Liverpool’s Best-Kept Secrets: Hidden Gems For You To Discover
Beyond Liverpool’s renowned landmarks and bustling streets lies a some brilliant hidden gems waiting to be discovered. In this blog post, we unveil seven of Liverpool’s best-kept secrets – from bars shops, streets and cafes, there’s some real treats to be discovered.
Whether you fancy a quiet drink in a secluded bar, a board game with friends over a slice of cake or an evening of futuristic karaoke – Liverpool’s best kept secrets will provide you with an experience you’ve never had in the city before.
1. The Engineer
The Engineer is a hidden gem pub behind Hope Street. Expect a dark, industrial interior with exposed brick, vintage furniture, and a focus on cask ales and whiskeys. They also have some great little snug rooms where you can watch sports.
Location: 24 Arrad St, Liverpool L7 7BP
2. Little Hardware
Little Hardware is a speakeasy cocktail bar housed in the former Rapid Hardware store, offering a quirky ambience. Look for the rusty wheelbarrow on Cropper Street to find the entrance. Inside, exposed brick and hardware-themed decor pay homage to the building’s history. Expect a cozy atmosphere, friendly staff, and creative cocktails that might even have a hardware twist.
Location: Cropper St, Liverpool L1 4AT
3. Queen Avenue
Nestled in between Dale and Castle Street, Queen Avenue has been compared to the magical cobblestoned wizarding shopping area from the Harry Potter film series, Diagon Alley! A home to quaint and distinctive businesses, Queen Avenue has a myriad of services to offer to the general public – including a restaurant, winery, art gallery, hairdressers and cocktail bar.
Queens Wine Bar & Bistro combines elements of a bistro diner together with a wine bar, providing local and seasonal produce for all three meals of the day. Their speciality doesn’t stop there, as they also offer up their fully private cellar as a unique, secluded dining space for up to 20 guests.
Further down the avenue, lies R&H Fine Wines, which is an importer, retailer and wholesaler of artisan, organic and biodynamic wines. This winery prides themselves on their eco-friendly approach, which places equal importance on the plants, soil and overall eco system, to produce wine using holistic farming methods. Providing a truly individual service, they also create bespoke wine lists for on and off trade customers, that cater to their requirements and moods – collating a case of wine for you, each with varying prices depending on the variant you desire.
Also located on Queen Avenue, is art gallery – dot-art. Dot-art supports local artists by championing their creativity as well as supporting the public by selling their art for affordable prices, not only through their gallery but also on their website. Focusing on collaboration and sustainability, dot-art spreads their message by working with schools and community groups to run art classes and ensure their brand values are public knowledge. Their support for local artists doesn’t end there, as they also offer a membership scheme for artists in the North West – providing them with advice on how to develop their careers.
Location: Queen Ave, L2
4. Berry & Rye
Referred to as one of Liverpool’s best bars (by the few who know of it!), Berry and Rye is a very discreet and low-profile destination. Considering the fact its home is the lively city of Liverpool, the venue ensures its presence is understated.
Self-styling as a ‘speakeasy’, the bar attempts to make its presence as unknown as possible, as it’s a replication of and homage to the United States’ prohibition era (1920-1933) in which bars and night clubs were illegal. Hence, the people who knew of them were encouraged to ‘speak easy’ about their whereabouts when in public.
Mirroring this era, from the outside, Berry and Rye looks as though its either closed or has been deserted – no signs, signals or people to assist you with entry. That is, until, you figure out which door to knock upon to be let in. After your entrance through the velvet curtains, you’re greeted with an authentically warm and ambient wooden interior, dimly lit by candlelight as they were in the 20s and 30s, as well as a copious array of Baltic Bakehouse snacks and cocktail menus.
Fans of the bar describe this obscure, unique and special hidden escape as the perfect place to enjoy a quiet beverage and talk amongst company – rather than not being able to hear each other in a busy and noisy night club!
