Fadi Hasan is already known on the street for another successful venture
The Chill-O Cafe team on Renshaw Street with owner Fadi Hasan(Image: Colin Lane)
A vibrant up-and-coming area in Liverpool city centre has welcomed a new addition – which according to the owner should’ve cost £80k in total. Cafe Chill-O, from the brains of Palestinian, Fadi Hasan, welcome its first set of customers through its doors on Renshaw Street at the start of this month.
The intimate venue now occupies the space, number 79, which Damas Mediterranean Kitchen was previously found at. The restaurant, which is also owned by Fadi, is still at the same address but on the first floor. In order to get to the restaurant customers now have to go through Chill-O.
The 50-year-old, who was born in Syria’s capital, Damascus, but living in Croxteth, told the ECHO: “The idea for the cafe has been in my head for a long time. I really looked at the location we already had with the restaurant and what Renshaw Street was missing.
“Our first thought was for a coffee house but the situation was complicated. We needed to make sure this style of venue was suitable for the street.
Owner Fadi Hasan outside number 79 on Renshaw Street.
“There has been a lot of changes in the last seven years in Liverpool and Renshaw Street. Most of the food industry has gone elsewhere, just look at Bold Street.
“We wanted our small space to be warm and somewhere communities could meet, but still thrive on the street. We want it to be a different experience than anything else.”
Fadi moved to Liverpool over 25-years-ago to join his brother in education. He studied fine art at Liverpool Community College before graduating from a university in Preston.
The dad-of-two had planned to follow his passion but his journey “just twisted unexpectedly” and he made his way into the catering industry. Fadi recalled how it wasn’t long before he had his first business under his belt and the rest soon followed.
Fast-forward to today and he is still at the helm of two of them, with Fadi overseeing a team-of-eight at Chill-O.
The design of Chill-O cafe on Renshaw Street was created by Fadi, a Fine Art graduate-turned owner
The former University of Lancashire student said: “Liverpool is my home. It is the first place I think of when I think about home. As a Palenstian, I never really felt a connection with my birth home. I was born in Damascus and I love Syria for sure, but it doesn’t really feel part of me the way Liverpool does.
“To have people from my home accept my idea, makes me happy. We are quite excited with how things are going. It is still early days, we only opened on the first of September 1. So we are still trying to build our customer base up.
“We’ve managed to get a good following so far, organically, but we need to keep going. The space has been created all by me. As an artist, I invested so much time into this.
“It has taken me a lot of time and a small budget but it has been all worth it. If you wanted to create this space, everyone would cost you around 80 grand, but my personal efforts and touch with my experience I was able to do it for much smaller.
Inside Chill-O Cafe on Renshaw Street.
“To see it come alive now makes me very happy. It was a lot of pressure to get the venue to where it is now. With us being open, it is a new chapter for myself and the business.
Running between Lime Street station and the bombed-out church of St Luke’s, Renshaw Street provides a vibrant mix of cultures and cuisines, all nestled between the historic redbrick architecture and new high-rise apartment blocks.
Sometimes overlooked in favour of its more famous neighbour of Bold Street, Renshaw Street has seen a recent resurgence. Vendors from Vietnam, Hong Kong and India line the street, with Nepalese and Japanese restaurants all attracting a steady stream of customers day in, day out.
Chill-O Cafe cheesecake special
The ECHO previously visited the street to see what the buzz was all about. One passer-by told the ECHO: “Back in the late noughties Renshaw Street used to be the place to go with the likes of Caesar’s Palace. But it then went into a bit of disrepair, but it has now seen a resurgence in recent years.”
Nothing sums up the spirit of Renshaw Street’s culinary melting pot quite like the vibrant colours of Renshaw Street Food Market. Lighting up the street with luminous neon signage, the bustling food hall feels like you’re in Liverpool’s own little corner of Tokyo.
Located at the meeting point of Renshaw Street and Leece Street, the market opened in June 2022 is home to 12 different ‘gourmets’. From Turkish to Thai food, customers can sample dishes from around the world all in one place.
Deepak, one of the assistant managers at the market, told the ECHO: “It’s a mix of different cultures, all under one roof. People from different countries, different cities.”
Renshaw Street Food Market.(Image: Liverpool Echo/Colin Lane)
This trend continues as you venture along the street. A plethora of Asian supermarkets intertwined with bubble tea spots are dotted along the road. Tiger Rock, a popular ‘hawker food’ inspired Asian restaurant, chose Renshaw Street as the location for its largest branch in the city.
Ansil Kharel, who runs the popular Nepalese restaurant MOMO’s, explained the rise of Asian restaurants along this specific street. He said: “It’s a natural progression, people go to where the community is. Along with all the Asian shops, it becomes a known area for good street food”.
Anh, a waiter at Miss Pho’s a Vietnamese shop, echoed this and said: “Chinatown is nearby, it attracts all different Asian communities. It is definitely an up-and-coming area.”
However, in the face of ongoing change, the street’s history has not been forgotten. The redbrick architecture that is so familiar in many parts of the city still dominates the façades of many buildings. And further regeneration is still needed in the area, with Renshaw Street’s apparent new lease of life seemingly not having had the same effect on the north end of the road.