The best specialty coffee shops in Liverpool

When it comes to coffee, Liverpool rewards a bit of effort.

Some of the best places sit outside the obvious route. Others have been around long enough to no longer be called “hidden gems”.

The Liverpool Coffee Festival is taking place on 6 and 7 June 2026 at Black Lodge Brewery. It’s going to be a good time. If you do find a gap to leave the show, this is where you should go.

Parliament Square Coffee

_{Estimated taxi time from Liverpool Coffee Festival: 6 to 8 minutes}

If somebody asked me where to start, I would probably say Parliament Square Coffee. Because I like visiting places that roast their own beans. I think people to care a little more when they control the roasting too. They have opinions.

The Cook Street flagship is where I would go. It’s big. Which means plenty of seating. An in house bakery. Brunch. My love language.

If you only have time for one or two proper specialty coffee stops while you are in Liverpool, start here.

COFFI

_{Estimated taxi time from Liverpool Coffee Festival: 7 to 10 minutes}

Tucked away on Pilgrim Street in Liverpool’s Georgian Quarter, inside a restored Grade II-listed coach house, COFFI manages to feel both understated and quietly confident. With its exposed brickwork, long communal table, and simple interior, COFFI certainly ticks all my boxes.

Beans rotate regularly from respected European roasters like Berlin’s Five Elephant and London’s Assembly, meaning there is usually something new worth trying. What started with only £8 in the bank, is today recognized as one of the UK’s top specialty coffee shops.

An essential stop on any Liverpool coffee hop.

Rose Lane Coffee

_{Estimated taxi time from Liverpool Coffee Festival: 15 to 20 minutes}

Rose Lane Coffee feels like a genuine community hub. The space is small, warm, and unmistakably local. Expect people being treated like regulars (because they are!), dogs occasionally wandering through, and staff who seem genuine.

It feels lived in, in the best possible way.  

Of course, the coffee’s good. Really good. It wouldn’t be on this list otherwise. But what stands out most is the atmosphere.

Bold Street Coffee

_{Estimated taxi time from Liverpool Coffee Festival: 8 to 10 minutes}

If Liverpool has a spiritual home for specialty coffee, it’s Bold Street Coffee. Open since 2010, Bold Street Coffee helped shape Liverpool’s coffee culture long before specialty coffee became fashionable.

Located on Bold Street, the café has an energy that mirrors the neighbourhood around it: busy, slightly chaotic, and full of personality.

Come early. Come hungry. The proper sit-down breakfasts that have earned a loyal following.

Bean Coffee Roasters

_{Estimated taxi time from Liverpool Coffee Festival: 10 to 12 minutes}

Located in Liverpool ONE, Bean Coffee Roasters balances accessibility with seriousness. It is polished without feeling corporate, modern without feeling cold, and approachable enough for casual drinkers while still offering enough depth for coffee enthusiasts.

Staff are knowledgeable and welcoming rather than performative. Imagine that.

Ditto Coffee

_{Estimated taxi time from Liverpool Coffee Festival: 10 to 12 minutes}

Ditto Coffee could only exist in Liverpool’s Baltic Triangle. Once a forgotten industrial quarter, it has become Liverpool’s creative heart: a place of converted warehouses, independent businesses, music venues, design studios, and artists who seem to prefer doing things their own way. It is messy, creative, and full of personality.

The café itself comes from the team behind  Ditto Music, an independent music distribution company founded in Liverpool that helped artists release music globally without major labels, building a reputation for supporting emerging talent and making the music industry feel more accessible.

Ditto Coffee is a natural extension of that ethos. 

92 Degrees

_{Estimated taxi time from Liverpool Coffee Festival: 8 to 10 minutes}

92 Degrees Coffee helped specialty coffee become normal in the city. Founded in 2015, it was Liverpool’s first combined coffee shop and micro-roastery.

What makes it interesting is that it never felt like a purist coffee shop built only for coffee obsessives. And even as the brand expanded, the cafés retained an approachable feel. Students, freelancers, casual drinkers, and serious coffee people are all equally comfortable here. 

 

Mother Espresso

_{Estimated taxi time from Liverpool Coffee Festival: 8 to 10 minutes}

Housed inside the old Tea Factory building on Wood Street, Mother Espresso leans into the city’s industrial past. Concrete floors, exposed structure and soft natural light.

While the espresso is, of course, consistently excellent, the food gets just as much praise. The seasonal dishes that feel unusually thoughtful for a specialty café. In 2024 it was voted one of the top ten most innovative coffee shops in the UK in the Grounds of Innovation Award.

Where I’d start

Liverpool rewards a bit of effort.

Some cafés sit off the beaten track. Others are tucked into converted coach houses or quiet neighbourhood streets.

But that is part of the appeal.

Spend a little time wandering. You’ll be rewarded with places full of personality, owners with opinions, baristas who care, and coffee shops that are genuinely tied to the neighbourhoods around them.

FAQ

What are the best specialty coffee shops in Liverpool?

The best specialty coffee shops in Liverpool include Parliament Square Coffee, COFFI, Rose Lane Coffee, Bold Street Coffee, Bean Coffee Roasters, Ditto Coffee, and 92 Degrees.

Which Liverpool coffee shop should I visit first?

If you only have time for one stop, Parliament Square Coffee is a strong place to begin because they roast their own coffee and sit close to central Liverpool.

Which Liverpool cafés roast their own coffee?

Parliament Square Coffee, Bean Coffee Roasters, and 92 Degrees all have verified roasting operations connected to their cafés.

Where is Liverpool Coffee Festival held?

Liverpool Coffee Festival takes place at Black Lodge Brewery, Kings Dock Street, Liverpool.

Are there good specialty coffee shops outside Liverpool city centre?

Yes. Rose Lane Coffee in Mossley Hill is one of the strongest reasons to leave the centre if you want to see another side of Liverpool coffee culture.

Is Bold Street Coffee still worth visiting?

Yes. Bold Street Coffee remains one of Liverpool’s longest standing specialty coffee names and still feels relevant to the city’s coffee culture.

Which Liverpool coffee shops are near Liverpool Coffee Festival?

Parliament Square Coffee, Bold Street Coffee, COFFI, Ditto Coffee, and 92 Degrees are all within a short taxi ride of Black Lodge Brewery.