Forget the Beatles, football rivalries and Ferry Cross the Mersey – Liverpool’s food scene is the city’s most exciting cultural export right now. While the rest of the UK was busy looking elsewhere, Scouse chefs have been quietly building a gastronomic powerhouse that punches well above its weight.
Liverpool’s dining renaissance is happening everywhere from transformed dockside warehouses to tucked-away supper clubs on residential streets – and it’s still flying under the radar just enough that you can actually get a table. Not for long, mind.
These are the spots worth clearing your calendar for – places serving everything from theatrical tasting menus to plates you’ll be tempted to lick clean (no judgment here). With all that in mind, and with several extra notches added to our belt, here are the best restaurants in Liverpool.
8 By Andy Sheridan, Cook Street
Ideal for theatrical dining that places you at the heart of culinary creation…
Here at IDEAL, we firmly believe there’s a place for the pretentious, in art, in music, and in food. In the best possible way, 8 by Andy Sheridan proves this to be true. It’s high falutin, sure, but it’s also highly enjoyable…
The taut venue elevates dining to a kind of performance art, featuring just 16 seats divided between two counters where chefs craft and narrate each course directly before guests. Sheridan, who came back to his Liverpool roots after making waves in Birmingham, has created something rather special in this Victorian building on Cook Street (a pleasing kind of nominative determinism…kinda).
Your evening begins in a dimly lit lounge with aperitifs and crisp, energetic nibbles pulled straight from the opening round of GBM (tuna tostada, crab croustades…you get the picture) before you’re escorted downstairs to claim your spot at one of the 8-seat counters. The tasting menu pulls influences from across the globe while delivering bold, distinctive flavours – all built around top-notch ingredients that help justify the £110 price tag.
Yes, there’s a lot of stuff presented on stones and moss. And sure, there will be a tuile leaf or two. But fortunately, the clarity of flavour here is convincing and the delivery strangely compelling. The set-up naturally encourages a bit of chat with the chefs, but they’re tactful, knowing when to step back and let you actually engage with your dining companion or, you know, swoon over your last bite. This is Liverpool dining at its most personal and also its most dramatic.
Website: restaurant8.co.uk
Address: 16 Cook Street, Liverpool, L2 9RF
Wreck Bistro, Seel Street
Ideal for honest bistro cooking in a beautifully restored industrial space…
Wreckfish metamorphosed a once-abandoned building into one of Liverpool’s most cherished restaurants. Brought to life by chef Gary Usher following a triumphant crowdfunding campaign, this bistro focuses on straightforward yet flawlessly executed dishes, with the emphasis always on flavour first and foremost, but also on excellent value – something of a signature of any Usher restaurant, and a very commendable one at that.
Step inside and you’ll immediately notice how the space balances its rough-hewn past with genuine comfort. Originally named Wreckfish after the Atlantic wreckfish—a species known for dwelling near shipwrecks—the restaurant has since been renamed Wreck Bistro as too many people mistakenly assumed it was a seafood restaurant.
The converted space retains character in its raw brick walls and lofty ceilings, while a sprawling open kitchen takes centre stage, allowing diners to witness the choreography of a confident brigade at work. There’s an appealing lack of pretension here—like dining in the home of a friend who happens to be an excellent cook.
The menu shifts with the seasons but might include starters like chicken liver parfait with farmhouse chutney, hearty mains such as braised featherblade of beef with beetroot ketchup and red wine sauce, or a shawarma-spiced chicken schnitzel. Their truffle and Parmesan chips have amassed an enthusiastic following of their own across all of the Elite Bistro’s restaurants, and they make an appearance on both bistro and special menus at Wreck for good reason; they’re as good as they sound, and there’s no much higher compliment than that.
On weekends, the breakfasts deserve your attention — from the Full Wreck-fast (complete with all the traditional fixings) to our go-to order, the smoked ‘Nduja beans on toast with a fried egg and sour cream. Whichever way you play it, have a Port of Liverpool (Irish whiskey, cherry liqueur, lemon and Ruby Port) or two, and luxuriate in a place where that implicit sense of hospitality is apparent in every gesture.
Despite the quality of both produce and cooking, prices remain accessible—their ‘bistro’ menu is laughably good value at just £23 for three courses. This reflects Usher’s philosophy that excellent food shouldn’t be exclusive, making Wreckfish a place you can return to regularly rather than saving for special occasions only.
