Alma de Cuba

Winner of the UK’s Best Venue in 2008 & 2009, Alma de Cuba puts in a strong bid as Liverpool’s most spectacular restaurant & bar complex. It certainly looks impressive, with the magnificent conversion of a former 18th-century church taking in stained glass windows, stacks of candles & wall-mounted antlers. But it’s the clubby vibe in the ground-floor bar that draws the crowds & helps bring the mezzanine restaurant to life. The food is diverting, too – a jazzy mix of Mediterranean, Cuban, Hispanic, Latin American & oriental influences with the occasional steak, burger or fish & chips. South American & Caribbean-inspired cocktails – plus pulsating, Latin-influenced rhythms – help to crank up the action.