07 Cafe Bar is a quaint, French-style cafe next to Reid's bookshop on Mount Pleasant. Pleasant it…read moreis too, inside, a lovely red door and a chirpy gold bell, furnished with polished mahogany tables and French ballet prints it has a very welcoming vibe with friendly staff and a lovely patio area at the back. I sat for an hour with coffee and a good book that I'd just picked up from next-door and it has that je ne sais quoi that really makes a difference. It was rather quiet when I arrived but the service was impeccable and they serve a range of cocktails for £4.95 if you fancy lunching with the girls. They offer French lessons every fortnight on a Wednesday at 3 levels so if you want to do something different, it's a great place to start learning a new language and only £6. They also have acoustic nights, and I imagine with a few good friends, a bottle of their best red and the lilting sounds of a good guitarist, this would be a delightful cafe bar to wile away an evening.

This place is fantastic - last time I was here I ordered a crisp greek salad and a frothy caffe…read moremacchiato and was surprised by how good both these items were. The place is abuzz with students and their visiting parents (the place is an island of sophistication located near the Liverpool University and John Moores campuses - "No Mum, of course I don't just eat kebabs!") There is a really great, friendly atmosphere to the place, the owner-managers Tony and Celine go out of their way to make diners comfortable and satisfied. The wine list is select and, apparently, impressive (not that I would know myself - I'm still struggling to get my head around the fact there are, like, three colours of wine?!) I have also heard fantastic things about the place as a for hire venue for parties - with live bands on the terrace, delicious food and drink flowing. One of my favourite little places in Liverpool. Brilliant!

As you might expect from its name, the Village Diner is located in the village of Lydiate and…read moreoffers a range of refreshments including tea, coffee, sandwiches, pasta and all day breakfasts. The food itself is fairly basic and plain as you'd expect from a small, independent café such as the Village Diner but despite this, the quality is fairly high and the food is tasty enough without being amazing. The café is quite small but they make good use of the space, offering a few tables and chairs for you to dine at whilst being waited on by the attentive and polite staff. I didn't think much of the sandwiches but the all day breakfast is particularly greasy (in a good way) and very pleasant. A nice place to stop off for a coffee or tea and a bite to eat if you're in the area.

Just had an excellent tuna mayo and salad butty from here, very busy and lots of people had…read moreobviously been enjoying their breakfast. Good amount of choice on menu and were supporting local businesses. Ample portion size!

There are many little cafés dotted along the streets of Southport and Café Arden is no different…read morefrom its rivals. Size-wise it's probably one of the smaller cafes in the area but what it lacks in size, it makes up for with its quality home cooking. Their menu has a small but solid collection of hot and cold snacks as well as more substantial main meals, all of which are well cooked and perfectly good. As always in cafés like this their prices are not unreasonable, meaning you are able to get a drink and something to eat for a small fee. Café Arden has various daily chef specials which are worth checking out when you visit as well as all day breakfasts, morning coffee and afternoon tea specials, all of which represent excellent value for money. The staff there are friendly and efficient, ensuring you're never waiting too long for your food.

I'm not sure whether to go as far as calling this one of those hip cafes, but then again I am in…read moreEngland, and what I get here isn't necessarily going to be the same as what I would get in Australia. However, this place wasn't all that bad, though it is more like one of those cafes that you tend to find in the city than elsewhere (though you do find some pretty good ones in the city). However, I did really like this place, the service was pretty good, as was the pot of tea I got. The only thing that disappointed me was that they used ham for the eggs benedict as opposed to bacon.

Popped in here on Saturday whilst out shopping with my Mum and was very surprised to see how busy…read moreit was...and how much it's grown since last time I visited there a number of years back! It was absolutely chock full of very happy looking customers and there was a whole lovely new back room that I'm pretty sure wasn't there last time I was. The service was speedy despite the long queue and the staff friendly despite how busy they clearly were. The decor is lovely, my favourite elements being the giant chandelier and the vintage piano. The atmosphere was really pleasant; the overall vibe of the place manages to convey cool classiness and warmth at the same time. Although the bread of the mozzarella and chorizo panino I ordered was a little floppy and the chorizo a bit a bit too chewy it was tasty nevertheless and the tea I ordered was just right (and with me being such a tea fan you don't often hear me say that!). The cakes looked delicious as well...wish I'd had room for a slice! Will definitely be saving space for the chocolate and Guiness next time! I'm very glad I've rediscovered this hidden gem above Lord Street and will definitely not be leaving so long till my next visit this time.

As most of Matthew Street wipes the kebab sauce from its chin and sleeps off its hangover, you can…read morefind Puccino's just a short hop over the vomit and beer at the epicentre of Beatles territory. Puccino's - at least I think that's still its name, this seems to be another cafe that missed marketing 101 and prefers to hide its brand - is a very tasteful and enjoyable coffee shop situated in the middle of Matthew Street. Yes the walls are covered with Beatles guff, although they are rather good portraits and gold discs, but the atmosphere is very laid back and the staff are very helpful and polite. With this being tourist central I wasn't surprised that the prices are a little more expensive than what you would expect for breakfasts and sandwiches but the girl serving me did suggest that you can get a few things off the menu.

