Waiting outside the library after having my shift swapped and not being told (again). The library…read moreopens at 10 so there is time to kill. Need to renew my card. An eclectic, eccentric, crowd of people are waiting for the library to open. Students young and old, homeless looking for warmth, hippies and more. Ageing bikers muttering to themselves. It puts me in a certain melancholic, introspective mood. Seeking food and shelter myself I've come to a delightful little cafe near to the library called 'Lovelocks'. Full of mid-century modernist furniture, with a piano in one corner and leafy green plants sticking out of every other. A print of Leslie Knope on the wall next to another of Blondies Debbie Harry sharing space with posters of characters from Wes Anderson movies help reinforce the easy going vibes. My tea just arrived and it's time to indulge, I'll save my thoughts on the cup and saucer for next time.

Nice little cafe that serves up brunchy goodness…read more The service was good. The environment was pretty warm. If you want to sit indoors, this location has plenty of seating. They served up a fantastic matcha latte, and Liz got a cappuccino. I thought this place was a fine place to eat breakfast, or if we wanted to get a coffee or tea to go. Liz and 'Em had pancakes... although it looked like smaller portions they were filled quickly. I had a morning brekkie with meat, which came with toast, bacon, a small tub of beans, roasted tomato and spinach, and toasted eggs. It was all pretty delicious. The server offered sauces (hot sauce or ketchup). I was pretty content with the food. All types of folks come in and all are treated the same. If you're up around the area - or on the way to the World Museum, stop by.

Located in Derby Square in Liverpool centre, just off Lord Street, close to stores such as Tesco…read moreExpress, Nationwide and Debenhams while opposite Lloyds and TSB bank, this branch of Pret is probably the larger and more relaxing branch the chain has in the city centre out of the three they do have, it is accessed through a step but a ramp is available if you can't use the step. I called here to grab some soup to take back to my hotel room to have with a sandwich, later on, I called at around 2-3pm and the soup section was already depleted, having run out of most of the large soups other than the "Souper Tomato", both flavours of chicken were only available in a small, being upset with this I asked them if there was anything to do, the staff seemed really helpful and friendly and offered to phone the other branch in Liverpool to ask if they had one in stock and could put it aside for me, sadly they didn't answer - the friendly staff then offered to give me two of the small soups and combine them into a larger one for me, meaning I'd get the larger soup without having to pay for two small ones which would cost more. My "No Cream of Chicken soup", which like all Pret stores was described on the label as "A naturally creamy soup made without cream by blending celeriac, fennel and cauliflower. Simmered with shredded British chicken, celery and flavoured with mixed herbs." The soup was really good quality, it not only smelt and looked fresh but tasted it too, even a few hours after purchase, having to warm it up back at my hotel, the quality remained, to the point where it is probably one of my favourite soups at Pret now, alongside their Souper Tomato variety, the latter which they do every day compared to the No Cream on Chicken which is just a weekly special. Considering the store shuts at 6pm, which is two hours earlier than the Pret branch on Paradise Street, they do really need to consider making more batches of soup in both sizes, as once they had made two smalls into a large soup, there was none left - I have never had this problem at a PRET store before, with my local branches at Manchester - Deansgate and Manchester - Piccadilly having a lot more soup in stock at that time. The branch inside looked quite nice, it was one of the more relaxing coffee shops in the city centre of Liverpool, especially compared to many branches of Dunkin and Starbucks which seem to be either darker, smaller, busier or perhaps a combination of more than those factors, making this a great place to grab a relaxing drink and perhaps do some work in the city. Adding the fact the staff here were ace, despite some negatives such as the stock of soups (and even half the sandwiches were out of stock), this is a decent branch to warrant a four-star rating, I feel it has done enough to grab a four-star rating due to exceptional service in a good, central location while providing good quality food at competitive prices, although possibly having more ready-made food such as the soups and sandwiches is vital to improve.

If you are flagging badly during your Liverpool shopping endeavours you may be short of a little…read moreleg resting and suffering the bain of all determined shoppers - low blood sugar. Have no fear intrepid spendaholics your redemption is close to hand. Fast food indeed in a well known franchise style if not quite French style. The thing that impresses at Pret a Manger is the very rapid service even a seemingly endless queue will go down in a matter of moments. Almost on a par with the speed is the high quality and freeness of the food, m y particular favourites are the soups which are heart and veg filled spicy treats in themselves. Watch out for the lentil and bacon or the spicy meatball, it will blow your socks off. The only problems lie in the popularity especially as you would guess at lunchtime when you can obtain food , but not always a table as rapidly. The successful tactic here is to split your hunting party into those scavenging for edible treats and those scouting for a table and hope you can reunite to enjoy your tasty snacks.

