The Knowhere Guide

Eating and Drinking in Liverpool, Merseyside*

Liverpool, Merseyside Pubs, Cafes, Coffee Shops and Restaurants

Food

• Chicken tikka and chips from the Lobstor pot in town - great after a night on the ale!
• My favourite restaurant; The Med Cafè, on Lime Str.! The BEST Carbonara, and the rest ain't too bad either! Okay prices, too.. :-)
• SAYERS YUMMY
• The Gulshan in Aigburth is the best curry house in the world Or at least outside India
• go to kimos, myrtle street liverpool has no high class vegetarian restaraurants - get in your car and drive to manchester greenhouse (rusholme) and greens didsbury (very posh), somebody prove me wrong
• The MUSAPIR on Bold Street is another excellent place for a curry. Small, relaxed and very friendly (and cheap!). My favourite place!
• The San Yi in Tuebrook does a mean Chinese take away! Too many good resturaunts to list, but Akkies (Greek) in Sefton park deserves a mention. Hot n Tender in town do a quality chicken fillet burger to beat any KFC offering.
• Take aways are mostly on the student drag which is Hardman Street and Berry Street, there's a couple of posh places on Berry Street, Concert Square is bar central and they all do food, the Everyman on Hope Street is a great veggie bistro, the Bluecoat Cafe in the arts centre on School Lane is great, Blue Bar down the Albert Dock is very nice too...
• A bunch of new classy resaurants have been arriving in Liverpool over the last year or so. E.g. Ziba on Berry Street and Becher's Brook and No. 60 Hope Street. The new Heathcotes that is to move into Beetham Plaza should be good also.
• St.Petersburg dining club & russian restaurant in Liverpool is only one authentic Russian restaurant in UK .Excelent choice of russian imperial cuisine and russian vodka and beer for ccompaniment.You can see more about this place on web site: http://st-petersburg.virtualave.net/
• Hardman Pizza Co. - best pizzas in North West. 60 Hope Street - amazingly fantastic food at a price. Ziba - ok, a little TOO "cool". Everyman Bistro - ok, cheap, a little too much reliance on microwaves.
• Frank Smith has closed his famous "Franks Cafe" on the Dock Road! Bye big Frank enjoy your retiement mate, as much as we enjoyed the chat, yer big cooked breakfasts and mugs of tea.
• "Macyips" aka "Max" St Marys Road, Garston(Next to the Dealers Pub)Excellent scrummy Pizzas and Kebabs and it's open till 3am friday & Saturday nights!!
• Curry: in town, Indian Delight and the King Korai (both on Renshaw St) are good, the staff being unbelievably nice at King Korai - free drinks were offered just before closing time the other night! At KK I recommend the lamb pasanda, and at ID the dopiaza. Out of town, there's the Royal Tandoori on Smithdown Rd, which is wonderful and serves huge portions - it might be wise to take advantage of the takeaway menu so you can come back to it later. The lamb korma is top.
• For those of you self-catering Christians Fruit Market is the cheapest and best for fresh fruit and vegetables (including the best ingredients for a curry). Antoni's is an excellent Greek-Cypriot restaurant on Hardman Street. My recommendation is the 16 course Mezedes. Villa Romana is a nice little italian on Wood Street. Possibly the finest Chinese Restaurant in Liverpool is the Mayflower. This is on Lower Duke Street and does some fantastic banquets. Masterchef really is the best curry house in Liverpool, but remember that it is not licensed but that you can take your own booze. Med Cafe Lime Street for good and reasonably priced mediterranean food.(Good for Veggies too)
• Caesar's is the best value food in Liverpool, the service is good, the menu is varied, servings are gargantuan(I hope I spelt that right) and I particularly love the puddings!!
• Check out the food court in the middle of the market for cheap, just about edible food or be healthy and get some doughnuts from the vans outsde McDonalds and C&A
• L'Alouette in Lark Lane. Possibly the best food in Liverpool. French in style, reasonable prices - certainly the best value Sunday lunch in town, nice atmosphere (romantic), however can get rather full of the city types talking too loudly: "I'd highly recommend the Sancere, it's quite delightful". Also the waitresses can be a little snobby.
• The Hub, a new Cafe, has opened at the top of Bold Street and it's a quality place for nice Coffee and chilling with herbal, cafe types.
• For the chicks there is Blackburn House, Falkner Street (opposite the number 7) which has a lovely, sunny cafe downstairs. Men can be signed in. The major problem is that it isn't open at the weekend.
• The Cafe Tabac on Bold Street is great, with huge plates of tasty sandwiches and salad for just £2.25. Even better on a Sunday when you can spend the day perusing the papers (at their expense) and drinking beer.
• For really cheap food and a great, wonderfully priced wine list, take a taxi to Lark Lane in Aigburth and go to Keith's wine bar. Brilliant.
• A good place for a curry is Master Chef on Renshaw St - cheaper than most of the others in the area - has good selection of veggie stuff.
• The Number 7 Cafe in Falkner Street (off Hope Street) is a very trendy place, if you are into that kind of thing (I once saw Steve from Coronation Street there - but I guess that's not proof of trendiness). The cappucino is great, and the home made choccy cake sublime.
• Scaff's cafe (by St Georges) lots of skaters go there. Sayers, when at Law Courts.
• "Franks Cafe" Dock Road near to Pierhead and Costco. Cheap good food. Big Frank (20st) the owner has met every famous person to visit Liverpool. He has pictures all over the walls to prove it! Don't mention LFC: Franks a blue and he's got a Black Belt!!
• The Hub Cafe on Berry Street is a fairly new Bike Shop come Cafe. Excellent Sunday Breakfast with acompanied Harp Music as you scoff your bacon, sorry veggie sausage & eggs (free range of course).
• Keiths on Lark Lane. Doorstep Cafe on Slater Street, for an after club BLT! Loads of restaurants on Lark Lane, L17.