Location: 48 Berry Street, Liverpool, L1 4JQ
5. Liverpool Tea Warehouse
Situated in the Baltic Triangle Area, only a short distance from Liverpool One and the Albert Dock, Liverpool Tea Warehouse is a speciality tea shop which stocks over 200 of the finest quality loose leaf teas.
Whether you’re after a fruity, herbal, or even a biodegradable kind – the wide range on offer is sure to satisfy your needs. The tea-lined shelves are stacked with plenty of varieties brought to Liverpool from all over the globe, with sources located across Asia, Africa and South America. The range includes: black, green, white, oolong, yellow, pu-erh and flowering teas, alongside multiple varieties of decaffeinated teas, hot chocolate powders and even mugs! Available to buy individually or as part of gift sets, the opportunities are endless.
Owned by Debbie Kelly and Mark Hensby, this tea shop is in the best hands as Kelly was trained by world tea expert, Jane Pettigrew, at the UK Tea Academy where she attained the Tea Sommelier qualification. Hensby is the perfect business partner, as he is also director of St. Luke’s Bombed Out Church and Real Ale Events, as well as the founding director of Liverpool Distillery – which created Liverpool Gin.
Location: 37 Shaws Alley, Liverpool, L1 8DE
6. The Oracle
Located in Liverpool city centre, The Oracle bar presents a unique blend of mind-blowing artifice and versatile cocktails. Similar to Berry and Rye, only a knock on the door will gain you entry to the intimate, mysterious and old-worldly interior, that transports you to the past – all the way back into the speakeasy prohibition era.
What sets this bar apart though, is the close-up magic by world-class magicians that happens right at your table. The extensive cocktail menu boasts of the bar’s wide selection – fruity, floral and herbal, creamy, sweet and sour, refreshing and strong cocktails are all available.
Alongside beer and wine, as well as non-alcoholic choices or as the Oracle refers to them – the ‘deceivers’… The Oracle does not only provide table service of cocktails and magic, but it also takes bookings for its magicians for external events and sells playing cards, as well as hosting eerie events such as witchcraft evenings and seances!
Location: 83 Seel Street, Liverpool, L1 4BB
7. Sugar and Dice Board Game Café
This café is not just any café – it’s independently owned, it’s dog-friendly and it’s all about playing board games! Sugar and Dice Café is a unique experience, that turns your visit into a combination of home-cooked meals and a delicious selection of cakes with an extensive and versatile library of board games.
When you visit, after paying a small cover charge of £2 per person (5-7-year-olds are £1 per hour and under 5s are free) you have full access to the café’s limitless supply of card and board games. Ranging from old to new, from Cluedo to Cards Against Humanity, the vast and varied selection of games amounts to hundreds, which changes regularly to ensure there is always something to offer to everyone, no matter your interests.
The list of games available is accessible via their website, which even ranks them alphabetically and categorises them based on genre, difficulty level, estimated playing time and how many players are required.
As well as offering a cosy space for gamers to relax, the café also sells the new games they buy in to customers – offering not only the opportunity to play in the venue, but also to take a new game home with you!
Location: 33a Cornhill, Liverpool, L1 8DP
7. Big Fang Karaoke
Exclusive to Liverpool, Big Fang Karaoke transports visitors into a retro-futuristic era and has branded itself an immersive karaoke paradise.
Decorated to look like a neon-lit version of Tokyo city, Big Fang Karaoke offers up private rooms for between 4 and 25 people to sing along to any tune their heart desires, whilst indulging on pre-booked drink packages kept cold in their very own fridge.
With prices ranging from £7 – £18, you can buy yourself a ticket into an experience which mimics the fusion of the past and the future. Drinks do not have to be pre-booked, as there is also the option of ordering not only beverages, but also hot food, straight to your private karaoke room.
There is a huge menu of futuristic-themed cocktails and shots (as well as wine and beer) including: ice-cold smoking shots, glittery cocktails and even drinks topped with toasted marshmallows! To cater to the larger groups, there are 1.75 litre hipflasks of cocktails, 2 litre kegs of cocktails and 5 litre kegs of beer available to order.
