There have been a variety of restaurants have called Liverpool home over the decades, but there’s one in particular many would bring back in a heartbeat if they could.
Uncle Sam’s was an American-Italian restaurant which opened on Renshaw Street in the 1980s and later relocated to Bold Street before its sudden closure in 2019. The Liverpool eatery was regarded as a “special place” by diners, with some pointing out its unique features and food - including its fish pond and bbq ribs that were “the best”.
The family business became an institution and served our city for nearly 40 years. Uncle Sam’s was owned by Egyptian-born Hamdi Bichara who, despite being in his seventies, still worked at the restaurant “day and night” until its closure.
READ MORE: Lost motorway restaurant Liverpudlians may have visited on their travels in the 1980s
Uncle Sam’s was also known for its Big Burger Challenge. The 5lb burger was said to be the biggest in Liverpool and consisted of an extra large beef patty, cheese, crispy bacon, onion rings and fries, all stacked in a huge bun the size of a large plate.
If you ate the entire burger, you didn’t have to pay for it. One person who successfully completed the challenge was Youtuber Randy Santel who set a new record of eating the Big Burger in just over 15 minutes.
The ECHO recently wrote an article about Liverpool’s lost Caesar’s Palace restaurant, and some readers pointed out that Uncle Sam’s nearby was also an iconic and greatly-missed restaurant. We shared a photo of Uncle Sam’s in our Liverpool memories Facebook page and many were quick to share their stories of the restaurant.
Claudia said: “I think all of our three boys had their first burgers at Uncle Sam's, a special place for birthdays too.” Jeanette wrote: “My kids loved the fish pond in the corner!”
Judy said: “Loved this place, remember the old one with the big giant bear and the fish pond. Had loads of my daughter’s birthdays there, then onto Bold [street] went there too, was sad to see it go.”
Some readers reminisced about Uncle Sam’s legendary ribs. Kurtus commented: “My favourite place as a kid, the bbq ribs were [chef’s kiss emoji].” Lisa said: “I worked there” with Judy asking her: “What's the secret recipe for the ribs? The best ribs ever.”
Katie tagged a relative and commented: “Happy family times here always” with Judy replying: "The ribs [pulling tongues emoji], we always went there for a meal after shopping, remember the big bear when you went in? And birthdays, still have the pics of us all.”
Frank wrote: “Was a regular visitor to Renshaw Street. Fond memories indeed” while Anthony added: “Used to love that place.” Sylvia said: “Had a great meal there with my mum, after seeing the Four Tops in 1987.”
What are your memories of Uncle Sam’s? Let us know in the comments section below.
Join our Liverpool memories and history Facebook group here.
For more nostalgia stories, sign up to our Liverpool Echo newsletter here.
Receive newsletters with the latest news, sport and what's on updates from the Liverpool ECHO by signing up here.
Read next:
Police raid south Liverpool home and arrest woman on suspicion of misconduct in public office
Woman stabbed as man arrested on suspicion of attempted murder
Suspicious car found burnt out after woman, 53, shot dead
'Beautiful' woman shot dead named locally as tributes pour in