Pubs

• The MODO in concert Square - most chilled, most funky, most groovy bar to hang out in and at least try to look cool, even if you feel out of place.. heh! Gorgeous candle lit downstairs area and upstairs newly referbished. Does decent food too - take someone there if you want to impress them! =o)
• the swan classicaly, but watch or for the goat
• The casbar on hope street is about to relaunch. it has undergone a huge refurb and its drinks price ensure that you will get pissed. For all students. All spirits + mixer are going to be £1 all bottles £1.50 and cheap draught. NUS + Members are free open Monday, Wednesday to Saturday 9pm till 2am
• LA`GO - Sundays....Hip, hairy and handsome d.j. plays marvellous music inbetween live sessions from some of the best local acoustic talent around. Oh, and the bar is bloody cheap, too.
• Caledonian or cale for short (catherine street) discotastic launderette superpub underground, wash and wiggle. underground djs every night of the week, free internet access, as we go to press they are in the middle of the most bizarrest re-decorations, also great food for a pub with very nice veggie food. and yes you really can do your washing here. magnet bar hardman street - not as hip as it used to be, but nice atmosphere especially mon - thurs its a bit busy at the weekend, and its so popular you have to pay a quid during the week to get in and 2 quid on a fri/sat everyman (hope st) if you like conversation at the weekend grapes - sister pub to the caledonian - good music and underground feel but bring your shoehorn its a tight squeeze la'go - very cheep beer
• The Excelsior, Dale Street - The best pub in Liverpool to find out more go to www.excelsior.8m.net.
• LOADS! Some are like stepping back in time, others are v. modern. The Hague on Maryland Street has a friendly student-styled atmosphere and is fairly priced. Slaters is a bit of a hole but my god its cheap!
• The Grapes which is an old school pub with a new school crowd and nightly dj's on Knight Street near Berry Street, The Caledonian on Catherine Street is the same sort of affair thoyugh they also have wasing machines in house, there's tons and tons of designer bars (many of which have been badly designed) on and arounf Concert Square, teh Jacaranda on Slater Street is good and cheap whilst the rest of the street is a great cross section of publife and pondlife, Mathew Street is packed and eveil, the Albert Dock is good for spotting footballers whilst Magnet on Harman Street is good for avoiding them (they also have a great music policy) - most bars and a lot of pubs in Liverpool stay open 'til 2.
• The George in Crosby; nice glitter balls
• Arena Bar. Concert Square recently refurbished fantastic sound system great atmosphere, new owners and management very friendly Beluga the sisters have flown the nest and sold out to a local now drab and unappealing only marginally busy on a saturday Modo losing its appeal rapidly as owners have other personal agendas NEW BARS up on Hope St Blakes and THE CASBAR a seductive blend of students and locals definately no scallysSome very busy nights a fluid business and the opportunity to hire a good venue for private gigs BIBA COncert SQ closed apparantly opening in the new year after a lick of paint..supposedly an exciting project Hogshead Concert Sq has now gone to make way for a bigger and definately not better RSVP often empty CONCERT SQUARE a series of events are planned for next year with more SUMMER IN THE CITY gigs taking place on a sunday afternoon Fancy a right tasty Burger....Concert Sq B B Que available until 2am every night BAA BAR going to the Sheep Dogs...fleecing sheepish students with pale imitations of shooters JACARANDA losing the battle with the scallies..less and less a student venue CUBE BAR good for a laugh seating for six and standing room for at least another six
• the hanover hotel on hanover street is the only city centre pub in liverpool with a working pinball. currently attack from mars which looks much like the film of a very simialr title.
• Yates' Wine Lodge on Allerton Road- full of scallies and the drinks are expensive but woth a visit to see the likes of Purple Reign (yes, there is such thing as a prince tribute band!) and the DJ who can't mix the records so insists on doing his 'Smashey and Nicey' bit at the end of every song.
• Finch & Firkin on Smithdown- For tequila you toss a coin heads it's free, tails you pay a pound
