El Gato Negro Tapas in Liverpool

We had a truly wonderful experience at this restaurant in Liverpool! We were warmly welcomed by a lovely and charming Brazilian host Giovanna , who made us feel right at home. The food was absolutely delicious – full of taste The atmosphere was equally impressive: cosy, beautifully decorated, and full of character. A hidden gem in Liverpool – we’ll definitely be coming back!

Amazing service! Delicious food! And the staff 😍😍😍 Gracias Daniel, Jess and Giivanna !!! You guys are incredible!

Everything great. Food, atmosphere and service. Waiters of the best. Especially Luis, a charming and good professional. We will return and recommend it. we will not forget you

Stunning food, great service, lovely wine - can’t fault it

Celso was fantastic, never let our drinks sit there for more than 30 seconds unfinished, so friendly, would 100% recommend to a friend for tipsy tapas with Celso!!!

Disappointed with service and food - been here when it was in exchange flags but not in a rush to return . Service not great - ordered a desert and waited half an hour to be told there was an issue so it wouldn’t be coming. Asked for a booth and not even acknowledged and sat squashed in with a large party .

Lovely tapas restaurant. The staff were very attentive, and the food was really tasty. They do advise that they don't bring everything out at once, so you get bits and pieces throughout the meal. It isn't the cheapest dining experience, but I didn't feel short changed by the quality of the food.

The service was fabulous. They welcomed us when we arrive just before the restaurant opened for the day. All of the food and sangria was delicious.

Been here a couple of times and both times have been lovely. The food is gorgeous and the staff are lovely. The sangria goes down very well too!

Don’t bother. Ordered 2 x 3 for £15 menu plus 2 x extra dishes. Only drinks we had were 2 x lager. 2 x small lager. Got bill. £120?????? Questioned bill Hadn’t put though the correct offers. Charged for every dish. They couldn’t really understand what i was questioning. Came back with a £10 cash refund??? Still miles off. Saw other tables having the bottomless brunch. Waiting 30 mins for the first drink So bad. Food was ok. Nothing special. Service not great.

I've been previously to this restaurant when it was in Exchange flags and decided to give it a try in the new location. Restaurant looked cozy and with a good atmosphere. However the service has gone downhill. Nobody explained us the menu or asked us if we wanted any drinks while waiting, we waited almost half an hour for someone to take our order. I felt like I had to chase the staff to get any help through the evening. Food took so long this time when usually comes quick. Plates and empty glasses where stacking on our table. Not a single staff apologised to us for the wait or any inconvenience and then we got a 10% service charge on the bill that we happily removed.

Dined here today for lunch. What a disappointment. We used to love this place when on Exchange Flags. Where we sat felt poky; the music wasn’t good; we saw none of the old staff we knew; the service was, to say the least, perfunctory and the ambiance left a lot to be desired. The food that actually reached us was ok…but there were mix ups. Sadly, I think you may have lost us, Black Cat.

Bottomless water….always check reviews out so was really surprised at this one. I really like Sangria and read they bring it out in jugs so was really excited, however we didn’t get served for 20min and then the food started coming out before we’d even got our first drink. Finally got it and it was basically the worst Sangria I’ve ever had, just fizzy water, which yes came in a jug but was full of ice so we barely got 4 glasses from it between us, and then spent another 20min after ordering waiting for the 2nd round of drinks.. My partner stopped the guy in his tracks to get a third round (which was a single beer and glass of Sangria for last two rounds, because as much as it was rubbish it was either that or Prosecco ) or we likely wouldn’t of had that. The food was ok… I’ve had tapas a few times and this was sub par in comparison but if the Sangria had been actual Sangria and it wasn’t such bad service we would have been happy. Absolute waste of £80 and the worst bottomless we’ve ever done, my partner actually asked to remove the service charge which was something we’ve never done before, we always tip quite well.

Lovely food and great service. We went at a quieter time on a Monday afternoon. Worth a try.

