After years of neglect, New Brighton is firmly back on the map as a destination! The Victoria Road area in particular, now affectionately known as ‘The Victoria Quarter’, is a thriving hotspot — with a buzzy vibe, boss places to eat and drink and cool street art. Here’s our guide on how to spend a weekend in the seaside town (with special thanks to Tracey Rennie Photography for the stunning main image)….
Stay At The New Brighton Hotel
Situated in the heart of the Victoria Quarter, there’s no better place to stay than The New Brighton Hotel. Not only is it a boss hotel, the downstairs Bar & Lounge is a classy venue — serving a lunch menu and hearty pub food through the week, gorgeous Sunday Roasts and more. They have all the live sport, live music at weekends and if you’re staying for a celebration they offer free venue hire!
CHECK OUT NEW BRIGHTON HOTEL, BAR & LOUNGE ON FACEBOOK!
Start the day right at Social 114
Prepare for your New Brighton adventure by starting off with a top notch brunch at Social 114. From creamy mushrooms and shallots on sourdough to specials such as crayfish tails and mango open sandwich, locals have been raving about Social 114 since it opened in 2022. Serving the best coffee on Victoria Road, it’s a super cool hangout that also serves gorgeous fresh pastries and cakes.
CHECK OUT THE SOCIAL 114 WEBSITE!
Check out the street art
The Victoria Quarter is famous for its super cool street art and the area has come alive with colour thanks to the Rockpoint Leisure project. Local and international street artists have created some masterpieces and if you go into Rockpoint Records you’ll find the street art map so you can do the trail.
And more art at Oakland Gallery
Oakland Gallery, situated next to Rockpoint Records, hosts pop up art exhibitions and you’ll find some stunning pieces on display and for sale. Local and international artists have hosted exhibitions there — from street art and abstract pieces to political and cultural.
Explore Seabank Road
Just up the road from The Victoria Quarter, you’ll find the charming little area of Seabank Road. From independent retail gems such as The Vintage Interior Fairy and Vintage Weighs to cool coffee shops such as Kollective and Holy Mackerel it’s been dubbed ‘The Antiques Quarter’ of New Brighton. There’s the highly rated Rockwood restaurant and Magic Spices if you fancy an Indian.
Nickel City is a MUST!
Whether you hit Seabank Road in the daytime or evening, we insist you visit Nickel City! This cool neighbourhood hangout offers the best bagels in Wirral, mouth-watering brunch and lunch specials, freshly baked artisan delights and insane sourdough pizzas — with plenty of vegan options! A boss playlist is guaranteed and owner Cory and the guys are super friendly. Recently voted in the Top 10 pizza venues in Wirral, you need to go!
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Enjoy a well earned pint at The Bow Legged Beagle
After all that exploring you’ll have well earned a pint, so why not cool down with a nice cold one at The Bow Legged Beagle back down in the Victoria Quarter? The much loved micro pub has a revolving range of lagers, craft ales, stouts and more — with a quirky drink to suit everyone. From mango cider to chocolate stout, they got you covered! One of New Brighton’s finest watering holes for sure!
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Have some belter scran at The Good Hood
After some interesting beverages at The Beagle, head to The Good Hood! The Victoria Quarter’s latest addition has gone down a storm in New Brighton! With a huge outdoor terrace and a cool New York graffiti style, you can enjoy incredible burgers, fried chicken and messy comfort food — with a separate vegan menu and creative cocktails. A fun destination with quality food and drink and locals love it!
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Or The South Indian: New Brighton’s Best Kept Secret
Another mouth-watering gem, we highly recommend you try New Brighton’s Best Kept Secret — The South Indian. Serving flavoursome South Indian cuisine from curries to wraps at a great price, The South Indian is seriously special and you can enjoy their colourful creations at Rockpoint Records. Their food will make you move to New Brighton — trust us!
FOLLOW THE SOUTH INDIAN ON INSTAGRAM!
Dig the vibes at Rockpoint Records
After some quality Indian cuisine, stay for a pint and dig the vibes at Roackpoint Records — a firm favourite amongst Victoria Quarter goers, Rockpoint Records was one of the regeneration’s first venues. The music themed coffee shop and bar has a raw, brick wall style with cool features and a boss soundtrack. Check out the vinyl shop, get a tattoo, enjoy a cocktail in the secret bar or the secret courtyard and get down to some great live music in the evening.
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Check out the pub that went viral!
The James Atherton, a traditional English tavern named after the founding father of New Brighton, shot to fame for its hilarious renaming of ‘The Three Bellends’ and ‘The Two Helmets’ in a statement of defiance against the government. The most photographed pub in New Brighton, this Victoria Quarter traditional English tavern has live music, live sport and premium drinks.