Right next door to Voodou is this cute cute CUTE little place that makes my voice go all high and…read morebabyish. Awww, just look at it! Well, the bottom line is that as well as being dinky and adorable and a little rough around the edges in a good way, it also has delicious food on offer. It's a friendly place, and the manager himself often comes out to have a chat. It's exceptionally clean which is always a great sign, the staff are friendly and smiley and make you feel right at home and the food is across the board fresh, wholesome and very tasty. You can instantly tell the quality is high and there's a heck of a lot of heart to the goings on here. If you're in the Stanley Street area you'd be a fool not to drop in for a quick snack. A FOOL I tells ya!

This place was something special. I went in for brunch and initially it seemed to be a regular…read morecafe. Upon further inspection I realized I was basically sitting within an art gallery. The paintings on the walls were truly breathtaking. The food was pretty good but you're going to want to go for the artwork.

If you are looking for good baking or a great breakfast in Liverpool, don't look any further than…read morethe Baltic Bakehouse. In a small rectangular space within the industrial environs of the Baltic triangle, Sam and Grace Henley offer a range of artisan breads made with organic Shipton Mill flour, counter top French, Italian and Spanish pastries, one of the nicest granolas I've ever tasted (with banana and yoghurt) and breakfast and lunchtime sandwiches. Two varieties of Has Been coffee are available by the pot and so seriously does this place take its brewing method that the coffee even comes with a timer! Despite the coolness of its moniker, this place will leave you feeling warm inside and out.

The first time my husband and I visited, we had just returned from France and were going through…read morewithdrawal from amazing croissants and breads. Our first flaky bite of Baltic Bakehouse's croissant proved the cure! Since then we have tried their pastries, breads, sandwiches, and soups and everything has been delicious. Staff are friendly and helpful, and the space is modern and cosy. I love that each table has a generous sized toaster on. Special favorites are the bfb, Baltic best, croissants, tomatoes and mushrooms on toast... but really, you can't go wrong! Make sure to get there early or order ahead of there is a special loaf you want, as they often sell out by lunchtime.

Leaf is a beloved Liverpool institution and was one long before Bold Street cleaned up its act,…read moreMowgli moved in, and it became the hipster restaurant mecca it is today. I knew it initially as the upstairs was a venue for Liverpool Sound City, back when it took place primarily in the Ropewalks area. I've eaten there, I've taken tea there, I've had drinks there with my friends. The staff are great and the patrons often even more so: if Liverpudlians hear a non-Scouse accent here, anticipate their desire to start a conversation and help a visitor out. Choose a place to sit, order at the bar and tell the staff where you're sitting, and wait for your order to appear, delivered by someone with an adorable Scouse accent. The food portions tend to be pretty big: you're in the North, lads and lasses. The more you talk to English people of a certain age, and even a wider swath of ages the further north you go, the more you come to realize just how important the ritual of tea drinking is to them. The illuminated sign "Where there's tea, there's hope" in the shop isn't a joke. When you're at the bar, you'll see the coffee machine, sure, but you'll also see the many canisters of tea on offer. Tea here comes in individual see-through pots, showing Leaf's modern edge on a long-standing English/British tradition. You simply must order tea here because you're totally missing out if you don't. It's called Leaf for a reason! There is a small alcove 'shop' adjacent to the bar where you can pick up tea bags, diffusers, and the like. It gets very busy at lunch and brunch times; pack patience. There's a weird quirk about the front door: you need to push it because it opens inward, which seems odd because it's a really big glass door and oftentimes shop doors in England open outward. Also, you need to serve yourself water from the dispenser at the bar, something I always seem to forget until a staff member taking my order sets me right. A Manchester outpost of Leaf now exists, but I can't imagine it would ever compare favorably to the original location. I miss the pescetarian full breakfast and while they've now got small plate options, this is the kind of place I'd always order one big dish for either lunch or dinner. You'll be glad you did.

