San's Cafe in Liverpool

Don’t go here if your disabled the sour faced woman behind the counter didn’t like my electric wheelchair in side and I asked nicely to be able to charge it a little while I ate and she wouldn’t let me . After her phobia towards disabled people I left 🤬🤬🤬 Having been told the food is good very disappointed

Very friendly staff, the menu is vast but obviously we had to have Chinese meals for lunch, the 3 of us got different things and had a try of each other's meals, oh my word! Each taste was stunning! One thing is a must tho, chop suey roll, famous locally so try one... or two!!

Placed an order for collection and got the chop suey roll, special chow mein and the 3 meats with boiled rice which was £26. I only had £25.50 on me as the price on the menu shown on line is out of date, was expecting it to be around £21. They did let me get ff with the 50p in fairness as they don’t take cards so I would have had to get more cash. The food was really poor, soggy, stodgy roll with hardly any filling, definitely more wrap than filling. Chow mein was greasy and tasteless and the 3 meats with sweet chilli was a joke if I’m honest. I was expecting a roastie style dish but this was tiny bits of meat swimming in a poor quality sweet chilli sauce. The online menu said it’s served with vegetables and tbf the lad that took the order said something about pepper and onion of which again there were a few little bits floating about in the sauce and no other veg. Based on this visit this place is over rated and way over priced. Garbage I’m afraid and although I’ve had a decent meal there once before I won’t be going back and wouldn’t recommend to anyone.

Really didsapointed. Had heard good things so popped in for lunch. Had sweet n sour chicken. It tasted like Uncle Bens. Rice was gloopy, service was lacking. Won’t be back.

Too much msg, poor quality food, large portions but poor quality food, like a cafe but would prefer to pay more for better quality food

We see this on the hairy bikers so having not long moved to merseyside thought it would be a good idea omg so wrong first impression on the place it looked a bit dirty not a place I would usually eat but I thought no the hairy bikers were here and said good things don’t judge to soon so we sat down and looked at the menu anyway I decided on a beef curry even if a Chinese is bad usually your kinda safe with that omg was I wrong my husband ordered some pork dumplings and vegetable spring rolls because we we’re going to share oh and a some chips we’re do I start first of all it came to £29.50: for what iv just said we ordered the women what took our order was arrogant said oh you just want one meal that’s just one meal I’m well aware that is just one meal we just want to share and see if it’s good it was the worst Chinese meal I have had in my whole entire 52 years of life nothing was eatable I mean nothing even the chips was fried in left over oil had all bits stuck to them and tasted disgusting I have never had a worse experience in my life we never even eaten anything we just stacked the plates and left the thing was every body what was in there was because they seen it on the hairy bikers please don’t waste your time go to a Chinese take away in stead it will cost you half the price if not more for at least eatable food

We decided to try sans after watching the hairy bikers programme, we were not disappointed. We received a very warm welcome by the owner and a member of staff. our order of pork dumplings spring rolls and chowmein were outstanding all freshly cooked and tasted delicious most definitely not greasy as reported in some reviews in fact reading some reviews I wonder if it was actually sans they visited as this was certainly not our experience. If you are looking for a no frills but spotlessly clean authentic Chinese sans is a must . We will definitely return.

Very average food , very over salted or too much msg, would not return or recommend, place was empty and was very unwelcoming

having read the reviews i thought this place would be just like the old fashioned chinese takeaways that started to appear in the 1960's and were so good. this place however, is like one person cooking on the wok - so one meal at a time and i can do better myself - i thought it would be good old authentic chinese food, full of the flavours i was so looking forward to. these days all chinese takeaways seem to be all trained in the one school and taste nothing like they used to years ago. i had high hopes for this place but unfortunately it was worse than i get on any high street.

Came here with the family after reading all the positive reviews. The food here is tasty and is reminiscent of the traditional and simple type of cuisine you will find in era of the 70’s and 80’s Chinese take-away, and before the time when fancy shredded duck pancakes appeared on the menu. However, I wouldn’t go as far as to say the food is incredible. I think, probably the cafe has been over sensationalised by the media through no fault of the owners who are doing a good job in serving decent food from early mornings through to the late afternoons. In my view, if a Chinese food establishment is crowded by Chinese folks, then this is always a good indication that the food is fantastic. When we visited San’s cafe, the customer base were the local builders.

