Merseyside Restaurant Guide

“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”.

“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.

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”.

“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!”

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”.

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!”.

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.

“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.

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.

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.

“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”.

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.

2021 Review: BBC2’s ‘My Million Pound Menu’ winners Dave Bone (chef) Jamie Duffield (front of house), and Anthony Power opened this new venture in Duke Street Market (a revamped docklands warehouse) in spring 2019. The food offering is based on dishes found along the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage routes in Spain, France and Portugal, and – though we received no survey feedback – it’s receiving a good rep generally (including from Michelin who awarded it a 2020 Bib Gourmand).

“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”.