Italian Liverpool
Restaurants, caffès, gelaterie and bakeries, plus the story of the Italians who shaped the city. Where to eat Italian in Liverpool, chosen with local knowledge.
Where to eat Italian in Liverpool
Liverpool’s Italian food is concentrated in three places. Williamson Square is home to the Italian Quarter, a cluster of family-run caffès, gelato and savoury kitchens. Bold Street has long-running Italian restaurants and pizza. Castle Street and Duke Street cover everything from special-occasion dining to Sicilian street food.
For a view with dinner, Panoramic 34 sits on the 34th floor of the West Tower at Princes Dock.
- Italian QuarterWilliamson Square & Richmond Street, L1
- Restaurant streetsBold Street · Castle Street · Duke Street
- For a viewPanoramic 34, West Tower, Princes Dock
- HeritageLiverpool had its own Little Italy before 1914
The Italian Quarter, Williamson Square
A family-run corner of the city centre where, as the family puts it, if they haven’t made it, they don’t sell it. It started in 2012 and was rebuilt as a full Italian Quarter in 2023.
- P&D Gran CaffèEspresso, cappuccino, homemade cakes and pastries, and more than 20 flavours of gelato.
- Antonietta Gelato & CioccolatoArtisan gelato, handmade chocolate and desserts.
- Farina Pasta Lab24 Tarleton Street. Fresh pasta, focaccia and panini, plus a weekly dish from a different Italian city.
- Brunchin’Upstairs. Breakfasts, smoothies, juices and light afternoon bites.
- Paolo & Donato’s24 Richmond Street. Italian deli and kitchen.
Sicily on Dale Street, bread on Duke Street
Three family-run Italian addresses in Liverpool’s historic core, about a ten-minute walk from end to end, and one table thirty-four floors above the river. Start with a spritz on Dale Street, finish with cannoli in the Ropewalks, and save Panoramic 34 for the night that deserves it.
Dale StreetCarlisi
The Carlisi brothers bring a Sicilian welcome to a Victorian shopfront on one of Liverpool’s seven original streets. Expect arancini, focaccia pistacchiosa, sharing boards, cannoli and spritzes, plus a gin named after Agrigento, the family’s home town.
Dale StreetCose Buone
Sicilian street food on the ground floor of Princes Buildings, a Victorian brick and terracotta block from around 1880. Arancini, pizza by the slice, calzone fritto and cannoli, with proper Italian espresso. Cose buone means “good things”.
Duke StreetThe Italian Club Bakery
The Crolla family, who run The Italian Club on Bold Street, bake here every morning: sourdough, focaccia, Sicilian cannoli and celebration cakes, with coffee to go with them. The bakery moved to Duke Street in 2023.
34th floor · West TowerPanoramic 34
Dinner, thirty-four floors above the Mersey.
Some 300 feet above sea level, floor-to-ceiling windows frame 360° views over the river, the waterfront and the city skyline. Head chef Chris Ramejkis leads menus of traditional and fusion cuisine, served with an extensive wine list, Champagne and a cocktail lounge for the evenings that deserve the view. Panoramic 34 is run by the family behind the Italian Quarter.
Italian restaurants in Liverpool
From family trattorias to a dining room 34 floors up: the restaurants that define Italian dining in the city.
The Italian Club
The Crolla family’s home-style Italian bistro, with a deli counter of Italian produce.
The Italian Club Fish
Seafood with Italian roots, joining a Scottish-Italian fish tradition with the coastal cooking of Puglia.
Riva Blu
Italian dining and cocktails in a Grade II listed 1880s former bank at the corner of Castle Street and Dale Street.
Crust
Wood-fired pizza and pasta, with an Italian-inspired breakfast menu on Bold Street.
Panoramic 34
Dinner, afternoon tea and cocktails above the Mersey. One of the highest restaurants in Liverpool.
San Carlo
White tablecloths and regional Italian cooking on historic Castle Street.
Botanico
Relaxed, Italian-inspired dining from morning to night, on the former Il Forno site on Duke Street.
Rudy’s
Award-winning Neapolitan-style pizza in the heart of the business district.
Carlisi
The Carlisi brothers’ Sicilian food, coffee and cocktails: arancini, cannoli, sharing boards and their own Agrigento gin.
Cose Buone
Sicilian street food on the ground floor of Princes Buildings, a Victorian office block from around 1880.
Bacaro
Venetian-style cicchetti, pizzette, pasta and wine on historic Castle Street.
Casa Italia
Liverpool’s classic family pizzeria and pastificio, with the queue to prove it.