• Pilgrim - top dodgy boozer, if you can stand joe & des's banter. Ye Cracke - ace place, good beer (Hoegaarden), good cheap food. Flute & Firkin - Mon, Tues, Wed. alright...horrific rest of week - obscenely loud shit music coupled with an abundance of LIPA arseholes. Magnet - alright if you can sit down, not if you can't. Philarmonic - lovely warm, quiet boozer with decent scran. Varsity - crap hangar like pub with microwaved food. sometimes has £1 nights, however. Hope & Anchor (Scream) - hastily constructed, badly designed building with ker-razy wacky student decor and complete lack of heating. Food section will soon be visited by environmental health dept. One redeeming feature:Cheap beer. Eurobar - what a load of toss. Roscoe Head - nice little pub. Modo - fantastic cocktails, chilled atmosphere. Ideal for leisurely daytime drinking in both winter (inside) or summer (outside, concert square). New Hogshead, Concert Square - bit garish, but very comfy sofas and good coffee (not that you'd ever consider drinking coffee though). One-Four - cheap & cheerful with illegal football on Saturdays. Revolution - Vodka. Nice flavours. No further expansion needed. Go there. Call ambulance. Ropes - who goes in there? Buro, Bold St. - top salsa nights. Guigans & McSorley's, Slater St., Irish theme pubs. Toss. Jacaranda - one of the finest establishments in Liverpool. Simulate sitting in a urinal while thinking of John Lennon in the basement bar. Grapes - nice little pub. Lock ins. Slaters Wine Bar - godawful. Baa Bar - sometimes alright, sometimes not. Pogue Mahone - Real Irish pub. Top nights, great guinness, occasional lock ins. Durty Nellys - see above. Poste House, Cumberland St., Cheap booze near Lomax. Vernon Arms, Dale St. - top pub, magnificent food.
• The Swan Inn at the top of Wood Street, a little bit pokey, but serves the best beer and has an amazing jukebox with 60's and 70's rock, and modern indie, this Jukebox is always turned up. The Swan Inn is a drinking establishment for Bikers, Hippies, Metal Heads and other general people who don't resemble the Liverpool stereotypes. Go here if you want to get away from the usual sportswear crowd.
• Slaters bar on Slaters Street is excellent. Really cheap up until 12am.
• Don't go to Varsity on Myrtle Street if you want a decent pint.
• For the best Pint in Liverpool the Post Office on Pembroke Place. Fine beer and the greatest atmosphere
• The Arena bar, off Wood Street
• The Masonic on Lark Lane, it's a nicer pub than the Albert (which has had the "Finch & Firkin" make-it-look-as-if-it's-old treatment)
• Baltic Fleet opposite Wapping Dock on the Dock Road. Newly opened refurbished pub, good range of real ales, excellent food, jolly landlord!
• New Revolution Vodka Bar, with a menu of flavoured vodkas and themed Russian aristo/communist decor. Very nice, but far too crowded on a Saturday night, when you have to queue to get in.
• Try the Swan in Wood Street. Fine selection of real ales, and possibly the cheapest pint of Cains in the city, certainly the maddest clientele, the finest posters (Marx and Monroe) and the heaviest juke box in the city. Also the Brewery Tap in Stanhope Street (part of Cains brewery) - award winning renovation and the best selection of real ales in the city.
• Albert, Masonic, Keiths - Lark Lane, Aigburth.
• Beluga Bar, although dated a bit now.
• Bonepartes near the University is good for a Friday night.
• Modo Bar in Concert Square
• The only bar dealing in anything other than formulaic, migrainic house music, is MelloMello. Situated on Seal Street it is at the Hub of the trendy area in Liverpool. Though unfortunately alligned to Cream, and just around the corner, they play chilled, Hip Hop and Jazzy breakbeaty stuff.
• Worst: The new "Streets" pub on Hardman street, the old one (just off Hardman Street) had atmosphere and was always full, the new one is big and empty, in fact it's like being in Lime Street Railway Station during a rail strike. Empty with no atmosphere!
• Can you help?? Where can you go to drink on a Saturday night if you are 28, too old to hang around with students, and with too much taste to wear a PVC dress? I end up going to Garlands, but is that the answer??????
• The Brewery on Berry St is good - and not too crowded. As the name implies, they brew their own stuff, which tastes pretty good.
• The Everyman on Hope Street is a good place to eat and drink. Good guest beers, and lovely Belgian Wheat beer (Hoegaarden) on tap.
• Ye Cracke in Rice Street (off Hardman Street) is an excellent pub, usually has a couple of good guest beers, and sometimes - oh joy - farmhouse cider. And absolutely none of that Caffreys/Kilkenny rubbish either.
• Other - Baa Bar, Slater Street; Arena, Concert Square; Bar 111, Hardman Street. Areas around Bold Street - Wood Street; Hardman Street - Berry Street full of good places.
• Student - Everyman Bistro; Ye Cracke. Both off Hope Street
• Irish - Flanagan's, Mathew Street; Rosie O'Grady's, Hanover Street
• Others similar are:- Metz, near. Matthew Street. Bateys, Matthew Street. Mello Mello, Slater Sreet. Milky Bar (Gay/Mixed), Wolstenholme Square.
• Beluga Bar, Wood Street. Trendy basement bar run by two sisters, very friendly, busy, good music, good selection of draft and bottled beer. Excellent food available till 8pm. Riccocco Modo, Concert Square. Next to the Arena. Owned and designed by the people who own the Baa Bar. Has three different bars within it, and a noodle bar! General ambience as above. The above are definitely the non skally 28 year olds choice as the best bars in the City - definitely NOT Rubber Soul.
• Best pub: "The Rubber Soul", Mathew Street. BIG pub: two giant bars with cobbled street down the centre of the Pub! leading to Dance Floor, good mix of music (you can actually understand).
  [But] "The Rubber Soul" is the best pub!!!!!! This is generally recognised as the slimey-ist, skally-ist and most total lack of taste place in the world. Believe me!

