Bold Street Coffee is a small independent award-winning café I visit for a big caffeine hit. It was the first place, my fiancée, Rose took me for breakfast when I arrived in Liverpool and there have been many big decisions made about the restaurant over a cup of coffee here.
Located above Salt Dog Slims, behind a coded door on Seel Street, 81 Ltd is where I normally head for a speakeasy cocktail experience like no other.
Although not in the city, it’s worth travelling over the water to Claremont Farm on the Wirral for Sunday lunch. Fresh, local and seasonal is their mantra and everything is made in-house using the best local ingredients.
Without a doubt, my favourite restaurant in Liverpool has to be Etsu. An authentic Japanese restaurant with some of the freshest sushi I’ve ever tasted. A firm favourite for date night.
The Grapes, located in the historic Georgian quarter, is where I head for a pint. It serves a great variety of local ales that change often, and hosts weekly live jazz sessions. Definitely, one to tick off the to-do list if you’re visiting the city.
I’m not one for eating breakfast at brunch time, but I am one for eating pizza any time. American Pizza Slice offers some of the best pizza in the city at great affordable prices. My favourite is the fennel sausage with their marinara dipping sauce.
For lunch, off the beaten track and found up a rickety staircase, is Spice Thai on Fleet Street, it is as authentic as you can get outside of Thailand, you can even eat your food in a tuk-tuk. Rose and I go here on the rare chance we get a long lunch, all cooked in an open kitchen, the chefs here aren’t afraid of spice. Get the Thai green curry and sticky rice with extra chillies.
Matta’s on Bold Street is one of my favourite places to go for food shopping. Its shelves are filled with stock from countries across the world such as India, Japan, Thailand, Ghana and Turkey, It’s a great place for a chef to get inspiration.
Simon Rimmer’s pub, The Elephant at Woolton, is a great place to head with the family. It’s laid back and relaxed with the guarantee of good homely food. I go here with my parents and little girl as it’s so friendly. There’s also a great outside space in the summer.
Botan kebab house on Berry Street is my guilty pleasure after one too many pints, and even sometimes after a long service. Get the chicken kebab with the tahini sauce and their award-winning chilli sauce. You’ll wake up filled with regret but go to bed happy.
Although I rarely get a chance to indulge in a leisurely breakfast, the guys from Baltic Bakehouse, who make sourdough for the restaurant, often deliver some of the best pastries to us for breakfast along with our bread. It ranges from croissants and cruffins to cinnamon rolls and everything else in between.
If I could only eat one thing around here it would be… The soft shell crab from Etsu.
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