Belzan

Coordinates: 53°23′30.5″N 2°55′56.0″W / 53.391806°N 2.932222°W / 53.391806; -2.932222
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Belzan
Map
Restaurant information
Established2017; 7 years ago (2017)
Owner(s)Chris Edwards
Owain Williams
Sam Grainger
Head chefSam Grainger
Food typeFine dining
CityLiverpool
CountryUnited Kingdom
Coordinates53°23′30.5″N 2°55′56.0″W / 53.391806°N 2.932222°W / 53.391806; -2.932222
Websitewww.belzan.co.uk

Belzan is a restaurant in Liverpool, UK. It has been named one of Britain's best local restaurants by The Good Food Guide, and featured in the Michelin Guide.

History[edit]

Belzan opened in 2017. It is owned 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

Stylistically, 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, executive chef Sam Grainger described the restaurant's cuisine as fine dining with seasonal British produce. He tries to cook with ingredients from within thirty miles (50 km) of the restaurant as much as possible, such as pumpkin from a customer's local allotment. The restaurant has also served wild garlic from nearby Sefton Park.[6][7][1]

The restaurant's signature dish is its Pommes Anna (potato) baked with a Guinness rarebit top, served with a Bois Boudran-style sauce of tomato, tarragon and vinegar.[6] Grace Dent writing for The Guardian noted as the highlight of her visit a rice pudding flavoured with tonka bean, a substance banned in the US "because large quantities of it can kill you".[4]

Reception[edit]

Belzan has been named as one of Britain's hundred best local restaurants by The Good Food Guide. In 2023, it was featured in the Michelin Guide.[6][1][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]

Actor Will Ferrell visited the restaurant while he was in 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.