Hoylake restaurant owners say it was 'love at first bite'

20 years ago, Julian and Jackie Davies had grand plans to open a restaurant in Wirral.

The pair scraped together as much money as they could with Julian even selling his beloved motorbike and opened Julian’s Restaurant on Birkenhead Road in Hoylake.

Ever since the restaurant has been keeping visitors well-fed with its international and modern British cuisine.

Julian has been a chef for more than 50 years, including 14 years at Chester Grosvenor, where he helped cater for royal weddings, before spending seven years as head chef at Wheatsheaf Inn in Raby.

As well as claiming ‘Chef of the Year’ at the Wirral Tourism Awards during this period, he met his future wife Jackie, who was working behind the bar at the time in addition to her day job in accountancy.

The pair said it wasn’t just love at first sight, it was “love at first bite”.

Jackie said: “Jules is an amazing chef and loves what he does. He eats, sleeps and dreams food. I had the skills to do the paperwork, so we started talking excitedly about starting our own business. 

“The restaurant opened in 2004. We hoped to give it 10 years but here we are 20 years on. It means everything to still be here. We are so thankful and proud.

“It’s just the two of us. Jules in the kitchen and me out front. I think this is quite unique. Hand on heart we get on brilliantly.”

Popular dishes include chateaubriand (a steak dish), lamb navarin (lamb stew cooked in red wine) and Julian’s own signature bread and butter pudding. Like many restaurants in the peninsula, Julian’s also takes advantage of Wirral’s great local produce, helping boost the local supply chain.

Jackie said: “We have had a few celebs in over the years, including footballers, football managers and actors. Then again, all our customers are VIPs.

“We have had hard times with the recession and COVID too.

“We had lots of people booked in for Mother’s Day when the lockdown was announced, so we wondered if we could offer a takeaway service as we didn’t want to let people down.

“We put the word out and to our delight it took off. Our customers were brilliant.

“They wanted our food but more than that they wanted to support us. We are so grateful to them all. We still offer this takeaway service today.”

The popularity of the restaurant and the special place it has in people’s hearts was evident when Jackie was diagnosed with cancer in 2010 and again in 2015.

Jackie said: “Our staff were amazing and helped so much and our customers gave me so much comfort. Cards and flowers were arriving all the time. I will always remember their kindness.

“We absolutely love working and living in Hoylake. It has such a great community spirit. We have got to know so many people and have made great friends, not just with people who visit the restaurant but with other local shops, restaurants and cafés.”

Even after their long career so far, Julian and Jackie have no immediate plans to hang up their aprons.

Jackie said: “We absolutely love running Julian’s Restaurant, it is everything to us. We have made so many friends, we can’t imagine life without seeing everyone. Julian’s isn’t just our business, it’s our social life too.”