If you’ve ever been fortunate enough to visit an Italian city and really immerse yourself into the Italian culture, you’ll know that Apperitivo is a huge part of the Italian food and drink scene. For those unfamiliar with the concept, it involves cocktails or wine and small plates of Italian delicacies where locals can sip and eat until their hearts content, chatting and laughing in a relaxed atmosphere with family and friends. Really, what’s not to love? Noticing a lack of true Italian practices at the business end of the city, Carlisi’s owner Alessio vowed to open a bar, in which you could step off the streets of Liverpool into the vibrancy of Italy and enjoy the simple delights of delicious food and drink. And we’re happy to say he’s succeeded.
Walking into Carlisi, you’re given the typical, warm Italian welcome and, despite not needing to be told, encouraged to eat and drink as much as possible. The selection and variety at Carlisi is super impressive, from popping in for an Espresso and a pastry to putting aside a few hours to slowly consume the entire Bruschetta bar and work your way down the cocktail list, this bar is perfect for any occasion, with the friendliest of owners doing everything he can and more, to accommodate you.
With it being a Saturday afternoon and having already sampled a fair few of our city’s finest bars, we opted for some red wine as well as an Aperol. To eat, we decided on the meats and cheese sharing board complete with crackers and chutney (winning). The bread and olives (a neighbouring table were chatting over a bowl and they looked insanely delicious) and the smoked salmon and Burrata Bruschetta. Carlisi prides itself on their Bruschetta selection and I can definitely vouch for the variety on the menu, making if an extremely hard choice to choose just one!
For more info and to view their menu- head to the Carlisi website.