Cafes and Coffee Shops

• The cafe in Quiggins
• SAYERS YUMMY
• cafe tabac has now shut down. KIMOS cheapest most beautiful, fantastic little cafe on myrtle street fantastically cheap yet lovely veggie and meat. check out the foule medames, pizzas and greek salads (ps dont tell anyone else) egg cafe is lovely to look at but provides the blandest veggie food, it could be so much better and if you like vogon poetry then try the poetry evenings try the green fish (off renshaw street) just over the road from egg cafe very nice veggie food and if your lucky you may get the harp player
• Bold Street has loads, catering to most tastes. The Albert Dock has a few nice bars - costly though.
• Magnet is a great daytime/nightime place that does food, the Hub on Berry street, a few nice coffee shops on Bold Street, Baa Bar is good for hangover food and cheap beer, tons of bars that do food, Wade Smith have a posh little cafe on the top floor, 'Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds' in Cavern Walks is nice and there's loads down the Albert Dock.
• BHS cafe, biggest in the country.
• time out coffee shop is ggod bold street
• the cafe tabac has sadly closed
• The 'Egg' cafe - very studenty/run-down/alternative/poetic
• Cafe Tabac - ace atmosphere, nice food, cheap. Coffee Union - Weaponsgrade caffeine served with a smile. Concourse, Lime Street - one of the best greasy spoons in the world and yes, it IS open. Cafe Number 7. - ludicrously expensive rabbit food. Hub - imagine sitting on a bike and eating shit. Egg - ponciness personified. Maggie Mays, Bold Street - now we're talking.
• Frank Smith has closed his famous "Franks Cafe" on the Dock Road! Bye big Frank enjoy your retiement mate, as much as we enjoyed the chat, yer big cooked breakfasts and mugs of tea.
• The Egg Cafe, upstairs on Newington St (off Renshaw St in town) is a nice, entirely veggie cafe - they do poetry nights too on the 1st Monday in the month. Give the quiche a chance!

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Last updated: 2008-05-17