Best restaurants in Liverpool

Fresh off a successful stint as head chef of Rothay Manor in the Lake District, Great British Menu 2021 Champion of Champions Dan McGeorge has returned home to his native Liverpool to open his debut solo restaurant Vetch. Unsurprisingly, it's an absolute barnstormer, showcasing McGeorge's delicate, Asian-flecked cooking in a homely dining room on Hope Street.

Acting as a wine bar, cocktail parlour, restaurant and gig space, you can do an entire night out at the Buyers Club from start to finish. On the menu you’ll find the likes of leek & cheddar arancini, harissa fried chicken and beef shin ragu pasta. Dishes are served tapas style so you can try a little bit of everything.

Captivating Turkish barbecue flavours are the main draw of Elif. Begin with hot and cold meze, before moving on to juicy lamb ribs or whole fish, all served with an abundance of mixed leaf salad. The seafood specials are especially good here, and the lunchtime menu is incredibly affordable.

Set inside the rather stunning Grade II Listed ‘City Buildings’ on Old Hall Street, City Wine Bar & Kitchen’s menus reflect the grandeur of the location. The food covers lots of bases, from ‘nduja prawns to burgers, salads and fish and chips, but everything is well executed and reasonably priced. Stylish, vibrant, and welcoming, City Wine Bar suits all occasions.

This rustic tapas bar was opened in 2010 and has enjoyed a full-to-capacity kind of success ever since. The menu combines classic Spanish small plates like patatas bravas with a handful of more unusual options. Order in lots of small bites and enjoy with jugs of sangria.

Restaurant 8 is about as immersive as dining experiences get in Liverpool, but it never loses sight of the importance of delivering delicious food. Tasting menus incorporate a huge range of elements but the experience is finely-tuned and precise. Make no mistake, Restaurant 8 is a thrilling experience, and an important restaurant for the city. 

Wreck is Gary Usher's Liverpool restaurant, and follows the same blueprint as other restaurants, like Sticky Walnut and Hispi. Usher's cooking is reliably excellent, and well priced - Wreck continues to run superb lunch and breakfast menus, as well as vegan, gluten-free and dairy-free menus.

Nord juxtaposes quirky, minimal design with some broad strokes international cooking, but somehow makes it all work. Dishes range from barley risotto with asparagus and watercress to mushroom skewers with yuzu kosho, but everything is beautifully executed at this restaurant which is fast gaining national attention. 

As part of the Everyman Theatre, the Pen Factory is a relaxed and casual bistro, ideal for a lunch stop while exploring the city of Liverpool. Serving seasonal small plates including the likes of king prawns in paprika, smoked salmon and pea risotto and soy and honey glazed chicken wings everything is made for sharing.

This northern multi-site is gathering a reputation for some seriously delicious Indian cooking, which explores the breadth of India's diverse culinary traditions. It also caters to a British crowd with some utterly outrageous Brit-Indian classics, like a signature chicken tikka masala, and butter chicken. Colourful interiors and generous service make this fantastic for all occasions.

Every city needs a reliably old-school Italian restaurant or two and Casa Italia delivers on its promise of comfort food and a convivial atmosphere. Crown your checkered tablecloth with lasagnes, pasta dishes and homemade pizzas, and save room for especially brilliant desserts, including tiramisu and a zingy lemon meringue pie. 

With long communal tables, industrial décor and an exciting menu, Maray is located in the centre of Liverpool and is the ideal spot for a casual lunch or dinner. Serving up a mix of cuisines from Middle Eastern to British, expect to find the likes of lamb koftas, falafel and halloumi on the main menu.

Housed in the former Home for Destitute Children (circa 1888), this beautiful restaurant pays homage to the building’s more recent role as an art school, with commissioned works by former students covering the walls. The cooking from chef-owner Paul Askew is every bit as artful, involving robust flavours and including vegan, vegetarian and pescatarian menus.

Another brilliant Bold Street restaurant, Mee Thai looks right out onto the Bombed Out Church. A charming team here serves up full-throttle Thai cooking - recognisable curries and stir fries, as well as a killer tom yum soup and Pattaya beer on draught. Expect pretty authentic heat levels and really affordable pricing.

Bem Brasil offers up a unique take on Brazilian dining - pile your plate high with salad from the bar and then wave down meats as they are paraded around the tables and carved directly onto your plate. Choose from the likes of cap of rump, chicken wrapped in pancetta and leg of lamb.

Tokyo Noodle Bar’s minimal, timber-framed interiors don’t give much away, but inside there’s some brilliant cooking going on. The menu pulls together a mix of Chinese takeaway style cooking and Japanese ramen and katsu dishes, but everything delivers big on flavour, and the drinks list has everything you want, from cold beers to green tea.

Claiming to be the only Catalonian fusion restaurant in the UK and doubling up as a deli, Lunya is located in the popular and buzzy Liverpool One area. Serving up the likes of Ibérico pork ribs, seabass sliders and patatas bravas the tapas style means you can try lots of different dishes in one sitting. Before you leave the restaurant don’t forget to grab some goods from the deli.

Beautifully fresh sushi is served up beside hearty fare like katsu curry at this Japanese restaurant in the heart of Liverpool. Begin with miso soup before tucking into platters of sashimi or bowls of noodles. Etsu is worth a visit for its lunch time bento boxes, too.

Bringing life to an old converted warehouse, Manifest is a relaxed dining room and bar where great service is key. The open plan kitchen takes centre stage with counter spots for those who want a front row seat. Visit for a best of British menu that changes with the seasons.

Championing simple and seasonal food and using local produce where possible, Belzan is the sort of cosy neighbourhood restaurant that everyone wants to live near too. We love the shabby-chic interiors, and the constantly evolving menu, which continues to be one of the most interesting in Liverpool. There’s a great breakfast menu for early risers, too.

Aiming to bring the street food of India to the UK, Mowgli serves all its dishes in metal tiffin boxes. Expect the like of gunpowder chicken, Goan fish curry and Mowgli house keema, all in magical, fairy-lit surrounds. Extensive gluten free and vegan menus make this ideal for groups with lots of dietary requirements.

This intimate hideaway is nestled on Queen Avenue, hence the name, and does a fine job of pairing a superb wine list with the sort of simple, seasonal food you just want to eat. Refined, artsy interiors feel special enough for occasions, whilst seasonal menus showcase lots of local produce. A stylish yet welcoming destination for celebrations.

Hawksmoor has travelled far and wide these days, but Liverpool might just be the group's best marriage of concept and killer location so far, bringing immaculate British cookery to Liverpool's Grade-II listed India Buildings. As for the rest, it's just as good as always, from huge sharing steaks to God-tier triple-cooked chips. 

Relaxed, all-day dining, with a series of menus that covers all bases, Voyagers is just as good a place to stop for a brioche breakfast bap as it is for sticky glazed short ribs and a big bottle of red. The interiors are slick and modern too, making this a great all-rounder.