Belzan is a restaurant on Smithdown Road in Liverpool, England. It was named one of the country's best restaurants by The Good Food Guide and has been featured in the Michelin Guide.

Belzan
Map
Restaurant information
Established2017; 7 years ago (2017)
Owner(s)Chris Edwards
Owain Williams
Sam Grainger
Head chefMark Dickey
Food typeCasual Fine dining
CityLiverpool
CountryEngland
Coordinates53°23′30.5″N 2°55′56.0″W / 53.391806°N 2.932222°W / 53.391806; -2.932222
Websitewww.belzan.co.uk

History

edit

Belzan was opened in 2017 by friends Chris Edwards, Owain Williams, and Sam Grainger. Williams had previously worked at Liverpool's Hope Street Hotel.[1] Grainger is also executive chef and has been a contestant on Great British Menu.[2]

Description

edit
 
Guinness rarebit potato served in Belzan

Belzan is a modern bistro.[3] The Michelin Guide commented on its "cosy" interior and "unassuming location", while both The Guardian and Lonely Planet described its style as relaxed but sometimes challenging.[4][5]

Talking to BBC Radio Merseyside, Grainger described the restaurant's cuisine as fine dining with seasonal British produce. He tries to cook with ingredients from within 30 miles of the restaurant as much as possible, such as using pumpkins from a customer's local allotment and wild garlic from Sefton Park.[1][6][7]

The restaurant's signature dish is its Pommes Anna baked with a Guinness rarebit top, served with a Bois Boudran-style sauce of tomato, tarragon, and vinegar.[6] The Guardian writer Grace Dent said that the highlight of her visit was rice pudding flavoured with tonka bean, a substance banned in the U.S. because it is fatal in large doses.[4]

Reception

edit

Belzan has been named as one of the country's 100 best local restaurants by The Good Food Guide. In 2023, it was featured in the Michelin Guide.[1][6][8] It has also been noted as one of Liverpool's best restaurants by The Guardian, Conde Nast Traveller, Time Out, and BBC Good Food.[7][9][10] Delicious magazine listed it as one of the best restaurants in the country for solo dining.[11]

American actor and comedian Will Ferrell made headlines when he dined at the restaurant during a visit to Liverpool for the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest.[6]

References

edit
  1. ^ a b c Megrath, Christopher (7 October 2023). "Friends 'trying to do something different' created a top UK venue". Liverpool Echo. Archived from the original on 6 April 2024. Retrieved 6 April 2024.
  2. ^ "BBC Two - Great British Menu, Series 18 - Sam Grainger". BBC. Archived from the original on 6 April 2024. Retrieved 6 April 2024.
  3. ^ "Belzan – Liverpool - a MICHELIN Guide Restaurant". MICHELIN Guide. Archived from the original on 6 April 2024. Retrieved 6 April 2024.
  4. ^ a b Dent, Grace (20 April 2018). "Belzan, Liverpool: 'A rare feat – relaxed as hell, but a bit challenging, too' – restaurant review". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 6 April 2024. Retrieved 6 April 2024.
  5. ^ Albiston, Isabel; Davenport, Fionn; Duca, Marc Di; Dixon, Belinda; Harper, Damian; Nevez, Catherine Le; McNaughtan, Hugh; Parkes, Lorna; Symington, Andy; Ward, Greg; Wilson, Neil (15 February 2022). Lonely Planet Great Britain. Lonely Planet. ISBN 9781787015715.
  6. ^ a b c d "BBC Radio Merseyside - David North, 19/08/2023, 'Belzan' named as one of 'Britain's 100 Best Local Restaurants' by The Good Food Guide". BBC. 19 August 2023. Archived from the original on 6 April 2024. Retrieved 6 April 2024.
  7. ^ a b Naylor, Tony (12 November 2021). "The Mersey eat: Liverpool's 10 best restaurants and food halls". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 6 April 2024. Retrieved 6 April 2024.
  8. ^ "The best restaurants to eat in Liverpool". Good Food. Archived from the original on 6 April 2024. Retrieved 6 April 2024.
  9. ^ "These are the best restaurants in Liverpool right now". CN Traveller. 22 April 2022. Archived from the original on 6 April 2024. Retrieved 6 April 2024.
  10. ^ "The best restaurants in Liverpool right now". Time Out Liverpool. 14 December 2023. Archived from the original on 6 April 2024. Retrieved 6 April 2024.
  11. ^ Finney, Clare (26 April 2022). "Would you eat out alone? Plus the UK's best restaurants for solo dining". delicious. magazine. Archived from the original on 6 April 2024. Retrieved 6 April 2024.