Oh my days! The name does not do this place justice...The walls are covered with awards and…read morerecognitions not garnered by flogging greasy spuds. Efficient, friendly staff will ask for your order as you walk in to reduce waiting time, which is sad in a way as you have less time to gas with Formby's finest such as Norman and Joe who can be found in here. The sense of shared privilege being in this shop queue is tangible. Ask for the lightly battered fish if you want to get close to a cod tempura and it can come in a box for a few pence extra to make sure it arrives home in perfect condition. Talking of stars, a popular insider strategy is to put in your order, cross the road for micro-brewed Red Star beer in the best room in town, collect your food and roll home triumphant. You'll see, any tardiness will be instantly forgiven as you plate up and tuck in back with the family! This place is one mushy pea and a blob of tartar foam away from a Michelin Star. P.S. Just checked another review to find a chap came all the way from Chelmsford, Massachusetts to eat here!

The best fish and chip shop there is! The batter on the fish…read moreis light and crisp and the chips crispy but melt in your mouth and both are cooked fresh to order! The service is second to none and it is immaculately clean in all good catch shops, I would recommend anybody who hasn't visited yet to give it a go you won't regret it!

Situated on Lord Street and close to the Southport Floral Hall and the Southport Conference Centre…read more There is a very friendly and relaxed atmosphere to Casa Italia. For an italian, the prices are a bit steeper than others I have been too. However, the food is tasty and service very good. The restaurant makes a promise that the meat and fish that appears on their menus will be of the highest quality and sourced from local butchers and fishmongers. That they will NEVER use pasta that is of inferior quality or 'out of date'. That their vegetables (which are bought in daily) are fresh and from local producers or market fresh from Liverpool. So maybe this is way prices are slightly higher? Quite a promise to make. Why not try them out and see for yourself? They have a takeway menu (since 2009), so you can even check it out in the comfort of your own home.

I will be honest, Southport was not looking promising. Then we found this little place among a…read moreplethora of Italian pizzerias offering fresh fish. We ordered the seafood platter which looked heavy on frying but excelled in the cold preserve. A quite excellent crayfish linguini was topped with a small portion of cheese and a highly agreeable port. Lovely service, highly recommended.

The Five Ways is situated at a busy junction in Ormskirk. It is a large pub which looks attractive…read morefrom the outside. It has a large car park on site which never seems to get full, even on a Sunday. The interior of the pub looks expensive, well maintained, clean and tidy. The decor is homely and comfortable. When you enter you are asked to wait there to be seated, it took a minute for someone to come and see us but when they did we were quickly shown to a nice table, presented with our menus and our drinks order was taken. The pub is very spacious, with a lot of tables for diners, and comfier area's for people who are just there for a drink. When we were there the football was on, but this only resulted in a distant cheer (or boo) every now and then, and didn't disrupt our evening. The menu has a lot of choice. There is a carvery available 7 days a week but there are also many other options available. I went with my parents who are both pensioners, and as they were members of the pubs "Diamond Club" which is for the over 50's, they were able to get 2 courses for a mere £6.25. This includes the carvery which is usually £7.25. After agonising for a while I chose the "'Brown's of Kirkconnel' black pudding and bacon fritter. Topped with red onion chutney and a poached egg" for starters. This was possibly the best black pudding I have ever tasted. It was rich and succulent without being overly fatty. It was so delicious and just the right size for a starter. For my main course I chose the Ultimate Burger - "Hand pressed Farm Assured Saxon British beef burger and half chicken breast, topped with melted Taw Valley mature Cheddar, smoky chilli bourbon sauce and crispy onions. Served with hand cut potato wedges." This came on a trendy square plate and looked very impressive (and huge) when I was served it. This was simply divine. The burger was delicious and the bacon and chicken were cooked to perfection. The wedges were also delicious and very moreish. For pudding I had Gingerbread flavoured Penna cotta with a homemade honey wafer. I've never had Penna cotta before but I thought I'd give it a go. It was so delicious, creamy and indulgent. But at the same time it was light and refreshing. I was actually sad when I finished the desert as I wanted more! The service at Five Ways is excellent. You don't have to wait long for your starters to be served, and once the plates are taken away the main course is brought to you quickly. The same happened when we ordered our deserts. The staff are friendly and very helpful. They are happy to chat and crack a joke whilst taking your order. They keep an eye on you whilst you are eating, coming over to check everything is perfect with your food, and taking orders for further drinks. I had an excellent meal here. I had previously only had the carvery but I thought I'd try something else and I was glad I did as it was amazing. I can't fault this place at all.

