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The Smugglers Cove

3.8 (45 reviews)
ModerateBars, British
Closed • 12:00 pm - 12:00 am (Next day)

The Smugglers Cove Photos

THE SMUGGLERS COVE ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Good for groups
Good for kids
Outdoor seating

Recommended Reviews - The Smugglers Cove

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Reviews With Photos

Catherine M.

This was our first time eating here and we all had hanging kebabs. The atmosphere, the service, and the food were all wonderful. We had a great time and would definitely eat here again!

Dinner for two
Cindy A.

My husband and I had lunch here, indulging in the roast beef dinner and full appetizer sampler. It was very good. My roast beef had a lot of fat and gristle, but my husband's was very good.

The sharing cookie dough

Food, service, price, atmosphere, everything was perfect. This is the best restaurant I've ever eaten at.

Loweswater Gold
Emil C.

After running the Liverpool Rock n' Roll Marathon in the morning, I was hungry for some Bangers and Mash. The restaurant was conveniently located at the Albert Dock next to several other nice fancy looking restaurants. I tried to get a table without a reservation, but they were packed so I had to find a spot at the bar. The restaurant had a nice ambiance. It was dark and sort of felt like the Pirates of the Caribbean at Disneyland. So the restaurant was appropriately named. I also loved the design of their menus. After finding a spot at the bar, I finally ordered a beer and the Bangers and Mash. The bartender put in my order, but about 15 minutes later I was told that they were out. It was a bit weird that they had me pay right away, so they had to credit it back to my credit card. I asked for recommendations on what else was good on the menu. I was told that the Hanging Kebobs were good. So I got the Hanging Beef Kebobs and this time I asked if I could start a tab. They held on to my credit card and gave me a key with a number on it. When the food was brought out, they pour the garlic oil on top, so that it drips down the skewer. He was right, it was very good... nice, and delicious. Bottom line: Food and drinks are on the expensive side, but it's good food.

Chicken kebab (?)
Hayley J.

Wow. So delicious. The food was outstanding and the service was amazing. Service: I think her name was Georgia (?) and she was so helpful, made the best of recommendations, and was extremely attentive. Environment: definitely a place that is more fitting for dressing up rather than down. Pretty large space with a restaurant in the front and then a bar in the back that was much less lit making it more like a cove. The whole place went together really well considering it's a nicer place but had the theme of "smugglers cove". It took a while to get a table to eat but I waited in the bar area and got a drink while waiting. Food: again, wow. I got the chicken kebab which they presented so well, the kebab hangs from the stand and the drizzle the butter down over the kebab which then lands on the fries, not only looking cool but tasting AMAZING. Then I got the sundae and the blend of flavors was perfect. I would 10/10 come here again and recommend to anyone.

Scott D.

Came to dinner here after taking "the Beatles Story" exhibition as it is adjacent to the exhibit. Beautiful water view from our table! The decor is rustic pirate/old world. The chicken kabobs we ordered were perfectly prepared. We were so hungry, I forgot to take pics of the food! But, I did capture our beverages!

Shane B.

Everything here was fantastic! Good beer selection and delicious food. I had the Scouse (lamb stew). Great apps, great meals. The decor is super cool too. We LOVED it.

Love the beer selection here!
Anthony A.

Came here for dinner and drinks on a Friday night and had an amazing time. The pan fried salmon entree was decent (cooked perfectly but lacked salt, and the tomato and capers sauce on the plate probably should've topped the salmon to make the dish more cohesive and easier to eat). The small plates/appetizers were the star of the show. The pan fried garlic mushrooms were amazing. The sardines were also spectacular (I highly recommend using the lemon and the cholula hot sauce that comes with them). The Camembert dish was just okay to me (but I'm not a fan of the cheese to begin with). The pork crackling was delicious and served with a warm apple sauce/chutney...certainly a different take than I've ever seen on cracklings. They also have a great selection of craft beers! (Side note: why is so hard to find Belgian strong ales in Liverpool?). They also have Trappist ales which can be hard to come by...they're a little pricey but you get your money's worth in taste and %ABV!!! The live music was a nice touch, and by the time we finished our meal it was a full on party around 9:30PM. We ended up staying for at least another hour and having drinks at the bar (they specialize in rum cocktails). They have some pretty fancy drinks. Definitely a little pricey, but worth the effort they put into making the drinks. I would definitely come back here again!

Chicken kebab and garlic bread

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4 years ago

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7 years ago

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1 year ago

This place is no longer here. It was replaced with The Botanist. It's has a lovely view.

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3 years ago

Best meal i've ever eaten. Be sure to order some hard cider to drink. Fantastic food and service.

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9 years ago

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4 years ago

Outstanding!!!!!! Great atmosphere awesome food great staff... A definite must if you are in the area.

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7 years ago

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7 years ago

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3 years ago

Great food, which tell's because of how hard it is to book a table, service is nice, fantastic location

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7 years ago

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8 years ago

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12 years ago

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8 years ago

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9 years ago

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5 years ago

This place has amazing service , wonderful food and is easily accessible. Would come again.

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10 years ago

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9 years ago

Amazing place! The atmosphere was SO COOL! Bartender was awesome too, great selection of drinks and food with creative presentation.

