A Liverpool city centre restaurant is closing its doors “with a heavy heart” this weekend after it confirmed it has “never been able to recover from the damage that Covid did”.

The Butterfly & The Grasshopper, on Oldham Street, just off Renshaw Street, has taken to its social media pages to announce the news. The restaurant says it has “never been able to recover” from the impact the pandemic had on its business.

The team announced that it was “with a heavy heart” they made the announcement but that “the cost of the operation is now unfortunately too high”. They said they’d already closed down the kitchen and shortened trading hours recently, but that the business has “reached the end”.

READ MORE:'Hidden gem' Lark Lane restaurant that's now number one in Liverpool

In a message to fans, the team wrote: “To all the Butterflies and Grasshoppers who have joined us since we opened in late 2019 and have loved what we do, it is with a heavy heart that we have to announce we will be serving our last nectars this weekend. We built up an incredible reputation for a design, food and drink concept from day 1 that was put together and delivered by an incredibly talented team, but we’ve never been able to recover from the damage that Covid did to a fledgling business.

“The cost of the operation is now unfortunately too high and you will have noticed we had to regretfully close the kitchen and shorten our trading hours recently. And now we have reached the end, so we will raise a sad but grateful glass and thank all the wonderful staff and patrons that have been a family these past (almost) 3 years.

Instagram

“We have loved every minute and although it didn’t last, we built something special, something that will be remembered by many and you were all a part of that. For one last weekend, Come take up your Hats, and away let us haste. To the Butterfly's Ball, and the Grasshopper's Feast!”

Fans of the restaurant have heaped praise on the venue and shared their well wishes for staff since hearing the news. Beneath the post, one person said: “So sad what a lovely pub and atmosphere”.

A second wrote: “This is so sad to see, sending you lots of love and thoughts” and a third added: “Oh no! Gutted about this you are one of my fave places and I always recommended you, how sad.” A fourth said: “We absolutely love your place. Everything about it! Best of luck for your next venture and the future”.

The Butterfly & The Grasshopper opened its doors back in 2019 after undergoing a huge transformation - it was formerly the Roscoe Arms. The venue was named after William Roscoe’s poem The Butterfly’s Ball and the Grasshopper’s Feast and has grown to become something of a hidden gem in the city, with many singing its praises on TripAdvisor.

The venue is set to close its doors this weekend.

Get the top stories straight to your inbox by signing up to our what's on newsletter.

READ NEXT: