The story
The Art School Restaurant in Liverpool serves international cuisine from a kitchen that values precision and clarity. The establishment recently secured the 2 Rosette Award for Culinary Excellence from the AA in 2026, a mark of sustained quality that guides the daily menu. Chefs here translate broad culinary traditions into plates that remain accessible and focused.
Located at 1 Sugnall Street, the dining room offers a calm backdrop for meals. The space avoids grand theatrics, instead letting the food dictate the pace of the evening. Tables are arranged to encourage conversation while keeping sightlines open toward the pass.
International cooking requires careful sourcing and balanced seasoning. The kitchen applies this discipline through straightforward preparations that highlight core ingredients. Diners can expect consistent standards across the board, supported by the recent accolade.
Recognition
Ambience
Details
History
Paul Askew's restaurant in an august building next to the Philharmonic Hall now has a courtyard area off the cellar bar for summer drinking and snacking. In the main room, still one of the most dramatic dining spaces in Liverpool, the cooking is full of ambitious flair, the plates busy but not overcrowded with elements that all fit together as snugly as jigsaw pieces. A trio of cuts of salt-marsh lamb – loin, confit shoulder and hay-roasted rump – comes adorned with samphire, golden beetroot and Wirral ricotta, while the vegetable main course could be tempura-battered courgette with herbed bulgur wheat, chickpeas and courgette/pistachio purée. Proceedings might open in distinctly Mediterranean manner, with a serving of marine-fresh red mullet on saffron potatoes, brown shrimps and red pepper purée, sauced with pastis. Finish with mirabelle plum compôte and white chocolate mousse or, for something more substantial, a steamed blackberry pudding with pomegranate ice cream and honey. A plethora of speciality menus supplements the basic prix-fixe, and wine is handled comprehensively too, with a distinguished global list that homes in on central and south-east Europe. Small glasses start at £6.50 for Abruzzo wines in all three colours.
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