Website: wreckfish.co
Address: 60 Seel Street, Liverpool, L1 4BE
Belzan, Smithdown Road
Ideal for neighbourhood conviviality and culinary innovation away from the city centre…
Slightly off the typical tourist route in one of Liverpool’s student-dominated suburbs, Belzan merits seeking out for its inventive small plates and impressive natural wine collection. This neighbourhood bistro balances casual chic with culinary aspiration—all polished concrete and white brick, with seasonal dishes presented on elegant ceramics.
Opened in 2017 by friends Chris Edwards, Owain Williams, and Sam Grainger (the latter now executive chef ), this once-hidden gem has accumulated serious accolades, featuring in the Michelin Guide and named among the UK’s 100 best local restaurants by The Good Food Guide.
The constantly evolving menu showcases hyperlocal ingredients—Grainger ambitiously sources from within 30 miles wherever possible, even incorporating pumpkins from customers’ allotments and wild garlic foraged from nearby Sefton Park. Current standouts include a beautifully balanced smoked beetroot with goat’s curd and blood orange, mushroom and chestnut dashi with butterbeans and cavolo nero, and the exquisite, positively pastoral-tasting barbecued lamb Barnsley chop with artichoke purée and pinenuts.
Don’t overlook (it’s impossible to miss, to be fair, as it’s being ordered by pretty much every table) their renowned Guinness rarebit potato—a humble-sounding creation elevated to something extraordinary through the marriage of Anna potatoes, Guinness-infused cheese, and a Bois Boudran-style sauce. The dish has become so iconic that it’s now a permanent fixture on their otherwise seasonal menu, with good reason. End with the comforting parkin cake with custard and crème fraîche ice cream—proof that northern classics can shine when given a contemporary twist.
Service is self-assured and straightforward, with staff well-versed in both the cuisine and the eclectic wine selection. The restaurant has developed such a reputation that it’s become an unlikely celebrity hotspot—Will Ferrell dined here during Eurovision 2023, while the entire fellowship from The Lord of the Rings (minus Gandalf, presumably) nearly “ate the whole menu” during a 2024 Comic Con visit.
For natural wine enthusiasts, Belzan offers one of the most exciting collections in the city. The prix fixe represents great value; three courses and a glass of wine is £35.
Website: belzan.co.uk
Address: 371 Smithdown Road, Liverpool, L15 3JJ
Madre, Albert Dock
Ideal for faithful Mexican flavours against Liverpool’s historic waterfront…
Born in 2019 from a collaboration between the culinary minds behind (just mentioned) Belzan and London’s Breddos Tacos, this waterfront gem delivers an immersive taste of Mexican hospitality. Transplanting the soul of Mexico City, Guadalajara, and Oaxaca to Liverpool’s historic Albert Dock, Madre (Spanish for ‘mother’) serves up Mexican dishes in a spirited, colourful space with an extensive outdoor seating area that springs to life in summer with DJ sets and flowing margaritas (the latter dependent on the sunnier season, it should be said).
The menu centres on traditional – rather than ‘elevated’ or ‘refined’ – taco recipes, with standouts including the Tijuana-style carne asada with skirt steak, smoked mozzarella and grilled onions, the Baja fish tacos with tempura-battered Atlantic pollock, and the crab tostada featuring picked picked white crab with brown crab mayonnaise. God it’s good.
Beyond tacos, there’s plenty of antojitos (Mexican snacks) to pick over with a drink, while the restaurant’s wood-fired parrilla (grill) turns out impressive larger plates—the barbecued pistachio-crusted lamb breast with avocado salsa makes a compelling case for casting covetous glances beyond the taco section.
What truly brings Madre to life is its formidable bar program. Their margaritas are the stuff of slurred, eulogising legend, especially the ‘green wasp’ variation with Tapatio tequila, cucumber, coriander, habanero and agave that packs a memorable (well, perhaps less so after the third one) punch.
The restaurant’s Madre’s Table option (£30 per person) offers a keenly priced introduction to the fine cuisine here —a curated selection of their favourite dishes that ensures you experience the menu’s highlights. Located just a five-minute stroll from the city’s central museums and cultural attractions, Madre offers the city’s most perfect refuel and refresh after a day of cultural exploration.
