I'm half Italian and was blown away by Liverpool's new authentic cafe

Francie’s Foccacia and Coffee is a quaint Italian café modelled around an Italian ‘focacceria’ – a type of Italian deli where freshly baked focaccia sandwiches are served alongside coffees and sweet treats.

They only opened last week but have already established themselves as an exciting new spot to visit. Half of my family is Italian, so I was anticipating this visit, perhaps more than most, as a chance to taste all of the flavours I had been missing – and maybe even discover some new ones.

I grew up with home-cooked Italian food, so I was searching for the same feeling when visiting. Their menu has familiar combinations such as prosciutto (Italian ham) and mozzarella, and some which may not be as well-known, like bresaola (air-dried, salted beef) and parmesan.

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Aside from sandwiches, they also offer salads and anti pasti dishes, the traditional first course of an Italian meal that is usually served on a platter for everyone to share. The sisters who have now expanded their business also run a pasta restaurant, which the ECHO visited in 2020, but this venture has a more personal touch as the new focacceria is named after their grandfather, Frank, who was from Genoa – a city renowned as “the birthplace of focaccia.”

It was a gesture that really stuck with me as it reminded me of my own grandfather, who was from a town just two hours away from the city. The café, based at Albert Dock, not only has a diverse menu but even serves wine. However, when we visited, we opted for the classic combination of coffee and cannoli. Guests can opt to sit inside or take away their food, making it a perfect choice for grabbing a bite to eat on your lunch break.

The interior is a bright, cheerful atmosphere in Italian Riviera style colours, where you can watch your sandwich being prepared with fresh ingredients imported from Italy. I ordered an iced latte and a salted caramel cannoli, but their famed specialty coffee is an indulgent pistachio cappuccino featuring pistachio cream and crushed pistachios. Watching it be prepared was a tempting sight.

The iced latte was instantly a firm favourite, overtaking any chain café coffee by a mile. The coffee is imported from Italy and brewed on site, and it’s hard to beat a proper Italian coffee. Move over Costa, Francie’s is in town. As someone with an Italian family, I’m no stranger to a cannoli, but this one was by far one of the best I have tried.

I opted for the salted caramel variety, but they also sell pistachio flavoured. The crunchy shell combined with a creamy salted caramel filling was a perfect combination that had me wanting to come back for more. I think that this focacceria is definitely worth a visit. I already can’t wait to go back for more.