Local coffee legend Dantonio's moves to a new home in Metquarter

After more than a decade of serving coffee lovers at Liverpool’s Metquarter, local legend Antonio Modica is making an exciting move.

His much-loved coffee business, Dantonio’s, will open the doors to its brand-new, beautifully renovated unit on December 1.

The updated space promises a warm and inviting slice of Italy in the heart of the city, complete with nods to Antonio’s Italian roots.

After COVID, and being forced to close his business down, Antonio struggled to keep up with the larger coffee chains and was grateful for his loyal customers who would consistently come back and support his business, customers that Antonio now considers as family.

Antonio was also supported by fellow local business owner Sugar Smith, who posted on her social media for her followers to support Antonio’s business during the time after COVID, when the business was quiet. Her post went viral and gained over 5,000 shares and hundreds of comments and likes from those in the local community wanting to support Antonio’s business.

Sugar Smith said:

“I’m super excited to see the growth of Antonio’s coffee stand moving to a shop within Metquarter – this couldn’t have happened to a nicer man. I can’t believe from our first meeting that he would go viral and gain so much support from all over Liverpool. He really does make the best coffee! Most importantly though, I can now call him my friend – well done Antonio.”

Amongst the local support after Sugar Smith’s post was influencer Iwan Steffan, who posted a video to his Tik-Tok of him visiting Antonio’s coffee shop that went viral with over 290,000 views and thousands of likes and comments in support of Antonio’s independent coffee shop.

Credit: Dantonio's / Metquarter — Credit: Dantonio’s / Metquarter

Iwan said:

“I am thrilled to see Antonio finally getting his own store in the gorgeous Metquarter – and where better fitting than the old Costa shop! I absolutely love seeing small businesses thrive and I think this will be a great business move for Antonio. I’ll be visiting myself to make some content of the new shop opening. Antonio makes the absolute best coffee in Liverpool!”

Antonio Modica, owner of Dantonio’s said:

“I am so happy to finally be able to open the doors to my new coffee shop. The team at Metquarter along with my loyal regular customers have supported me so much and it is great to see this pay off with the opening of my new shop. My customers are truly like family to me, so I am so glad to be able to offer them a new venue to relax and catch up with friends.”

Jennina O’Neill, Centre Manager at Metquarter, said:

“Myself and the whole Metquarter team are so happy we are able to support Antonio’s business growth with the move to a standalone shop. Antonio really does have such a loyal customer base, and it is brilliant to see how they have supported him, allowing the business to take its next step and bring a slice of Italy into Metquarter. He really does supply the best coffee in the city, and we are excited to see where this next chapter takes him.”

Dantonio’s will open 8AM-6PM Monday to Saturday and 9:30AM-5:00PM on Sunday within Metquarter, located on the lower level of the shopping mall.