Sisters Kayleigh and Talia Baccino open new Italian cafe at the Royal Albert Dock in Liverpool, their second venue in the city. Tony McDonough reports

A new family-run Italian cafe has opened in the Royal Albert Dock in Liverpool offering a menu of freshly baked focaccia filled with Italian cheeses, meats and deli toppings.

Francie’s Focaccia & Coffee has been launched by sisters Kayleigh and Talia Baccino. It is their second venture in the city after they invested £100,000 to open Pasta Cosa in Castle Street in 2016, a business that continues to thrive.

Located on the dock’s Colonnades, Francie’s is named 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, the majority of which have been imported directly from Italy.

Vegetarian and vegan focaccia options also feature on the menu, alongside salads and antipasti, and Italian desserts including pistachio cream and crushed pistachio or Nutella and Amaretti biscuit.

There is also a selection of regular and iced coffees, their signature cappuccino with pistachio cream and crushed pistachio, and a selection of cold drinks including beers, wine, prosecco and the aperitivo classic, Aperol Rossa.

Kayleigh said: “Having already successfully run our pasta restaurant, Pasta Cosa, for the last seven years we wanted to delve further into the Italian flavours and foods of Italy.

“The focacceria is such a popular concept in Italy, it’s where you will find delicious, quality ingredients, packed into freshly baked bread. We really wanted to bring a taste of this to the city centre and offer something different to your typical sandwich shop.

“The location of the Royal Albert Dock just adds to the opportunity as it’s such a culturally diverse spot that attracts local people and visitors from all over the world. We are excited to see what everyone thinks about our concept and our food.”

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Francie’s also offers indoor and outdoor seating for eat-in and it plans to extend its opening hours over the summer to become a go-to for post-work drinks and light bites.

Royal Albert Dock estate manager, Sean Morrison, added: “Francie’s adds a new exciting lunch time concept to the dock’s offering, one which we’re sure will be very popular with our residents and visitors alike.”