Visited here on the off chance on a Saturday lunchtime with my two children. . We were really disappointed, went based on good reviews... It was quite busy when we arrived but alot of people were already eating and leaving soon afterwards.. So ordered and waited and waited at least an hour for food, the worst thing is people arrived 20 mins after us and got served before us.. We ordered an English breakfast for my daughter chicken curry and chicken with peppers and salt and pepper chips, which were really poor.. They were basically frozen chips with a few onions and pepper on top.. Chicken curry was really average and my chicken with peppers turned out to be chicken in black bean sauce.. That was totally average.. Will not be returning, very average Chinese food wish we went to Tai pan instead.. Quite expensive too for what we got

The food at sans is lovely and the spring rolls and soooo tasty! The Owner was saying that the food isn’t greasy but i found it was slightly greasy as most fried food is. Wasn’t a problem though as it was reallly nice! The venue is cash only which is a bit of a nightmare as no one has cash anymore and there is no cash machines near by. They’re also not dog friendly which I also think is a bit of a let down as it’s nothing fancy and just a basic cafe inside.

Really great food went other day was excellent had chow mein and chop suey rolls wrre amazing great flavour and heard the breakfasts are good there so will be back

I've heard great reviews about San's. seen YouTube videos so drove past and gave it a try. Called in at 11.50hrs Monday 20th Nov 2023 and ordered the hand made special Chai sui spring roll and special chow main, came to £14.50. nobody else in the café and waited about 20 mins. The owner San came out after cooking and asked me if id been before and said i would be back for the the spring rolls. For £5 the spring roll was quite small and had quite burned batter on both ends, but the batter in the middle was stodgy and gluey to taste, not filo pastry as I expected. The Chai sui pork was nice but let down by the stodgy batter. The special chow main was the worst I've ever had at £9.50 it had no king prawns or prawns, just pork very little chicken a little amount of beef, but mainly broccoli and onions and vermicelli noodles soaked in soy sauce. The salt content made me stop and get a bottle of water. Don't know if this was a bad day or the normal due to no body else in the café at lunchtime and lots of construction workers, working on the new Everton ground across the road.

Visited today 24th Sept 2023 on the recommendation of Danny from Rate my takeaway (youtube). The cafe did not disappoint. Friendly staff great choice of food. Both English and Chinese. We had Special Chow Mein, Salt and Pepper Chicken and Choy Suey rolls.The Choy Suey rolls were as I remember from my childhood, big tasty and crispy, Lovely chat with the owner, she showed us some videos from the Hair Bikers visit. Parking available outside the front door. I'm coming back without a doubt.

I used to come here a long time ago as a child and really had forgotten all about it. Decided to go and relive some memories. Firstly parking can be a little awkward, but we managed to get a spot just opposite the entrance. There are builders on the site next to it so it can look a bit iffy. On entering the cafe we were warmly greeted by Lynn the owner who is a great character. Menu isn't huge but there's a mix of Chinese meals and English breakfasts. Ordered the beef chow mein and the famous chop suey rolls then patiently waited. When the chow mein came I was pleasantly surprised by the portion and presentation. Have to say it tasted even better than it looked. Absolutely great beef which melted in my mouth, noodles were delicious, veg cooked to perfection and the sauce was perfect. I can truthfully say it is the best Chinese I have been to and I've been to a lot. Lynn cooks the old style way not the overfilling of beansprouts and little meat we mostly get in a lot of restaurants. The chop suey rolls were very nice too and her char sui was so tasty. On the day we went in her granddaughter Sophie was there too, a lovely polite young lady. Will definitely return.

Finally tried San’s after driving past it for years on my way to work. This feels like a hidden gem. Ordered the handmade specials as per Linn’s suggestion. Char Sui roll was absolutely gorgeous.

This hot spot is a perfect hangout for those who like good hand crafted meals, creating the cozy effect. This place is perfect to fill the emptiness in your stomach. I would definitely recommend. Will definitely be returning to this hidden gem.

