The 5 Best Places to Eat in Liverpool City Centre
The calibre of cuisine in Liverpool has seen a dramatic rise in recent years. Bold Street as one example is now a street with a plethora of food options from all over the world, where you can find Indian street food next to a small plates haven, just down the road from a classic Italian restaurant, and on to a Korean BBQ joint.
It is, therefore, incredibly difficult to pin down just five places to eat in Liverpool City Centre, but for you, we’ve given it our best shot and gone around sampling a few dishes around town in order to come up with the five best places to eat.
So if you’re living in our student accommodation Liverpool, then make sure you get round to paying these a visit:
1. Mowgli (Bold Street & Water Street)
Nisha Katona was a Barrister for 20 years but always had an obsession with one day bringing her heritage and mother’s cooking to the masses. After giving up her full-time career in 2014 she established Mowgli on Bold Street in Liverpool, introducing the masses to authentic Indian food that was eaten in homes and on the move on a daily basis.
It was a revelation, leading to expansion into another restaurant in Liverpool, two in Manchester, and countless others up and down the country (whilst so far avoiding London to prove that a successful chain of restaurants does not need the capital’s recognition).
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The Yoghurt Chat bombs are an outstanding opener to proceedings, and great to share with your table, The gunpowder chicken and turmeric fries are amazing small dishes to start proceedings, and there is a wide range of larger plates that defy the British concept of what Indian Food and ‘Curry’ should be. It is also a great place for vegetarian and vegan options.
We would recommend sitting down with friends and sharing everything, as a family, with a good option the Tiffin Boxes, which is a roulette and complete pot luck as to which dishes you’ll receive – certainly a great way to get to know the menu and try things you might not necessarily go for.
2. Down the Hatch (Duke Street)
For many years it was difficult to be a vegetarian and to indulge in junk food in the same way that meat eaters do. It just didn’t have the same feeling to go out for vegetarian or vegan food, as say, to head out to a burger joint and pig out for the night.
Thankfully things have changed, and although there is still a degree of making vegetarian and vegan meals look like their meat equivalents, it’s about much more than that. The guys behind Down the Hatch understood this and have developed a veggie junk food place that is off the charts in taste and options, and will happily entice even the staunchest of meat eaters.
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Down the Hatch doesn’t pretend to be something else. Instead it serves up truly delicious junk food dishes. It is no wonder they welcome you down to Seitan’s basement!
Portion sizes are epic here so be prepared to expand your waistline. Start with the battered jackfruit nuggets and halloumi fingers, share a portion of Mac n Cheese, and go all out with a King Katsu or Taj Mahal burger.
3. Maray (Bold Street, Allerton Road, Albert Dock)
With a recent expansion to a third site on the beautiful Albert Dock, the Maray team continue to evolve and astound. The original Bold Street venue is cosy and uncompromising, with a basement bar for those waiting for a table or just after some tasty nibbles and a drink.
The other two venues are a bit more spacious, but in all three venues you’re receiving some of the highest quality food in Liverpool (and outside of London) right now.
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The idea behind Maray is to serve up delicious small plates with a sophistication and style that make it the perfect sharing platter with a group of friends and a bottle of wine, but without one defined area of cuisine.
Despite this apparent incoherence of direction of flavour, it all works perfectly, as you work your way through the menu from the warm and nourishing hummus and Arabic flatbread, whipped goat’s cheese, and falafel sharer for starters, through to the vegetarian dishes of thick sweet potato wedges with date molasses and tahini, a beetroot bowl, and disco cauliflower.
The fun doesn’t stop there, with a fish section that includes succulent pan-fried scallops with brown butter and pickled fennel, and cod cheeks with a pea mayo and curry salt. Meat options include the amazing buttermilk fried chicken and lamb kofta with tahini pine nuts, and paprika oil.
4. Wreckfish (Slater Street)
Seen by many as a fine example of modern British cuisine, Wreckfish has been named as one of the top eateries in the country, and it is easy to see why.
The team behind it took what was a derelict building on the edges of a slice of Liverpool city centre that was party central, and have turned it into a luxury restaurant built on the ideals of simple cuisine and high standards.
It was actually a crowdfunded venture, and at the time of opening was the largest Kickstarter campaign for a restaurant the UK had ever seen. There is a big communal table, and all types and ages of people eating in here frequently, which is a testament to the relaxed atmosphere that Gary Usher and the team wanted from Wreckfish.
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What you wouldn’t expect is that the restaurant is highly rated for Breakfast, lunch, and dinner, with surprisingly good offer and prices considering the standard and appearance of the dishes on offer (the breakfast menu has been listed as one of the best nationwide in certain quarters and the Sunday lunch is the best version you’ll find of an old-fashioned roast in the UK outside of your grandmother’s house).
Everything is of the highest quality on the main dinner menu, from the snacks of gordal olives and rosemary and garlic focaccia, before moving on to starters such as cauliflower risotto, French onion soup, an ox tongue and celeriac remoulade salad, and gazed duck hearts.
Mains are also extremely difficult to choose between, with such delicious offerings as salt baked swede, pan roast duck breast, and braised featherblade of beef. Make sure you make room for parmesan and truffle chips on the side, and one of the extensive desserts.
5. Pilgrim (Duke Street)
Food in Liverpool has been taken to another level recently with the addition of Pilgrim on Duke Street. It takes inspiration from the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage route, taking tapas in a whole other direction to what we are used to in the UK.
Located on the mezzanine above Duke Street Food Market, Pilgrim defies expectations and delivers the highest of quality, taking flavours and ingredients from various locations along the route of the Camino.
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It might seem like a daunting menu when you first look at it, but the friendly and attentive staff are happy to assist with your choices, as well as advising on how best to pair the food with a glass of wine or other choice of drink. Snacks to begin your meal include a simple and delicious combination of bread, smoked butter, and charcoal salt, padron peppers, and salted almonds.
Moving on to the plates there is particular delight found in the mussels, coal-roasted beets, and salt-baked squash. Bigger plates are an absolute delight to watch being delivered to the table, with choices such as wood-fired whole Brixham plaice and smoked butter, or why not try the Pluma Iberica pork with gordal olive salsa.
A salt-aged sirloin with Castilian salsa is another popular choice. The dessert choices are limited, but with good reason, because the Saint James tart, burnt apple, and milk ice-cream is really difficult to top!
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