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Experience New Brighton’s quirkiest venue….
Without doubt New Brighton’s quirkiest venue, Tallulah’s Emporium offers cheese, fine wine, specialist drinks and spritzes, artisan produce and incredible live music. With retro furniture, there’s no place like it in Wirral and here you can enjoy some spectacular live jazz, acoustic music, funk or vinyl nights. Tallulah’s is loved by locals and it’s one of our favourite venues in the region! Such a cool place!
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Some other venues to try….
For a lively night out, New Brighton has some real belters! To be fair, you can easily spend your whole night in the Victoria Quarter, hopping from venue to venue, but if you want to try some others you’re spoilt for choice! You’ll always have a laugh at The Perch Rock and The Harbour, Stanley’s Cask is one of the best live music venues in Wirral and The Phoenix is a late night sports bar that’s open until 3am.
Take on the Mega Breakfast at Becky’s Brekky
After a day and night of discovery (and plenty of drinks no doubt), you can’t go wrong with Becky’s Brekky — a popular choice on Victoria Road for many years now. Offering ‘proper food cooked properly’, you’ll find fantastic value breakfasts, binlids and more and their Sunday roasts to eat in or takeaway are to die for! If you like a challenge take on their Mega Breakfast — that’ll sort your hangover!
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You’ll never be short of breakfast choices in New Brighton!
To be fair, there are so many boss brekky choices in New Brighton! Just down the road from the Victoria Quarter there’s The Waiting Room cafe and model shop — extremely highly rated on Trip Advisor and also offering the best afternoon teas. Next to that you have Remember When tea room and Driftwood, then there’s others such as The Sea Shanty, The Seaside Cafe and Marino Lounge on the front.
Do something fun!
After a hearty breakfast, do something active to work off that hangover! There’s lots to do in New Brighton including crazy golf, bowling, lazer quest, Ultimate Airsoft, Adventureland and the arcades! You could try some water sports such at Wallasey Beach Club or Escape The Fort at Fort Perch Rock, but if you don’t fancy anything too strenuous there’s The Light Cinema or The Floral Pavilion theatre.
Walk along the prom & explore Vale Park
Take a relaxing walk along the UK’s longest promenade and enjoy spectacular views over to Liverpool (another stunning photo from Tracey Rennie here). New Brighton boasts panoramic views over to the city as you walk around the coast but also has gorgeous parks such as Millennium Gorse and Vale Park. Vale Park is a picturesque little park on the coast and is home to the fairy garden, beautiful flowers, a little play area, a bandstand with occasional live music events and Vale House.
The Coffee Roast at Vale House is incredible!
At Vale House within Vale Park, you can check out more art at Mersey Arts Zone and also enjoy some delights at The Coffee Roast! Serving home-made breakfasts (try their breakfast challenge if you dare), lunches, burgers, quality coffee, a huge range of delicious cakes and the best ice cream in New Brighton, if you have a sweet tooth, you will LOVE The Coffee Roast as much as we do!
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Have a pint at New Brighton’s most historic pub
After an amble through Vale Park, enjoy a pint at New Brighton’s most historic pub, The Magazine! With character, original features and lots of little snugs, this award winning 1700s pub offers quality pub food from burgers to fish specials to boss Sunday roasts and a fine selection of beers and cask ales. If it’s sunny, enjoy your pint outside in their fantastic beer garden. There’s live music at weekends too!
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There are so many boss pubs in New Brighton!
There really are so many boss pubs in New Brighton! Some others to mention are The Pilot Boat, The Telegraph, The Sandridge, The Clarence Hotel, Homebrew Tap and The Ship for pool and live sport. Further on down the coast in Egremont you’ll find The Ferry, with stunning views over to Liverpool. If you’re getting the train into New Brighton, SUP opposite the train station is a really cool little joint too!
And plenty of top restaurants too….
There’s something for everyone when it comes to dining in New Brighton. In addition to some of the incredible restaurants we’ve already mentioned, and our favourites we’ve featured, there are a few down at Marine Point such as Ella, Portofino, the highly rated Bistro 115 and The Olive Tree. You certainly won’t be going hungry here that’s for sure!
We love New Brighton!
Here at La Vida Liverpool, our office is based in New Brighton and we absolutely LOVE the vibe of this incredible seaside town! A once thriving destination that fell into decline, it is now a phoenix rising from the ashes — with the Victoria Quarter regeneration project spearheading the independent business revolution that’s put the town back on the map. See you here soon!