Website: thisismadre.co.uk
Address: Atlantic Pavilion, Albert Dock, Liverpool, L3 4AE
Manifest, Baltic Triangle
Ideal for seasonal British cuisine in Liverpool’s most creative quarter…
Housed in a repurposed warehouse in the rejuvenated Baltic Triangle, Manifest has swiftly established itself among Liverpool’s best restaurants since its 2022 opening.
The restaurant’s curved archway entrance, set within the original warehouse brickwork, makes for an impressive first impression – maintaining the raw, industrial character of the Baltic Triangle while adding just enough polish to signal that something special awaits inside.
Proprietors Paul and Charlotte Durand have fashioned a space that strikes a delicate balance between casual and sophisticated, allowing the cuisine to command attention via a central open kitchen with counter seating for those eager to observe the culinary craft up close. The dishes shift with the seasons, featuring meticulously composed small and larger plates that honour exceptional British produce, much sourced from the neighbouring countryside.
If it’s on, order the sweet onion tart which incorporates several members of the allium family plus a very cleansing whipped ricotta, or the masterfully executed cod with sea buckthorn and smoked mussels – both dishes that highlight technique without unnecessary embellishment, the latter an impressive balancing act between bracingly sour and pleasingly salty.
The thoughtfully assembled wine selection includes numerous options by the glass, featuring several intriguing natural varieties. There’s also a 3-glass wine flight, pitched at £45 per person – the size and pricing a welcome relief from those jarring, lengthy wine pairings that leave you too pissed by the ninth glass.
Admittedly, a little like 8 above, Manifest is a restaurant that suffers a little from enthusiastically low lighting in the evenings. Better to book in for lunch, when the light streams through the large industrial windows that dominate the brick façade just right.
Website: manifestrestaurant.com
Address: 4a Watkinson Street, Liverpool, L1 0AG
NORD, Old Hall Street
Ideal for Northern hospitality delivered with Scandinavian precision…
NORD celebrates Northern soul (no, not Do I Love You?, but rather, the energy of this part of England) through a distinctly Nordic lens, carving out its own category in Liverpool’s buzzing food scene.
It’s the baby of local lad Daniel Heffy, who cut his teeth in Stockholm’s starred kitchens before bringing his skills back home in 2023. In fact, this sense of recent homecoming is something of a theme in the city, with several of the restaurants on our list following this narrative arc.
Heffy describes his approach as “Travelled British,” a nod to his local roots filtered through time spent in Scandinavia. The sprawling, space-age interior feels like dining in tomorrow – all sleek surfaces and egg-shaped booths that cocoon you while you eat. It’s the perfect backdrop for Heffy’s boundary-pushing cooking, which draws heavily on an impressive network of hyper-local suppliers. The menu reads like a love letter to the North West, with everything from Ward’s Fish (a fourth-generation family business in Birkenhead that’s supplied Heffy since the beginning of his career) to award-winning Edge & Sons Butchers in Wirral (just 6 miles away) who work with rare and native breeds.
Dishes roam from the simple to the utterly sublime. Start with oysters au natural or the quail scotch egg with roasted garlic aioli before moving on to standouts like scallop with potato cream, chive and black truffle, or the jaw-dropping chawanmushi with king crab, smoked eel and dashi.
The lamb rack with squash hot sauce and crispy sprouts is probably the most ‘talked about’ dish here, however, and it’s easy to see why; the lamb is cooked to a perfect pink, and the hot sauce is complex, and acidic enough to cut through the fattiness of the meat. Crispy sprouts need no explaining. For something a little more humble, the charcuterie selection here comes from North by Sud-Ouest (run by Andrew Rogers, who trained in the foothills of the Pyrenees) and shows just how seriously they take their sourcing.
And because it’s not all about the wine, all the time, we can’t speak highly enough of the non-alcoholic options here. Billed as ‘Temperates’, the burnt citrus and winter spiced Chinotto is such a satisfying drop, and one recommended to us by the charming front-of-house team, who add real warmth to the atmosphere, quickly making this newcomer one of the city’s most talked-about dining spots.