This delightful cafe is fantastic for lunch or brunch, offering English and freshly cooked Chinese dishes. The family owned family run cafe is simply furnished so provides a relaxed atmosphere. This cafe is Cash only so make sure you check out the menu for prices

after reading the echo report on this olace we decided to give it ago, never again the food was flavourless chips overly greasy, ask for no spring onion in fried rice and chicken fried rice yet they seem to have out double the normal amount. salt and pepper chicken very fatty chicken, very disappointed especially when it’s quite expensive

Terrible breakfast who boils bacon rubbish toast and expensive wouldn’t go back in Sure the Chinese food is nice but breakfast it terrible

I cannot believe how amazing this food is. I can’t tell you the last time I had char Sui as sweet and soft as this. Staff are lovely and I’ve took a menu because I’ll be coming back very soon! Hidden Gem indeed! Having had...

The food here is simply the best I have tasted. The surroundings are simple and basic but the food is piping hot and impeccable

Can’t believe we paid over £25 for mediocre food that we waited over an hour for. Food here used to be excellent but sadly not today. Even the previously great chop suey roll was nowhere near how it used to be and arrived after we...

Twice I’ve attempted to order from here , first time I waited 30 mins to then be told they aren’t taking orders Thought I’d go back the week after , went today and paid £22 for a chow mein, salt and pepper chicken and some...

We ate lunch at Sans Cafe last week. It was our first visit having driven past several times and then read great reviews on line. We went for the Chinese menu (traditional British cafe food is also available) and we were not disappointed. We were...

Never been here before, and after reading the reviews I thought we would give it a try. The table was scattered with old dried bits of vermicelli but I didn't let that bother me too much. I ordered a sweet and sour with fried rice...

So feeling a little low due to the sad loss of The Queen we decided to blow off the cobwebs and go for a drive. We came upon this cafe and wow so glad we did. We have just found our new fave eatery. Food...

This is not just any cafe! I called in after seeing the Open sign and the gable end wall sign, I’m so glad I did the King Prawn chow mein was quite easily the best I’ve ever had and believe me I’ve had a lot!...

Stopped off on our way home had special fried rice full of meat nice and freshly cooked salt and pepper chicken spot on wor tips first time I've had them ill have more next time and sweet crispy chilli chicken was great you really should...

Best Chinese beef and mushroom EVER TASTED. had a side of crispy chicken and sweet chilli sauce... again it was amazing. Deffo be back there again, thank you to the proprietor LIN she made us feel like family, not customers.

Just had my birthday dinner at Sans, delicious wor dips, spring rolls, charsui wonton noodle soup, chicken sweet and sour and chicken curry. All very tasty, big portions and such friendly and kind service, they even surprised me with a birthday cake at the end!...

Very welcoming and friendly The food is cooked fresh and Lin is very proud of her food and cooking The portions are massive and more than worthy of any restaurant or takeaway Breakfast is also catered for as I suspect she trades on the surrounding...

Been eating at Sans for years and never disappoints. Introduced my partner to it as I had raved about it so much. Brilliant as always.

Whent there today for breakfast excellent food and friendly service and great value will be going there again

Went here for dinner as was walking along the road and it was bitter cold so we all wanted something hot to eat, The cafe is spotlessly clean and it has a 4 star hygiene rating, the lady behind the counter very friendly and chatty...

The best home cooked Chinese food I have ever tasted! All the food is freshly made and the top quality of it is unbeatable. I have eaten in many Chinese restaurants and never experienced anything like this ! Thoroughly recommend the homemade wor tips and...

Really nice food. Great price. Top quality ingredients. Food made with passion. You MUST try the Ulster egg. Lovely host.

The best chop suey rolls in the Uk ! One of Liverpool’s hidden gems! Eat in or take away you won’t be disappointed

Food is spot on! Massive portions! Authentic chinese meals! Would recommend! San’s is a favourite amongst the dockers!

The food is amazing, all homemade and fresh, the lady is lovely, very chatty and friendly. Great service at a great price!

