This is a note to Kate and the staff at Free State Kitchen to say 'Thanks!' for the delicious…read moreThanksgiving dinner last month. As an American visiting England, it was a real treat to celebrate my favorite holiday with a properly prepared, mid-day feast. Free State Kitchen had everything to make for a perfect Thanksgiving. From the starter rounds of breads, cheeses, apples and pumpkin soup, to the main course of Turkey, stuffing, cranberries, mash and sweet squash, green beans and of course endless boats of gravy that carried myself and friends from Liverpool into food bliss. Topping everything with a dessert course of Pecan pie with cream was above and beyond what I could have hoped for. Liverpool is lucky to have a place like Free State Kitchen and I hope to return here whenever I am in town.

I always go to the Free State whenever I get the chance. Best wings in town, with a great selection…read moreof craft beers. Well worth a visit!

First thing to note is that this is not a place to go on a first date. There simply is no way to…read moregracefully eat their burgers or wings without slathering face, fingers and possibly eyebrows in the vast amounts of sauce dripping from everything they make. It's probably why you're given a roll of kitchen of roll instead of napkins when you sit down. When we first arrived it was queued out the door, ok it's a small entrance way but that still meant there was at least a dozen people ahead of us. Thankfully we were quickly ushered inside and while we still had a 15 minute wait for a table for 4, and we could spend that time at the bar. The bar has a decent selection of the usual favourites. It's a bit short on good beer/ale but does have Brooklyn larger on draught. They also have their very own larger, which to be honest was unimpressive. It tasted very weak with no strong flavours and a distinct lack of hops. I would describe it like sex in a canoe, f**king close to water. If you're a Bud or Coors lite drinker you'll likely enjoy it. But you don't come here for the booze. The burger menu was impressive, the smallest they do is a double and every burger comes with a long list of toppings. Some crowd pleasures feature, candied bacon, pepper jack cheese, BBQ onions, but there are also some weird and wonderful additions such as crunchy pretzels, frazzles (yes the crisps!) and even beerios, which are some sort of beer infused cheerios, they only appear on their breakfast burger. I had the river phoenix, a double cheese burger with bacon, BBQ onions, chipotle sauce, baconaise and the aforementioned frazzles. The burger was delicious, the meat was good quality and well cooked, although it did get lost under the vast amount of different toppings. As sides we had their chilli cheese fries and suicide wings. The fries were excellent, a mixture of regular and sweet potato fries. They were cut to just the right thickness and had a nice crunch while still being fluffy on the inside. There wasn't quite as much chilli as I'd have liked but other than that the fries were perfect. However I was disappointed in the suicide wings. I'm a big hot sauce fan and they were pretty mild. I would have liked for them to have been a lot hotter. I was expecting ghost pepper heat and only got Jalapeño. It's not full waiter service as you do have to order and pay at the bar. But the staff were pleasant and the queues were short so I didn't mind. Our four burgers (3 doubles and a triple), two portions of fries and a portion of wings came to a very reasonable £40.

In London we've got burger places on nearly every street - boring old limp McDonalds burgers just…read moredon't cut it anymore so when I come out the capital it's hard to find somewhere that matches up. That's until I came across Almost Famous in Liverpool. The Triple Treat is a 3 cheeseburger beast topped with bacon AND pulled pork! They've got wings coated in fiery 'suicide' sauce and chips laden with cheese and chilli. Portions are huge so come hungry, and leave very satisfied! No table service - this a DIY venue but worth the trip!

OH JESS H. Jess…read morerecommended East Avenue Bakehouse and Nolita, inter alia, to me when I said I'd be in Liverpool for lunch and, on finding the former closed (on Tuesdays), I was more than appeased by serendipitous solution of getting one of the latter's sandwiches, which are made on East Ave Bakehouse bread. So this - the cubanita - is the best sandwich I remember having in a long time. I even think it was better than the various delicious sandwiches I had in the US on my last trip. The bread was outstanding - thick slice, chia seeded round the edges and grilled with just the right amount of butter. Inside was pulled pork, monterey jack cheese, mozzarella, pickles. and mustard. The fries (the lunch deal includes fries) - mixed regular and sweet potato were also particularly good and came with - praise be - chipotle mayo. The coleslaw was great too. It was such a massive portion I didn't have dinner - so basically ate 2 meals for £8.50. Other important points: 1) Good music - can't remember the last time I heard Elliot Smith playing in a restaurant 2) Really nice and helpful staff 3) Takeaway was all in cardboard (i.e. no nasty plastic)