Website: nordrestaurant.co.uk
Address: 100 Old Hall Street, Liverpool, L3 9QJ
The Art School, Sugnall Street
Ideal for culinary artistry within elegant Victorian architecture…
Housed in what was once a Victorian ‘home for destitute children’, The Art School now stands as one of Liverpool’s most celebrated dining spots. Chef Patron Paul Askew – Liverpool’s unofficial culinary ambassador and master of the white tablecloth experience – has created a restaurant so heartily committed to fine dining traditions that it makes the Titanic’s first-class restaurant look like a greasy spoon.
The elegantly restored space, with its striking red chairs against pristine white tablecloths, provides the backdrop for one of the city’s most unashamedly classical dining experiences. Askew is a chef who knows exactly what he is – you won’t find edible soil or food served on an iPad here – but that doesn’t mean he’s stuck in the past.
The menus read like a roll call of the North West’s finest producers. There’s Edge & Son’s Belted Galloway beef (the same supplier that NORD uses), Dunham Massey venison, and Loch Fyne scallops served caramelised and proud in the half shell. Askew’s fish game is strong, that’s for sure.
While the Prix Fixe (£55 for three courses) offers brilliant value with dishes like twice-baked three cheese soufflé with leek and Dijon mustard cream sauce, the Menu Excellence (a less humble name would be hard to imagine) is where Askew really flexes his grasp of classical tekkers. At £95 per person, you’ll get Charles Heidsieck champagne on arrival, and dishes like game terrine, pan roast sirloin with potato mille-feuille, and the ‘Art School S’mores’ – a grown-up version of the campfire classic featuring salted caramel, dark chocolate crémeux and Italian meringue that’ll have you feeling all nostalgic and just a little bit sick.
Don’t stop there. For those with a sweeter tooth than sense, don’t overlook the desserts featuring honey from the restaurant’s own local hives – a testament to Askew’s sustainability credentials long before it became fashionable to mention food miles in hushed, reverential tones. And if the two-hour table limit for early diners seems tight, remember this is a restaurant that measures soufflé rise with scientific precision – they’ve timed your chewing too.
Website: theartschoolrestaurant.co.uk
Address: 1 Sugnall Street, Liverpool, L7 7EB
Maray, Bold Street
Ideal for Middle Eastern vibrancy and Liverpool’s creative spirit…
Named after Paris’ Le Marais district, Maray began life in a former charity shop on Bold Street before expanding to additional venues including the Albert Dock and, more recently, Manchester. The original remains the heart of the operation and the optimal place to savour their vivacious Middle Eastern-inspired food.
The menu comprises exquisitely crafted small plates intended for sharing, with a particular excellence in vegetable dishes that propel plant-based cooking to the heights it deserves. The celebrated disco cauliflower—florets roasted until golden and lavished with chermoula, tahini, yogurt, harissa, and pomegranate seeds—has earned its Liverpudlian legendary status deservedly. We’ll always order at least two. You should too.
During busy evenings, you might find yourself at a communal table, actively contributing to a lively, convivial mood that perfectly complements the food. You might also find yourself dragging your warm pitta through a stranger’s hummus (don’t think that’s a euphemism), but that’s all part of the fun here. The drinks selection showcases imaginative cocktails infused with Middle Eastern aromas. For an ideal meal, select an assortment of mezze, the signature flatbread, and several larger plates to share, taking into account a dish or two for your new friends at the neighbouring table.
Website: maray.co.uk
Address: 91 Bold Street, Liverpool, L1 4HF
Panoramic 34, West Tower
Ideal for gastronomic heights that aim to match Liverpool’s most breathtaking vistas…
Situated on the 34th floor of West Tower, Panoramic 34 until recently held the debatable honour of being Britain’s tallest restaurant. Though Gordon Ramsay’s Lucky Cat at 22 Bishopgate has recently usurped this glamorous Liverpool destination, we can only assume (haven’t been to LC, and probably won’t) the food here is better.
Floor-to-ceiling windows deliver stunning 360-degree panoramas across Liverpool, the Mersey, and beyond—making it the choice of many Liverpudlians for celebrating momentous occasions or impressing the pants off first dates (metaphorically, we hope—those windows are rather exposing).
The kitchen demonstrates equally lofty ambition with their tasting menu (£99), which parades luxurious combinations like hand-dived scallop and langoustine tortellini with XO butter sauce that might not make your nonna happy, but will hit the spot nonetheless. Their venison treatment—complete with haunch lasagne, salsify, and the unexpected delight of pickled walnut ketchup—proves this kitchen isn’t just coasting on its view-based laurels. This is a genuinely great plate of food, that haunch lasagne not in the least bit dry, which is the obvious risk here.