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9 years ago

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11 years ago

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8 years ago

Good food and drinks. I had the steak, it was excellent and reasonably priced. Good Mojito as well!

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The Smugglers Cove Reviews in Other Languages

Review Highlights - The Smugglers Cove

“Service: I think her name was Georgia (?) and she was so helpful, made the best of recommendations, and was extremely attentive.”

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The Grapes - Courtesy of The Grapes website

The Grapes

3.8(15 reviews)
0.5 mi
•£££

According to legend, The Grapes is the pub The Beatles used to go to relax and drink a couple of…read morepints between sets at the nearby Cavern Club. There's memorabilia of the band dotted around including a photo strategically placed above the spot they used to sit. Whilst it remains s a cheap and cheerful pub run by friendly staff, the only people likely to frequent The Grapes these days are nostalgic locals and tourists. Both the decor and layout have changed since the Merseybeat days and the whole place could do with a bit of TLC and elbow grease. If you're drinking spirits, there's vodka, whisky and so on but the beer section is disappointing compared to other pubs in the city. Ironically, the worst thing about The Grapes these days is the entertainment. It might have housed the hippest Liverpool band back in the day but it now runs deafening karoake sessions early evenings followed by average singer-songwriters and bands.

Since the Cavern in its heyday didn't sell alcohol, anybody wishing to get drunk would have to…read moresettle for a more traditional pub. Since the only one on Mathew Street at the time was the Grapes, mere doors away, it would be here that benefited most richly. The claim to Beatles fame is therefore more genuine here than some other places, they visited between gigs, but that doesn't entirely vindicate it from tackiness. I last visited this pub on a Saturday afternoon, when there was little danger of karaoke erupting from nowhere and the seats were likely to be empty. The awkwardly-shaped bar can mean it takes a while to get served but soon I was sitting with a pint of stout, blessing the gods for letting me have a table to myself. This lasted precisely eighteen seconds before five rowdy Dutchmen came and surrounded me. Conversation with them went swimmingly until I accidentally called them German. I also brought up their recent World Cup Final defeat. I shouldn't be allowed near Europeans.

Photos
The Grapes - Beatles at one of the tables at the pub

Beatles at one of the tables at the pub

The Grapes - Interior

Interior

The Grapes

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Old Skool 90s Bar

Old Skool 90s Bar

2.0(2 reviews)
0.5 mi
•££

The nineties are old school now? Hang on, weren't they just.....um....oh holy Christ on a stick!…read more1995 was fifteen years ago! Where in blue blazes did that time go? My memory completely blacked out this place and it wasn't until I checked out their Facebook profile that the memories came rushing back like gullet phlegm. Although it's more of a nineties club than the other place across the road, the Old Skool 90s Bar's soundtrack will never really appeal to my sensitive musical palate. Classic dance anthems from your yoof do indeed crop up, but since they're little more than classic dance anthems, I won't be booking my wedding here. Better to just revisit your own 90s memories than come here.

Still coming to terms with the fact that people treat the nineties as 'old school' now. Ok, 1990…read morewas twenty years ago, but dammit stop making me feel old! Old Skool is a slightly better alternative to the 90s bar over the road, if only because the spaces are smaller and encourage a bit more impromptu dancing and chatting. Last time I was here it was a bit of a desperate move as me and my mate were trying to ditch the double dates we had, so ducked into this place. We actually had a fairly decent time here, but then we stayed for less than an hour. It's a nice trip down memory lane and there's some really good club anthems that gets everyone going, but I still can't get to grips with a 90s bar. It's just weird!

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Old Skool 90s Bar

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Shenanigan's

Shenanigan's

4.0(3 reviews)
0.7 mi
•££

Never mind that the faded old sign hanging above the door says The Rising Sun, that's just part of…read morethe ragged charm of Shenanigan's Irish Bar. It's a small, ramshackle kind of place but with a statue of the Virgin Mary hanging over you at the bar, you'll feel in blessed hands getting hammered here. I'm not sure what it is about Irish bars that feel the need to display the collection of odds-n-sods that have been gathered over the years but this place also has plenty of them filling the spaces on the walls. The strange addition of a display case in the corner filled with china plates and jugs next to an old fashioned stove only adds to the sensation that the bar was converted from Ma O'reilly's home. However there is not just a strong Oirish contingent who come here as I have often noticed a good Polish representation here which adds to the lively mix of nations who like a drink! Situated near plenty of Liverpool's clubs this place makes for an unconventional start to a good night out.

Irish pubs have got the right idea. Obviously, by that I'm not referring to those godawful boozy…read moregulags that plague any city centre (I'm presently thinking of the Irish American Bar by the way). No, they can all burn in heck for all I care. Sorry about the language. I am of course talking of places like Shenanigans. This is a delightfully shabby pub cluttered with all manner of bric-a-brac that (like the Oxford and Pig & Whistle) stands all alone in an area of wasteground. "Yeah sure, knock the whole street down. See if I care. Just don't touch the pub!" It's a massive shame that 'Irish pub' can often be interpreted as a byword for 'painfully fake and tacky' but if they were all as inherently groovy as Shenanigans, the world would be a better place.

Photos
Shenanigan's
Shenanigan's
Shenanigan's

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The Smugglers Cove - bars - Updated October 2026

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