Bold Street Coffee opened at 89 Bold Street in 2010, founded by barista and operator Sam Tawil. It introduced third-wave speciality coffee to Liverpool at a time when city-centre options were dominated by commercial chains. More than a decade and a half later, the original café remains one of the defining independent businesses on Bold Street, pairing precision coffee brewing with an all-day hot breakfast kitchen.

What Bold Street Coffee does

The shop functions as a dual-purpose space: an express morning espresso bar for commuters heading down toward Liverpool Central station, and an unhurried daytime kitchen serving hot breakfasts, filled brioche buns and lunches to sit-in guests. The interior features window benches looking out onto the street, long leather banquette seating along the left wall, and an open coffee counter where baristas pull shots and steam milk in full view of the room.

Coffee and the brew bar

Coffee is the foundation of the business. The bar runs bespoke seasonal espresso blends alongside a changing roster of single-origin guest beans sourced from independent UK and European roasteries. Daily batch-brew filter coffee is brewed fresh every half hour for quick service, offering lighter, fruit-forward profiles from origins such as Ethiopia, Kenya, and Colombia.

Drink options cover espresso, long blacks, flat whites, cortados and lattes, with oat and other plant-based milks available as standard alternatives. Cold options include iced lattes, cold brew, tonic espressos, and Japanese ceremonial matcha. Shelves behind the till hold bags of whole-bean coffee for retail sale, which staff grind to order for cafetière, Aeropress, filter or home espresso machines.

The kitchen: Buoys and all-day brunch

The food menu centres on the "Buoy", the café's signature hot breakfast sandwich served in a toasted brioche bun. The standard build starts with soft-scrambled eggs and melted American-style cheese, customisable with options including smoked streaky bacon, Cumberland sausage patties, black pudding, or a plant-based spiced aubergine patty. Crispy seasoned hash brown bites are served on the side with house condiments.

Beyond the Buoys, the kitchen prepares smashed avocado on toasted sourdough with poached eggs, breakfast bagels, seasonal salad bowls and grilled sandwiches. The bakery counter by the register changes daily, consistently stocked with warm banana bread, thick chocolate cookies, cinnamon bakes and gluten-free traybakes.

The story behind 89 Bold Street

Before launching Bold Street Coffee in 2010, founder Sam Tawil managed Coffee Union, the café that originally occupied 89 Bold Street. When Coffee Union's founders moved next door to launch the design shop Utility, Tawil took over the premises. Inspired by London's early speciality coffee pioneers such as Flat White in Soho, he reopened the site under the Bold Street Coffee banner.

In early 2018, severe building maintenance problems forced the café to shut its doors temporarily. The team operated from temporary pop-up locations nearby while customers and neighbourhood residents launched a public crowdfunding campaign, raising over £30,000 to save the business. Tawil then partnered with Liverpool independent bar and restaurant group GSG Hospitality (Graffiti Spirits Group, run by Matt Farrell and John Ennis). The partnership financed a full structural refurbishment, expanded the commercial kitchen, and secured the venue's long-term future at 89 Bold Street.

The space and local art

The room retains its original high ceilings and exposed brickwork, decorated with revolving exhibitions of work by Liverpool artists, printmakers and photographers. Art on display is available to purchase directly from the creators, giving local creative talent regular city-centre exposure.

On weekday mornings, the café attracts remote workers and students alongside business meetings. Laptops are common before midday, though table turnover quickens over lunchtime. On Saturdays and Sundays, brunch service is lively, and guests arriving between 10:30am and 1:30pm should expect a short wait for a table.

Prices and ordering

Food and drink prices reflect independent city-centre speciality standards (checked September 2026):

  • Espresso and batch filter: £3.00 to £3.50
  • Flat whites, cappuccinos and lattes: £3.60 to £4.10
  • Iced drinks and matcha: £4.00 to £4.60
  • Breakfast Buoys: £7.50 to £9.50
  • Hash browns and side additions: £3.00 to £4.00
  • Counter bakes and cookies: £2.80 to £4.00

Orders are taken at the main till upon arrival, with food and table drinks brought out by the floor team. Bold Street Coffee is entirely cashless, accepting contactless cards, mobile pay and chip-and-pin. Takeaway orders can be placed directly at the front counter without waiting for a table.

Around upper Bold Street

The café sits in the Ropewalks quarter, on the upper stretch of Bold Street between Roscoe Lane and Colquitt Street. Independent neighbours include radical bookshop News From Nowhere and gift retailer Utility. At the top of the road stands St Luke's Bombed Out Church, marking the entrance to the Georgian Quarter and Chinatown.

For more local recommendations, explore our Ropewalks area guide and our guide to where to eat in Liverpool by area.