The team are celebrating 10 years in business this month
Ella Stephenson (centre), from Buyers Club with Erin Cass (left) and Nathan Stuart(Image: Photo by Andrew Teebay)
A “tucked away” Liverpool restaurant that’s long been a “go-to” place in the city is celebrating an incredible milestone. Heading through a colourful alleyway off Hardman Street in Liverpool city centre, you’ll find popular neighbourhood bar and kitchen, Buyers Club, in Hardman Yard.
It was back in 2015 that Buyers Club breathed new life into the disused space that was once home to The Picket and through the years, they have offered everything from live music and events to delicious food and drink. Boasting handmade pasta dishes, pizzas, desserts, craft ales, cocktails and more, the chefs at Buyers Club prepare dishes by hand in a partly-exposed pasta kitchen for customers to see.
And while menu items and the wine list change frequently, there is always something new to discover and love. This weekend marks 10 years since Buyers Club officially opened its doors – and whether you sit inside admiring the brick walls decorated with art or soak up the sun in the yard outside, the venue still prides itself on being “somewhere for everyone.”
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Marketing, events and reservations coordinator Ella Stephenson, 27, told the Liverpool ECHO: “This site used to be The Flying Picket, which was a music venue. That closed around 2006 and the building was derelict and no one was using it.
“It was a group of four guys who started the idea of Buyers Club in 2015 to be a bar, restaurant and club. There was the restaurant on one side, the bar on the other side, the garden and upstairs was the music venue.
A colourful alleyway leads you to Buyers Club(Image: Photo by Andrew Teebay)
“It was a lot to handle in one venue – so in 2018, the club closed and it just became all one thing, Buyers Club bar and restaurant. The main idea was to be neighbourhood friendly restaurant and bar, that’s not pretentious and just very easy – and it’s stuck to that.”
In the last decade, many customers have come to love Buyers Club, for its beautiful décor, incredible dishes and chill atmosphere. But so many people are still discovering it.
Head of marketing for QVO Hospitality, Harry Jones, 28, told the ECHO: “I always describe Buyers Club as the one place to go in Liverpool. If anyone is going to Liverpool for a weekend away from home, I say you’ve got to have a bite to eat and a spritz in the Buyers garden.
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“It’s tucked away and it kind of not what you’d expect. It’s really green, we’ve got lots of plants in the garden and we had a cocktail special on a couple of weeks ago where we used some of the peaches that we grew in the garden.
“It has that kind of neighbourhood, local, relaxed vibe and anyone and everyone is welcome. We see a lot of people coming in and drinking and celebrating, but it’s nice we still have the layout of a restaurant side and the bar side.
“You can come in, have your dinner, then you can move over into the bar side and carry on your night, which we see a lot of people doing. People are here for hours and hours and we absolutely love that.”
Inside Buyers Club(Image: Photo by Andrew Teebay)
Today, Buyers Club offer everything from arancini to shin of beef ragu parpardelle, pepperoni calabrese pizza, tiramisu and more – but the team in the kitchen are also known for a number of staples that customers can’t get enough of.
Ella said: “We make fresh pasta every day and every chef knows how to make the pasta. The dough is all made fresh, all of our sauces are made fresh, it’s all fresh produce.
“We don’t buy anything in really, we make it all in-house. We’re known for our Cacio e pepe butter beans and I remember when we took our ‘Nduja sausage parpardelle off the menu and people went crazy, so we had to put that back on.
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“We’re tucked away and we still get people coming up the alleyway and saying we had no idea you were here. They’re local and say how do we not know about it.
“It’s pretty impressive when you walk up that alleyway and it opens up into that amazing garden.” Through the years, the team have also come to know so many customers, seeing generations come through their doors.
Harry said: “The thing I love is that people who have been coming for years, they choose to spend their big life moments with us. You hear all these stories liked coupled got engaged and married here and now they’ve come in for their first outing with their adopted children.
The restaurant prides itself on great food and service(Image: Photo by Andrew Teebay)
“At the end of the day, it makes it all worthwhile. All the hard work you put in is really appreciated by people and that’s really nice.” Now reaching their milestone 10th anniversary, Ella said the team are all proud to be part of Buyers Club and its success.
She said: “I love going to work every day. I never got bored – it’s just always fun and always something new happening. I think it’s an amazing company to work for and it’s just the feeling of being part of a team. We’re all friends, we’re all like a family.
“I’m also proud that we’ve just got a new house charity with Asylum Link. As a team, we’re really proud of everyone.”
It has a beautiful garden area(Image: Photo by Andrew Teebay)
Harry added: “We’ve always championed supporting local artisans across the board, whether that be working with local suppliers, supporting local DJs and we also have a rotating gallery space in the bar, so we work with various local artists.
“We have that solid foundation of having a strong team and people who really believe in and love what they’re doing. To reach 10 years is an achievement we’re all super proud of and it’s not one we’re taking lightly.
“That’s why we’re having a big massive party on Saturday to kind of give back – and everyone’s invited.” To celebrate their 10th anniversary, Buyers Club are hosting a special birthday event this weekend on Saturday, September 13.
The team at Buyers Club is celebrating 10 years in business(Image: Photo courtesy of Buyers Club )
Open from 12pm, the official festivities kick off at 2pm until late – with free entry and no bookings required. The event will see DJs playing from 2pm till late, as well as a kitchen takeover by Pasta Slut, free face painting, temporary tattoos and special drink deals.
Buyers kitchen will have pizza by the slice, arancini and birthday cake soft serve and around 4pm, you can get involved in a tiramisu eating competition. Buyers Club is located at 24 Hardman Yard, Liverpool city centre, L1 9AX – to find out more, click here.