Another trip to Liverpool = another trip to Nolita Cantina = another five star review…read more Wanting somewhere we knew we could eat, drink and be happy after working and travelling across to Liverpool on a Friday night, we quickly decided to head to Nolita Cantina. It's undergone a small refurb since our last visit, meaning there's more seating, and it really seems that word has got out! With a 30 minute wait, we left our phone number and headed to Shipping Forecast for a drink. When the call came (25 minutes later, if you're wondering) we told them we'd be a couple of minutes due to having drinks and they were more than happy for us to head across in our own time. The menu has some new additions, including a philly cheese-steak, and a couple of old favourites, like the delicious mini corn dogs. As a couple we have a great system of deciding on our starters/sharer plates together, then go our own ways when it comes to mains. Cue Frank's hot sauce chicken wings and cheese stuffed jalapenos - or chilli pops - for starters, served up in the plastic red baskets we have come to expect. Chilli pops were a great heat, and the small salad/salsa that came on the side worked really well, with the wings providing the right balance between sweet and hot. Everything was totally devoured! Not wanting to rule out burgers et al for the rest of our weekend, I decided on the Havana rum ribs for my main. The photo doesn't do them justice as they were simply delicious; sticky rum sauce with enough bite to please those who don't like the meat to fall off the bone immediately. I need a lot of napkins to get through, but it was more than worth it. The other half's bacon & blue cheese burger looked humongous and certainly made him work for his dinner, but he described it as one of the best burgers he's had in recent memory. Speaking as people who eat a lot of burgers, colour us impressed! Fries are also impressive, plus they are a combination of sweet and regular - a personal favourite. The only disappointment of the meal came in the form of onion rings, which really didn't hold their own compared to the rest of the plates. But not everything can be perfect all the time... Service was friendly and attentive, though did seem surprised when we made them aware of the fact that they'd left the onion rings off the receipt. We're honest people! Nolita is really becoming a Liverpool staple for us, and I'm already looking forward to exploring more of their menu.

As they were offering 50% off in January, was rude not to try! The ambiance is great - very…read morepleasant minimalistic decor. The service was quite fast too! Now, to the food: while clearly inspired by Spanish tapas, these small plates offer an American twist to Spanish cuisine, so if you are after authentic Spanish food this is probably not the place. Other than that - no complaints - food came out quickly, everything is what it says on the tin!

Good options to share - the pepperoni pizzetta had a very nice sweet flavour; the fries cacio e…read morepepe are also quite good. Ambiance is ok!

If you are a fan of Liverpool, live music and The beatles and history - do come for a visit. This…read morepub is located in a side street dedicated to The Beatles as they used to frequent here and other pubs (The Cavern Club) in this same street before they hit the big time. We came for a look around and to take pictures of the Beatles all painted on their walls. We had a glass of wine and a heineken beer and willed away an hour listening to their live music there, which was good. The bar staff were very friendly. A fun place. We wanted to go to the famous Cavern Club, which is more famous as this is where the Beatles frequented the most, but it was 8 pounds entrance fee in cash for 2 people and we did not cash on us, so we went here instead. In the street there are statues one of The Beatles and good old Cilla Black.

I really wanted to like this place but even 2 stars is generous. The bar is really nice, I like the…read moredecor, and the staff are friendly enough but the food is a big letdown. The menu reads well, exciting even for seasoned American travellers, but fails to deliver its promises. The Corn In the USA corn cakes were big balls of some sort of raw dough with a few kernels of sweetcorn in that tasted of nothing at all. When we returned them uneaten to the waitress even she looked perplexed - "they don't usually look like that, those are raw"! The bacon wrapped jalapeños were a more successful side dish. The ribs were tasty but tough, the waitress later said they were the last ones, and they certainly looked like they'd been sitting around a while. I ordered a burger that was supposed to come with mac and cheese and an onion ring, but instead got a cheese and bacon burger. As no one came back to our table for about half an hour, I just ate it, as we were on a deadline. It was distinctly average. Dessert was far more successful - a really good chocolate brownie, with a nice addition of salty pretzels, and some ice cream. The deep-fried Oreos were also pretty ace, like little Oreo doughnuts. To be fair to WOF, our waitress took the inedible corn cakes off the bill and have us 20% off without us asking. She was rushed off her feet, as it was very busy and they seemed a bit understaffed. I probably wouldn't return in a hurry - it feels very much like American food by someone who has only seen America once on a map, let alone visited there. It's only been open a few months but feels like they need to up their game a lot already.

A nice space with lots of room for groups but I guess we should have been tipped off when it was…read morefairly empty at 6pm on a Saturday that it's not quite as good as it looks. The staff were friendly and dealt with a delay in my meal very well - apologies, explanations and a free glass of wine. The food was mixed. It's all a great price that encouraged us to order lots. I thought the ribs and wings were pretty good and the nachos were ok but the cheese was a bit too strong (probably cheddar, although I appreciate it's hard to get monterey jack cheese in this country) and others complained about the small amount of guacamole. They featured sour cream and chive instead of plain sour cream - not the best choice in my view as it confuses flavour/appearance but an interesting twist. My friend is gf and they brought out a table of allergies v dishes which was very helpful, they also offered to (and made) her a burger without a bun. She and my other friend who had a burger weren't overall that thrilled with them though. My chilli bowl was unfortunately not good - very dry and no real spice to it. It was basically cooked mince with plain rice. This is touted as one of their classic dishes so they need to review the recipe/preparation (I note another reviewer had a much better experience 2 years ago). All in all this has the ingredients of being great with some tweaks to the food.