First time we had a group of 9 waited ages food wasn't great and gluten free options poor one gfree item on their menu wasn't available..they got the bill wrong that took ages to resolve will not be returning

We ordered six plates they all came out at different times over a 45 min period. The food was mediocre, the servings were so small and very expensive. We didn’t pay the service charge as already a very expensive nibble . I won’t be going again

We went for 'Tipsy Tapas' for my friend's 50th and I wasn't looking forward to going. I thought it would be full of screechy people pie eyed on cheap Prosecco. I thought the menu would be limited and poor quality as it catered for groups. I was completely wrong, what a lovely time we had! Firstly, the cheap Prosecco, instead of being that sweet, tinny tasting stuff you get, slightly warm at weddings, it was crisp, dry, biscuity and decently cold. Cocktails were also not overly sweet. There was a specific Tipsy Tapas menu, but there was plenty to choose from and the food was beautifully presented and excellent quality. Dry cured pork and salt cod croquetas were particularly good. Our waitress, Milly, was so kind and accommodating, even arranging for us to make one last drinks order just before our allotted time ran out and sorting out a table downstairs in the bar area for us to finish. I thought it would have been 'Right! Time's up, give us your table back and leave'. I got it completely wrong, I would definitely go back (although it's possible that we became the screechy people and we are now barred from Marks and Spencer 😂)

Poor service. Literally no interest in serving customers

Goregous food, some of the best Tapas I've had in Liverpool. Bit pricy on a Friday night as no offers on, but worth it.

Met a friend here for a chat over a leisurely lunch. No music to compete with was good! Immediate impressions were positive. We were made to feel welcome from the outset.. Staff were friendly and attentive without being at all intrusive. We each opted for the 3 tapas plates for £20 lunchtime deal. The food arrived in good time; it was tasty and more than sufficient in quantity. There's an extensive drinks menu, but for a lunchtime it was just a glass of red for me, and that was very palatable. All in all a very positive experience .

A long wait, disappointing food, bland and cold. Waiting staff were friendly and venue beautiful but wouldn’t go back because of the food.

Poor food. very meagre portions Beware one very small scallop charged £10 for it. Very disappointed. Will not return. Staff were good.

Me and a friend went for the bottomless brunch on a Saturday. We were 15 minutes late due to rail delays but they moved our time to start when we arrived which was very much appreciated. The food was lovely only complaint was we received 4 drinks each which for a £48 a person bottomless brunch seems not such a great deal. Other than that staff were lovely and the restaurant has a nice atmosphere.

Great location and plenty of choices

Great place with an immersive atmosphere, quick and efficient service and great food served. Really awesome place to eat at as a group. Can make mistakes on certain orders but they will be quick to fix your problem if anything. Visited on 08/02/2025

I came with my family for my birthday dinner and service was superb, the food was AMAZING! the beef short rib in particular was so so good, and all the starters were lovely. Couldn’t recommend more, everything came quickly and we had no complaints about any of the dishes. We tried lots of the cocktails too and they were all great. No notes at all - perfect!!

Had a beef roast dinner was absolutely gorgeous, lovely big portion and everything was cooked to perfection. The staff were amazing so polite and friendly. We were served by Abraham who was an absolute credit to the place. Would definitely go back and recommend to friends.

A lovely atmosphere and decor pleasing on the eye. Prompt service and an amazing tapas menu this is really authentic

Amazing food, nice atmosphere,Great service by Abraham

Amazing food, with January 40% discount also. 5 Star

Service was great, staff were attentive and the food came quickly. We ordered lots of options but the vegetarian dishes were the best. Would recommend the padron peppers and the cauliflower

Lovely restaurant. Ambiance. Waiter attentive. Food very tasty although one tapas sent back because it was Luke warm and cold in centre. Not much better when it returned. Very expensive for what you get. Try it once.

The food was great. The staffs were very nice. We were served by Abraham

Fantastic food and amazing service, thanks to all staff and Abraham, we will be back

Went for tipsy tapas, good service and fun concept

I don't know what you're paying Kapil, but whatever it is it's not enough - absolutely 10/10 service from him all night, my Mrs accidentally spilled her drink all over herself and within literally 15 seconds he'd moved us to another table and was cleaning it up. Perfect service accompanied by perfect food. Shout out to the Catalan chorizo and Jamon croquetas

I booked through First Table, only to have our booking cancelled? They said that they hadn't updated the first table calendar and that my booking couldn't be accommodated, funny that, as you can still book through their web page!!!! Thus Leaving me 27 hours to find another restaurant. I don't often book away from my usual steakhouse, but I thought I'd give this a try... should have stuck to my usual cow shed!!! I can only assume they didn't want to give the discount you get through First Table?? Looks suspicious to me!! Very unprofessional and not caring that I had a limited time to find another booking so I don't let the wife down. If the restaurant read this, ' you deserve this review for your unwillingness to honner a booking through a mistake YOU MADE' if indeed there was a mistake? Wonder how many other people have been let down in this way???

