Cose Buone
Sicilian street food inside a Victorian heritage building
Sicily in the
mercantile heart of Liverpool
Cose Buone — which translates from Italian as "good things" — arrived on Dale Street in 2017 with a singular focus: to bring the flavours of Sicily to Liverpool's historic commercial quarter. Operating from the ground floor of the Princes Buildings, a Victorian terracotta and brick structure dating from the 1880s, the restaurant occupies one of the street's most architecturally distinguished facades.
The contrast is deliberately striking. One of England's oldest continuously inhabited streets — part of the original seven thoroughfares of the medieval borough founded by King John in 1207 — now hosts arancini, cannoli and Sicilian craft beers. The building's arched windows and ornate stonework frame a window display vivid with painted street food illustrations, making Cose Buone one of the most immediately recognisable venues on this corridor.
With a sister location on Cheapside, the Dale Street branch operates as the larger of the two, offering ample seating across a light-filled interior where exposed architectural details sit alongside a warm, convivial atmosphere.
"Dale Street is one of the seven original streets of King John's 1207 borough charter — the commercial artery that connected the medieval town to its mercantile future. Cose Buone occupies a building that has housed commerce on this corridor for over a century."
Princes Buildings —
Victorian commerce on a medieval street
The address at 77–79 Dale Street places Cose Buone within one of Liverpool's most historically layered corridors. Dale Street was among the original seven streets of the borough established by King John's royal charter in 1207 — a medieval grid that would become the commercial skeleton of a city that, by the nineteenth century, processed a substantial portion of the world's global trade.
The building now occupied by Cose Buone — known as Princes Buildings — forms part of the Victorian commercial terrace that redeveloped much of Dale Street during the 1870s–1890s, replacing earlier Georgian structures. Its ornate brick and terracotta facade, arched upper-floor windows and carved stone detailing are characteristic of the architectural confidence of Liverpool's mercantile elite during the height of the port's influence.
Foundation of the Borough
King John's royal charter establishes Liverpool as a borough. Dale Street is named as one of seven founding streets — a commercial artery connecting the medieval town to the water.
Princes Buildings Constructed
Victorian redevelopment transforms Dale Street's built fabric. Ornate commercial terraces replace earlier structures, creating the imposing streetscape visible today.
Cose Buone Opens
Sicilian street food arrives at 77–79 Dale Street. The restaurant introduces arancini, cannoli and Sicilian coffee culture to one of Liverpool's oldest trading streets.
A Recognised Local Institution
With a second branch on Cheapside and strong community following, Cose Buone has become one of the most distinctive culinary destinations on the Dale Street corridor.
Continue exploring the corridor
Dale Street Kitchen & Bar
Modern kitchen inside Westminster Chambers. One of the street's most enduring social anchors.
The Alchemist
Theatrical cocktail bar in a heritage banking corridor. Science-led mixology in a grand Victorian interior.
Denbigh Castle
One of Liverpool's oldest surviving pubs. The kind of place that has held the weight of centuries without losing its warmth.