Liverpool has welcomed its fair share of celebrity chefs over the years, from industry giants like Gordon Ramsey to rising stars such as LuBan chef Dave Critchley.
Over the years the city has said hello - and goodbye - to many celebrity-run businesses, including some that never came to be. While some of the venues did not stand the test of time, others continue on in success.
The likes of Dave Critchley and Ellis Barrie, who opened city centre restaurants just before the coronavirus pandemic took hold, have weathered the storm and come out on top. Others, like Jamie Oliver, have closed up shop and left the city.
READ MORE: Lost Liverpool nightclub that was 'jam-packed' every weekend
Below, we've rounded up the businesses run by celebrity chefs in Merseyside - both past and present. Take a look below to see how well you remember them.
Marco Pierre White
Marco Pierre White, who was one of the youngest chefs ever to have been awarded three Michelin stars and began his classical training as a commis with Albert and Michel Roux at Le Gavroche, opened his Liverpool restaurant on Chapel Street back in 2011.
In 2016 the restaurant at Hotel Indigo underwent a huge renovation, which saw new décor inspired by Liverpool’s trade links and rich music legacy brought in. The new-look MPW Liverpool mixed industrial fixtures and fittings of warm coppers and weathered woods, with brown leather chairs, exposed brick walls and earthy tones, decorated with coloured cotton spools, record players and music memorabilia.
Gino D'ACampo
TV chef Gino D’ACampo brought his Gino My Restaurant to Liverpool back in the summer of 2017. The restaurant thrived on Castle Street in the city centre, before it was suddenly replaced by another Italian restaurant, Riva Blu, in January 2022.
However, the takeover wasn’t anything to do with Gino leaving the city, but instead, it was because he’d opened a huge new restaurant and sky bar at INNSiDE by Melia on Old Hall Street.
While the restaurant occupies the ground floor, Gino’s sky bar is based on the 18th floor and, on a clear day, guests can see as far as the Welsh mountains and enjoy drinks overlooking Liverpool’s famous landmarks, including the cathedrals and the Radio City tower.
Dave Critchley
Dave Critchley, from Childwall, is the executive chef director at LuBan in Cains Brewery Village - and star of BBC’s Great British Menu. Dave got his first job washing dishes in the well-known Halfway House pub.
Two years ago, he was selected as the last ever apprentice of renowned Chinese Masterchef, Zhengxi Wu, who taught him the Tianjin cuisine that inspires the menu at LuBan. He’s also currently starring in Great British Menu for the second time.
LuBan specialises in regional Chinese food with authentic recipes and techniques from the Tianjin region, offering small plates, tasting menus and Tianjin banquets. The restaurant interiors, created by Liverpool designer Angela Rawson, portray elements from Chinese art and culture mixed with the industrial heritage of the brewery.
The space contains an elegant private dining room, a creative food lab, an impressive wine room with an extensive wine cellar, and a contemporary main dining room, as well as a relaxed bar area.
Ellis Barrie
Liverpool-born chef Ellis Barrie was slowly making a name for himself before an appearance on the Great British Menu shot him into the public eye. Ellis set up a restaurant on his parent's touring caravan site on Anglesey with his brother Liam, when he was just 19.
Years later The Marram Grass was thriving - and the brothers decided to launch a restaurant in the city where they were born. Ellis and Liam opened Lerpwl in September 2020 at the Albert Dock, despite some initial setbacks due to coronavirus.
Pronounced ‘Ler-pool’, the restaurant recognises the brothers’ links to Liverpool and North Wales, with Lerpwl fittingly translating as the Welsh name for the city. The restaurant seats 80 across two levels, with the main space downstairs wrapping around an open kitchen and a secluded cocktail bar named Margot’s - named after Liam’s daughter - towards the back.
A spiral staircase will take diners to a private dining space named Albert’s, named for Ellis’ son, which can seat 30. Ellis faced a slew of setbacks due to the coronavirus pandemic - and the restrictions that came with it - but, ultimately, Lerpwl has proven hugely popular.
