Lu Ban named Liverpool's best restaurant

Chinese restaurant Lu Ban has been named the best restaurant in Liverpool, scooping the big win at the 2021 Liverpool City Region Tourism awards. 

The annual ceremony recognises excellence across the city region's tourism and hospitality industry and are delivered by Growth Platform – Liverpool City Region Growth Company.

The fine dining restaurant, based in the city's Baltic Triangle, took home the coveted Restaurant of the Year award, doubling its win with the Resilience and Innovation award. 

The ceremony took place in Liverpool Cathedral on 10 March. It marked the first in-person ceremony for three years, with the previous two events taking place online.

Lu Ban executive head chef Dave Critchley comments: "This was a huge icing on the cake for us. It is a huge credit to the team who have worked under some incredibly difficult circumstances. We're still a relatively new restaurant and this is a very difficult award to win. We were up against some top, well-established restaurants in Liverpool and this one is won on merit."

The Innovation and Resilience award recognised Lu Ban's lockdown efforts. During this time, the restaurant launched a UK-wide home delivery service called Lu Ban Kitchen, on top of creating the Liverpool Independent Delivery Service (LIDS), which worked with a number of businesses in the city. Lu Ban also got involved in several charity initiatives. 

Critchley adds: "During lockdown, we were creating new businesses, employing people who were out of work at the time, we helped generate revenue for up to 37 local businesses as well as cementing our future. 

"The award also recognised all our work in the community and getting food out to people who needed it through LIDS, the Well Fed Food Project, the food banks and Knowsley Kitchen.

"This was a very significant and poignant award for us as it recognised everything we did through lockdown. To get that recognition from the city is absolutely amazing."

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