A Tavola

Eat, drink and cook with Maria

A Tavola is the creation of Paolo and Donato Cillo from Potenza in southern Italy. They are also behind the Italian restaurant Il Forno, the pizzeria Crust and the Deli in Williamson Square. Italians are famously picky about food and won’t tolerate concessions to English tastebuds, so you know you are onto a good thing at A Tavola, as it’s where Italians come to eat, drink and gossip in the company of the charming Maria and her all-Italian staff. It’s assolutamente autentico –from the cappuccino to the birra Moretti, the Aperol Spritz to the Tartufo Nero ice cream, it’s a little corner of Italy tucked away in a quiet square off Duke Street, right behind its sister restaurant Il Forno.

While Il Forno has a wide-ranging menu and can cater for large groups, A Tavola is intimate. It packs a lot into its small space –café, bar, deli, food-shop, eatery and cookery school – all immaculately clean, glossy and brightly lit in modern Italian style (Chianti bottles and rustic roof tiles are a no-no). There is an outdoor seating area surrounded by glass screens, with patio heaters for cold evenings; and inside, tables and chairs, seats at the bar, and a tempting food store at the back where you can buy cheeses, cold meats, pastas, coffee and all sorts of Italian foodstuffs by brands that you hardly ever see outside Italy. Although the menu is limited to salads, foccacce, simple pasta dishes and plates of cold meats and cheeses, it is a major plus-point that everything is freshly made from these top-quality raw materials.

What makes A Tavola even more special are the cookery classes, where the tables are laid out with bowls of flour, eggs, aprons and rolling pins, all ready for Maria and her expert team to show you how to make proper Italian pasta shapes such as orecchiette, ravioli and tagliatelle as well as pizzas and Sicilian cannoli. You can also go on a wine-tasting session and learn how to pair the dishes with the right wines. Buon appetito!

Address 12 Madison Square, East Village, Duke Street, Liverpool L1 5BF, +44 1517090027 |

Getting there 10-minute walk from Central Station | Hours Mon–Thu 10am – 10pm, Fri & Sat 10am – 11pm, Sun 11am – 10pm | Tip For more Italian foodie experiences, Il Forno is at 132 Duke Street, and Crust is at 25 Bold Street and 3 Allerton Road, Woolton Village.