Worlds Best Bars 2013: UK

The next generation of great British bars are breaching the north-south divide with burgers and ping-pong tables, finds Tom Sandham.

Bounce, the UK Bar to Watch in 2013

If there is a trend in bars, perhaps it’s the idea that many bar pioneers will look to make their new ventures multi-purpose.

Take Meat Liquor, for example: awesome burgers, but also an awesome bar with drinks put together by the Soulshakers. Then there’s the new Bounce in Holborn, a bar experience-cum-table tennis hangout-cum-pizza restaurant.

And after the success of the Portobello Star with its gin still upstairs, Jamie Baxter and friends are launching the City of London Distillery – a distillery, complete with bar and opportunity for people to make their own gin.

Obviously independent bars simply providing quality beverages still have their place and, indeed, are among those to look out for in 2013 – some new, some older but still excellent, some simply refurbished. But as the customer looks to demand more for their experience when they head out, it could be that the more varied venues will begin to make a mark.

The UK’s contribution to our pick of the World’s Best Bars 2013 awaits…

For the full list of all the predictions in our World’s Best Bars 2013 feature, click here.

UK BAR TO WATCH: Bounce, London

At the heart of it, this is a space for table tennis. As many as 14 tables fill a huge basement space in Holborn and, with each commanding a £13 fee for half-an-hour’s hire, this could be one of the most inspired bar game business decisions to date. But much like All Star Lanes, which matches bowling and brilliant beverages, this place can back up the ball games with quality cocktails.

The drinks list was compiled by Heads, Hearts & Tails, a consultancy comprising Paul Mant and Joe Stokoe – who also trained the venue’s staff – that has serious skills when it comes to running bars; they’ve cleverly compiled a simple but eclectic menu that should cater for all drinks tastes at Bounce.

A Gin spritz here and a Match Point Margarita there sit next to fruit cups and rum concoctions with home-made syrups and home-grown shrubs. The menu is simple and spells out the flavours, and with patrons prepared to plough their hard-earned into time around the table, it’s not difficult to imagine they’ll spend £8 on a drink.

Towards the back, past a ping-pong table that was actually used in the Olympics and was bought at auction for a stupefying £4,500 (surely it’s worth more already), there’s plenty of room for dining with pizza and pasta on the menu, ensuring the bar can hold the customers for more than a quick drink and a game.

…AND THE BEST OF THE REST
Mojo, Manchester

How this bar doesn’t receive more recognition is baffling. Perhaps it’s because it picked up so many accolades in its early years. But the test of a truly great bar is its lifespan and, for that reason, the success of this concept should be celebrated more now than ever since it has stood the test of time. The best rock‘n’roll bar in Manchester, Leeds and now Liverpool combines great drinks with great music – not an original idea in itself, and yet the concept has never been completely mastered in London. Proof that the northerners make a better fist of a proper night out.

Dach & Sons, London

After the success of Purl and Worship Street Whistling Shop, these masters of theatrical drinks experiences have dipped into the food market. Stephenson has earned plaudits for his experimental drinks, but has a chef background with it and presents a selection of sexy sliders here to go with craft beer and Bourbons. Upstairs you’ll find a cocktail bar in the fashion of Purl, ensuring the team can keep customers satisfied for more than their dinner.

Trailer Happiness, London

Sometimes all a bar needs is a bit of love, and this stalwart of the Tiki bar scene has had exactly that. A new team of rum rascals looking after it and a renewed enthusiasm for the Tiki trend is likely to see the bar performing at its best again in 2013.

The Last Word Saloon, Edinburgh

Forays into food aren’t the answer for all bar owners. The team at the celebrated Bramble in Edinburgh launched a gastropub experience in Stockbridge, but have more recently reverted back to their drinks roots and converted the old Saint into the Last Word. It’s been a successful switch and this should ensure that, along with Bon Vivant, Stockbridge becomes an important imbibing neighbourhood in this part of the world.

Happiness Forgets, London

More evidence that it’s not all about food, drink and bar games, and the chaps at this one have proved you can still use an intimate space and serve up great cocktails with great success. Already on most radars, this bar will undoubtedly go from strength to strength in 2013. The tag line “Great drinks, no wallies” remains amusing and accurate.

El Bandito, Liverpool

Tequila has been promising to make itself known for more than a decade. Could this be the year? This “Tequila bunker” is the second bar to be opened by John Ennis and Matthew Farrell after Santa Chupitos, also in Liverpool, and is another intimate space with room for only 30. It’s an ambitious move, only serving up Tequila and mezcal, but worth keeping an eye on as the northern retreats continue to address a demand for discerning drinking.

The Hemingway, London

This pub opened with plenty of critical acclaim in 2010, but has slipped under the radar a bit. Reasons it should be back up there in 2013 include the fact it offers tasty tucker, has a commitment to quality beer and serves some splendid spirits. Perhaps more importantly, Hackney is well and truly happening these days. Sometimes a cool façade is destroyed when the masses start bundling into a once “undiscovered” neighbourhood, but when they arrive en masse it’s always great for bar business, meaning places like The Hemingway are well placed to build on their early successes.