Jamie Oliver
Jamie Oliver, who shot to fame as a teenager in the Naked Chef series back in the late 1990s, opened his 11th ‘Jamie’s Italian’ in Liverpool ONE back in 2010.
At the time it was announced the 6,251 sq ft restaurant would focus on rustic Italian food. Jamie’s Italian was founded by Jamie and his Italian mentor, chef Gennaro Contaldo, in Oxford, in 2008.
Jamie’s Liverpool restaurant closed back in May 2019 after almost a decade in business, with the chain going into administration.
Gordon Ramsay
Gordon Ramsay opened his Liverpool restaurant Bread Street Kitchen and Bar in February 2022, replacing Jamie’s Italian. After more than two years of the Liverpool ONE unit being empty, Gordon Ramsay’s new venue found its home.
Hell’s Kitchen star Gordon has a string of ‘Bread Street’ restaurants in London and one in Edinburgh, but the Liverpool venue is his first elsewhere in England. The restaurant has a sleek, contemporary interior with white Metro tiles and soft leather seating.
The menu features everything from spicy tuna tartare, potted Cumbrian beef brisket and slow-roasted Cumbrian Saddleback pork belly to steamed sea bream and desserts like chocolate fondant.
You can see the ECHO’s full chat with Gordon here .
Simon Rimmer
Simon Rimmer, who is originally from Wirral, opened up The Viking in West Kirby back in 2016.
The pub served up fresh food, with a family-friendly atmosphere and Scandinavian-style décor to represent Wirral's Viking roots.
The Viking closed suddenly in 2019, with a notice placed on the restaurant's website stating “recent challenging times” were to blame for the immediate closure.
It said: "The Viking opened in 2016 with the goal of bringing a modern British pub to West Kirby.
"During the first two years it proved extremely popular and consistently delivered a high-quality guest experience.
"More recently, however we have found it more challenging to maintain this level of experience. After a lot of consideration and a period of review, we have concluded that closing is the best option with immediate effect.
"Our priority is our team and we aim to preserve as many jobs as possible and will offer alternative positions within the business where we can."
Gary Usher
Chef entrepreneur Gary Usher launched his restaurant empire Elite Bistros through crowdfunding campaigns and now owns venues across Merseyside and the northwest.
Among them are Wreckfish on Slater Street, Pinion in Prescot and Burnt Truffle in Heswall. Gary broke not only his own but Kickstarter’s records, by raising a massive £100,000 in just 11 hours back in 2019, in order to launch KALA in Manchester.
Gary is known for being outspoken on social media, often hitting back at reviewers or sparking debates - even ones about dogs being allowed into pubs. During the many coronavirus lockdowns, Gary launched Elite Bistro at Home; meals delivered each Friday with “just enough cooking to take the glory but not too much that you miss all the fun”.
Paul Askew
Merseyside chef Paul Askew is one of the UK's leading chefs and, after recently celebrating 40 years in the food industry, opened his own restaurant Barnacle at Duke Street Market.
Since moving to Merseyside from Sunderland when he was four years old, Paul’s gone from washing pots and peeling vegetables at Thornton Hall Hotel in Wirral to being Chef Patron at The Art School in Liverpool for the last eight years.
Paul launched The Art School in 2014 and since then it has become one of the UK’s leading fine-dining restaurants. Barnacle is an “intimate Scouse brasserie” set in the mezzanine of Duke Street Market, featuring modern dishes from local producers, farmers and artisans as well as ingredients linked to Liverpool’s port trade.
Jean-Christophe Novelli
Michelin-starred chef Jean-Christophe Novelli was once set to open a restaurant within Liverpool’s DoubleTree Hilton Hotel.
Back in 2015, the French chef had teamed up with the city centre hotel to launch an in-house brasserie, Jean-Christophe Novelli at Michelle, which had been named after his fiancée.
However, by 2016 had Novelli suddenly disappeared from the project, with the restaurant swiftly rebranded as Layla Brasserie, and all references to Novelli removed from the interior of the hotel and its website.
At the time, a spokesperson for DoubleTree Hilton said: “Jean-Christophe Novelli is no longer with us. It is now an individual restaurant. We are currently going through a transition.
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