Sfogliatelle @ P&D Gran Caffè
24 Tarleton St, Liverpool, L1 1DS
Unless you happen to be going to see a production at the Playhouse — or want to partake in some mid-afternoon karaoke at one of its grotty dives — there aren’t many reasons to spend a lot of time in Williamson Square.
The exception is if you’re visiting P&D’s Italian Quarter — formerly Paolo & Donata’s Italian Deli. P&D’s, its own parade of outlets which takes up a whole corner of the square, features a pasta restaurant, a bakery, a brunch bar and a café / gelateria.
The Gran Caffè is the closest thing to an actual Italian coffee house I’ve seen in this country. Busy from opening to close with people drinking espresso and eating pastries and torta, most of them in the large, canopied seating area outdoors. Even in torrential rain the patio is generally abuzz.
The coffee here is exactly how I like it; smooth, chocolatey Italian roast served not-too hot. The pastries are excellent — and all defiantly Italian. There are no croissants here, instead they have super sweet and faintly eggy Cornetto.
My pick of them all has to be the Sfogliatelle — A fanned, layered Neapolitan pastry which looks like a lobster’s tail. It is filled with sweet ricotta with a hint of citrus peel flavour and dusted thickly with icing sugar.
It is, I think, by default this is the best Sfogliatelle in Liverpool as Gran Caffe is the only place that sells them. But even if you could find them everywhere I’m confident it still would be.