Very nice interior, friendly staff but the food was very average and very overpriced as a result. The beef rib and gambas pil pil were both really good (as should be expected for £18 a dish) but the sourdough bread came with 90% balsamic vinegar and 10% olive oil and the calamari wasn’t even crispy, and tasted bad in general. The patas bravas were fine, but at £8.50 its too much. The beer was flat and was over £7 a pint, and then they added on a 12.5% service charge (which we removed). Overall we had high expectations but we were left disappointed. For tapas in Liverpool we preferred Maray and Salthouse by far.

Had an amazing evening last night for my friends surprise birthday meal. Louis was our server and he did an exceptional job, and we could not have been happier with our evening. He really is an asset to the company.

Gabriel and the team were amazing!! I would 100% recommend coming here! The food and service is amazing!!

My new favourite tapas bar fantastic food and service

Lovely restaurant , busy but not frantic. Visited tonight Friday, very allergy aware, I’m coeliac so need gluten free options, followed the QR code, plenty of choices. Waiter very knowledgeable and friendly. Yes the service charge is included 12.5% stated very clearly on menu as is the wifi code. All dishes were so tasty, 4 of us and we shared patatas bravas, hispi cabbage, butternut squash all gluten free. I had the beef short rib …gorgeous, melt in the mouth. Others had the meatballs, jam on croqutas and cauliflower. Can’t wait to revisit!

Brilliant food and service from the great team here. We’ll make sure we come back soon!

Just cocktails but they were great!

Four of us went on Friday evening. Food, service and atmosphere was perfect. We're already planning to go again.

Hay mucho que nos gustó de este bar de tapas. El menú tenía una buena selección de tapas que eran todas muy sabrosas, estaba muy bien decorado con mesas bien espaciadas, tenía un ambiente agradable - no demasiado ruidoso y un servicio muy amable. Si yo era nit picking diría que la comida y bebidas eran demasiado caros en comparación con otros bares, pero la calidad de toda la noche, la ubicación, el servicio, etc superan el costo adicional y sin duda volveríamos de nuevo porque disfrutamos mucho.

Cena del sábado por la noche con la familia. Ambiente encantador, entorno y música. Todos tuvimos tres tapas cada uno, que era mucho. El pulpo, las costillas cortas y las albóndigas eran particularmente buenas. Pero cada plato era sabroso. La camarera estaba atenta. El mejor restaurante de tapas en el que he estado en mucho tiempo.

Fantastic tapas with outstanding service 👌

We had such a wonderful experience last night. The food was delicious and the service was exceptional. A special thanks to Gabriel for looking after us.

La primera vez de visita. Brunch sin fondo La comida era buena. Las bebidas fluyeron. Cargo por servicio añadido. No nos importó porque la chica nos dijo 💯 que va al personal. Tomé una copa en el bar. Pagué otro cargo por servicio. No son buenas prácticas 😡 Mi amiga pagó antes de darse cuenta de que le habían cobrado 10 libras esterlinas por la cuenta. No volveré a visitarte. Debe ser hasta el cliente si dan propina y cuánto.

Amazing service from Kamil who was very attentive and helpful. Food was excellent !

Love this place . Food never disappoints. Great atmosphere and friendly staff who are all so attentive.

Called on for lunch on a Friday, second time we’ve been and didn’t disappoint. Food and service both excellent. Good value and delicious, good choice of vegetarian options.

We booked for the Tipsy Tapas for my birthday, r of us ate and drank here and it was amazing. The portion sizes of the tapas were really good. 3 per person is more than enough. The cocktails were great and you didn’t have to wait long for additional drinks. We will definitely be coming back

A pesar de que el servicio era bueno, nos decepcionó que se había añadido una propina del 15% a la factura y no se nos señaló en ese momento. La comida estaba bien, pero muy por encima del precio, por ejemplo, 5 pequeños trozos de chorizo era £ 10 . . £ 2 cada pieza ... realmente. También nos cobraron £ 25 por la tabla de compartir charcutería cuando figuraba en el menú como £ 20 . Mi consejo... siempre revisa tu factura. Paul

Amazing food and service. Couldn't fault it. Definitely will return.