I'm with Hex P. This place is tremendous. The decor is posh, I'd be delighted to have this…read moreluxurious wallpaper in my living room, and the ambience is spot on. The food is top notch, needless to say. The main problem here is that the carvery is so good it's a wrench to not have it and attempt something else. The stuffing balls are delightful, the Yorkshire puds are bigger than my head. And that's saying something. The herby potatoes are a revelation when compared to most other carveries. The desserts are utterly indulgent. Magnificent morsels. The chefs know a thing or two about cooking, no doubt. The Fiveways has the advantage of being close to the farming areas of Ormskirk and Burscough, so its produce is probably much fresher than a lot of other places. Restaurants that is, let alone pubs. Whenever I've been the service has been really quick and friendly. Like Hex P my mum's also a pensioner (sorry mum) and she's a member of the Diamond Club - any over 50's get two courses for £6.25, which is a real bargain considering the calibre of the food.

The seafarer is a great little fish and chips shop/restaurant close to the beach front on St Annes…read more Basically there's the more formal sit in restaurant where everything is more expensive and it's more the blue rinse brigade, then on the other side there's a pretty cool takeaway shop with outdoors seating (you'll have to be quick though - more blue rinsers and families jumping into the seats on peoples laps while people are still sat at them) We got takeaway because quite frankly why not live the dream and eat on the beach (5 mins walk away) and because we're so hardcore that why not the run of risk of getting some sand in your mushy peas! What I was really impressed with was the value of these dishes. We had 2 haddock, one large chips, large mushy peas and a buttered barm for £11 - not bad at all! Like everything in life though they get you on the extras - 20p a sachet for ketchup and 5p for a large fork - daylight robbery ;-) A great day out at the seaside and a really enjoyable fish and chips meal!

After getting very lost we finally found are way to Lytham St Anne…read more Exhausted from the numerous Turnabouts we encountered were happy to walk in to a friendly place where Carol and Sue greeted us. And the food was excellent! Had the Fish and Chips

Birkers is a bit of a hidden treasure in Birkdale village. Hidden down the side of the local bank,…read morethis lovely bar specialises in the type of cuisine that's a bit more special than a lot of what's on offer in the village generally. Birkers specialises in a range of dishes, including pizzas that are hand-made and delicious that are available with a range of toppings. They also offer tapas and other dishes that are perfect for sharing with a few people which can be washed down with a great selection of draught and bottled lagers at very reasonable prices. Their reliance on local produce means they change their menu often which also highlights its ingenuity when it comes to food. They also have a range of art on show from several local artists as well as music from a DJ on the weekends to encourage the party atmosphere that they welcome from all their customers (this is also helped by several 'Happy Hour' offers on drinks and food throughout the week). I would highly recommend this place to anybody looking for good food and good times.

Despite not eating pizza or pasta, Italian restaurants are my favourite kind; if it's authentic…read moreenough, there's always a great atmosphere and the promise of something tasty and, quite simply, a wonderful evening. Gusto always appealed to me, the tinted windows always inspiring a voyeuristic stare and suggesting a restricted exclusivity. I wanted in. The classic Italian food is ideal for lunch or dinner and the restaurant itself, while sophisticated and quite refined is rather laid back and tere is a very informal feel here which is appealing. There is a mix of salad dishes, appetizers and specials available. Insalata dell'Orto e del Mare or Seafood Salad went down a treat; the ingredients were so fresh and tender and only £5. divine. I was really impressed. Forgot to mention- the desserts are AMAZING; Tuscan biscuit; apple tart; pancakes; sorbets there's so much to choose from!

