Tees Business | Page 13

Serving the Teesside Business Community | 13 BAR NONE 10 Teesside bars that are helping to rejuvenate local nightlife since opening in recent times. Have you visited them all? The Lock Gates is one of several new bars at Navigation Point at Hartlepool Marina. Hit the Bar One of Teesside’s newest drinking houses is Hit The Bar on Middlesbrough’s Bridge Street East, between Albert Bridge and Boho Five – or what was once known as ‘over the border’. Formally known as The Bridge Inn, the venue stood unoccupied for years before investment from Stockton-based property specialists Jomast Development. Now it’s a sophisticated bar and cafe serving cocktails and drinks, as well as locally sourced snacks. And, as its name suggests, it will also cater to football fans on match days. Result. Dovecot Featuring Middlesbrough’s longest bar on the site of what was once home to Dovecot Sale Rooms on Linthorpe Road, bar and bistro Dovecot boasts a choice of 40 different gins. The Slaters Pick Wallis & Co The Nuthatch The second branch of the Middlesbrough cocktail bar opened in Stockton’s Wasp Nest Yard in November, featuring more than 100 high quality spirits, alongside a specially crafted cocktail menu with classics and signature twists. The Nuthatch first opened on Bedford Street in Middlesbrough’s town centre regeneration zone in March. The Twisted Lip Situated along the rejuvenated Navigation Point at Hartlepool Marina, Wallis & Co is a bar and kitchen, welcoming those looking for refreshment and those hoping for something tasty to eat. Rita’s Pantry Redcar’s first micro-pub opened in November 2015, complete with a sea view. The former amusement arcade on The Esplanade was completely transformed when fitted out with a rustic wooden bar and seating, a fireplace and a map-covered wall. Sticky Fingers Beer lovers are in for a treat when they visit The Twisted Lip, in Middlesbrough’s bornagain Baker Street. The two-storey bar offers an array of quirky beers including some created by microbrewery Truefitt Brewery, based near Cargo Fleet Lane, Ormesby. The vintage feel of the pub is always a hit with punters. The popular “cafe and rock bar” has become a real feature on Middlesbrough’s Linthorpe Road since opening midway through 2014 in a unique collaboration with Steven James’ Guitar and Amp Centre. The bar part of the venue serves food throughout the day and then hosts live gigs on an evening. The micropub on Middlesbrough’s Baker Street has already proven to be a big hit with customers. Owned by a former slate tiler – hence the name. Co-owner Mark Waters did all the building and internal decor himself, taking inspiration from his previous career, with an industrial theme running throughout. There’s also a beer garden, while The Slaters Pick has joined forces with Freedom Brewery to stock their lager and pale ale. The Green Hops Micro-bar, The Green Hops, has developed a loyal customer base since opening two years ago on West Road, Billingham. The pub serves real ales, a range of ciders and continental beers. The Golden Smog This microbar - in a tiny Stockton centre alleyway called Hambletonian Yard - offers a range of locally brewed beers – including top tastes from Middlesbrough’s Truefitt Brewing Company and Stokesley Brewing Company. And we’re not forgetting Sherlocks, Baker Street, Middlesbrough; The Gypsy Rover, Redcar; Wasp’s Nest, Stockton; Infant Hercules, The Chairman, both Middlesbrough; The Looking Glass, The Edge and Manhattan’s, Stockton; Devil’s Advocate, Middlesbrough; plus The Lock Gates, The Compass Rose, The New Vibes, Hello Goodbye, The Open Jar, How Do You Do? and Oh This is Us, all at Navigation Point on Hartlepool Marina.