I found Liverpool's best salt and pepper chips in an unexpected place

As much as I love trying new, fancy foods sometimes there’s nothing better than a classic, juicy burger with a side of chips. Finding a decent burger is pretty easy for most but, if like me you are vegan, it can be a little tricky to find one that hits the spot.

I’m not ashamed to say I have had my fair share of the junk food hit, so when I heard that Tempest on Tithebarn did a decent plant-based burger, I obviously had to see if it could make it on my list of favourites.

Located on Tithebarn Street, in L2, the restaurant and events space has a main bar/dining area, outside seating, a seventh floor roof terrace with views of the city, an atrium, library and basement club, Kol Box, which can be privately booked for special occasions.

We sat near the lovely main bar and were quickly greeted by our server. After scouring the menu, my friend and I both opted for the vegan burger and asked for salt and pepper chips on the side, rather than the standard option. The brunch menu features two vegan options - the vegan burger and a vegan breakfast sandwich - with all of the main allergens really clearly labelled, which I love.

For our drinks, we both had a Diet Coke - for hydration of course - followed by a Bramble cocktail and the Tropical Lemonade mocktail. The Bramble included gin and blackcurrant liqueur and was pretty reasonably priced at £9.00. The mocktails cost £5.00 each and are a really great alternative if you don’t fancy drinking or your little one wants to feel included.

The food and drink was absolutely delicious, and if you didn’t tell me the burger was vegan I probably wouldn’t have been able to tell the difference. The vegan cheese was one of the best I’ve had and the only criticism I have is that I would’ve liked some burger sauce - though you can ask for sauces on the side and it does come with a pot of spicy mayo.

The highlight though was the salt and pepper chips, a true Scouse delicacy. As you can imagine, dozens of places around Liverpool offer salt and pepper fries but, some can be soggy, lack flavour or have too many onions and peppers thrown in. Tempest’s offering, however, was perfect and I’d go back again just for the chips.

While the venue was fairly quiet while we enjoyed our meal, it definitely got busier as we were leaving, with large groups coming in for a drink, a coffee or a meal. I really love that it’s a space for all kinds of people, and you’d definitely feel comfortable dressing up for brunch or showing up in your comfies and doing some work on your laptop.

The space itself is stunning too and I would highly recommend popping in if you haven’t already - just make sure you don’t show up on a Sunday as it is closed for private events. Watch the full video above or visit our TikTok page for more.