Nolita Cantina

Melt in the mouth burnt ends, oozing hush puppies, sumptuous ribs, massive bloody burgers with all sorts of toppings and sauce. Nolita Cantina serves up proper soul food like nowhere else in Liverpool. Real, American soul food. Dripping with tasty flavours, the dishes on offer at Nolita Cantina offer an authentic taste of American BBQ food. Washed down with a selection of cold craft beers, you’ll have a great time dining out at Nolita, just make sure you wear loose pants and be ready to fall asleep within an hour of finishing your meal (you’ll need a snooze after feasting on all of this!).

The Food

I’ve got a bit of a routine with Nolita, whenever I go. The starters make for great sharing dishes, and are incredibly moreish. I’d usually plump for the addictive Hush Puppies, which are little donuts filled with cheese, beer and spring onions, and a side of blue cheese. I could definitely make a good stab at a food challenge involving these! The burnt ends are just brilliant, the ends of slow roasted meat, soaked in hot sauce and served on little sticks, they just melt away in your mouth. 

Are you dribbling yet?

For mains on the last visit we chose two different burgers. The pulled pork burger and the pastrami. Both come as double patties (the pulled pork served with a topping of pulled pork, Dr. Pepper BBQ sauces, and Mont Jack cheese / the pastrami with a pastrami topping, swiss cheese, mustard, and sauerkraut), and are served with a delicious mix of fries and sweet potato fries. This is a standout for me, the mixture of fries, with the little pop of sweet potato fries alongside the traditional French fry. 

Aside from my personal favourites, you can also get Havana Rum Ribs, New England Chowder, a Kimchi Belly Burger, and a wide range of other delicious mains, sides, and juicy burgers.

The Vibe

There are some comfortable and cosy booths along the one side of this relatively narrow Bold Street spot, with cushions for extra comfort, and more traditional tables and benches along the other wall. A bigger table for a sharing party sits nicely in the window. The open kitchen at the back of the room makes it an extremely enticing restaurant to set foot in, with the amazing smells of meat being grilled, and the wonderful mural artwork on the wall creating a really pleasing environment. 

The Price

The meal that I mentioned above, for two starters to share, two main meals, and a couple of drinks each, came in at a reasonable £45ish rate. So, for just over £20 you can fill your boots, not need to eat again until next week, and have some of the tastiest BBQ and American soul food anywhere in Liverpool. The starters are between £3 and £5, with the main burgers ranging from £12 to £16 (with the most expensive – the Big Boy - still great value as it is stacked high with a triple patty, bacon, hash brown, onion rings, pickles, cheese and sauce).