Beloved Northern Quarter bar closes down without warning as signs put up on door

A popular bar in the Northern Quarter has closed down without warning after signs were put up outside the venue informing customers it has ‘ceased trading’.

Pie & Ale, on Lever Street, has been a mainstay in the area since opening in 2013. As its name suggests, the venue was known for its fresh, handmade pies as well as its selection of craft beers and award-winning cask ales.

Alongside its signature Steak and Ale pie, the bar served the likes of Caribbean Pulled Pork and Moroccan Lamb flavoured pies, as well as vegetarian bean chilli and jackfruit pies. During the week, the venue often also offered up a pie and pint special for less than £10.

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However, signs appearing at the entrance of the bar this week said the venue has now closed. The signs wrote: "Pie and Ale has unfortunately ceased trading. Apologies for any inconvenience."

Five years ago, the bar was forced to temporarily shut down, alongside sister site Bakerie, when its owners called in administrators. But Pie & Ale was able to reopen two months later in May 2018. At the time, the previous owners admitted that they were facing challenges ‘with rising employment costs and the introduction of home delivery services’.

Whilst no further details are available on the closure of Pie & Ale, it joins a devastating list of bars, restaurants and cafes that have been shuttered in recent months. According to CAMRA, there were 24 permanent closures and 60 long-term closures across pubs in Greater Manchester last year, including the Oddfellows Arms in Bolton and Chadderton's Victoria Hotel.

In February, three restaurants across the city region all announced they would be closing within the same 24 hours period. The closures of Zing and Zest, Canvas and the Vurger Co all came amid soaring energy and trading costs.

Last month, members of the hospitality industry called out the government for not including a VAT reduction - from 20% to 10% - for venues in its spring budget. Tom McNeeney, Head Chef at The Oxford Pub in Rochdale, told the M.E.N it felt like a ‘kick in the teeth’ and he predicted that a large number of bars and restaurants will be forced to close down this year due to not enough support.

He said: “Looking at this on a national scale, there’s a really scary trend where there’s so many credible operators throwing in the towel - and these aren’t quiet places that are closing.”