La Famiglia
Family-run Sardinian cooking, fresh pasta made daily and an aperitivo bar.
Villa Romana
Old-school, family-run Italian in a Grade II listed early 19th-century building.
Trattoria 51
Traditional pasta and pizza in a grand Victorian building near Moorfields.
Neapolitan Pizza & Bar
Liverpool’s first AVPN-certified Neapolitan pizzeria, a short walk from Lime Street station.
Piccolino
Contemporary Italian with an open kitchen and a small terrace off Castle Street.
Italian caffès, gelato & bakeries
Espresso at the counter, cannoli, focaccia and gelato: the everyday side of Italian Liverpool.
P&D Gran Caffè
Espresso, pastries, brunch and more than 20 gelato flavours, all made in-house.
The Italian Club Bakery
Sourdough, focaccia, Sicilian cannoli and celebration cakes, baked fresh every morning.
Antonietta
An artisan chocolatier and gelato and dessert specialist in the Italian Quarter.
Farina Pasta Lab
Fresh pasta, focaccia and pinsa made by hand every day, in a pasta lab beneath a 1923 date stone.
Italian in Liverpool, by occasion
Know what you’re in the mood for? Start here.
Espresso & a pastry
Gran Caffè in Williamson Square, or The Italian Club Bakery on Duke Street.
Pizza
Crust on Bold Street for wood-fired pizza, or Rudy’s on Castle Street for Neapolitan.
A special occasion
Panoramic 34 for the view, or Riva Blu inside a Victorian bank.
Seafood, Italian style
The Italian Club Fish on Bold Street.
A quick lunch
Farina Pasta Lab in the Italian Quarter, or Dale Street’s Sicilian pair: Carlisi and Cose Buone.
Gelato
Antonietta and Gran Caffè in the Italian Quarter, Williamson Square.
Liverpool’s first Little Italy
Long before the Italian Quarter, Liverpool had an Italian colony of its own.
By around 1900, Italian families had settled in the streets between Islington and Richmond Row, north of today’s city centre. Locals called it the “Latin Quarter”. Its life centred on Gerard Street and on St Joseph’s church on Grosvenor Street.
The community made its living as organ grinders and sculptors, and by running pubs, milk houses and chip shops. Each morning the barrel organs were pushed out along Gerard Street, and each evening they came home again.
By the spring of 1914, the Liverpool Echo reported that no more than fifteen families remained.
Many had followed relatives to the United States, drawn by letters from the Midwest. Their children moved into English trades. A century on, Italian food is back at the heart of the city, a short walk from where the colony stood.
Source: Liverpool Echo, 29 April 1914, reproduced by Play Up Liverpool.
Italian Liverpool: questions answered
Where is the Italian Quarter in Liverpool?
The Italian Quarter is in Williamson Square in Liverpool city centre, around Tarleton Street and Richmond Street (L1), close to Liverpool ONE and the Playhouse. It includes P&D Gran Caffè, Antonietta Gelato & Cioccolato, Farina Pasta Lab, Brunchin’ and Paolo & Donato’s.
Which street in Liverpool has the most Italian restaurants?
Bold Street is the best-known street for Italian food in Liverpool. It is home to The Italian Club, The Italian Club Fish and Crust. Castle Street and Duke Street are close behind, with Riva Blu, San Carlo, Rudy’s, Botanico and The Italian Club Bakery.
Where can I eat Italian food in Liverpool with a view?
Panoramic 34 is on the 34th floor of the West Tower at Princes Dock. It is one of the highest restaurants in Liverpool, with views across the River Mersey, and serves dinner, cocktails and afternoon tea.
Where can I get gelato in Liverpool city centre?
The Italian Quarter in Williamson Square is the best place to start. P&D Gran Caffè serves more than 20 gelato flavours, and Antonietta specialises in gelato, chocolate and desserts.
Was there a Little Italy in Liverpool?
Yes. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Italian families lived in the streets between Islington and Richmond Row, centred on Gerard Street. By 1914, the Liverpool Echo reported that only about fifteen families remained, as many had emigrated to the United States.
Is there an Italian bakery in Liverpool?
Yes. The Italian Club Bakery at 43 Duke Street bakes sourdough, focaccia, cannoli and celebration cakes daily. The Italian Quarter on Williamson Square also bakes its bread, pastries and cakes in-house.
Run an Italian restaurant or caffè in Liverpool?
Old Town Liverpool helps people find the city’s restaurants and their stories, through Google, AI search and our local discovery network. Tell us about your venue.
Get in touchOldTown Premium