Bakchich, a Moroccan restaurant on Liverpool's Bold Street, has been named among Time Out's top 200 restaurants. Owner Madi Outaaraft described the recognition as a welcome reward for years of hard work.
Born in Casablanca in 1981, Madi moved to Liverpool in 1999 to study business at university. Now 45 and living in the city centre, he has spent much of his adult life in Liverpool, building a restaurant business that has become a familiar name on the city's food scene.
'Hard work pays off'
The dad-of-two told the ECHO: "It's always good to get this type of recognition. Any publicity is good publicity, and it just shows that hard work pays off. To be honest, I didn't expect it, so it was a nice surprise."
"We always work hard to give our customers the best quality and a great experience. It's overwhelming, but it's great news for the team as well."
Madi initially worked in hospitality to support himself as a student, taking jobs in bars and restaurants before eventually opening his own venue. Bakchich opened on Bold Street in 2013, when the street had far fewer restaurants than it does today. It has since become a popular destination for North African and Middle Eastern food, serving dishes including shakshouka, manakeesh, zaatar eggs with falafel, mezze, shawarma and sharing platters.
'This is my city'
He said: "I've been here for 25 years. This is my city because I've lived here longer than I've lived back in Morocco. I was a business student and just used hospitality as a student's job. But I liked it and one thing led to another. When I came here, I worked in several bars and restaurants and then opened up a restaurant."
The family-run business has also had to adapt to the challenges facing the hospitality industry, with Madi continuing to prioritise quality ingredients and affordable prices. The restaurant also reopened following a refurbishment last year, introducing a brighter, more modern interior.
Beyond the food, Madi said sharing Moroccan culture and bringing people together had always played a key role in the restaurant's mission. He added: "When we first opened, we were one of the first restaurants on the street and we had to educate people about our food and our culture. As the years have gone by, more restaurants have opened, and people have become more familiar with what we do.
"We want to educate people about our food and our background, but we also bring people together. Sometimes we'll have a group of 10 people, all from different ethnic backgrounds, sitting together. That's a really good thing.
"We had Mo Salah and his family visit quite a few times so we were sad to see him go from Liverpool. When he started to become more famous, he ordered takeaways and his wife would come and collect them as she's obviously not as well known.
"When he used to score a goal, we would give free falafel out in the restaurant or to whoever came in and claimed it. It was really popular."
Expansion plans
Looking ahead, Madi hopes to expand the business once again, with Manchester and Leeds among the locations potentially on the horizon. Bakchich previously operated sites in both cities, as well as another Liverpool restaurant in Williamson Square, before the pandemic and rising costs forced the business to scale back.
Madi said: "Hopefully, now we're going to expand again. People keep asking us to reopen those sites. They tell us we need to bring them back."
The Time Out recognition marks another milestone for Bakchich, which has grown alongside Bold Street over the past 13 years. It wasn't the only Liverpool restaurant to make the list.
From Middle Eastern sharing plates and authentic Italian dishes to Scandi-inspired cooking, vegetarian favourites and proper fine dining, Time Out's list celebrates the variety of Liverpool's thriving food scene. The global media brand offers expert guides and recommendations on the best things to do, see, eat and drink in cities around the world. Its restaurant picks are made by local editors and expert contributors, who assess restaurants based on factors including food, service, atmosphere, value and the overall dining experience. The recommendations are editorial choices, rather than rankings based on customer reviews or paid placements.
