Carlisi thanks Liverpool as it prepares to celebrate its 4th birthday

Ciao, buongiorno, Bella, amore… ok so most of us may not speak authentic Italian, but you can certainly eat authentic Italian – get September 3 in your diary as Carlisi bar on Dale Street, home of Sicilian street food, celebrates its 4th birthday.

If you’ve not had an introduction to Sicilian street food (where have you been?) then now is your time because they want the whole city to celebrate their special day with them.

The family run Sicilian bar serves up freshly made bar snacks, sandwiches, and sharing platters using only the finest Italian ingredients. The Carlisi brothers have certainly made a name for themselves in the city over these four years.

Credit: Carlisi

Battling through the Covid-19 Pandemic and adapting through restriction tiers, they’ve come out the other side stronger than ever before.

Alessio Carlisi, owner, said:

“The past four years have been amazing. We have a wonderfully loyal customer base, and there is always new people coming to try our unique Italian experience which is so nice to see.

Even during times like the pandemic, we were able to quickly adapt into a takeaway, and everyone was wanting to come and support us. That is why every year I like to celebrate Carlisi’s birthday with a big party.”

Credit: Carlisi

The big birthday bash will include live bands from 5.00pm, DJ from11.00pm-2.00am – you’ll also receive a glass of Prosecco on arrival along with some Italian nibbles. Alessio added: “August 31 is our official birthday, but we wanted to wait until the weekend so that more people were able to celebrate with us properly.”

Alessio told The Guide: “I came to Liverpool in 2009, and I didn’t know any English. I was blown away by the people more than anything. [Scousers] are so friendly and helpful, its been a great place to learn and grow, I’m so thankful.

Credit: Carlisi

“To own a bar/restaurant has been a dream of mine ever since I was a kid, I‘ve had over 15 -years experience in the hospitality industry, and I wanted to utilise that knowledge and make my dream a reality by creating the authentic Italian bar experience that Carlisi has become.

“The business is growing all the time, we now have our own gin, Agrigento”. Carlisi’s gin is named after the area of Sicily where Alessio, and his brother Federico, grew up. They use lemons and oranges from their hometown in Sicily to create the flavours in the gin.”

Credit: Carlisi

He added: “In the future we wish to make a variety of flavours, but with how well the original is going at the moment, we are in no rush to start creating that. It’s a really exciting time for us and we love that it’s Liverpool we get to share our journey with.”

Carlisi is located at 92-94 Dale Street, for more information you can keep up to date with them on Instagram here.

By Chris Grundy