Pilgrim Restaurant
Vicky Andrews
Pilgrim Restaurant in the Ropewalks area offers an authentic flavour of Spain and is Merseyside’s only Michelin Bib Gourmand for the last two years.
The Pilgrim team were winners on the BBC2 show My Million Pound Menu and secured an investment from entrepreneur Matt Farrell to make their Camino de Santiago-inspired dream a reality. Having tested out the concept at sold-out events in London, they ventured up north with a pop-up or two and then moved to a permanent space in Liverpool’s Duke Street Food & Drink Market.
The menu brings the story of the Camino Way to life, with the dishes representing different regions on the journey from San Sebastian to Santiago De Compostela, passing through rugged coastlines, forests and farmlands.
It’s a fresh approach to traditional Iberian food, promising seasonal and ethically sourced regional produce with a big focus on live-fire flavour. On the menu, you’ll find dishes like octopus with guindilla salsa, king prawns and alioli, wood-fired hake, lamb chops with smoked aubergine and sumac, and Iberica pluma with mojo rojo.
Pilgrim is simple food cooked with flair, combining the freshest ingredients with an adventurous spirit. The chefs have a clear respect for their raw materials. Even the salad and vegetable dishes are a real work of art.
Think Jersey Royals with salsa verde and spring onions, grilled Hispi cabbage with chive butter and almonds, and heritage tomatoes with oregano. A plate of tomatoes? Yes, and they were life changing; you’ll never want to eat another supermarket vegetable ever again. The crowning glory of our last visit was whole roasted globe artichoke, the outer leaves dipped into a stunning alioli and swept up with rapture. Eat your heart out.
Wines also tell the story of the Camino, along with a vast selection of vermouths, port and Spanish sherries. Our favourite is the sparkling white Txakoli (pronounced cha-koh-lee) and St Petroni vermouth, which is a perfect match for their signature dessert of St James Tart.
Rumour has it that Pilgrim Restaurant are moving to a new location for 2021. Wherever they land, it will most definitely be worth the walk.
