A look at the story behind Bacaro and why it was a fitting choice for the goodbye to two Liverpool legends
Salt House Bacaro is a favourite for diners in the city
Salt House Bacaro is a favourite for diners in the city (Image: Holly Clarke)
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Liverpool players gathered last night (May 12) in the city centre to bid farewell to Andy Robertson and Mohamed Salah. The footballers have been legendary figures for the Reds since they joined the club in the summer of 2017.
In the nine years since, the two have been mainstays in a Red shirt, and been pivotal figures in enjoying trophy laden spells on Merseyside. Their time at the club will be coming to an end this summer as both legends have confirmed they will be moving on at the end of the 2025/26 campaign.
Salah and Robertson have just two games remaining in a Red shirt as Liverpool will close out their season with matches against Aston Villa and Brentford. The two legends have come to represent much more than just footballers during their time with the club.
Ahead of what is set to be an emotional goodbye, the Liverpool FC stars gathered at Salt House Bacaro on Castle Street last night to raise a toast to what they have achieved.
The ECHO visited the restaurant last night amid reports Liverpool FC had booked the restaurant out and spotted head coach, Arne Slot, as he left the restaurant around 9.20pm. Salah made a quick exit shortly after, swiftly followed by Robertson.
In an age when many of the players live outside of the region in Cheshire, it was refreshing to see a city centre restaurant chosen to host such an important event.
Salt House Bacaro is one of Liverpool's most acclaimed restaurants in the city's plush business district so it's perhaps no surprise this would entice the footballers to spend an evening in its surroundings. Opened in 2014 by Jonathan Poole and Paddy Smith, the Venetian small plates restaurant has been a favourite on the Liverpool food scene ever since.
Mr Poole said his story began when he set up Chez Jules in 1997. Speaking in 2021 to mark the launch of Bouchon, a restaurant, which has since closed, he said: "I guess I'm best known in trade circles for the Ego brand which was born out of Chez Jules. Twelve restaurants later and it's back to my roots.
"That period of my business life was just a whirlwind. I learned a huge amount about the industry having joint established the Ego business in 1999 eventually sold to the management team behind La Tasca.
"Critically, I met Paddy [Smith, co-owner of Bouchon] in the same year as establishing Ego and genuinely ever since, we've been a very solid foundation together as business partners."
They have since gone on to form a successful restaurant group with Salt House Tapas, which opened in 2010, another favourite in the city. The two also own the Hanover Street Social.
The ECHO reviewed Bacaro in 2022 and it seems like it was certainly a venue befitting the Liverpool stars. Reviewer Emily Gotting said: "Every single dish was phenomenal, fresh, and absolutely bursting with flavour, but the best part was the portion size.
"When you go to a tapas restaurant you can often leave feeling a little peckish if you haven’t ordered enough. Many often end up spending a fortune on small plates that aren’t really going to touch the sides, unless you have loads of them.
"At Bacaro, that definitely wasn’t going to be a problem, because the portions were absolutely massive. The dishes from the spuntini section virtually filled up all four of us, and that was before we’d ordered our two tapas dishes of choice for the main course!"
She added: "Everything was a triumph, even the octopus, which I was a little dubious about at first I’ll admit. I particularly loved the cheesy creamy risotto with just the right amount of seasoning, and the pancetta croquette was a solid 10/10.
"Bacaro is a perfect option for a spot of lunch or a lavish dinner with friends, with tapas dishes that feel like main meals and heaps of flavour. I’m giving my experience five stars, and will definitely be visiting here again." You can read the full review here