We're in Southport again! I just can't keep away. And yes, it's another Italian! #And I can't fight…read morethis feeeeeling anymooooore#, I'm obviously obsessed with Italian food no matter how much I protest the reverse. This place is packed to the rafters on weekends, after all it's in a prime Southport location on Lord Street where all the very nice shops are and the lovely architecturally historic buildings and the beautiful branch of Waterstones set in an old bank and whatnot. So no doubt hoards descend upon it of an evening, thus you'd be wise to book in advance if you fancy a pizza or pasta here. It's classic rustic Italian fare with a sprinkling of creativity. The salads as starters wind up being absolutely ridiculously huge, and would easily do as a main course despite being only £5.95, and the pizza here is the stuff of legends. Everyone in Southport seems to rave about it and rightly so, it's crisp, fresh and exactly as you'd expect it in Italy with lovely simple thin toppings and doesn't leave you feeling like a doughball by the end of it. There are plenty of pastas to choose from too, and the one with artichokes and truffle oil is just divine. Meanwhile if you're catching lunch there the sandwiches can be made with foccacia. Could I be any more sold? The cheese platter with pears is a glorious way to finish off the meal with a sweet and savoury combo, but if you're in the mood for something far more indulgent there's the quintessential tiramisu, chocolate crepes, pistachio ice cream, apple tart or caramelised fruits with amaretto and marscapone which I really couldn't resist - try it and see what heaven really tastes like. All in all, reasonably priced with great service and a superb wine list in a gorgeous setting. Nothing to complain about here.

We came to this restaurant to celebrate a family member's milestone birthday. The lunch menu gives…read morea 2-course and 3-course combination of starters, mains, and desserts with ample choices. We, a party of 13, ordered and sampled varieties of dishes from the lunch menu. For starters: we chose Pate della Casa, Oriental Tempura King Prawns, Seafood Salad, Mussels Provencal; mains: Duck Leg, Spicy Pork, Slow Roasted Pork, Braised Beef, Spaghetti alla Bolognese, Fettuccine al Salmone, Fusilli Amatriciana, and Lasagna. All dishes were mostly well prepared with good presentation. In addition, we ordered garlic bread, garlic bread Mexicano, and garlic bread & cheese. To top it off, we had Mixed Berry Meringue Nest and Vanilla ice cream as dessert. The staff was very professional, attentive, efficient, and genuinely polite. The dining experience was superb, enjoyable and pleasant! Although the location is out of the way and not in town, but it is worth the drive out to enjoy a good lunch!

I was invited here for a birthday celebration meal with my other half's family…read more I was a little bit nervous as I was told it was quite posh and I'm not really used to posh. Turns out it's really not super fancy, but the other clientele were quite smartly dressed, and it seemed that there were quite a few groups of young women dressed up to the nines, so I was glad I'd made a wee bit of an effort. It seems to be a very popular place for family celebrations as well as couples. Italian food is always problematic for me, as being vegan and gluten free tends to rule out everything on the menu. However we phoned ahead and were assured they would make something for me. I had a lovely starter from the menu of roasted veg - peppers, asparagus, aubergine, courgette, served with a side salad and some lovely pickles. Main course was a specially made dish of gluten free pasta with tomato sauce and veg - not terribly creative or exciting - but what I would expect from an Italian restaurant, and I'm glad I was able to get something, and it was tasty. We were in a fairly large group of 11, and staff did well with the timing of the dishes coming out so that we could eat together. There weren't any mistakes with the meals, but a couple of the group were a bit disappointed in their meals - over cooked steak and chewy lobster. It was also very noisy where our table was, at the end of the ground floor as it was next to a mirrored wall and the floor was tiled, so it was difficult hearing anyone who wasn't right next to you, and a couple of the older members of the group really struggled because of the background noise. Staff were pleasant and even joined in with the Happy Birthday rendition as the birthday cake was brought out, which was a nice touch. They let us bring in our own cake too, so that was good of them. In seems to have a nicely taken care of outside area, with fancy water features and an extensive car park. There's also a huge children's play area outside to keep the kiddies occupied.

Rui's Restaurant is quite an unassuming little place, it doesn't reallly look much from the…read moreoutside, but don't be put off! The staff are always really hospitable and the service is faultless.The menu is a mix of Italian and English cuisine, a perfect balance in my opinion! Starters are around a fiver and include spare ribs, calamari (delicious) melon and chicken goujons. The mains include a diverse mix of pasta and pizza dishes and there is an impressive choice of fish including seabass and lemon sole, of course there are also steak and chicken dishes available. Sides are around £3 and desserts £4. If you go, I recommend you browse the offers available as the food is just as good just cheaper! 2 courses £7.95 or three course meal for £12.95, not bad.

The food is fantastic my favourite budget Italian in the Liverpool area. They also have one in…read moreMoreton which I have ate in but only once, and I much prefer this one. The tables are a little crammed in so it is very cozy. Value for money is out of this world, they also have offers for early diners etc. Make sure you leave room for some desert as they are amazing also. One of the things I love is being able to pick a main course pasta dish as a starter (smaller and cheaper version) if you can't decide from their very varied menu. Cannot fault the food wish they did takeaway too.