The Smugglers Cove in Liverpool

What a shambles, informed server I am intolerant to gluten, dairy, garlic & onion, checked menu online and asked if the hanging chicken kebab had garlic marinade on it. Server checked and said chef will make me a fresh one free from intolerances. Sat making my mind up as fancied fish and chips but server said no it has onion and garlic….. I said I doubt it and he said chef said he can do the kebab so felt obligated to go for kebab with salad and chips. Meal didn’t turn up for 1 hour, manageress came over and apologised and said next round of drinks on her. Unfortunately when food came out the result was unbelievable, mine and my friend chicken both over cooked and no knife could cut it, manageress came over and told my friend hers was dry as no garlic marinade on it, we correct her that it was mine with out marinade which is not an excuse for dry over cooked chicken. Was offered a chicken breast to replace it which I declined as the chef obviously can’t cook chicken, was told I couldn’t have anything else basically but my friend was offered steak but again was marinaded in garlic and no fresh so was left without main just some chips, even when I requested the fish and chips I was told no the chef said he can only do chicken. On payment we requested the manageress who said how can I make you feel happy leaving here, I replied feeding me as 10pm at night there will be no where for me to eat and I chose this restaurant as menu showed options. I was asked if I wanted a dessert to make up for it but they don’t do gluten or dairy free desserts, I was told the chef said all I could have was chicken due to my allergies which I corrected her and said I have intolerances not an allergy or coeliac so cross contamination isn’t an issue but wasn’t given the chance to order. The staff need training on the difference , as I was told the gluten free fish is cooked with onions apparently but then the story changed to separate fryer for coeliacs, the fish wouldn’t have been an issue for me. I was then told mine and my friends meal and one round of drinks would be removed from bill and could she take my number to offer me a gym session…….. I was going home the next day as a weekend break. I said I would have liked to be listened too as I know what I can eat and you all need educating on dietary requirements and given food and not given stupid excuses . I left frustrated and starving and paid £40 for my husband’s steak and drinks. This totally spoilt the evening and we returned to the hotel.

Love the theme of this bar and restaurant. However, that's all there was to love. Arrived for Sunday evening meal after being enticed by the online menu and were able to get a table after a short wait in the bar. As we sat down, we were advised they'd run out of Sunday roasts and there was only a very limited menu, which wasn't mentioned on arrival. Food was average, deep fried fare but we left underwhelmed by the experience. Would not recommend.

Quite frankly a shocking experience…which is a shame really because I’ve heard good things. They called in advance to tell me they had run out of roasts, fine, got over it because they said they were serving a reduced menu. I will say I appreciated the call.. but what I would have liked even more is if they had told me how reduced the menu actually was. We arrived and they had practically nothing left. Why continue serving food when you’ve got about three items left to serve. And why, when serving roasts on a Sunday would you not have enough for your later bookings? Service was very slow and could use improvement. We decided to have our drinks and eat elsewhere, no point staying for dinner if there’s nothing left on the menu.

To start with, the highs. The decor is amazing. Both cosy and atmospheric. The bar area at the back is a little darker but has a much nicer ambience. The staff were great, shout out to the woman behind the bar who was both friendly, informative and helpful. The lows weren't great, but that's also how I'd describe the food. It was good, but only good. Its a good place to stop by if you're on the docks already an the prices weren't bad, but I wouldn't go out of my way to go there. Four out of five seems fair. Wouldn't specifically recommend, but definitely wouldn't warn you off.

Came as a big table with my family, the food was really good and a good range of cocktails and rum to choose from. There was some live music being played near the bar which was a nice touch. Would recommend!

Pleasant evening. Lack of veg. Kids burger looked v small in full size bun. Live band / singer was very good.

The food, atmosphere and service was amazing and you have an amazing view of Albert Dock to top it off👍🏻

Lovely place for food and drink,staff very helpful and friendly. The decor was unusual and in keeping with the theme.."not tacky" My 6 year old grandson loved it. Access easy from the dock side for people like me who are slightly disabled. Would visit again on our next trip..

Food was excellent. Service was top drawer. All the staff were wearing their masks!! We felt very reassured in the current climate. 10 out of 10. We will be back soon. Thank you!!

What a quirky place with great rum based cocktails. The food was lovely, its not cheap for a drink mind.The lady looking after our table was engaging, helpful and had great recommendations for the cocktails.Only criticism was there a lingering smell of sick round our table.