The Baltic Social

Walked out here for breakfast from the Liver Building area, as we’d seen a post about their breakfast online. We arrived late on a Saturday morning, suitably refreshed from our breezy walk and it was pretty dead. The staff were friendly and service was efficient and the food was fine (nothing special, but totally acceptable) but the place is FILTHY. Calling yourself a dive bar is all well and good but you do still need to adhere to basic hygiene laws.
The table we were sat at was so sticky, I had to put a napkin down to stop my arms from adhering to the surface. The cutlery on the table wasn’t the cleanest but it’s the toilets that were absolutely heinous — not even just untidy but actually dirty. They didn’t look like they’d been cleaned from a heavy night of usage the night before — they smelt terrible, there was debris on the floor, no mirror, no toilet paper and were generally deeply unpleasant. As other reviewers have mentioned, there is a pervading pong of chip fat throughout which lingers on your clothing — major turn-​off.
I’m really glad I went in there after I ate or I’d have left immediately. I really wanted to like this place (love the idea of their punk afternoon teas and their fake wedding discos) but they need to familarise themselves with some Domestos pronto. For the cleanliness alone, I would not recommend anyone to visit there (unless you’re from the local council, do pop in and see for yourself!). If they sort that out, I’d be back in a heartbeat.

Nine of my friends booked in for The Baltic Social’s Punk Afternoon Tea as a celebration of handing our dissertations in. Don’t be fooled by the name as there’s not a drop of tea in sight.
We were seated at a table with mismatched crockery and furniture that gave off that comfy, shabby-​chic feeling that makes you want to curl up with a good book. We were given little pots of salted and sweet popcorn to share as our drink orders were taken. there was one teapot between two with the choices of either a vodka, gin or rum cocktail. Viktoria and I opted for the gin cocktail that was well-​balanced and tasted of berry. We were then given gigantic bowls of paprika fries to share that were so full of flavour that we had to warn our friend to not put salt on hers, it would have been way too overwhelming!
Then the main event arrived, the humungous, three tiered feast. Each person got a mini burger, a mini hotdog, a mini sandwich and a couple of pretzels and onion rings each. Even though the portions of each item were small, they were incredibly satisfying and filling yet it may partially be down to stuffing our faces with the popcorn and fries beforehand. The top tier of the photo I posted shows the vegetarian option and shows approximately one portion size.
Finally, we finished off with a slightly smaller cake stand filled the the brim with delicious puddings. We each got two slices of cake, one chocolate and one lemon, a lolly and a generous helping of other sweets such as Harribos, Maoams and Love Hearts. The cakes were incredible, especially the chocolate one that was slightly crunchy like a brownie. I did ponder at the start of the meal whether there would be enough food to go around but there really was, we ended up leaving some of the sweets and fries!
I highly recommend trying this alternative, cooler version of an afternoon tea. It’s not only visually stunning and will gives you seriously cool photos to brag to your friends about on Facebook and Instagram, but packs a punch in the taste department. These babies are in high demand so call ahead to reserve your table!

This place was really awesome. Excellent beer selection even though many of the beers listed on the menu were not available. We got the pulled lamb. It was delicious. The lamb was perfectly cooked. The sauce was a nice complement. Not oversauced. Pomegranate arils on the lamb were a nice touch. The couscous was good.
We also got an order of fried shallots. These were on the tea menu, but not the regular menu. They were delicious. I highly recommend getting them in addition to whatever else you order.
Also, sweet Moonwalker machine by the door!

I do love the Baltic Social — the food is great and the atmosphere there on busy nights is just right but I just wish they could sort out the almost permanent smell of chip fat in there! It seriously puts me off going in there if I’m not eating.
Mind you if that is the price you have to pay for one of the best fish fingers sandwiches in Liverpool then I’m prepare to pay it! Homemade fishfinger sandwich with homemade tartare sauce in a brioche bun with spring coleslaw and fat chips — YES PLEASE!
The new spring menu is awesome actually so maybe the answer is to just eat in there more often so the chip fat smell doesn’t bother me ;-)