Relaxed restaurants and bars
Take it easy!
Wind down and enjoy your pint – or morning coffee – in one of our more relaxed pubs, restaurants and bars. Browse the paper in a comfy chair by the window and watch the world float by.
To relax in peace after a hard day, we recommend:
Colonnades Cafe
Address: Unit 11 The Colonnades
L3 4AA
T: 0151 709 0909
A cheerful little place which opens not a minute before 9.30am but fills up quickly. The traditional breakfast menu goes down well and the lunchtime options chalked onto numerous blackboards look equally tempting. This is one of a relatively new-breed of British cafes which readily serve up anything from a full English to chicken tikka masala. The yellow-painted walls create a bright, sunny atmosphere - even when mist is hovering over Albert Dock.
Hansel & Gretels
Address: Unit 13-14 The Colonnades
L3 4AA
T: 0151 709 8982
As the name suggests, this relaxed and airy café makes a special effort for its smaller guests. Kids of all ages will love the ice-cream menu, but grown-ups may feel somewhat underwhelmed by the sandwiches and snacks on offer. That said, Hansel & Gretels is a friendly and upbeat sort of place. High ceilings and lots of greenery make this a pleasant spot for a reviving cup of tea - or a naughty-but-nice knickerbocker glory. Check out their take-away options if you're eating on the run.
La Crepe Rit
Address: 20-21 The Colonnades
L3 4AA
T: 0151 709 9444
When the 'Plat du jour' is a full English breakfast, your hopes cannot help but plummet. However, La Crepe Rit is a rather attractive establishment, made all the more striking by its distinct colour sceme. Black chairs line-up beside tables laid with black and white table cloths, black and white prints hang on the white walls, and the menus…you guessed it. To sum up, the choice of décor may rather suppress the joi de vivre, but the promise of croissants, crepes and aromatic coffee is enough to tempt me inside. Vive La France!
Mister Ms
Address: Unit 6, Atlantic Pavillion
L3 4AE
T: 0151 707 2202
If you are looking for a relaxing evening where you can enjoy delicious food while surrounded by modern décor, then Mister Ms is the place to go. Discover the lobster tank and have one cooked in one of four different ways, or maybe you would prefer to try the steaks? All this with a stunning view overlooking the Albert Dock.
Mocha Cafe Bar
Address: Pier Head Terminal, Georges Parade
L3 1DD
A basic caff-cum-diner nestling in one corner of the Mersey Ferries building, the Mocha Cafe Bar serves sausage rolls, bacon sarnies, teas and milky coffees at remarkably cheap prices. It's on the water-facing side of the building, though unfortunately, the less than sightly pier gets in the way. In the summer, a home-made ice-cream bar opens up.
Tate Cafe
Address: Albert Dock
Liverpool, L3 4BB
T: 0151 702 7400
Symmetry is the order of the day in this vast eatery. If the Tate Café bore no relationship to the Tate Gallery, then the precise rows of white tables and large white pillars may strike a note of pretentiousness; as it is, the Tate Café is appropriately, starkly, contemporary. It seems a shame to disrupt the balance of this orderly interior by admitting the public. Then again, the pancakes on the breakfast menu do look rather good - and appropriately gooey.
Woodside Restaurant
Address: Woodside Ferry Terminal
Liverpool, L41 6DU
T: 0151 330 1472
Its convenient location by the ferry terminal ensures that the line of people queueing for food never entirely disappears - which is appropriate for a building which once housed the booking hall. Iron railings, old public notices, polished woden floors and a massive circular clock all add to the impression that you have stepped back in time and decided to take lunch in a railway station. Sadly, the pre-packed sandwiches and heat-to-order burgers do nothing to dispell this faintly depressing illusion.
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