Oxton Restaurant Guide

“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.

Outdoor tables near the water are an option during good weather at Lunya’s little sister – a two floor operation, with terrace and upstairs bar in a fabulous setting by Albert Dock. It serves an impressive range of tapas and sharing deli platters.

2021 Review: The “lovely Thai food” at these reliable cafés is “impressively authentic given that they are a chain” – “excellent value” and “fast”, if occasionally let down by “iffy service”. Founded in 2008 by Saiphin and Alex Moore, who inherited the name of their first East End site, the group has 18 branches in London and expanded to Liverpool, Manchester, Reading (delivery only) and Leeds following the sale of a majority stake to US investors. The couple also have two spin-offs, Lao Café in Covent Garden and the new Chinese noodle bar Hoh Sek in St Katharine Docks.

2022 Review: In the Albert Dock, this collaboration between Belzan and Breddos Tacos occupies the atmospheric vaulted brick premises that characterise these Grade I listed dockland buildings, and comes with a large outside terrace. It’s hot right now as a place to get boozed up in party mood, but the Latino dishes are worth exploring (and The Guardian's Grace Dent raved in a June 2021 review).

2019 Review: “A warm little gem hidden in an unlikely corner of central Liverpool”, a short hop from The Strand, and offering “always good” Japanese cuisine and “lovely service without trying to be too chic”. In September 2018 they announced plans to take over the neighbouring property, gaining a new deli section.

“Magnificent distant views of Snowdonia are the highlight of this establishment” on the 34th floor of the West Tower – although the “great modern food and service make for a lovely dining experience” that is “definitely one for romantics watching the city views at night”. Chef Elliot Hill left in June 2022 (after our annual diners’ poll concluded) to head up the kitchens of the Chester Grosvenor, but we’ve held the ratings as the food here historically has always been surprisingly good for a ‘room with a view’.

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: “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: Manchester’s tapas smash hit branched out in August 2019, with this large 250-seat opening, in the Exchange Flags development, overlooking Liverpool’s fine town hall (which formerly traded as Steven Gerrard’s ‘The Vincent’). A big and well-stocked bar is also key to the offering.

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”.

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”.

2022 Review: “Superb original food, a very amenable chef, plus helpful and friendly staff” – on limited feedback, that’s the upbeat take on this Chinese fine-dining restaurant, where the kitchen is run by Dave Critchley, who – having worked in some of the city’s top kitchens – took his career in this different direction in 2019 (and in 2021 represented the North West in BBC2’s Great British Menu).

“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”.