The People Behind Liverpool's African and Caribbean Food (2026)
Behind every African and Caribbean shop, kitchen and salon in Liverpool is a person or a family who chose to build something for their community. Here are some of the people whose stories our data captured, from Matta's on Bold Street to family kitchens in Walton and Anfield, and how to find and support them near you.
African Stores Editorial Team
The short answer
Behind Liverpool's African and Caribbean food, shops and salons are independent people and families who have built something lasting for their communities, from the family that has run Matta's on Bold Street for over forty years to newer kitchens opened in tribute to a loved one. Many are Black owned businesses that double as gathering places, running meal support programmes, hosting coffee ceremonies and welcoming regulars for years on end. You can find and support these African and Caribbean businesses near you on African Stores.
What to remember
- Liverpool's African and Caribbean food scene is built by independent people and families, not chains, from long-standing grocers to family kitchens and salons.
- Matta's International Food on Bold Street has been family run since the 1970s and is the city's landmark international and African and Caribbean grocer.
- Several of these places do far more than trade, running meal support programmes, hosting coffee ceremonies and anchoring their communities.
- Newer kitchens carry real meaning, such as Obe's Kitchen, opened in tribute to the founder's late mother.
- You can find and support these independent businesses near you on African Stores.
Every shop front tells you something once you know who is behind it. A grocer that has kept the same corner of Bold Street for four decades, a kitchen opened in a mother's memory, a barber whose chair regulars have sat in for fifteen years: these are not simply businesses, they are the work of people who chose to build something where they live. Liverpool's African and Caribbean life has always been carried this way, by families and individuals who show up week after week for the people around them.
What our data kept turning up, again and again, was that human thread. The caterer who runs a meal support programme for people in need. The restaurant that roasts its own coffee for a traditional ceremony. The salon on County Road that made a national awards shortlist. Behind each rating and address is somebody's decision to cook the food of home, to keep a community store open, to give people a warm place to gather.
This is a small celebration of some of those people and the places they have made. It is not a complete picture, and the stories here are only the ones we could verify, but together they show the care and heritage that go into keeping African and Caribbean food, shops and salons alive across the city. When you shop and eat with them, you are keeping that going too.
The Long Standing Institutions
Few names carry as much weight in the city as Matta's International Food. Family run since the 1970s, it has celebrated forty years on Bold Street and remains the city's landmark international and African and Caribbean grocer, the place generations of Liverpool cooks have relied on for the ingredients of home. It holds a 4.6 on Google from 1,135 reviews, Google's rating. You will find it at 51 Bold St, Liverpool L1 4EU.
Over in Toxteth, Granby Supermarkets has long been part of the fabric of Granby Street. A long-standing community store in the heart of the neighbourhood, it is the dependable local grocer that people here have shopped at for years, and it holds a 4.5 on Google from 66 reviews, Google's rating. You will find it at 83 Granby St, Liverpool L8 2XA.
The Family Kitchens
Some of the warmest stories belong to the family kitchens. Obe's Kitchen, a Nigerian kitchen on Smithdown Road, was opened in April 2023 in tribute to the founder's late mother, and has since been featured in Liverpool Underlined. That sense of cooking in someone's memory sits behind every plate. It holds a 3.8 on Google from 44 reviews, Google's rating. You will find it at 387 Smithdown Rd, Liverpool L15 3JJ.
Up in Walton, Native Chef is a family run Nigerian kitchen that also sells Nigerian groceries, so you can eat well and pick up what you need for your own pot in one visit. It holds an excellent 4.7 on Google from 13 reviews, Google's rating. You will find it at 210 County Rd, Walton, Liverpool L4 5PJ.
Jovan's Kitchen in Anfield brings a distinctly Liverpool twist, a Nigerian kitchen that also serves British breakfasts alongside its Nigerian dishes, welcoming everyone at the table. It holds a superb 4.8 on Google from 140 reviews, Google's rating. You will find it at 86 Townsend Ln, Anfield, Liverpool L6 0BB.
The Community Places
A few of these kitchens are built around giving something back. Yahusha Palm Catering and Takeaway is a Caribbean caterer and takeaway that runs a meal support programme for people in need, food made to feed the community in more ways than one. It holds a perfect 5.0 on Google from 5 reviews, Google's rating. You will find it at 8 Westmorland Dr, Liverpool L3 6LR.
On Smithdown Road, Desta Restaurant has become one of the city's most loved kitchens, an Ethiopian restaurant that hosts a traditional Ethiopian coffee ceremony with in-house roasting, an experience as much as a meal. It holds an outstanding 4.9 on Google from 109 reviews, Google's rating. You will find it at 186 Smithdown Rd, Liverpool L15 3JT. You can read more about the food it serves in our guide to Ethiopian food.
The Liverpool Somali Community is a genuine anchor, a registered charity community centre with a cafe on Granby Street, a welcoming place to eat and to gather. It holds an outstanding 4.9 on Google from 19 reviews, Google's rating. You will find it at 57 Granby St, Liverpool L8 2TU.
Hair and Beauty
The people behind Liverpool's African and Caribbean hair and beauty are part of this story too. Faitcy Beauty Salon on County Road is a beauty salon and a UK Hair and Beauty Awards 2026 finalist, a real mark of the craft on show. It holds an outstanding 4.9 on Google from 39 reviews, Google's rating. You will find it at 277 County Rd, Liverpool L4 5PQ.
On Lodge Lane, Rasta Barbers has earned deep loyalty, a barber where customers report more than fifteen years in the chair, the kind of trust that only builds over time. It holds a superb 4.8 on Google from 53 reviews, Google's rating. You will find it at 51 Lodge Ln, Liverpool L8 0QE.
Supporting the People Behind the Shops
Independent shops, kitchens and salons like these keep the food and culture of home alive in Liverpool, and they only stay open when people choose them. Every visit is a small act of support for a family business, a community table or a person who took a chance on the neighbourhood. Ratings move and small places change their hours, so it is always worth a quick call before you travel. To find and support more African and Caribbean businesses near you, use the African and Caribbean food shops near you finder, browse African and Caribbean restaurants near you, or see the full list of African food stores in Liverpool.
Frequently asked questions
Who are the people behind Liverpool's African and Caribbean food?
They are independent people and families rather than chains, from the family that has run Matta's International Food on Bold Street since the 1970s to newer family kitchens across the city such as Native Chef in Walton and Jovan's Kitchen in Anfield. Many of these are Black owned businesses that serve as community anchors as well as places to eat and shop.
What is the oldest African and Caribbean shop in Liverpool?
Matta's International Food on Bold Street is the city's landmark international and African and Caribbean grocer. It has been family run since the 1970s and has celebrated forty years on Bold Street, making it one of the longest-standing names of its kind in Liverpool.
Are there African and Caribbean businesses in Liverpool that give back to the community?
Yes. Yahusha Palm Catering and Takeaway runs a meal support programme for people in need, the Liverpool Somali Community is a registered charity community centre with a cafe on Granby Street, and Desta Restaurant on Smithdown Road hosts a traditional Ethiopian coffee ceremony with in-house roasting.
Where can I get African and Caribbean hair and beauty done in Liverpool?
Faitcy Beauty Salon on County Road is a beauty salon and a UK Hair and Beauty Awards 2026 finalist, and Rasta Barbers on Lodge Lane is a long-trusted barber where customers report more than fifteen years in the chair.
How can I find and support these African and Caribbean businesses near me?
African Stores lists African and Caribbean food shops, restaurants and salons across Liverpool and the rest of Merseyside, so you can find the independent people and families nearest you and choose to support them wherever you are.
