The new restaurant opens to holidaymakers this morning and replaces The Estuary Kitchen and Grill
The new restaurant opens to holidaymakers this morning and replaces The Estuary Kitchen and Grill
A new restaurant opens inside the departures lounge of Liverpool John Lennon Airport today – and passengers will be able to enjoy a menu of American diner classics before jetting off. Monty’s Diner is the latest in a series of multi-million pound improvements to the departure lounge, which will be launching throughout 2025.
The south Liverpool airport was recently voted the UK’s best airport in the 2024 Which? annual survey – and airport bosses want to make flying from the city an even more enjoyable experience with a range of new food and drink options. All of the airport’s new outlets from food travel business SSP are expected to be open in time for the summer, with the latest addition opening at 9am today.
The newly opened Monty’s is an all-day diner with seating for almost 200 passengers, with a menu of classic dishes like burgers, hotdogs, milkshakes and more. This table service venue aims to offer a welcoming space for families and all passengers looking for a hearty meal or a drink before their flights.
With neon accents, a 1950s style mirrored bar and a range of booth and counter seating, the new restaurant feels like stepping inside an old-school diner, with touches of Americana throughout the venue as well as locally-inspired pictures of The Beatles and Cilla Black. On the menu, customers can choose from an ‘all-American burger’, a taco salad, a mac and cheese hot dog and desserts including a banana split.
The all-American burger, which SSP’s food and drink director Jim Norris described as ‘a heck of an eat’, consists of two beef smash patties, smashed hash browns, mac and cheese, bacon and onion rings, all served with slaw and fries.
Lucy O’Shaughnessy is commercial director at Liverpool Airport and she told the ECHO: “We wanted to offer something for different passengers and different travel experiences. If I was with my family I’d be in here today – if I was with the girls I’d be in Sable & Co. It’s for family dining, groups, fuelling people up for their flights all day long and this perfectly ticks that box.
“I think this massively complements what we did last year with Sable & Co which really elevated the food and drink offering at the airport. That was about a premium brand and this is about family favourites, good food and a bit of a quirky American theme. We can push the boundaries in Liverpool, as a regional airport, and this does that for us.”
Jim Norris added: “It’s classic American 50s diner food with a modern twist. It’s really quick to serve so people can get in and out as quickly as possible. We’ve got all the classics – burgers, hotdogs, mac and cheese, salads, and then we put a few twists on things, like a great taco salad which is a bit healthier and fresher. We’ve got diner style desserts like banana splits and apple pie, plus milkshakes – but you can also make those ‘hard’ shakes with a bit of alcohol in there.”
Work is still underway in the airport’s departure lounge, to construct a range of new, expanded and refurbished passenger facilities over the coming months. Passengers travelling from the airport will notice the Kissing Gate pub and kitchen is still under renovation, with plans to extend and upgrade the popular venue. There will also be a new expanded premium lounge that will be twice the size of the existing facility.
In addition, a third coffee shop will be introduced and the existing Starbucks and Upper Crust units will be updated, with new brands joining the retail mix to cater for the growing numbers of passengers. These latest food and beverage improvements are the next phase of works that started last winter following the signing of a new long-term deal with SSP and which will see them extend their operations at the airport until at least 2036.
Last year, the airport opened Sable & Co, which is a ‘premium’ bar and kitchen in the departures lounge, offering luxury food and drinks with an amazing view of the airfield. Work on the airport’s departures lounge will continue throughout the winter period, in order for all works to be completed ahead of the summer 2025 season.