant” from the Red & Blue team. It’s “great for a larger party”, with “seats at the bar good for dates”; “it’s crowded so you do get to hear your neighbours’ conversations – although in Liverpool that can be theatre”.

2022 Review: A fixture of dining on the Wirral through four decades – “it’s been there for years” – the Galantini family’s Italian-inspired venue is as reliable as ever and “Enrico’s interesting food is always worth a try”. Long the head chef, he has now taken over management from his parents, Lino & Barbara, but regulars will be pleased to know that “the particularly good specialities such as Avocado Barbara” (avocado peeled, stuffed with prawns, covered with cream cheese and deep-fried in breadcrumbs) are still on the menu.

Cage fighter ‘Meatball Molly’ McCann opened an Italian-inspired kitchen and deli in her native Liverpool in July 2023. Polpetta – ‘meatball’ in Italian – is in the Baltic Market street-food centre and serves classic Italian comfort food.