12 cool restaurants and bars for Christmas parties in Liverpool

Head to any of the ristorantes in the award-winning, family-run San Carlo Group and you know you’re in for exceptional ingredients, artfully prepared, served in super chic surroundings. At San Carlo Liverpool, you’ll also find opulent dining booths and a stylish bar for drinks before or after your meal.

Located in Liverpool city centre’s Ropewalks area, Almost Famous is a burger restaurant with bite. They serve up behemoth burgers, gargantuan sides and killer cocktails in a candy-coated setting. 

Get fresh, local and honest food at City Wine Bar and Kitchen in the grade II listed ‘City Buildings’ on Old Hall Street in Liverpool. This independently owned bar and restaurant prides itself on using fresh local ingredients, producers and suppliers as much as possible.

Downstairs on Duke Street, DTH promises some hellishly good scran in its vegan and vegetarian-friendly brick-lined junk food bunker, where dirty burgers, loaded hotdogs, sharers, small plates and other pub grub are overflowing and beers and cocktails are also on the cards.

One of the buzziest spots in the Georgian Quarter, Frederiks models itself on the neighbourhood bars of Brooklyn. Think casual eats, coffee and lounging, with live music and quality cocktails as the day turns into night.

Head to Liverpool Gin Distillery to drink gin, make gin, learn about gin and talk about gin.

Fried chicken in a bar setting with a big emphasis on music, beer and cocktails – Liverpool independent Pattersons has hit on a winning formula here. 

Piccolino Liverpool is located in a particularly grand building on Cook Street with a small but perfectly-formed terrace at the front. The impressive exterior seems appropriate because Piccolino always works well for fancy events, birthday parties and glamorous dates.

With its six foot chandelier and gold leaf ceiling Restaurant Bar & Grill Liverpool is one of the city’s most spectacular dining settings. A £500k refurbishment in 2021 brought to life the original features of this Grade II Listed heritage building. Now it’s one of the most photogenic backdrops in Liverpool, and the food’s not half bad too.

With its large alfresco terrace, island bar, and handsome architecture, Riva Blu Liverpool has a chic, continental feel inside and out.

Tiger Rock Renshaw Street is the newest and biggest of the Liverpool Pan-Asian street hawker venues.

As well as a range of casual classics from China, Vietnam, Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore, you can enjoy some fantastic cocktails in a separate bar area (Bellinis are a speciality) plus the usual wines, beers and softs.

Voyagers in The Halyard Liverpool is in the league of hotel restaurants that become a destination in their own right. A sophisticated and well-travelled menu of small plates combined with inviting modern design make it a standout addition to the Ropewalks. Expect an individual take on cool, casual dining.