Ellesmere Port's eateries are the perfect place for foodies to indulge

Whether your taste buds crave lovingly-prepared afternoon tea, a fresh spice-infused curry, a juicy cut of steak or maybe something you’ve never tried before – you’re spoilt for choice in Ellesmere Port.

Join us as we take a culinary trip around the town to find out why the Port’s the Place for residents and visitors alike who love their food and drink.

Ellesmere Port was founded on the banks of the River Mersey and the waterfront is an appropriate place to begin our indulgent tour. The Galley is a family-run restaurant nestled beside the historic Manchester Ship Canal, boasting home-cooked food with “style and flair”.

At The Galley a fusion of foods, including gluten-free and vegetarian options, create a mouth-watering menu – Char Siu pork belly bites, chicken served with white wine and pesto cream linguine pasta and luxurious locally-sourced dairy ice cream desserts give you a flavour of the variety on offer.

The Galley occupies a canalside position near to the town’s historic National Waterways Museum and Holiday Inn hotel and wedding venue. It’s a great spot for a post-meal wander past the narrowboats and barges.

Shopping can apparently burn up to 200 calories per hour. That sounds like a good excuse to fuel-up on great food. With a range of designer shops and discount outlets, Cheshire Oaks is one of the area’s most popular attractions and boasts an impressive selection of cafes and restaurants.

So whether you’re replenishing post-shop or setting yourself up for a day of retail therapy – if you can imagine it, you can probably find it to eat at one of the McArthurGlen Designer Outlet’s many restaurants. From Japanese cuisine at Wagamama and Yo Sushi! to Italian at Pizza Express and Carluccio’s you can travel to every corner of the globe on your culinary journey.

At the neighbouring Coliseum Leisure Park there are even more restaurants to choose from, including Chiquito, Coal, las Iguanas, Frankie and Benny’s, Nando’s, Prezzo and Zizzi.

There are no prizes for guessing what Miller & Carter Steakhouse specialises in. Fancy sirloin, fillet, rump or ribeye? A choice of six different grades for your steak to be cooked to, plus a range of dressing and sauces are on offer. Diners can expect a fine dining experience complemented by an extensive stock of wines designed to pair with the dishes and there’s a great kid’s menu too.

And if you’re visiting the UK’s largest M&S outside of London, at Cheshire Oaks, you’ve got two cafes and an enticing Deli Bar to choose from, all under one roof.

Venture to one of Ellesmere Port’s most desirable suburbs, Little Sutton, and discover another collection of excellent eateries. Café India and the Purple Olive both offer the best in Indian cuisine and nearby Alfie’s Bistro & Wine Bar brings freshly prepared pizza, pasta and a tasty selection of specials.

If you’re looking for somewhere more traditional to enjoy some pub favourites then there’s also the Red Lion and Travellers Rest pubs, while just a little further along the A41, The Burleydam Garden Centre has a delightful café.

We finish our tour back in the centre. Stretching back decades, Ellesmere Port’s Whitby Road has long been a hub for a range of local businesses and industries. Take a walk to this town centre location and you’ll find some great independents including Grace Tea Room and Café, which serves traditional cooked breakfasts and homemade cakes, Tuscano’s Pizza, which creates wood-fired pizzas to takeaway, and the lovely lunch spot of Trinity Churches’ Daily Bread Café, which offers fantastic food in an truly amazing space.

Fancy something fragrant, sizzling or even with a spicy kick? Saffron, also in the town centre, might tickle your fancy. Promising an “exceptional dining and culinary experience”, with home-style cooking creating truly authentic and inventive dishes. The restaurant’s clay oven is a source of pride for the owners and you can even enjoy freshwater king prawns from Bangladesh marinated in an “exclusive sauce” cooked in the prized oven.

If you’re simply after a ‘quick bite’ in town, there are household names like Subway, Costa, National Milk Bar, Greggs Bakery, and Domino’s, while the bustling Indoor Market has traditional cafés to choose from.

That wraps-up our whistle-stop tour of Ellesmere Port as a dining destination. There are a plenty of other choices that might take your fancy, by the waterfront, at Cheshire Oaks, in the surrounding villages or in the town centre.

For further information about ‘things to do’ in Ellesmere Port, you might like to visit ellesmereport.yourwestcheshire.co.uk.