Taking set menus up a gear, tasting menus usually feature four or more courses - smaller portions designed to give diners a greater breadth of dishes to try, where chefs of great acclaim show off their skills. But where to try the best tasting menus in Liverpool? From Michelin Guide restaurants to the top places for fine dining and affordable options too, take your pick from this list.
Restaurants that have tasting menus quite often serve only that menu, or a few variations of it; putting their heart and souls into a list of seasonally driven or themed plates that offer the very best their kitchen can cook up. So, put your faith in the kitchens below, and get ready for a treat.
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Liverpool's Best Tasting Menus
1. 8 By Andrew Sheridan
Having migrated from Birmingham to its current location on Cook Street, 8 By Andrew Sheridan is now home to some of the best tasting menus in Liverpool city centre. With three AA rosettes and a feature in the Michelin Guide, Liverpool-born chef-owner and North West Chef of The Year in 2011, Andrew Sheridan, has already catapulted his restaurant to great acclaim.
The £120 eight-course tasting menu (plus £85 for wine pairings) is the only option here. The experience feels immersive, thanks to two eight-seater counters in the Victorian building each boasting their own chef; a chef who cooks right in front of guests while talking through the dishes, which combine British and international influences for a fresh feel. Expect everything from tuna with cucumber and jalapeno to glazed lamb kebabs and sea bream with mango.
Eight is the magic number for Andrew Sheridan's courses and restaurant name.
2. The Art School
Found nestled inside the lantern room of the Victorian 1888 ‘Home for Destitute Children’ building in Liverpool's Georgian Quarter, The Art School is the flagship restaurant of none other than Paul Askew. After spending many of his younger years living in the Wirral, the venue's chef patron is dedicated to bettering the gastronomic scene in the North West and Liverpool, as well as having appeared on the likes of the Great British Menu and Saturday Kitchen.
The venue's continual place in the coveted Michelin Guide is a testament to Askew and his six-course tasting menus (extra courses available for supplement), which come in at £135 per person (additional £75 for a paired wine flight) - available as standard, pescatarian and vegetarian. Dishes lean on Great British ingredients, alongside local, seasonal produce. Dishes range from charred onion risotto to confit shoulder of fallow deer or pan-seared king scallop.
The Art School Liverpool tasting menu is Michelin-worthy.
3. Panoramic 34
Panoramic 34 is one of the UK's highest restaurants, perched on the (surprise, surprise) 34th floor of the West Tower - 300 feet above sea level. With 360-degree views of the river, Royal Liver Building and more, there's no denying that the setting for this modern European restaurant is nothing short of stunning. But how about their tasting menu?
This is available on Fridays, costing £90 with an optional £40 wine pairing. Dishes include seared sea trout, beef and pork with sage butter and lamb belly with Jerusalem artichoke. The independent restaurant is family-run and dedicated to using local suppliers such as Woolton Village's Liverpool Cheese Company and fourth-generation family business, Wards Fish.
You'll get drawn here by the views, but it's the food that will keep you coming back again and again.
4. The Academy Restaurant
Only open to the public Tuesday to Friday at lunchtimes and on Thursday evenings for a special tasting menu, The Academy Restaurant at The City of Liverpool College is the most affordable option. Setting you back just £42.50 for six courses, plus extra petite fours and coffee to end, plates here span from confit of Guinea fowl with a caramelised onion filo tartlet to roast Welsh beef fillet served alongside truffade potato, seasonal vegetables and port-wine jus.
Presenting a tasting menu at a fraction of high street restaurant prices, these promising students are being nurtured by award-winning chefs and mentors, so expect great dishes made using local, seasonal ingredients.
The Academy Restaurant still has the feel of a true dining experience, just without the price.
For more inspiration? Here are the best Liverpool restaurants.
FAQs:
Do Liverpool tasting menus cater for vegetarians and pescatarians?
The Art School's tasting menu is available in standard, pescatarian and vegetarian versions. 8 By Andrew Sheridan's tasting menu is available as a pescatarian version, but you'll need to inform them ahead of time.
Can I add wine pairings or extra courses to a tasting menu in Liverpool?
Yes. Every restaurant in this guide offers wine pairings, available for an extra price on top of the food.
How much does a tasting menu cost in Liverpool?
Prices vary by restaurant and change over time. At 8 By Andrew Sheridan, the eight-course tasting menu costs £110, and wine pairings are £95 extra. At The Art School, the six-course tasting menu costs £125 per person, and a wine flight adds £75.
