French cuisine on a shoestring!!! Bistro Jacques is in the perfect area for both students and…read morethespians, and caters accordingly, with a budget menu and a theatre menu. The special lunch offer is 3 courses for £7.95, which seems amazing, but unfortunately the food always seems as though it's heated-up, mass-produced and bland. The presentation is good, but it doesn't cover up the quality of the food. Then again, you can't really expect a prime steak of £7.95! The service can be a bit absent-minded at times, but the staff are pleasant and friendly. It is a favourite place for Sunday lunch for my dad, as he always appreciates spending less than £10 for what he terms 'decent food', and loves the fact that you can get a French lesson either by reading the messages on the walls or spending long enough in the loo, where an education-style tape is played teaching you various sayings. A pleasant enough place for a cheap meal, but nothing outstanding about the food.

Like it's sister restaurants on the other side of Liverpool 1 and Matthew St, Bistro Jacques does a…read moregood impression of being an authentic French restaurant while not resorting to Parisien prices. Anyone who has been to Paris will know that it can cost you an arm and a leg for a meal and couple of beers - although I'm not sure why there is still the idea that the French are still great cooks, they're massive for cheese on toast over there, you get laughed at over here for suggesting it's called Welsh Rarebit but Croque Monsieur is somehow much more acceptable! Anyway a 3 course lunch for £8 quid is a bargain and when you can get an early doors - sorry pre theatre - meal deal for £11 its good value and handy for the local Everyman and Philharmonic. They don't rest on their laurels either as the menu seems to change regularly.

Bistro Noir is a fairly regular haunt for me, either for socialising or for informal business…read moremeetings and I must say it scores well for both... With its extremely good value 3 courses for £9.99 deal Sunday to Tuesday then their still pretty appealing 2 courses for £12.95 Weds to Saturday you can have a good old feed here and not break the bank (although you might need to wear your elasticated waist trousers...the last time I went with a friend on a Tuesday night she insisted on me ordering a dessert even though I was full. "But I can't eat it!" I said. "Never mind, she replied, "I'll eat it for you. But you HAVE to order it because it's part of the deal!!!" I had to practically roll her home... The menu is actually rather an odd mix of styles in my opinion with a mix of British (roasts), American (burgers), classic French (pates and steaks), Mediterranean (feta salads and calamari) Jamaican and Asian (plus last time I was in they were playing Spanish or Mexican music - go figure) but to be honest you don't go to Bistro Noir for continuity of culinary style. The starters are always tasty and a decent size and the main courses rarely a disappointment. I always really enjoy the Jamaican goat curry and there is a beautiful Sri Lankan chicken curry that I thoroughly recommend. And keep your eyes open for the specials...I once had a fillet steak with Stroganoff sauce and creamy mash potatoes. I still drool now thinking about it. I rarely eat a dessert when out for an evening meal so I tend to sample the B.N puds and cakes when in there for a coffee sometimes of an afternoon. They do a gluten free chocolate torte which is a little piece of heaven on a plate. And as a woman who is extremely fussy about how I like my coffee, I have to say their lattes are second to none. All in all a big thumbs up from me. Fine dining it ain't but tasty food in a friendly and relaxed atmosphere it is. And you'll have money left over for drinks on Lark Lane afterwards...

I had an enjoyable late lunch here last Saturday. Although the décor is up to standard for a…read morebistro, the preponderance of families with tots ensured the atmosphere didn't get too rarified! But this wasn't a problem for me, and the ambience is probably more sophisticated during the evening. The cake and dessert selection is a big thing here with everything being made from scratch. Vegetarian options on the menu were enough - a soup of the day, panninis (?) and a couple of mains. I enjoyed my choice of baked red pepper stuffed with couscous, sundried tomatoes, olives and with a pesto over the top. I specifically asked, and the chips are definitely handcut on the premises. Everything on the plate was as it should be. Chips, albeit handcut, seems to be a bit of a fallback to fill out the vegetarian option in British 'bistros'. For me, the couscous stuffing here was more enjoyable and healthful than the chips. The service was friendly and attentive, although I did feel that one waitress was haring around the tables a bit much - a wee bit more serenity does wonders for the digestion, I find! Price is definitely right - I don't have the receipt to hand, but £6.99 is my recollection. I would have no problems with eating here again. If you like the ambience of West Didsbury in Manchester you might like to checkout Lark Lane, which has similar options for comparing the menus of a tight concentration of 'foodie' restaurants and pubs before making your choice. And with Sefton Park, the regenerated Festival Gardens and Riverside Walk (basically, a new promenade along the side of the River Mersey) nearby, this part of the world is definitely worth a visit.

My husband and I had an excellent dinner at Cote. The fish parmentier (fish pie) was wonderful…read more For dessert, I had the chocolate fondant (what we would call chocolate lava cake in the U.S.). That too was wonderful. The atmosphere and service were nice as well.

Cote is a classy French restaurant chain, in Britain, offering a nice a three course meal for only…read more£12 until 7pm. Say what? I don't care what country you're from...£11.90($18.50ish) for a delicious three course French dinner is a spectacular deal! Especially in one of the most expensive countries in the world. You can't even find a deal like this in France. Me: Chicken Pate - Steak Frites - Peach Cobbler...everything was great! Her: Salad - Sea Trout - Peach Cobbler...everything was great! Meals like this would've easily been $40-50pp in America. The interior is nice and the staff was friendly enough, even though the place got really busy around 7:00pm. We also splurged a bit and spent £15.50 for a nice enough bottle of red wine(I'm not picky about my wine). Once you're done with all your Beatlemania in Liverpool, get here before 7:00pm! :D

Loved! Cool space, great location!!! Near the shopping, hotels, harbor. They have a really nice…read morevariety of options. I wasn't in the mood for a big heavy meal so ordered the French onion soup - yum! And chicken walnut salad. I'm not necessarily a huge salad person but it was wonderful!!! We also had a chicken liver pate, which was great. Didn't think to take any pics other than of that dish!? It was a busy Saturday night in Liverpool and we did not have a reservation but were seated about 930pm. Would recommend.

