Although now known for its Sunday roasts and scouse (a dish that’s similar to an Irish stew), Ma Boyle’s Alehouse & Eatery actually started out life as a coffee shop in 1870. The coffee shop soon became a wildly popular oyster bar, which stayed open in the original location until 1974. Ma Boyle’s then relocated to Tower Building, where it operates as an alehouse today. Ian Hoskins - the current owner of Ma Boyle’s - also runs the famous Victorian pub Ma Egerton’s in Liverpool. Hoskins refurbished the eatery in the style of a Parisian bistro meets British pub, with more traditional British pub seating upstairs and a cabaret bar available for private hire downstairs.
Brunch is served throughout the week, with American and British favourites on the menu. Customers can have their full English meaty, veggie or vegan and the alehouse also offers fluffy American pancakes doused in maple syrup. Bottomless brunch is very popular at Ma Boyle’s, and the restaurant offers a wide range of drinks, from Bellinis to cask ale. The weekend brunch menu is slightly larger than the weekday menu, and brunch service finishes earlier on a Sunday.
Ma Boyle’s is known for its hearty traditional British fare, offering steak and ale pies, fish and chips as well as ‘blind’ and beef scouse. Scouse is a dish local not only to Liverpool but to the city’s waterfront. Similar to an Irish stew, but typically served with beef rather than lamb, scouse is slow cooked with root vegetables for several hours. At Ma Boyle’s it is served in the traditional way, with pickled red cabbage and bread and butter. Vegetarian scouse is known as ‘blind scouse’, and is often made with beans or pulses instead of meat. If you have room after your roast, Ma Boyle’s also serves dessert: try the decadent sticky toffee pudding served with vanilla ice cream or the homemade chocolate brownies.