Made telephone order for bbq ribs special curry and fish cakes. Very large portions and the taste was excellent. Lin the owner is a special Liverpool character

We stayed at The Titanic hotel and decided that £18 per person for breakfast was a bit more than we wanted to pay. Sans is opposite the hotel and not only did we have breakfast here we also had an evening meal. As someone who...

Went into Sans for something for lunch today and was not disappointed. We didn’t have any cash on us so Lins son kindly took us to the nearest cash point in the car as it was raining, amazing service and lovely chop suey rolls! Highly...

This food is absolutely amazing -all home cooked Chinese food. The lamb wor tips and chop suey rolls are out of this world all served with a smile from lovely Lin

I had the pleasure of trying Lins homemade Chop Suey Roll. It was unbelievable. Also Roast pork dumplings are original and superb. I will be back ASAP.

Imagine being able to order Great Tasty Authentic Chinese Food from 7am. Sweet Chilli King Prawn really nice but that Curry was full of flavours that left you wanting more. Great service as Mrs San dropped the food at the car outside as I had...

The food really 😋 honestly would recommend 👌 5 ***** very helpful ask you are you enjoying your food very friendly 😉

Not the most likely place to eat at...given all the fancy restaurants in Liverpool, but take all that glass and marble away and its what comes out of the kitchen that really matters. Lyn the owner is very friendly and welcoming and her Chinese food...

Excellent food, group of 6 went had a mix of dishes The pork dumplings and spring rolls were beautiful, everyone enjoyed there food. Do t get put off by the setting, looks abit run down outside but wood was excellent

Absolutely fantastic Chinese food - lamb dumplings are out of this world 😋😋😋 special chow mein was also delicious-can’t wait to return!

Fantastic food and absolutely lovely people - I can't wait go back. Really great value too. Thanks 😁

Lin is fabulous cook. Fresh ingredients cooked to perfection. Savoury cakes to die for. Ribs drop off the bone. But the ultimate is the special curry with fried rice. Lin love it all and your open till 7pm all week bonus.

Absolute hidden gem!!! Amazing quality Chinese food. If you are a serious Chinese food lover then this is definitely the place to go. Best Chinese food we have ever tasted ❤️

Delicious food. Brilliant Chinese food served in a cafe. The staff could not do enough to help and even offered to bring my food out to my car which I’d parked on double yellow lines outside

This place really is Liverpool’s hidden gem I have eaten here on a few occasions and the food has always been amazing, I have only ever had the Chinese food so can’t comment on the English food. The dumplings, chop suey rolls are a must they are all homemade and so fresh this place is a must if you want authentic Chinese food.

I have wanted to try this little cafe for years having read reports in local new. Down by the docks workmen’s cafe with a great a twist we had a great lunch friendly service and will return

I heard about sans so decided to go and try for myself. O my word the best special chow mein ever I will be returning fir more

Pasamos un millón de veces, pero nos detuvimos hoy, tuvimos sopa de fideos Char Siu Won Ton y albóndigas de carne y todo fue excelente, muy sabroso, nos fuimos con un pastel de Savory Cakes que parecía increíble. Gracias Lin, realmente disfrutamos y volveremos x

Qué joya escondida. Nunca esperé la calidad de la comida que nos sirvieron. Esto no estaría fuera de lugar en un restaurante chino superior. La señora es muy acogedora y cocina toda la comida fresca. Volveremos muy pronto. Valor adecuado para el dinero.

Excellent food. Everyone should visit this gem. The food is fresh cooked. Great Valuers for money. Lynn is a great cook and host

Popped in for lunch on a whim and were not disappointed! Amazing food, friendly service, a must try in Liverpool!

Visited today with my kids. Kids being their usual self wanted stuff that wasnt on the menu. The lady and gentleman running the cafe were happy to make what the kids wanted. They were very friendly and gave us huge portions of food, kids definitely wont need super tonight. When we left the lady called us over and gave the kids a few sweets. Will definitely be coming back. Best cafe in liverpool, and they also sell Chinese food as well.

Fantastic amazing food and the best value, highest recommendations a must visit if your ever in Liverpool.