When you're hungover, what food do you go for? Are you one of the growing number of people who…read moreactually rely on fruit and toast in the morning, or are you still hankering after meat and bread when you've had one too many? If you're after a hearty meal to soak up the alcohol, the Arts Club on Seel Street should be your new favourite hangout. We wandered in on Saturday for my first birthday meal in Liverpool. There was hardly anyone in, which was surprising - my guess is that, if it was based one street over on Bold, it would've been rammed. A music venue at night, the food here is really quite delicious. There are small plates and starters, burgers, massive bowls of chilli, fried chicken and biscuits etc. We went for a chilli dog each, triple fried chips, and mac & cheese (with bacon). Now this was proper chilli, with hunks of beef in a rich spicy sauce, and the meat was super soft. The pairing with the hot dog was perfect. And with the mac & cheese? Even better. Triple fried chips produced plenty of crispy edges, with just the right amount of seasoning. Service was really friendly and laid back, giving just the atmosphere we needed to relax after the train journey in and before exploring the city further.

After our brunch experience at Slim's Pork Chop Express, it became our front runner for lunch on…read moreour last visit to Liverpool. Between here and the Art's Club down the road, I'm not sure what the decision rested on - our previous experience or the fact they have duck fries... The menu remains unchanged from our last visit, though obviously this time we were visiting for lunch. And man what a lunch! There were some big decisions to be made (what IS pepper siu mai? Can we also fit BBQ brisket beans?) but we eventually landed upon our final choices: CF BLT, the grilled cheese, chilli cheese fries, josper grilled corn, hot chicken wings and corn dogs. Everything comes on a large sharing tray for that authentic, messy food experience. We quickly got stuck in and some firm favourites appeared. The cheese on the grilled cheese simply cannot be faulted! It's the kind of cheese that never stopped coming and you can feel clogging your arteries but you don't care because it's just that good. The chilli cheese fries were also a popular choice, with some real heat in the meat and a slightly sweet dipping gravy. The chicken wings were the most disappointing for me as, although they were quite hot in taste at first, as soon as they cooled down the spice completely went. The chicken was moist but had very little flavour as a meat. Again, the corn dogs were tasty, but nothing spectacular on this occasion. Service was really friendly throughout, casual but attentive, and we rolled out feeling totally content. What do I have left to try here? Well, I've seen the Sunday roast and it looks fantastic, and the Daiquiri & Dim Sum Tuesday offer sounds like quite the treat...

This place is an absolute haven in the heart of the city, if you're looking to grab an…read moreexpertly-crafted cocktail in a quirky, cosy bar where you can actually hear yourself speak! Bonus: Kung fu films playing on the TV behind the bar and friendly staff. I highly recommend the blackberry fizz.

Formally Garcia's, Formally American bagel, now a revamped (nothing has actually changed in the…read moredecor) American Diner, this blighted spot has gone through more changes than Madonna, though clearly the management lacks the creativity to make a successful business, and I can only wonder why that might be. The location is actually good, a stone's throw from the museums and town it could be the perfect spot, however it seems to be failing miserably. It might be the fact that I waited over half an hour for macaroni cheese and chips and a full English, my stomach was growling as I watched at least three chefs pass back and forth doing anything but making my food apparently, one of my biggest pet peeves is seeing the food you've ordered be carried through the restaurant, by this I mean one of the chefs walked past me with what looked like a frozen bag of Iceland chips. I should have left then, but I had hungry children to think of, so we waited a ridiculous amount of time for the food (over priced insipid shop bought crap) without an apology from the waitress. Next time, I'll head to Iceland and cook it myself, i'm sure I won't have to wait aslong. The management seem to have brought an omen with them to this address, I suggest they give up this spot and let someone who actually knows about restaurants take over and turn this pretty little spot into the success it deserves to be. Stay away until you see a sign outside saying 'Under new management'

Situated on the site of the old "Tavern" at Queens Square in the city centre we thought we'd try it…read moreas we loved the Tavern as it had been recently converted into what is now "Buffalo Jacks". We noticed the waitress was the same but the chef must have changed as the food was awful. The decor is bright and colourful, however for an evening meal it is just too bright and would be more suited to a day time meal. No romantic feel or atmosphere of an evening. The food was a bit pricey but we reserved judgement until we tasted it. We both decided to go for the steak. Considering there was 3 tables in the whole building it did take a while to arrive. When it did arrive it was not good at all. I did ask for well done however it was cremated beyond beleif. They had also managed to mix up my partners medium rare for my well done so we had to swap them over. My partners steak was 3 times the size of my steak and half was well done and the other half was alsmost still making noises. The chips were clearly bought on a budget and the whole thing was just a nightmare. It ruined our evening. Friendly staff, nice decor but the food and pricing are a no go. We went as it was newly opened so I dont know if it was starting errors but we wont be returning.

Chicken wings were like KFC covered in a sauce, really disappointed. The fajitas were worse than an…read moreold el paso kit. My mate said "they're like a frozen packet of chicken and steak deep fried, tasted so greasy and not good. I can make better at home" For a premium restaurant in the city centre this is disappointing. Waited for a table and had a drink at a bar, which is fine however when it came to table service it was friendly but none attentive. Sorry I might be spoilt from the London choices however this was below par by far for the prices paid.