It's safe to say that Liverpool isn't short of delicious food places to try, and being a big foodie myself, that's just one of the reasons why I love this city.
When a restaurant shoots to the top of TripAdvisor as 'Liverpool's best restaurant' just one month after opening, it's only right that you pay it a visit. Rudy's Neapolitan Pizza is famed across the city, and already has two venues on Castle Street and Bold Street.
Now, since opening in December 2022, the popular pizzeria has over 145 sterling reviews from visitors praising the 'fantastic food' and the 'fantastic service'. One five star review reads: " This is the fourth Rudys we've visited and probably our favourite. Fantastic customer service - Jordan was lovely. Food was hot, fresh and tasty, recommend to anyone, and the atmosphere is everything you want. Welcoming and authentic!"
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I took a trip to the cosy Albert Dock venue to see what all the fuss was about, and ended up leaving with a very full and very satisfied stomach. After visiting there for the first time, it took me a mere few minutes to realise that all the hype around Rudy's is completely legitimate and justified. Let me tell you why.
What Rudy's Albert Dock is like inside
It's incredibly important that a restaurant has the right 'vibe' and at Rudy's, everything was spot on. From the cosy mood lighting to the smell of fresh pizza filling the room, it was clear to see that everyone was enjoying their time at the restaurant.
The tables were fairly small, almost too small for the absolutely massive pizzas, but that wasn't an issue to me at all. There was something really authentic and enjoyable about the close-knit tables and cosy candlelight that made me forget I was on the Albert Dock in Liverpool, and not in Italy.
In terms of ambiance, the restaurant was buzzing with happy couples, friends and family having a natter and enjoying good, fresh pizza. This, combined with the incredible service made the trip feel even more worth it.
What we ordered
Now, let's talk about the main event - the pizza! I for one am a huge fan of pizza (who isn't?) Weirdly enough, I don't actually go out to an actual restaurant for proper authentic pizza much, and usually choose to enjoy the naughty but nice meal slumped on the sofa in my PJs.
There's just one huge difference though, we're not talking Domino's Pizza or Papa John's right now, we're talking about Rudy's ridiculously fresh Neapolitan pizza. I shamefully didn't know what Neapolitan pizza was before writing this review, so for anyone else that was in the dark like me, it's a Naples-style pizza made with tomatoes and mozzarella cheese.
The tomatoes in this case, must either be San Marzano or Pomodorino del Piennolo del Vesuvio - which definitely doesn't sound like a Domino's pizza requirement to me. Anyway, in terms of toppings I ordered the 'Carni' pizza, priced at £11.90, which includes San Marzano tomato, fior di latte, parmesan, salame finocchiona, salame picante, wild boar salame, basil and extra virgin olive oil.
My friend ordered the 'Portobello' pizza, which features San Marzano tomato, fior di latte, portobello mushroom, basil, oregano, sea salt, parmesan and garlic oil - priced at £10.50. Two things to mention here, the main one being how utterly massive the pizzas were.
What I thought of the service and price
The second point I need to make is just how fast these pizzas arrived at our table. As we enjoyed our bottle of prosecco chatting away, both of our fresh, steaming hot pizzas arrived within at least 10 minutes, which was pretty impressive to say the least.
The pizzas were so big that we struggled to make room on the table, and the value for money was just outstanding. Considering a large Domino's pizza can set you back at least £20 and taste no where near as nice, these £11.90 and £10.50 pizzas were an absolute steal.
How the food tasted
For me, the dough was absolutely perfect. It was lovely and thin and absolutely covered in good quality toppings. I liked that the crust was fresh and doughy, but still had that slight crunch when you bite into it.
We decided to have some garlic aioli with our pizzas, and we were so glad we did. The dipping sauce was strong and mighty, but definitely worth the kick. It complemented the fresh tomato bases and airy crusts so well.
Although the pizza was big, it was incredibly moreish, so even when I found myself feeling full I kept going back for more. I was basically in pizza heaven from start to finish, and I have Rudy's to thank for that.
The verdict
I could talk for hours about the quality of pizza at Rudy's, but let's just say I've found a firm favourite. It's very easy to see why this venue has been voted as the best restaurants in Liverpool via TripAdvisor.
The venue offers everything you could want in a restaurant and more, including quick service, incredible quality food and a great atmosphere. I'm going to make it my mission to try every pizza on the menu, because it all looks delightful.
For the portion size, the value for money is unbeatable, and they can even offer you a takeaway pizza box if you're not quite up to the challenge on the night. I of course, managed to polish mine off no problem, with zero regrets.
You can find Rudy's in Liverpool at:
- Unit 6, Britannia Pavilion, Royal Albert Dock, Liverpool L3 4AD
- 3-7 Castle St, Liverpool L2 4SW
- 105, 107 Bold St, Liverpool L1 4HL
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