Graffiti Spirits Group to open Duke Street market in Liverpool

Graffiti Spirits Group is set to open Duke Street Food and Drink Market in a restored, 100-year-old warehouse in Liverpool in April.

Aiming to become a culinary tourism destination, the three-storey, 500-capacity market will house numerous independent, artisanal brands, traders and start-ups.

It will include a 60-cover showpiece restaurant, six kitchens, a sushi bar and a cocktail bar with an ethical and sustainable focus, offering paper straws, minimal water usage and alternatives to lemons and limes, such as seasonal fruit.

Three operators have been confirmed, including Cinder, specialising in open wood fire cooking and headed by the team behind Belzan restaurant in Liverpool; Cuban street food concept and a winner of last year's Million Pound Menu programme on BBC Two Finca; and Cucina di Vincenzo, which has an Italian restaurant on the city's Woolton Road. The venue will also feature an outdoor roof terrace and a calendar of events.

Independent bar and restaurant group Graffiti Spirits, founded by Matthew Farrell and John Ennis, operates hospitality brands in the city including El Bandito, Slim's Porkchop Express, 81 and Santa Chupitos.

Farrell said: "It has become a larger job than expected, which can happen with buildings of this age, but the charm of the venue is phenomenal. We want it to be an artisanal hub for years to come and something that the people of Liverpool can be proud of.

"The aim is to keep pushing Liverpool's thriving food and drink scene forward and for Duke Street Market to become one of the top culinary tourist attractions in the North of England. We are in talks with a lot of well-established figures and want the final inclusions to become a collaboration of industry professionals operating under one roof."

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