Edited by Matthew Wears
Whilst there might not be any must eat foods in Liverpool except for scouse stew, there’s still an awful lot of good food to be found here. Thanks to all of the regeneration that’s taken place in the last twenty years, there’s not only lots to see and do in Liverpool, but there’s now a strong selection of restaurants and eating experiences to rival anywhere else in the UK. Also, thanks to our multicultural society, you should be able to find food from all over the world here too. These days, you can walk down any main street in the city center and you’ll find Indian, Chinese, Italian and Thai restaurants all right there in front of you. I’d say that if you’re looking at quirky places to eat in Liverpool then we’ve got plenty of those too. The Baltic Triangle in particular is kind of like our little emerging city kitchen where you’ll get some of the best food you can imagine. On a whole, it’s all very exciting for Merseyside food scene at the minute - there’s no better time to wonder what and where to eat in Liverpool!
Scouse – Maggie Mays Community Café
Unknown to most people, but the word Scouser actually comes from food. Brought to Liverpool during the nineteenth century by Scandinavian sailors was a dish called lobscouse, which we turned into our own favorite meal; scouse. It’s fairly true to the original dish, which is quite basic. In fact, it’s really basic – but that’s not a bad thing at all. It’s basically a meat stew which is quite heavy on classic British vegetables too. It’s the kind of meal that I would only eat at home, where your mother would put in her own secret ingredients to try and make her scouse better than what everyone else’s mum makes! This simple meal is probably one of the most important must eat foods in Liverpool that you should try. Luckily, these days you can get it all the pubs and old-fashioned restaurants. Maggie May’s Community Café is where you should go to get real and authentic scouse – most people in Liverpool agree that hers is the best!
Chinese Food – Chinatown
Another little-known fact about Liverpool is that it has the oldest Chinatown in Europe. Even though it’s only a small and compact area, there is still a lot of good restaurants around for you to try. I’d say it’s one of the best places to eat in Liverpool for Chinese food - even though there are Chinese restaurants all over the city, I don’t think anything beats the real thing. Another good thing about this area is that it’s very tourist-free compared to other places. Most of the tourists tend to go to Liverpool One or somewhere a bit more central, so you’ll most likely be able to enjoy a fairly authentic experience without the crowds. There are lots of good restaurants here – give Chilli Chilli a try if you want to try a Chinese restaurant with a bit of a spicy kick.
Indian Food – Mowgli Street Food
We’ll carry on down the global food kind of route for this next one because some of the best food in Liverpool comes from all over the world. Indian food is another local favorite that’s getting more and more popular. It’s quite well known that the nearby city of Manchester has some of the best Indian food in the UK. Even though we’re not going to be catching them up any time soon, we still have a strong selection of good Indian restaurants to choose from. There’s a couple that seems to have been taking the city by storm in the last couple of years – and that’s Mowgli Street Food. With the success of the first, a second restaurant was opened up on Water Street a couple of years back. These are often regarded as two of the best restaurants in Liverpool for great tasting food. The décor inside is all quite unusual as well, which adds a little bit of Indian charm to your experience.
Lancashire Hotpot – City Centre
British food probably isn’t the most famous in the world, but we have a couple of dishes that are quite well known in other countries. I’d say that Lancashire hotpot has earned its place as one of these dishes. It’s a very basic dish that sort of resembles a kind of meat and vegetable stew I suppose, not too dissimilar from scouse really except it’s topped with sliced potatoes. Some of you might be asking ‘but Liverpool isn’t in Lancashire’ – and you’d be right – but you can still get a good hotpot if you know where to look. Almost every Liverpool food guide seems to miss out on all the great pubs that we have here, which is a shame because it’s where you’ll find authentic British food like this. Try the gastro-pubs around the city center such as Thomas Rigby’s for Lancashire hotpot, it shouldn’t be too hard to find.
Black Pudding – The Tavern
Here’s one that seems to strike fear into anyone that’s heard the rumors about what it’s made from. Yes, it is made from fried pigs’ blood, but it’s still a classic British food. Everyone should try it at least once, especially if you’re visiting from outside of the country. Black Pudding is a favorite all over the UK, but in the West Midlands, we seem to have a special relationship with it. Like everyone else, we quite like to have it mostly at breakfast, so that’s where you’re most likely to find it. A classic British café or even a pub with a brunch menu is your best bet to find where to eat a good black pudding in Liverpool. Start your day off with a good full English breakfast which comes with black pudding on the side at The Tavern. The café itself is one of the most popular in Liverpool, so you can be sure you’re in good hands.
Street Food – Baltic Market
It’s always important to get some good street food wherever you go, and Liverpool doesn’t disappoint here either. Thanks to the unique Cains Brewery redevelopment, we now have one of the best places to eat in Liverpool right in the center of town. To get really good street food from all over the world, you should go to the Liverpool food market inside the brewery building. You get all kinds of food from the stalls and enjoy it together in one big dining area. This kind of thing is super for fussy eaters because everyone can kind of eat where they want without any issues. There’s pizza, puddings and quite a few vegetarian options for you to try as well. Afterward, you should definitely have a look around the brewery – there’s much more to see in here and you could spend a whole day here! The food market is open from noon until late in the evening from Thursday until Sunday.
Craft Beer – Cains Brewery
I know this list is based around what and where to eat in Liverpool, but I thought I’d mention this just because of how popular it is. Pretty much everywhere you go these days you can find somewhere selling craft beer, and Liverpool’s not really any different. We’ve got lots of places for a good drink, but the Cains Brewery seems to be the favorite of just about everyone in Liverpool at the minute. I don’t blame them, it’s a great space that’s got some really interesting bars inside for you to have a look around. The Tank Room bar takes beer pretty seriously – with beer that’s fresh out of the pumps and into an ice-cold glass. Craft Minded is another venue that’s got amazing craft beer of all varieties. They’ve even got some beer tasting if you don’t fancy jumping right in and getting a full drink.
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