Casual dining in Liverpool

Creative Tourist

From delicate small plates to locally-sourced laid-back dining, Liverpool has it all. We get it, sometimes you’re just not in the mood to get dressed-up and fancy, sometimes jeans, t-shirt and a belly full of hearty food is all that’s needed.

And that’s what this list is all about – Liverpool doing what it does best: fantastic food in relaxed surroundings. Designer shoes not required.

Our top picks

Food From Nowhere

Food From Nowhere, 96 Bold Street, Liverpool, L1 4HY - Visit now

It might only be open on Saturday afternoons but this is a must-visit place for anyone looking for sustainable vegan fare surrounded by some of the most laid-back and friendly people in the city. Based underneath the radical bookshop, News From Nowhere, the food on offer is donation-only and environmentally-friendly. If your psyche is in need of a deep cleanse, head here.

Ian Jones

Maray

Maray, 91 Bold Street, Liverpool, L1 4HF - Visit now

Food-lovers should make their way to Maray, tout suite. Inspired by the historic district of Le Marais, Paris, the food more than matches up to our cross-channel cousins. Largely based around small plates and prevailing food trends, the dishes are beautiful and surprisingly affordable, designed for both sharing and cooing over.

 

Maray

The Egg Café

The Egg Café, Top Floor, 16-18 Newington, Liverpool, Merseyside, L1 4ED - Visit now

For the past forty years, The Egg Cafe has been serving up homely vegan and vegetarian food to the people of Liverpool. It’s a refreshingly unstuffy place, that offers a darn sight more than just eggs. The frankly enormous salads are our top tip.

Image courtesy Egg Cafe

The Pen Factory

The Pen Factory, 13 Hope Street, Liverpool, Merseyside, L1 9BQ - Visit now

Off to the theatre? The nearby Pen Factory is the perfect place for a pre or post-show meal. Specialising in seasonal small plates, the food focuses on British and European cuisine, with subtle influences from around the world. The atmosphere is informal, unhurried, and self-assured – if you’re looking for a new favourite haunt, this may well be it.

Camp and Furnace

Camp and Furnace, 67 Greenland Street, Liverpool, Merseyside, L1 0BY - Visit now

This multi-purpose events space has hosted some of the UK’s most innovative food and drink events, earning countless plaudits along the way. The Times describes it as one of the coolest restaurants in Britain, and it’s hard to disagree. It features vintage caravans, towering shrubbery, roaring fires and the biggest public screen in the city all under the roofs of three old warehouses and a coach shed.

Where to go in Liverpool

Liverpool
Restaurant
The Reader Bar & Restaurant

The Reader Bar & Restaurant offers diners a bistro-style menu, inspired by continental European flavours and created using locally sourced seasonal produce. 

Baltic Triangle
Restaurant
Boxpark Liverpool

Sitting in the heart of Liverpool’s Baltic Triangle district, Boxpark Liverpool will offer forward-thinking street food, drinks and entertainment under one roof.

Tempest on Tithebarn
Liverpool
Restaurant
Tempest on Tithebarn

Tempest on Tithebarn is a huge industrial bar, serving up high-quality small plates and cocktails. It features regular live music performances and has a roof terrace with great views.

The open kitchen at Lerpwl
Royal Albert Dock Liverpool
Restaurant
Lerpwl

The 80-cover restaurant is split across two levels with the main restaurant downstairs boasting an open kitchen; the best seat in the house is at the benches where you are almost nose to nose with the chefs as they prepare the food. 

Jimmy's Liverpool
City Centre
Bar or Pub
Jimmy’s Liverpool

Sister venue to Jimmy’s in Manchester, Jimmy’s Liverpool is a bar, restaurant and live venue, hosting late night music, gigs and DJ sets.

A table with a view of Liverpool at the fine dining restaurant Panoramic 34
Liverpool
Restaurant
Panoramic 34

Panoramic 34 boasts ceiling to floor windows with a breathtaking 360 degree aspect, but there’s plenty more to get giddy about than just the views.

Vegan burger from Frost Burgers
City Centre
Restaurant
Frost Burgers

Our favourite is The Scorpion, two beef-free patties with melted spicy pepper ‘cheese’, yellow mustard, jalapenos, sriracha mayo, spicy chipotle paste, red onion, ketchup, tomato and lettuce, packed in a vegan burger bun.

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