Restaurant review Hey, Farina!

By Tom Beattie | Italian | ££ | 30 Richmond Street, L1 1EF

It’s impossible not to be impressed by the ‘Italian Quarter’ which has been created by the Cillo family over the last decade on the edge of Williamson Square

Spread across four floors, there are seven businesses on the site, all run by this one small Italian family. Behind the scenes, various members of the Cillo clan take charge of different aspects of the operation, from baking bread to creating bespoke cakes.

The venue has established itself as a real fixture on Liverpool’s foodie scene over the past 12 years, with the P&D Gran Caffè winning hearts and minds as word of its incredible selection of pastries, sandwiches and desserts travels far and wide. The premises is also now home to Brunchin’, run by Cillo’s son Antonio, which as its name suggests, serves up everything from healthy breakfasts to bottomless brunch.

But we were here to review the newest aspect of the business empire, Hey Farina!, which opened earlier this year and is an authentic Italian family restaurant run by husband and wife team Carmine Cillo and Antonella Bovino.

Seated to our table by the affable and welcoming waitress Christina, my guest and I were immediately struck by the relaxed atmosphere and felt at home right away.

Keen to sample different aspects from the menu, my guest and I went for the arancini (£3.50) and bruschetta Hey Farina! (£6), which comes served with spread ‘Nduja sausage, burrata and yellow cherry tomato on sourdough bread.

The starters were simply breathtaking and shared between two, were more than sufficient in terms of portion size, with the prices very reasonable given the quality of each plate.

The staff were also kind enough to throw in a cheese and garlic pinsa (£5.50), a delightful Italian flatbread which is crispy on the outside and light and airy on the inside.

Appetites sufficiently whetted, it was time to pick our mains. My guest plumped for the classic carbonara (£9), while I opted for the house specialty, pacchero (£9.50), a pasta dish served with a slowly cooked Genoese sauce consisting of beef and onion straight from Naples.

My guest reported that the carbonara was “simply sublime”, with the fresh pasta combining expertly with the pancetta and creamy sauce to create a flavour that would charm any lover of Italian cuisine.

As impressive as this was, however, my pacchero represented a truly authentic taste of Neapolitan nourishment, with the different aspects of this unique recipe coming together to produce a truly memorable dish.

To finish, my guest and I somehow found enough room to sample the desserts on offer, courtesy of the P&D Gran Caffè next door. A slice of strawberry cheesecake (£4.50) and some white chocolate gelato (£3) rounded things off perfectly.

There is no shortage of Italian food options in Liverpool city centre, but I would posit that there is no place more authentic than Hey, Farina!

The fact that this place was packed out across four floors on a Saturday afternoon probably tells you all you need to know, and there is no doubt that the eatery is firmly on its way to establishing itself as one of the city’s finest Italian establishments.

Bellissimo!