Located on the corner of Renshaw Street and Oldham Street in Liverpool city centre, The Butterfly & The Grasshopper opened in 2019 and is now being given a £40,000 facelift. Tony McDonough reports

Liverpool city centre pub The Butterfly & The Grasshopper is undergoing a £40,000 revamp that will increase the capacity of the venue. 

Located on the corner of Renshaw Street and Oldham Street in Liverpool city centre, The Butterfly & The Grasshopper opened in 2019. It stands out thanks to its fantasy bug mural spread across three floors of the building.

It takes its name from a 19th century poem written for children by Liverpool MP and author William Roscoe – The Butterfly’s Ball, and the Grasshopper’s Feast. Work taking place is focused on reconfiguring the ground floor areas to accommodate greater numbers of guests who are looking for a “more informal” hospitality experience.

Previously a hybrid dining and drinking space, the dual-aspect ground floor will offer refreshed decor and new furniture. Greater emphasis will be put on a traditional but elevated bar format.

Offering an enhanced draught range, local beers and craft ales will also be showcased, with a number of city brewery’s cask lines on regular rotation to provide a point of difference and galvanise the pub’s real ale offer.

A refreshed cocktail menu entitled ‘In our Liverpool home’ has been devised with some interesting takes on traditional favourites such as a Docker’s Old fashioned and Darkside Collins. It also shares the focus on local, featuring artisan spirits produced in the city, including Tappers Gin, Turncoat Gin, Liverpool Rum and Neighbourhood coffee.

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The third floor garden restaurant, with its botanical decor and fire pit along with the cocktail and gin bar, will be retained and improved. It will have an updated food offer from executive Chef David Gale, who returns to work with the venue team after devising the original launch menu.

Holding numerous prestigious positions within the industry, David Gale was previously group head chef for Selfridges and Ian Shrager Hotels and head chef for Soho House, New York.

Mike Girling, managing director of venue operator, Old Rope Walks, said: “This is the next metamorphosis of one of our flagship sites. We’re evolving The Butterfly & The Grasshopper to meet our customers changing requirements and of course the team will exceed their expectations.

“The update has been on the table for a while and we’re now free to action the next stages of our plans. It will be exciting to see the business grow even further now we have a relative air of normality back in all our lives.”