Right on the corner of Liverpool's famous Mathew Street lies this cute little café, specialising in…read morehomemade fresh food cooked to order which is marvellously tasty, and massively friendly, welcoming and accommodating staff. All the boxes ticked for a magical munching experience, and even more bonuses to boot. Really good coffee is one of its perks (ha! Perks! I didn't even realise I'd do any punnery today!) and breakfasts are particularly spiffing, with generous portions and a particular attention to detail when it comes to the fried eggs. It's a very sociable little spot, especially considering it's so central, making it the ideal place to meet friends, partners or family. And clean? You could eat off the tables if you were so inclined. The atmosphere is very chilled out and the selection is varied, with plenty for veggies to get their teeth into as well. You shan't be disappointed!

You're homesick. You miss your mummy/daddykins/dog/significant other/catfish/weasel/antfarm. You…read moreneed some of that home cookin' to soothe your lonely soul, something traditional and warming and comforting. And while in this humid heatwave such thoughts might turn your stomach as much as they're turning mine, I'm thinking back to the cold winters of November when I visited Pudding and Pie in a chilly, wind-whipped Southport. It's worse on the coast, you know. Rumour has it that breeze is so sharp it can make your favourite jumper threadbare. True story. Look no further to solve those feelings than the very definition of stodge that is Pudding and Pie, a place where they do a mean fish finger sandwich (whether the fish were mean before they became fingers remains to be seen), a steak and ale pie that views your arteries as a personal challenge, Lancashire hot pot that could rival Betty's in the Rover's, soups designed to put hair on your chest when you're feeling infirm... all 100% home made. And if you've made the leap to the fat-is-flavour side of the river this far, you might as well finish yourself off with an equally cosy pud. Eccles cakes, or fly pies as my mother calls them (thanks, dear parent, for ruining a traditional north westerly baked treat), apple crumble so warm and juicy that Jim from American Pie would want to get a room with it, bread and butter pudding that ain't stingy on the bright yellow sticks of doom... it's all here, waiting to comfort you. The location is pretty delicious too; Wayfarers Arcade happens to be one of my favourite spots in Southport and the ornate architectural delight that it is blankets Pudding and Pie in even more loveliness. Plus it's super central, so once you've had your fill you can either walk off your heavy tummy by hitting the shops with aplomb or head straight to the beach for a lunch-burnin' sand hike. Either way, the staff are lovely and it makes a superb spot for a substantial lunch or naughty treat any time of the day... one I'd highly recommend.

The name of this bistro style café reminds me of that nursery rhyme 'Georgie Porgie pudding and…read morepie, kissed the girls and made them cry'. I always wondered why the girls were crying so much at him kissing them, he must have been quite the hunchback for them to have reacted in that way because in my experience, any attention from boys is usually a good thing as far as girls are concerned. Luckily, Pudding and Pie café in Wayfarers Arcade has no such problems satisfying its customers as it offers hearty home cooked meals at very cheap prices. The food usually changes on a daily or weekly basis as they use local ingredients but the daily specials are definitely worth checking out if you're in the area. They offer a patio seating area in the Arcade itself for you to watch your fellow shoppers as they pass by as well as a decently-sized seating area in the café itself, with interesting Lloyd-loom style chairs for you to sit on. Pudding and Pie also offers a range of scones and cream cakes as well as hot and cold drinks, meaning it is a great place to go if you're in the Arcade and fancy stopping off for a decent meal or a just a small refreshment.

A small greasy spoon-style cafe nestled between the shops, this is extremely good value for what it…read moreoffers. You can get a full english, (complete with mug of tea and 5 sugars!) or small snacks to eat in or take away, and I don't think I saw anything over £4 on the menu. The floors are yellowing tiles and the tables are chipped - you'd never get a Pulp Fiction holdup scene taking place in here. The serving ladies are brusque and suspicious, but I'm sure they're salt of the earth and mean well really. I didn't bother to ask them if they had wi fi - I'm sure they'd think I was being a gobby little upstart. If you've got a bit of change left over after your bus fare you could do worse than coming and sitting here - if nothing else, it's a fascinating study of human behaviour!

This cafe gave me the impression of a old traditional English feel and almost felt as if I was…read moregoing back in time. It is a small cafe in a quiet area of St. John's Precinct that serves basic food for really cheap prices. Generally, it does seem to attract more of the older generation and at the time, was busy which suggested its popularity. The appearance of the place is as simple as you can get and is quite heated. I ordered a standard breakfast, including tea for £3.60; the food was served quickly and hot. What more could I want. The only thing was that I was given a grotty fork which I did manage to replace. More importantly, the quality of breakfast was decent.

Lovely little cafe on Bold St - excellent location, feels authentic and homely, lovely friendly…read morestaff and super quick service! Delicious food too :)

Yet another of these traditional cafes along the same stretch of road. You lucky, lucky people -…read moreyou really are spoilt for choice. There are a number of great things about Maggie Mays; the low price, the honest auntie's-dining-room furnishings, the service with a cackle - the best thing about Maggie Mays though is the scouse. The dish of our namesake has rarely been better done (except by my own mum) - the hearty, tasty stew served with a hunk of delicious crusty bread is a must. Good for breakfast too - a sausage sandwich will set you back less than £3 and fill you up for a good while. Watch of a lunchtime as the place begins to teem with locals and students alike after some home-cooked fare that won't cost the earth.