For dessert devotees, the Black Forest creation arrives dressed to impress with dark chocolate mousse, Amarena cherries, and a mirror glaze so reflective you might catch your own expression of anticipation in it. Those with more modest appetites (or wallets) can opt for the Prix Fixe at a still-special-occasion £59 for two courses.
From the drinks menu, the ‘mouthwatering’ cocktails (bit of a weird term for a drink guys) are capably mixed with a little theatricality thrown in for good measure —the Pornstar Martini comes with its champagne sidecar, and the devilishly named Honey, You’re So Old Fashioned! (Maker’s Mark, honey, Angostura bitters, smoked salt) offers a refreshing twist on the classic.
Is it wallet-busting? Absolutely. But then again, you’re essentially renting Liverpool’s finest view along with dinner. Approach your meal with this mindset, and you won’t be disappointed.
Website: panoramic34.com
Address: 34th Floor, West Tower, Brook Street, Liverpool, L3 9PJ
Vetch, Hope Street
Ideal for Great British Menu excellence with Far Eastern influences…
After a successful tenure as head chef at Rothay Manor in the Lake District, Dan McGeorge (crowned Champion of Champions on Great British Menu 2021) has returned to his native Liverpool (there’s that arc again) to launch his debut solo venture. Situated in a handsome Georgian townhouse on Hope Street, Vetch offers a snug, elegantly mellow dining space where McGeorge’s delicate, Japanese-influenced cooking truly shines.
Let’s abandon any pretence here: Vetch isn’t for the “I just fancy a quick bite” crowd. This is tasting menu territory, where the illusion of ‘choice’ is boiled down to whether you’re having five courses (£85) or seven (£105), with an optional drinks pairing that will facilitate both an enlightened palate and a lighter wallet. For the less committed, the lunch and early bird menu offers three courses for a relatively gentle £45, which in fine-dining currency is practically a bargain.
The menu showcases McGeorge’s talent for harmonising classic techniques with unexpected, globetrotting flavour combinations. Dishes change with the seasons but might include the show-stopping cauliflower chawanmushi with parmesan and truffle (think of the finest cauliflower cheese elevated to celestial heights via Japanese egg custard), or the transformative monkfish with leek and XO dashi.
Each dish arrives on ceramics that look custom-crafted for their specific contents, accompanied by cutlery so exquisite you might be tempted to slip it into your pocket (please don’t). Even the glassware has been selected to produce a tuning-fork resonance when clinked—a detail that tells you everything about the forensic level of attention being paid to every aspect of the experience.
Service walks that perfect line between informed and informal, with staff who can talk you through the intricacies of the Scandi-Japanese-Brit menu fusion while making you feel like you’re in on the joke.
Vetch represents Liverpool dining at its most ambitious and accomplished; a place where aesthetics and remarkable flavours coalesce into an experience that fully justifies its three-hour duration.
Website: vetchrestaurant.com
Address: 29A Hope Street, Liverpool, L1 9BP
Buyers Club, Hardman Street
Ideal for hidden courtyard charm, handcrafted pasta and natural wines…
Concealed off Hardman Street, down an alleyway, in a location likely to perplex first-time visitors, Buyers Club is a bohemian bar-restaurant producing some of the finest Italian-inspired cuisine in Liverpool. Pass through the archway into Hardman Yard and you’ll discover a welcoming haven that feels like a cherished secret among locals.
The menu revolves around fresh, handmade pasta dishes that thrum with flavour—think pappardelle with pork and fennel sausage, squash, sage and pumpkin seeds, or porcini and walnut tagliolini. Begin with their signature beef shin arancini or the cacio e pepe butter beans, or, you know, both; you’re a consenting adult and you’ve come here for a good time, after all.
The natural wine selection ticks all the right boxes for this kind of joint, with staff eager to guide you through unfamiliar territory. In summer, the beer garden metamorphoses into one of Liverpool’s best outdoor dining locations, perfect for lingering over a bottle of wine and multiple courses as twilight descends. You know what? We might just stay here a while, and pretend that outside isn’t happening…
Website: buyers-club.co.uk
Address: 24 Hardman Street, Liverpool, L1 9AX
