New Mexican cantina, Picante, opens in Cains Brewery Village

This spring, Picante is popping up to bring a taste of Guadalajara to the heart of the Cains Brewery Village in Liverpool. Launching midday on Saturday March 15th, Picante promises to be part Mexican cantina, part margarita mecca and part Latin house party.

The brand-new Liverpool hotspot is the brainchild from a collective of the city’s independent hospitality figures; Joe Wild (Taco or Don’t), Kate Meehan (Gin Journey, Paloma Café, London) and Sally Jo Whitlow (Jenny’s Bar) are teaming up with Danny Murphy – originally behind Jenny’s Bar, Berry & Rye, Aloha, Botanical Garden, and Some Place – to bring Picante into vibrant life.

Situated across two floors in the former Dockleaf site, Picante will conjure the essence of Guadalajara and its bustling cantina scene. The venue’s exterior bursts with bright white and blue and hand-painted signage. Inside, the ground floor will retain the original features of the historic building (formerly a quality control site for Cains Brewery), with its baby blue tiles enhanced with baby pink trim and carefully curated artwork.

The food menu showcases six mouthwatering taco varieties including Birria, Baja Fish/Phish and Carne Asada. These will be accompanied by playful bar snacks including pickles, olives with grapefruit and smoked salt and addictive sides such as Bag-o-Nachos and Elote Ribs.

The drink offering is equally impressive. An extensive margarita menu featuring frozen, classic and flavoured varieties sits alongside a rotating selection of over 40 tequilas and mezcals – all available by the flight. Mexican beers, classic cocktails and the statutory Guinness are available too. And for those eager to perfect their cocktail game, starting in May Picante will host Margarita Masterclasses led by renowned drinks expert Kate Meehan – aka ‘Cocktail Kate’ – promising an engaging, hands-on experience for tequila enthusiasts of all levels.

Danny Murphy says:

“Picante is the collective vision from Joe Wild, Kate Meeham, Sally Whitlow and myself. We’ve long wanted to create a Mexican cantina-inspired venue and the old Dockleaf site in Cains Brewery Village is the perfect place to bring this to life. Our food menu is focused on flavour-packed tacos and snacks alongside a wonderful range of agave-based cocktails and tequilas. Agave is fast becoming one of the UK’s most popular spirits, and we’re channelling that in Picante and bringing the story to life, especially when we launch our masterclasses with Kate. Our aim is to create a high energy, fun and welcoming escape, perfect for the spring and summer months – Picante means spicy in Spanish, so we’re going to bring some much needed heat to Liverpool.”

Also launching in May, the first floor at Picante will be dedicated to the spirit of Mexican fiesta. Saturdays will play host to Liverpool’s first-ever Bottomless Mexican Brunch, featuring Breakfast Burritos, tacos and bottomless Margaritas, all soundtracked by DJs spinning high-energy Latin mixes – from classic reggaeton and Latin house to Salsa and Cumbia. Throughout the summer, the space will also host various daytime parties, including Cinco de Mayo, on its outdoor terrace – the perfect place for soaking up the sun, frozen margarita in hand. DJs will spin tunes every weekend to keep the party going from Dusk ‘til Dawn, with an unapologetically Latin-infused soundtrack.

After the launch weekend, Picante be open every Thursday to Sunday until the end of September.