Tenerife-Scouse couple getting all 5-star reviews and queues out the door at their Canarian cafe

A couple who launched their café to bring a flavour of the Canary Islands to Liverpool city centre now have all 5-star reviews and queues out the door for their fresh-made tortillas and Spanish-style sandwiches.

Borja Castro, who comes originally from Tenerife, and Scouser Natasha Eisikovits opened Castro’s in Hackins Hey, off Dale Street, in December 2023.

Having never cooked before, Borja brought together all his family’s recipes to create a menu of traditional bocadillos – aka butties – tapas dishes and sharing platters.

They’ve won a huge fanbase for not only the food but the relaxed vibe the little hidden gem café has.

Tasha says customers regularly comment on how much Castro’s reminds them of being on holiday.

Castro's El Castro bocadillo — Castro’s El Castro bocadillo

“Everyone says they feel like they’re in Tenerife or Spain when they’re here and we get a lot of Spanish people coming as well because they appreciate food that tastes like home.”

The couple met when they were working together at a restaurant in town where Borja was manager and Tasha was a waitress.

“We’ve both worked in hospitality for years and Borja especially dreamed of opening somewhere himself. We’d always say, ‘one day, if we could’.

“When he decided to leave the restaurant, he was thinking about getting an office job, but we know the owners of the Denbigh Castle pub and they called Borja to tell him there was an empty place next door to them.

“As soon as we walked in, he said he wanted to take it and once we got the keys he started ringing all of his family in Tenerife, getting recipes from his grandma and his aunties.

“Even though he’d never really cooked before, as soon as he started making the food I knew we were going to be fine.

“Every time we went back to Tenerife, the thing we loved to do the most was to go to the little cafes and just get a sandwich and have a beer. It’s a different feel to a restaurant and there was nothing quite like it in Liverpool – somewhere you can have a drink that’s not as formal as a restaurant.

Last summer's Castrochella — Last summer’s Castrochella

“When we took this place there was a wall separating the kitchen and the front, with just a window to pass food through. Straight away he knocked it down because he wanted it to be like the cafes in Spain, where he could be making the food but also chatting to people at the same time.”

Tasha admits they took a gamble on Liverpool customers liking the traditional Canarian food, but it’s definitely paid off.

“Borja wanted to cook the food that they have at home in Tenerife and people have really taken to it.

“They rave about the tortilla, either in a sandwich or just tapas tortilla. We do regular plain and a different special each day, including quite a few veggie options, and people go mad for the truffle Manchego one. We might need to do it every day because we get asked for it so often.

“Borja makes all the sauces himself and uses those on the sandwiches which people absolutely love too. There are queues out the door and we sell out most days.”

Castro’s is officially open until 5pm weekdays and until 7pm on Fridays and Saturdays but Tasha says if it’s busy, customers are enjoying themselves and the sangria’s flowing, they’re happy to stay open later.

Combining Borja’s passion for his home cooking and Tasha’s Liverpool savvy has been key to their success.

“The cafe is based on him, even down to the way we’ve decorated,” she adds. “One of the walls has got all of his tattoos on and the other has a picture of Tenerife. But I understand how Scousers work so I designed the menu because I wanted everyone to be able to understand the food and I look after our Instagram. He’s making the product and I’m the one helping him sell it and I think it works well.”