The restaurant has been on Castle Street for 10 years now
09:02, 15 Apr 2026Updated 09:29, 15 Apr 2026
Pasta Cosa owners Talia Baccino and her sister Kayleigh
A Liverpool city centre restaurant has reopened its doors, marking the start of a “new chapter”. After weeks of renovations, Kayleigh and Talia Baccino, originally from Norris Green, are welcoming customers through the doors once again at Pasta Cosa on Castle Street.
The restaurant has been on what is arguably one of the city’s most beautiful streets since 2016, offering a range of Italian dishes, pizzas and a selection of desserts. However, at the start of March, they informed their customers that “exciting” changes were about to make the concept “better than ever”.
Fast forward to now, and foodies can see these changes for themselves when they walk into the restaurant, where the space now features double the seating compared to before.
The sisters, who now live in Aigburth but whose family are from Genoa, said: “We’re thrilled to start this next chapter on Castle Street, having been here for 10 years, and we couldn’t have done it without your amazing support.”
The siblings are no strangers to the industry, as they are also at the helm of Francie’s Focaccia and Coffee along the city’s waterfront and a second Pasta Cosa site on the Albert Dock’s inner quay.
Sisters Kayleigh and Talia Baccino who run the Italian cafe Francie’s on the Royal Albert Dock(Image: Francie’s Focaccia and Coffee)
Kayleigh, 40, previously told the ECHO: “We had a really successful launch of our sister site Francie’s. The docks are such a great location, so when we heard the site had become available, we knew we wanted to launch Pasta Cosa down here too.
“We first heard the site was becoming available towards the end of last year but it has taken a while to get planning consent and everything else needed so we are just glad to be finally open.
“We are just really grateful for every single person who chooses to visit us. We try our very best to deliver a great product at an affordable price and we love to see people coming, enjoying the food and the atmosphere. We hope to welcome old and new customers of Pasta Cosa to our new site.”
The sisters pride both of their Pasta Cosa restaurants on being a “relaxed and welcoming space” where friends and families can enjoy Italian dishes. At the heart of the Albert Dock restaurant is an open kitchen, where fresh pasta is made daily, from classic Tagliatelle to Fusillone, and ready to be paired with a range of sauces, including rich Bolognese or a creamy portobello mushroom and spinach.
Pasta Cosa Dockside is larger than its Castle Street counterpart, seating around 24 guests inside with space for a further 16 on The Colonnades.
Inside Pasta Cosa Albert Dock
Kayleigh added: “The opportunity to open our second Pasta Cosa site in such a vibrant and historic location is a dream come true. Our goal is simple: to share our love of fresh, authentic Italian pasta in a place where everyone feels at home.”
It was only last year the sisters opened Francie’s Focaccia and Coffee in a touching tribute to their grandad. The café offers visitors to the waterfront a spot to go for an authentic focaccia sandwich, signature cappuccino, or even a post-work drink. Like all their venues, the concept of Francie’s draws on their family heritage and shared passion for Italian food.
They decided to name the café after their grandad Frank, known as Francie, whose roots were in the northern city of Genoa – which is also the birthplace of focaccia.
Francie’s serves a menu of freshly baked focaccia filled with Italian cheeses, cooked meats and deli toppings such as truffle paste, hot honey and sun-dried tomatoes.
At the time, Kayleigh said they really wanted to bring a taste of focacceria to the city centre and offer something different to your “typical sandwich shop”.
Now, she has added: “There are so many amazing food offerings in the city, Italian in particular has a big presence in the city. We just hope we are able to add to that existing offering.”
Dining and Cooking