GPO – Liverpool’s Largest Food Hall – Review

*Photo by Carl Raw on Unsplash*

I’ve decided to start blogging more about my city, and the places to visit. Liverpool is a city that should be celebrated for its rich culture and vibrancy. Liverpool often gets a bad a name in the press, but I honestly don’t know why. It’s no more crime stricken that any other city in the country, and is full of friendly warm faces, ready to help wherever they can.

I recently visited GPO Food Hall, situated in the heart of the City Centre within Liverpool’s Met Quarter, with direct access on Victoria Street. When GPO opened it’s door I was desperate to get down there, and in January I finally did. GPO features 11 different independent kitchens, with over 400 dishes to choose from. The menu’s encompass different cuisines from around the world. There is definitely something to tantalise everyone’s taste buds, even the fussy eaters!

The Food Hall is decorated in a modern style, with plants and greenery throughout. I wish I had taken some photographs of the interior, as it’s so beautifully presented. GPO also doubles up as an office space. At just £5 you will have access to unlimited coffee, discounts on all retailers, power outlets for laptop chargers, and no obligation to spend to stay. That sounds like a great deal, I’d love to take advantage of it one day.

The ordering system in GPO is perfect. Each table has a QR code to scan, which takes you to an online ordering app. You can pay by card and the food/drink will be delivered to your table as soon as it’s ready. You even earn points when you spend, to instantly get discounts on the traders, I thought this was a great idea.

When I visited GPO, we ordered from 3 traders in total. I’d love to go back this year to sample the goods from the other traders too, as they all looked and sounded delicious!

Jailbird Fried Chicken

Jail Bird Fried Chicken

The first meal we opted for was from Jailbird. Jailbird serve up Nashville Fried Chicken with your choice of heat level. The meal we went with was the Large Boneless Meal for £11, this includes: 3 chicken strips, 2 thighs on sliced bread with pickles and a side of waffle fries. I picked the hot heat level, but there wasn’t much heat at all really, I didn’t find it spicy and neither did my boyfriend. Despite the lack of spice, the chicken was still full of flavour, crispy and tasty. The waffle fries were actually my favourite part of the meal, it took me back to eating Chick-Fil-A in Texas a few years ago. I thought the addition of the sliced bread was a little unusual, so didn’t end up eating it, but I suppose you could make a fried chicken sandwich out of it.

Hee Kee

Right to Left – BBQ Pork Buns, Sesame Prawn Toast, Vegetable Spring Rolls

The previous meal was very filling, but we still wanted to sample the goods from some other traders. My boyfriend and I are obsessed with Chinese food, rice tends to be the staple ingredient in our diets! We decided on some Dim Sum plates and shared them between us. We had Crispy Vegetable Spring Rolls, Sesame Prawn Toast, and BBQ Pork Buns (Char Sui Buns). The Prawn Toast was the star of the show, it was genuinely the best Prawn Toast I have ever eaten! It was the perfect ratio of everything, 2 slices weren’t enough, I’d have devoured the whole plate if I had no self control! The BBQ Pork Buns were sweet and savoury, just how I like them. I’d definitely try some of Hee Kee’s other dishes, as they all sounded incredible. 10/10 from me!

ICE Desserts

Milk Chocolate and Strawberry Crepe

I am a massive dessert lover, I love anything chocolatey and sweet. I couldn’t resist and just had to have a Milk Chocolate and Strawberry Crepe, after spotting another diners order. The melted chocolate was warm and delicious, and completely satisfied my sweet tooth. ICE also have an array of Ice Cream Sundaes, Brownies, Blondies and Milkshakes too.

The GPO Bar

The bar at GPO has a variety of drinks, including plenty of draught beers, cocktails and spirits. We did notice that the beers are not pints, so bare that in mind for pricing when ordering. Unfortunately the drinks menu doesn’t appear to be available online in full, so I can’t list the cocktails that I had, but both were really good.

Overall, my experience at GPO was perfect. I’d love to go back again and try some different food and drink. The atmosphere was great, full of laughter and chatter. Staff were attentive and friendly, and the overall surroundings were very classy. If you’re unsure on what you fancy for tea, give GPO a try, because I’m sure there will be something you’ll love.

Other traders include:

Chit ‘N’ Chaat – Indian street food

Konjö – Japanese street food

Hee Thai Sawadee – Thai street food

Carousel Cheese Co. – Liverpool’s first rotating cheese carousel (think Yo! Sushi but with Cheese!!)

Nama – Fresh Fish

Patty B’s Burgers – Dirty Burgers

Monkeyboard Coffee – Fresh Coffee

ALS Gongcha – Authentic Taiwanese ‘Bubble Tea’

The next time you’re in Liverpool, don’t forget to add GPO to your itinerary!

Until Another Day x