Bars and restaurants which have closed so far this year

The beginning of 2025 has seen a number of bars and restaurants close their doors. They include a well-known restaurant which has been in Liverpool city centre for over 15 years, and a unique Castle Street bar.

In 2024, Liverpool lost several venues including Chinatown's Yuet Ben, Ropewalks' Crazy Pedro's and Hardman Street's The Florist. Many venues have closed due to the rising cost of business, while others shut their doors for other reasons.

Despite being more than two weeks into 2025, the region has sadly lost several venues. Here's five Merseyside hospitality businesses which have closed this in January.

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The Italian Club Fish

The Italian Club Fish, a seafood restaurant found on Bold Street in the city centre, announced its closure 'with immediate effect'. The restaurant issued a public statement on Instagram on Monday, January 13 to confirm the sad news.

The statement said: "With hearts full of emotion, we write to inform out dear customers that The Italian Club Fish has closed with immediate effect. Proudly positioned at the top of the iconic Bold Street since 2009, we have had the honour and privilege of being the ONLY seafood restaurant in the heart of Liverpool.

"We wish to express our deepest gratitude to everyone who fined with us, supplied us, supported us, worked with us and helped us to become a special place in the lives of so many. A special thank you goes out to our extraordinary staff and management team who, with passion and dedication, ensured the highest quality of food and hospitality every single day for our customers.

"It is hard to accept that all good things must come to an end, but nothing can ever erase the deep bond our restaurant shared with Liverpool, our customers, and everyone who made The Italian Club Fish an integral part of the culinary history of this great city.

"We will carry you in our hearts forever as we hope that you will forever carry 'Fish Club' in yours."

Burnt Truffle

Gary Usher closed one of his Merseyside restaurants, Burnt Truffle in Heswall, "for good" after its ten year lease came to an end. It is one of five restaurants opened by the chef's company, Elite Bistro's - three of which are situated in Merseyside.

Although Usher says he could have renewed the lease, he admitted he's "never been able to make [Burnt Truffle] work." Announcing the closure on social media, he said: "I need to share some news and, unfortunately, it's not great news.

"We are now closed for good. Burnt Truffle had a 10 year lease and that lease has come to an end. I could have renewed that lease but the honest truth is I've never been able to make it work here.

"I've been quite vocal about how difficult the government have made it over the last few years but, ultimately, I've never been able to make it work here, so the best business decision for us is to close. So we're closing Burnt Truffle from today.

"It's a sad day, it really is. When I think back to when we opened here, we had the likes of Jay Rayner coming, and we got two Rosettes quite quickly too, we were the first crowdfunded restaurant in the UK with non-investment crowdfunding - that started our journey with crowdfunding actually.

"What does this mean for the business moving forward? Well, we carry on, we just keep going, we keep trying and we keep innovating to get through these tough times. That's it really."

LEAF

The founder of LEAF said the decision to close one of its branches with immediate effect came after "years of relentless cost pressures". LEAF first opened on Bold Street in Liverpool in 2010, run by siblings Natalie and Graham Haywood.

The brand later opened a second branch on Smithdown Road and a site in West Kirby in 2020, shortly before the national lockdown measures came into force. In a lengthy statement shared to Instagram on Thursday, January 2 LEAF said its West Kirby branch has closed immediately. The company cited financial struggles and a "fragile industry" that looks "bleaker than ever".

Natalie confirmed the company will now focus on its remaining sites following the closure of the West Kirby branch. She told the ECHO: "We've been operating in Liverpool for years so our market is secure and diverse. Everything we do has been built up over years of work and the Bold Street and Smithdown venues are still in good shape.

"Smithdown is a smaller site to manage and Bold Street continues to be our best. I'm happy to say there are no plans for them to go anywhere. It's business as usual."

Viva Brazil

Castle Street's Brazilian steakhouse, Viva Brazil, informed customers of its closure at the beginning of the new year. The restaurant first opened in 2010 boasting two floors, a bar space, an outdoor seating area and the capacity for 200 guests.

A statement shared online read: "2025 will be the start of something new for Castle Street. We can confirm that Viva Brazil Liverpool is now closed Watch this space for the next big restaurant announcement for Liverpool."

The "next big restaurant" is now confirmed to be tapas venue El Gato Negro which will relocate from its longstanding home on Exchange Flags. The shift is scheduled for March with the restaurant trading as usual until then.

Lock and Key

Lock&Key Bar and Kitchen on Duke Street took to social media on Tuesday, December 31 to announce it would close its doors on Saturday, January 4. On Instagram, the venue, which also has a hotel upstairs - which will remain open - said: "Some of you may have noticed we’ve been quiet on social media recently… but behind the scenes, we’ve had big things brewing.

"It is with a very full heart that I would like to announce that Lock&Key Bar and Kitchen will be closing its doors as of Saturday 4th January 2025. This does not include Lock&Key Boutique Hotel which will be staying open for business as usual!

"The last 7 years have been a wild ride, filled with tantalising breakfasts, terrific cocktails and truly tremendous times. To our loyal customers, we would like to express the deepest of gratitude for supporting our journey. Thank you, thank you for spending your time, your money, and your nights off with us. To our staff, past and present, your passion and dedication have been the heart and soul of what Lock&Key stands for.

"It only feels right to go out with a bang- hence, we intend to make this weekend a celebration for the ages. Brunch services will run as normal, accompanied by live music on both Friday and Saturday evenings. So if you’re free, please head down to give our bar the send-off she deserves!

"And as the saying goes, when one door closes another opens…so keep your eyes posted for a huge announcement in early spring. Here’s to an amazing future."