Arrived in Liverpool today after leaving Scotland and tried @bistrofrancliverpool for dinner. When…read moreI walked in, I immediately liked the vibes. Beautifully lit and a cascading staircase decorated with lights and greenery. The menu also did not disappoint. There were many excellent choices, and I landed on the seabass filet. Something I've learned traveling abroad, if you don't know what to order, ask your server! Their recommendations have been on point thus far. As for the food, my seabass was exquisite. Crispy skin, meaty filet, all the things. My traveling companion said the beef bourguignon was tasty. They also noted that the portion was large, but not too big they couldn't finish it. The meatballs, however, were terrible. Maybe I'm biased because I'm Italian, but they were awful. The texture was off, flavor strange, and sauce tasted canned. Minus serious points for those meatballs. Lastly, the sticky toffee pudding was just okay. I kept hyping it up to my friend because I've had it at Gordon Ramsay's restaurants, and it's fantastic, but this was just okay. Overall, if I were here more than one night, I'd definitely go back and try more from the menu.

We happened to pass by Bistro Franc while getting together with some friends over from the States…read more We were greeted with warmth and humour by our server, Peter. He was awesome! He made great recommendations for drinks and food, and made the entire experience memorable and enjoyable. We will be returning very soon and would recommend Bistro Franc (and Peter) very highly as a delightful, fun, and delicious experience! Michael and Geoff

Brilliant full english with really lively service, a great laid back atmosphere, couldn't really…read moreask for much more

'The original downtown cafe'…read more Established in 1974, Tabac is a Liverpool institution that oozes bohemian charm. The walls are painted bright red, there's a flickering neon sign and the staff all look like they've stepped off a Godard film set. In the daytime, Tabac is a sleepy cafe where you can read the papers, sip a cup of java and fill up on healthy breakfast or lunch. It's at night that it truly comes alive however, with local artists, musicians and students conversing over beer, wine and cocktails. Every Monday and Tuesday evening, Tabac host film screenings of world cinema in the back room and on Wednesdays, there's live gypsy jazz. Thursdays to Saturdays, there's a mix of local deejays spinning everything from classic funk, soul and disco to old skool hip hop. The rest of the time, you can expect to hear everyone from Serge Gainsbourg to Arctic Monkeys blasting out of the speakers. The only thing that stops Tabac being the perfect continental coffee shop-cum-bar, is the lack of faded movie stars smoking endless cigarettes!

Again, another contender for the Shiraz title, but I'm not budging I'm afraid. Some people have no…read moreloyalty though, and if you're one of these people, Hardman Pizza is for you. When I was working in an Italian which isn't there any more, and people ordered pizza, we didn't actually have the capability to cook pizza in our kitchen. But of course, you have to have pizza on the menu for an Italian Bistro, so on the odd occasion one got ordered, it was my job to slip out the back and run down to Hardman Pizza and have them make it instead. We never had a dissatisfied customer. Strange but true! By the way, the name refers to the street where it's based, not the fact that you would have to be a hard man to eat there.

Somewhat confusingly, not only is this the second Hardman Pizza in Liverpool but it is also not…read moreeven on Hardman Street itself. Whether this shop is connected to the excellent Hardman Pizza on Hardman Street (keep up!) is anyone's guess but judging on the quality of the food they probably aren't. It's not that the food on offer is terrible - the chicken fillet burger is particularly thick and juicy - it's just that there are better takeaways in Liverpool and even on that particular street. Some items can be quite expensive but this is to be expected with a takeaway a stone's throw from Concert Square, perhaps another reason to avoid it.

07 Cafe Bar is a quaint, French-style cafe next to Reid's bookshop on Mount Pleasant. Pleasant it…read moreis too, inside, a lovely red door and a chirpy gold bell, furnished with polished mahogany tables and French ballet prints it has a very welcoming vibe with friendly staff and a lovely patio area at the back. I sat for an hour with coffee and a good book that I'd just picked up from next-door and it has that je ne sais quoi that really makes a difference. It was rather quiet when I arrived but the service was impeccable and they serve a range of cocktails for £4.95 if you fancy lunching with the girls. They offer French lessons every fortnight on a Wednesday at 3 levels so if you want to do something different, it's a great place to start learning a new language and only £6. They also have acoustic nights, and I imagine with a few good friends, a bottle of their best red and the lilting sounds of a good guitarist, this would be a delightful cafe bar to wile away an evening.

This place is fantastic - last time I was here I ordered a crisp greek salad and a frothy caffe…read moremacchiato and was surprised by how good both these items were. The place is abuzz with students and their visiting parents (the place is an island of sophistication located near the Liverpool University and John Moores campuses - "No Mum, of course I don't just eat kebabs!") There is a really great, friendly atmosphere to the place, the owner-managers Tony and Celine go out of their way to make diners comfortable and satisfied. The wine list is select and, apparently, impressive (not that I would know myself - I'm still struggling to get my head around the fact there are, like, three colours of wine?!) I have also heard fantastic things about the place as a for hire venue for parties - with live bands on the terrace, delicious food and drink flowing. One of my favourite little places in Liverpool. Brilliant!