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A recent addition to Allerton Road, Ei8ht Wine Bar and Restaurant has a way of putting you in the mood for a relaxed dining experience. Perhaps it's the unusually comfortable sofas. Or is it the chic interiors? Maybe it's the college students in Liverpool who light up the place with their buoyancy and laughter. Whatever the reason, this is surely the place to keep in mind if you're looking for good food and friendly service in a sophisticated ambience at reasonable prices.

There are menus for the bar, restaurant, Sunday lunch and a two course evening special menu. The Norwegian Atlantic prawn salad, the Ei8ht breakfast, the goosnargh chicken breast and the British rib-eye steak are just a sample of the excellent food available here. There is a well stocked wine cabinet of course, apart from a wide selection of spirits, draught beers and cocktails. Come here for a business luncheon or before heading out to the city centre in the evening. Ei8ht even has its own London bus to help guests over to their next destination. An exceptionally warm gesture from a 21st century bar.

Ziba was established in 1997 but moved in 2003 to the ground floor of the Racquet Club Hotel on Chapel Street, opposite the Liver Building. The building is a magnificent Victorian gem built in the form of a Venetian Palazzo by a Liverpool merchant in 1857. The restaurant benefits from large arched windows in a big airy space with an adjacent cosy bar. James Morgan a young, talented and very enthusiastic chef, has recently been put in charge of the kitchen, aiming to boost quality and add extra flair to the traditional food served.

A typical meal could begin with rabbit, broad bean pancetta and grain mustard fricassee; Claremont farm asparagus with pan fired duck egg and smoked Cecina de Leon beef; pan fried Goosnargh corn fed chicken livers with spiced pancetta and baby leaf salad; goats cheese and red pepper wrapped in leek with pickled beetroot and balsamic reduction.

With a choice of mains like roast Goosnargh corn-fed chicken breast tandoori with curried potato and spinach with daal jus; roast lamb rump and sauté potatoes with beetroot and spring cabbage and red wine jus; grilled sea bass fillet and smoked haddock with petit pois a la francais and poached egg and roast Claremont farm parsnips and butternut squash gnocchi with Lancashire blue cheese cream.

Desserts include iced Claremont farm strawberry parfait with clotted cream and Anne Forshaw's yoghurt; elderflower poached pear with lemon and orange posset; selection of British cheeses with chutney and sticky toffee pudding with vanilla ice cream.

Discover the unique flavours of southern Italy at Prego in Ormiskirk Road. Walking distance from Aintree racecourse, guests can relax and unwind in the venue's airy and cheerful ambience highlighted with matt walnut woods and a contemporary palette of reds, off-whites and greys.

Prego's à la carte selection is constituted from fresh, quality ingredients. Enjoy traditional dishes such as Calabrese sausages, Tuscan bean soup, mozzarella in filo pastry, spicy homemade meatballs and seared prawns and salmon fishcakes with tartar sauce. The fresh baked breads are either served simply with olives or with a variety of toppings. The pasta range includes spaghetti, linguine, tagliatelle, penne, fusilli, ravioli, tortellini and lasagna. Options such as stuffed chicken breast wrapped with pancetta, roast lamb shank, beef stroganoff and sea bass fillet with spinach and garlic announce the main course. The wood-stone oven generates classics such as margherita and quatro stagione and contemporary pizzas with toppings of poached egg, spicy beef, pineapple and even marshmallow and nutella. Sip a champagne cocktail before dinner and enjoy a selection of Italian wines as well.