My wife and I have been a couple of times in the last few weeks, and every single time the food and friendly service has been fantastic, Lin goes the extra mile to make you welcome, and as for the food outstanding, char Sui wanton noodle soup is amazing, the char Sui chop suey rolls are amazing not a bit of grease on them so crispy and tasty and her savouries are the best I tasted ever.

by the food served here by Lin who always has time for a chat when not busy.

Been going to this hidden gem for the last two years. It’s opposite the titanic hotel. It servers the best freshly cooked food in Liverpool. Nothing is too much trouble for the lovely Lynn the owner n cook. Better than any Chinese restaurant you can find. Excellent value for money for the amount of food you are served. My partner will not have sweet n sour chicken from anywhere else.

This wonderful cafe is located in the working heart of Liverpool's historic docklands.

Stumbled upon this great, friendly wee cafe selling chinese and english food. Had the chilli chicken which was beautiful. Will def be back again.

Never let down with the food. Large portions freshly made by Lin. My son's first but he wants to go again.

Went here for the first time today, great little place. Breakfast was great and the staff friendly and engaging. Good selection of meals from traditional English breakfast to Chinese. This is a functional cafe that serves locals and dock workers.

If you blink you will miss it, don’t look very inviting from outside but trust me go in and eat, clean with polite staff , breakfast and a mug of tea spot on, no complaints from us

food was great, could tell it was freshly cooked and oil was light. I find most Chinese food tastes too salty but this was really delicious.

Have never tried the Chinese food here but going on other reviews on here and other sites thought we would give breakfast a go. Really wish we had saved our money every item was "value" quality greasy and luke warm. I think if the health inspector paid a visit they would have a field day. Sorry will not be going back

My friend read about this in the echo so we went down to try it. Amazing food. And amazing lady that owns this place. Can't wait to go back for more.

We made a bee line for this little place and weren't disappointed. Massive menu, good portions and tasty food. You can tell it's home cooked and all my family were delighted with the food. We each picked a dish and some little extras and tried a bit of everything. It's a cafe so don't expect restaurant fixtures and fittings but you will find it spotlessly clean I'm sure, we did. It's obviously that Lyn lives and breathes this place and is proud of the following she's built up. Once finished cooking she happily chatted to us whilst we ate which was nice.

Fantastic little family run cafe in unusual surroundings, off the beaten track, serving English breakfast menu and Chinese home cooking all day long. Lovely relaxed and friendly atmosphere, impeccable hygiene, great food and plenty of it. Excellent value for money too. I can recommend the fishcakes and the special fried rice.

so you got a 5 star hotel over the road that could take some lessons from this little gem.big portions and at little prices . freindly atmosphere ,made welcome and will even reopen if closed . can be bit of a wait if busy but its worth the wait

I visit San's quite regularly and have been doing so for many years

Greeted with a smile, chatted then ordered. Fab beef green pepper, fried rice~ best yet! and the savory reminded me of the ones I got when I was younger. Will definitely be back for the curry,

I have visited Sans cafe for the past couple of years after driving passed.

San's Cafe is one of the last remaining traditional workers cafe's in Liverpool and is a bit of institution to many people in the North Docks. Always a very warm welcome and friendly service and the chicken fried rice is the best you will find anywhere - absolutely delicious!

Food fantastic...would recommend the char sui foo yung...also tried savoury cake...bliss...10 min walk from business quarter, less than a 1 mins walk from Titanic Hotel.

Freshly cooked meals excellent quality served by friendly staff in very clean surroundings. My favourite is lynns Egg fried rice with her special curry .also her chop Sui rolls are homemade and absolutely beautiful. But most of all her savoury cakes are the best I have ever eaten around the northwest .keep up your good work mrs SAN your doing wonderful. Thanks June

Having read about this cafe in the Liverpool Echo I thought I should try it. I had a delicious lunch of chilli beef, the beef was as tender as could be all in all a great meal and freshly made. The lady who runs the restaurant is very pleasant and is happy to tell you all about her menu. She very kindly gave me one of her freshly made savoury cakes which I had for my tea. My goodness it was fantastic and reminded me of chippy food 20 years ago, you should make it your business to try this little gem, I know I will go again very soon. The cafe is right opposite the Titanic Hotel.