I visited here a couple of years ago and thought the food was ok but a bit disappointing. However we went again last week and the food was amazing, the staff were excellent and there was such a lovely atmosphere. I certainly won't be waiting 2 years before I visit again.

Beautiful restauramd and gorgouse food (coming from a Spanish person!) . The staff were attentive, friendly and professional. Gabriel and Paul were fantastic!! We will be back!

Venue Experience The restaurant was bustling with activity, a sign of its popularity. Despite not having made reservations, we were fortunate enough to find a seat Food and Drinks We ordered a selection of six tapas for £40, and I found the portion sizes generous and the quality impressive. Each dish was well-prepared and quickly served. Additionally, we ordered a jug of rose sangria and Jamon Iberico. The rose sangria tasted a bit watered down and lacked the expected punch of flavour.

Amazing service! Amazing food! Kamil looked after my elderly parents very welcome xxx

Lovely meal out - Kamil our server was great :)

Great place and food, thanks Kamil for great service

Gabriel was a brilliant host - the food was amazing! Great evening, thank you

We just had lovely night, our waiter was Gabriel, he was nothing short of amazing, helpful, attentive and positive. He made our evening Thanks Gabriel

The tapas is really good and the floor staff were knowledgable and attentive . It was my husbands birthday and he got a pudding with a candle in it which was not on the bill ,such a nice gesture !

Great for tapas. Came with a friend and shared 7 tapas. Didn’t bother with the tipsy tapas, had a nice bottle of wine instead. Does well with the tipsy tapas though - it’s like a bottomless brunch. We prefer to see what’s on the 3 for £20 menu then add on extra from the main menu. Nice building too on the exchange flags

Visited here with friends yesterday, we did the tipsy tapas. Food was gorgeous and drinks were flowing. The place has a lovely ambiance. Perfect for catch up with friends or a date night. Staff great too. Very friendly. Service charge applied to bill but we were ok with that. Cant wait to go back. We left tipsy

Bottomless Brunch...this was a fantastic afternoon, great service, great atmosphere and food was delish. This cam recommended to me and I would certainly recommend and will definitely be back.

Come to El Gato for tipsy tapas, was a really nice experience. Before our bottomless brunch slot began we decided to have an Espresso Martini out of everything we ordered this is the one thing I really don't recommend the drink was extremely watered down. This was our o my negative we were really looked after by the wait staff and food was really enjoyable

Went for a Glorious Saturday lunch - 3 Tapas £20 - delicious food - squid, fried bikini sandwich, pork loin and Vegetarian options that really stood out cauliflower and hispi cabbage utterly scrumptious. We also splashed out on the divine octopus. This was followed by glorious desserts and washed down with a couple of killer cocktails. The staff where utterly charming and helpful and the decor and atmosphere was perfect. A real find and a total treat. I really can't recomend it highly enough.

Great food as always Good service Warning if you go late they do run out of favourites but we did eat at 9:45pm!

You must try El Gato Negro. The food and service were excellent. We will be back

Delicious tapas. This was our 2nd visit to this restaurant and we had travelled from Birmingham to Liverpool specifically to come for this food. Really great food, highly recommend!

Sloppy cold food the waiter was un shaven and very scruffy very over priced slop will not viset again

It was a bad experience. A lot of expensive and the food is not good. The chorizo, terrible, my friend ate that and was sick during two days. I don’t recommend.

We did the Tipsy Tapas, food was delicious. The Bottomless Sangria was good, not very strong but they gave it to us in jugs and you could have Prosecco for the table. I would definitely recommend the cod fishcakes, mini chorizo and patatas bravas. But it all was truly amazing. Great when there’s a few of you to share. Just like tapas it came out when it was ready. Excellent service and beautiful decor.

Fabulous tapas, freshly prepared and great service. The shrieking hen party behind prevented me from giving 5 stars for the atmosphere but it's to be expected on a busy, sunny and warm Saturday. Certainly not El Gatos fault and would definitely go again.

Great food, good lunch deals, nice varied menu. The decor is beautiful and there's a lovely private room for about ten people. Will definitely go back.

