Here's the meals we enjoyed the most this year
Confidential’s writing team has done its very best to keep up with the new restaurant openings - both large and small – in the city centre and suburbs, whilst not forgetting dependable longstanding venues to see if they’re still well, dependable.
As you’d expect, many meals were decent, so-so, alright. A few even blew our socks off, but there were others that made us wish we'd stayed in with Netflix and Deliveroo. Instead of you having to trawl through all fifty five reviews to find the ones worth visiting/avoiding, we've cut straight to it with the venues which scored the highest this year…
The highest scoring restaurants of 2018:
Where: Roski
Score: 18.5/20
We enjoyed our visit back in February 2018 so much that we ended up returning for a second visit in May. In fact, Masterchef champion Anton Piotrowski’s Rodney Street restaurant has since attracted the big national food critics who all pretty much loved his imaginative taster menus.
Roski, 16 Rodney St, Liverpool L1 2TE
Where: Caveau
Score: 17.5/20
‘A grown up dinner’ is how we summed this Woolton restaurant up back in April, with ‘soft, flickering candles, understated decor and starched cream linen,’ we described it as ‘warm and womb-like.’ It made us happy from initial service to dessert. Highly recommended.
Caveau, 59 Allerton Road, Woolton, L25 7RE
Where: H1780 Tap and Still
Score: 17/20
This was one of the first reviews of the year. Higsons made its return to the city by way of in a couple of converted warehouses on Bridgewater Street in the Baltic Triangle incorporating a brewery, a distillery (making the new “Ginsmiths of Liverpool” gin), plus a bar and kitchen called H1780 Tap & Still. A tangy rarebit swung the vote along with a stunning roast cod dish and impressive attention to detail.
H1780 Tap & Still, 62-64 Bridgewater Street, L1 0AY
Where: Bread and Butter
Score: 17/20
‘Fairly flawless’ isn’t something we come across very often in the reviewing game, but this ‘classy and classic’ French provincial restaurant certainly was thanks to gorgeous galettes, perfect pate and a belting boeuf Bourguignon
Bread & Butter, 23 Hope Street, Liverpool, L1 9BQ
Where: Bombay Blussi
Score: 16.5/20
We gave a massive thumbs up to this Birkdale based curry house in November. A friend of a friend recommended it, and now we recommend it to you. The Bengal fish curry left us with a glorious afterglow, bejewelled Kashmiri pilau would make a decent meal all by itself and lamb sondia is a must order dish.
Bombay Blussi, Weld Road, Birkdale, Southport, PR3 2DS
Where: Lunyalita
Score: 16.5/20
Lunyalita on Albert Dock is the latest venue from Peter and Elaine Kinsella who have successful deli/restaurant/bars in Liverpool and Manchester specialising in the food and drink of Catalonia and Spain. Enjoy one (or two) of ten sherries on offer along with a great selection of tapas including silky paper thin slices of excellent jamon and succulent baby octopus.
Lunyalita, Unit 5, 26 Britannia Pavilion, Albert Dock, L3 4AD
Where: L20
Score: 16.5/20
Bootle’s best kept secret operates out of, Bootle’s Hugh Baird College and is run by hospitality students who are, no doubt on their way to a bright future in hospitality. The L20 Restaurant is operated by the multi award-winning L20 Hotel School, and while its kitchen is overseen by professional chefs, all the cooking is done, from scratch, by students aged 16 and 17, and everything you eat is freshly made in house.
L20 Restaurant, Exeter Road, Bootle L20 7BL
