Cafe Tabac

I went to Café Tabac recently for the first time in years. I used to go there loads in my theatre days back in the early 2000s — situated as it is at the top of Bold Street it was a handy hangout when working at the Unity or Everyman theatres — and was, well, just kinda cool. I seem to remember imbibing an awful lot of some sort of blonde beer here back in the day (before I got all grown up and crossed over to the dark side of wine) and enjoying the dark recesses (I probably fell asleep in a lot of them).
Having not been there for yonks it wasn’t the obvious choice when I had to think of somewhere around that part of town to meet a friend for pre-​Christmas drinks but it was handy for both of us and I thought it might be less manic than other bars on 22^nd December. I was right; the atmosphere was lovely and chilled and it was busy but not packed. My friend was already there and had found us one of the cosy booths at the back. The lighting was pretty dark and sultry but my eyes got used to it eventually and it enhanced the nice, cosy, Christmassy vibe.
We picked a bottle of red to share — I think the wine list at Tabac is pretty good, decent choice and good price range — a rather nice Cabernet Sauvignon and I then I asked a member of staff who was walking past if I could see a menu. «I’m afraid we’ve stopped serving food» he said. Argghhh… I was starving, hadn’t eaten for hours. I think the desperation showed in my face. «I can bring you some bread and olives if you like?» said the charming young man. They were the best bread and olives I’d tasted in ages. And I didn’t get charged for them which made them taste even better.
My stomach now lined with bread and olives, I thought it was safe for my friend and I to risk another bottle of the delicious Cab Sauv… so we did. The lovely, warm, orangey-​red glow of the lights and décor matched the glow from us after that second bottle!
As cosy evening venues go, I would say Café Tabac is one of the best in Liverpool but I do feel like I need to go back in the daylight, possibly with less wine…
Watch this space…

‘The original downtown café’
Established in 1974, Tabac is a Liverpool institution that oozes bohemian charm. The walls are painted bright red, there’s a flickering neon sign and the staff all look like they’ve stepped off a Godard film set. In the daytime, Tabac is a sleepy café where you can read the papers, sip a cup of java and fill up on healthy breakfast or lunch. It’s at night that it truly comes alive however, with local artists, musicians and students conversing over beer, wine and cocktails.
Every Monday and Tuesday evening, Tabac host film screenings of world cinema in the back room and on Wednesdays, there’s live gypsy jazz. Thursdays to Saturdays, there’s a mix of local deejays spinning everything from classic funk, soul and disco to old skool hip hop. The rest of the time, you can expect to hear everyone from Serge Gainsbourg to Arctic Monkeys blasting out of the speakers.
The only thing that stops Tabac being the perfect continental coffee shop-​cum-​bar, is the lack of faded movie stars smoking endless cigarettes!