Amazing food very polite knowledgeable staff all in all a fantastic experience would highly recommend to anyone who has not been to go and try this place you will not be disappointed will definitely be visiting again soon thankyou.

Went for our anniversary dinner: absolutely delicious food, great drinks, beautiful atmosphere and decorations and the staff are absolutely lovely. Would totally recommend. The bikinis are absolutely loooovely. However beware desserts are also very tiny!

Had a bottle of wine before the meal whilst sat outside, we went to the bar to collect the bottle and take it outside, opened and poured it ourselves and got charged a £5 service charge! What service?! Food was ok, some dishes lovely, some average. Expensive but I guess you pay for the decor and ‘service’, which I was happy to pay for when dining as you’re getting a service.

Great experience. Food and drinks were all good quality. Dining service was great from all staff. Service charge added to drinks served at the bar seemed unnecessary but 12.5% service charge on the meal was totally justified and could be more based on the quality of service

Delicious tapas in a lovely setting

Visited a couple of time had bottomless tapas menu. The food was excellent, the drinks flowed and the staff lovely. Decor is gorgeous. Have booked again for August

Eccellent food and great service, very attentive staff

We enjoyed our tapas dinner and sangria to celebrate my 40th birthday. The food was good, especially the Spicy Bomba Rice, Caramelized Cauliflower, and the Spanish Barbastro Salad. Would also recommend the Rose Sangria. Service was quick and we were able to linger a while without feeling rushed. Ambiance is also fun, with lots of photo ops

One of my favourite tapas outside of Spain. All the food items were great and service was top notch even during a busy Saturday night.

Ordered a cheese/meat platter for 2 was a bit over prices as it was tiny

Went here for the second time last night, amazing food love the gambas pil pil and beef short rib. A little more expensive than your average tapas restaurant but definitely worth it. Review of more recent visit: Regularly go here love the food not my first review but definitelythe first time I have been disappointed. Went for the early 3 for £20, the nice guy who showed us our table informed us the calamari was unavailable.I asked could I a pay a supplement for the gambas pil pil instead which he said no problem we will sort something out. However the guy who came to take our order was quite abrasive and wouldn't allow us to upgrade the one dish to the gambas pil pil. We ended up with Bombay rice which neither of us enjoyed. It was a Tuesday afternoon the place was near empty so you think they would be flexible especially if the already limited 3 for £20 menu has items unavailable.

Pleasant experience but served a little quickly. In addition, I have the impression that we were placed apart with our children (6 and 11 years old). On the contrary, we then waited to recommend (6 dishes for the 4 of us was not enough). I highly recommend despite this. The dish called bikinis (the little triangles in the photo) = a must for children

Never had a bad meal here, perfect for a date night or as a group.

Not a very nice experience at the liverpool restaurant. I ordered 3 tapas set meal, 2nd one was baby calamari which was ok but I had one that contained a lot of shells in the batter, had to spit it out and go toilet to wash my mouth. Tasted very fishy, not sure how it happened as calamari does not have shells. Then my 3rd dish was late, had to ask for it as staff forgot to serve it. Don’t usually leave bad reviews and did not say anything in the restaurant on the day but it was a terrible experience. Staff was nice but the food after what I experienced would say was terrible.

The food was lovely, but the service was so disappointing. We felt we kept having to call the staff over to order drinks etc and felt that we were just annoying (we booked bottomless brunch). I've been to Manchester a few times and they are exceptional there! Such a shame as it's a beautiful place with amazing food.

Good food with very nice decorations.

We enjoyed a special occasion there and I submitted a special request and despite being busy on the night they acknowledged it and made sure we were well looked after… very attentive and friendly staff, service, decor and atmosphere overall was faultless. Great place to dine!

Great long lunch. Food was fantastic.

Came on a Friday lunch time. And it had a lovely atmosphere and great food. Paul was lovely and very attentive. Would highly recommends

Delicious tapas, really enjoyed all the dishes we tried but especially the beef short rib, patatas bravas and fried squid. The staff were wonderful too.

Been a few times and it’s been great, big shoutout to Pablo for taking care of us!

Nice, but not amazing tapas. Most dishes were good, some very good, but it all felt a bit expensive. Service was attentive and quick.