I can't get enough of leaf. Food and service are always top notch. Nice vibe and plenty of seating…read more Good for groups also.

My husband and I are from Southern California, and this is our 12th day in Europe. By far, this was…read morethe best breakfast we've had. Chloe was our server and she was amazing! The cafe is so cute and everyone was so friendly. I highly recommend Baby E!

Don't get me wrong, the food was actually pretty great! Staff was friendly! But... I didn't think…read moreI'd spend an hour and a half of my day there. I did have to wait for a table for a bit which accounts for some of that time, but I would say I was generally surprised with the speed of service. Might've just caught them in a bad day. The place seemed popular and all the food leaving the kitchen did look delicious! I got the Bangers and Hash and apparently the photo I took didn't save :'( The portions on it were good. Potatoes, sausages, egg, and Hollandaise. Good meal to give you energy for the day.

Deli Fonseca is one of the few places that makes me wish I was loaded…read more A fab independent deli in Liverpool's business district, it's packed floor to ceiling with all kinds of mouthwatering goodies. The gigantic counter displays a myriad of delicious cheeses, hams, olives, pates, anti-pasti and salads whilst the nearby baskets display fresh sticks and loaves of bread. To top it off, they have dozens of wooden shelves groaning with all kinds of lovely store cupboard treats from organic granola, cereals and cookies to oat cakes, chutneys, olive oils, vinegars, sauces and spices. Now, where did I put that darn lottery ticket?

This review is for the upstairs restaurant area - and sadly it is not a good one. One Saturday…read morelunchtime, I popped in for a light lunch. Nothing complicated - in the end, I ordered a Greek salad and a plate of Serrano ham rather than the pricier mains on the blackboards. I'm not sure how two really basic things could be so disappointing. I think it's because on the surface, this looks like a place that prides itself on sourcing and attention to detail. On the specials during my visit were such items as hand foraged local samphire, Cumbrian lamb and Pink's award winning sausages. So why was the Greek salad about 50% raw onion? Why did it feature those mealy crunchy supermarket basics tomatoes, cold from the fridge? Even the black olives mentioned on the menu were green. And they clearly did have black olives in the kitchen, because my four slices of Serrano ham (almost £6) came topped with a single olive. They boasted it was "20 month aged" - most of it had clearly been in their fridge, as it featured a faint tang of refrigerator and managed to be unpleasantly rubbery. Not sure how Serrano ham can even go rubbery but there you go. If you've boasting of excellent ingredients then it's unacceptable for the basics to fail so badly. I wouldn't bother returning.

The food was delicious. We had waffles with baked apples, steak and eggs, and just a scrambled egg…read moredish. All had fun and interesting names. The host and the staff were super friendly and willing to help us with questions on places to see. The decor is welcoming, relaxing and beautiful.

During our recent stay in Liverpool, we found Moose nearby (thanks to Yelp)! We were craving some…read morecoffee and brunch before the busy day we had ahead, and this spot delivered. From what we learned, Moose is a small chain around the UK, and known for its hearty North American-inspired menu. Definitely true - the menu had plenty of US classics like benedicts, pancakes, waffles, and hash dishes. I was actually surprised by how many things were available, as the cafe itself wasn't all that big. Small enough even that we couldn't even get a seat inside! No problem at all though, as we were instead able to sit in their outside area which lined a cute cobblestone alley, adjacent to some shops. I've said it before, and I'll say it again for the typical American traveler... in England, do NOT expect service to be what you're used to. You'll certainly wait to be tended too, and the visits from a server are very limited. In no way do I mean this as a complaint, it's actually kind of nice to not feel rushed and practice patience :) All in all, the staff who did take care of us were very sweet! My husband had an americano and I enjoyed my flat white (I swear I've loved every coffee I've ever had during England trips). For food I got the lula puebla, which was a fancy avo toast. The smashed avocado was fresh and well-seasoned, and the toasted sourdough it was smeared across was so thick and delicious. Even more delicious was the chipotle chilli jam that came atop of it. It also had feta, chilli flakes, and two poached eggs. I was definitely a fan! My husband also really liked his eggs benedict that included griddled Serrano ham. I know, I know, travel all this way only to have a US-style breakfast but hey it did the trick! Wouldn't hesitate to pop in another Moose location in the future.