A lost Liverpool restaurant popular among generations in the city was well-loved for its delicious seafood dishes.
An institution in Liverpool city centre for decades, many will remember heading to Jenny’s Seafood Restaurant, which was situated on the Old Ropery off Fenwick Street. Selling everything from mussels to seafood pancakes, oysters, scallops, fish soup, deep fried squid and more. The venue had previously been based elsewhere in the city before heading to the business district of the city centre.
In April 1970, an ECHO advertisement stated the restaurant had relocated to the old Hanbury Restaurant and had not closed, adding that "Jenny will be pleased to welcome patrons both old and new in our premises." By the 80s, the restaurant had appeared in the Michelin guide and as popularity grew, customers had to book their tables in advance, the ECHO previously reported.
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Through the years, many couples, families and tourists visited the much-loved restaurant, whether it be for a meal after work, a weekend treat or to celebrate a special occasion. And a number of famous faces also passed through the doors of Jenny’s Seafood Restaurant.
Over 25 years ago, former President of the United States, Jimmy Carter, paid Jenny’s a visit in 1997. Carter, who was President from January 1977 to January 1981, was photographed meeting staff at the restaurant, including the chef at the time, Tom Parry and dined with his wife, Debbie.
On December 6, 1997, the ECHO reported: "It's not every day that you get to meet a former US President – and it's one that will stay etched on the memories of staff at a Liverpool restaurant. Jimmy Carter flew into Liverpool this week for an international conference.
"Staff at Jenny's Seafood Restaurant in Fenwick Street were delighted to find that they had been picked as the venue for his top secret dinner. Tight security surrounded the arrival of a man who was once the most powerful leader in the world.
"He arrived flanked by bodyguards but was soon chatting comfortably with proprietor John Burke, his wife Debbie and head chef Tom Parry. Mr Burke said: "He arrived with his wife Rosalynn but she was suffering from jet lag so she didn't stay for the meal.
"We had been told not to use the phones to let anyone know he was coming and not to let the staff know. They knew someone important was coming but they didn't know who."
While at the restaurant, President Carter ate light, opting for vegetables in a curry sauce followed by feta cheese salad while his body guards went for the seafood pancakes. Mr Burke continued: "He was very pleased with his meal and wanted to speak to the head chef.
"We are really honoured to have had him here – it's not everyday that you get an ex-President coming to Liverpool." President Carter, who was defeated by Reagan in 1980, was in Liverpool to speak at a conference on river blindness hosted by the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine."
The ECHO also previously uncovered an old review of Jenny’s Seafood Restaurant by one of our writers shortly after the former President’s visit. Despite the exterior not looking particularly inviting due to being “surrounded by scaffolding” at the time, the reviewer notes that the inside “more than makes up for its less than sparkling exterior”.
The most important part of any restaurant is the menu and the hopefully delicious dishes on offer. Thankfully Jenny’s Seafood Restaurant had plenty for dishes to try, with the reviewer noting they “could have looked at [the menu] for hours”.
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Unsurprisingly, it was full of fish dishes, but there were also “plenty for the full-time meat eaters”. Jenny’s was certainly the place to go for a special occasion, with some “classy-looking” and “pricey” meals among the selection – how about a seafood platter for two for £72.15?
If you weren’t wanting to splurge, the Table d'Hote menu was £18.50 and included a variety of dishes. The ECHO writer and his partner opted for starters of mussels served in their shells with wine, garlic, herbs, mushrooms, peppers and cream, and a "wonderfully rich and creamy" lobster bisque.
For mains, it was the monkfish in a creamy cucumber sauce and a salmon casserole with monkfish and scallops that caught their attention. The meal came to £56.90 for the four dishes, a bottle of wine and one round of drinks. Aside from the VIP guest earlier that year and the “high-class cuisine," the reviewer mentions another “special” aspect of visiting Jenny’s – the service.
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They said: "It's nice to be appreciated and we got the impression that Jenny's Seafood Restaurant appreciated us as much as we appreciated the meal." It's now been years since loyal customers enjoyed a dish at Jenny’s Seafood Restaurant.
But the Jenny's name lives on through a different business. One of the city's most popular bars, Jenny's is a cocktail paradise – and not afraid to get creative with its cocktail flavours.
A speakeasy on one side, through a velvet curtain it’s a private party with a disco twist on Fenwick Street. There’s also a Whisky shop just inside the doorway, with spirits, liqueurs and bitters, everything you’ll need to make your cocktail and its motto of ‘Shop, Drink, Learn’ could not be more apt.
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