A truly glorious restaurant, City Wine Bar & Kitchen calls the grand Grade II listed City Buildings home, on Old Hall Street in Liverpool. The restaurant and bar is independently owned and operated, and in a similar vein, the team likes to work with local producers and independent suppliers, to stock their kitchens and bars full of exceptional ingredients.
For the table, order a cheese board served with chutney, crackers, bread and grapes, and the charcuterie with chilli jam and cornichons. Starters include honey and garlic chicken tenders with parmesan, delicious chorizo arancini with mozzarella, marinara sauce and aioli, and nduja prawns with cherry tomatoes and sourdough. The main courses all sound divine, with classics like steak frites with peppercorn sauce, and more interesting dishes like a lamb shoulder ragu with pappardelle pasta and parmesan.
The City Wine Bar & Kitchen menu also features traditional beer battered cod with chips, saffron pea and chilli risotto with gremolata and charred courgettes, and panko breaded katsu curry served with pickled red cabbage. If you want to do as the locals do, order a bowl of Scouse – a beef stew with carrots, potato and leeks, served with bread and beetroot, or pickled cabbage. All sandwiches are served with fries, and there are options of fish fingers with tartare sauce and romaine lettuce, spicy courgette bhajis with mango chutney and poppadoms, or a classic chicken and bacon club sandwich. City Wine Bar & Kitchen also offers burgers, including a classic cheeseburger, vegan option, and sriracha chicken burger.
Don't skip on desserts, not with the sweet torta della nonna on the menu - a pastry tart filled with lemon and vanilla custard, topped with pine nuts and raspberry compote, and chantilly cream. You'll also find a winter berry pavlova, chocolate truffle brownie torte, and sticky toffee pudding with caramel sauce and vanilla ice cream.