'See youse on the other side' - independent Allerton Road restaurant announces sudden closure

An independent restaurant, bar and grill on South Liverpool's Allerton Road has closed with immediate effect, but is urging customers not to panic.

Hope & Smoke opened on the popular street five years ago and has since become a much-loved spot for a meal, with an impressive 4.5 out of five star rating on Google, however, the team have now decided to shut up shop. It's not all bad news though, with an exciting new project planned for the venue.

Sharing the news on social media, a spokesperson for the restaurant said: "After careful consideration, we have decided to close Hope & Smoke with immediate effect. But, please do not be alarmed! Whilst we aim to keep all of our lovely regulars that have been coming to us for the last five years, we believe that it is time for us to move in a different direction whilst still keeping our core values and moving forward with the same team.

"We would like to thank all of our fabulous guests/friends that have showed their loyalty to us over the years we have been open, through the good times and the bad, we are grateful of you all!

"We look forward to welcoming you to our new project and we promise that we will give you all something to look forward too. So keep your eyes peeled for an announcement on what to expect, I’m sure you will all be as excited as we are! Big love and see youse on the other side." Comments poured in from disappointed customers, with one commenting: "MOJO closing and now this are you joking." However, Hope & Smoke urged customers not to worry, saying the plan is 'to be back better than ever'.