City centre bar ‘thrilled’ to be named among the best in UK

A Liverpool city centre venue is “thrilled” to be named one of the best in Merseyside.

Seel Street’s Mean Eyed Cat, known for its hedonistic vibes, free pizza and roll-the-dice bar game, is celebrating after coming top in its respective county in the 2024 National Pub and Bar Awards.

The venue, which only launched in March last year, will now compete against the likes of Greater Manchester’s BOX, Cheshire’s Cholmondeley Arms and Lancashire’s Britannia Tap and Grill to be named the regional and national winner.

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The 2024 National Pub & Bar Awards crowns nearly 100 county winners from England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland annually. The awards are said to give “each site a unique platform to promote themselves and increase guest footfall from locals and visitors alike”.

Mean Eyed Cat was chosen among the winners as it “demonstrated excellence across a number of elements that affect the customer journey, including design, service, style of offering, marketing and investment”.

David Aldred from Escapism Bars, which owns and operates the Mean-Eyed Cat bar, told the ECHO: “We are absolutely thrilled beyond measure to have scooped this accolade after only being open in Liverpool for 12 months. It proves that our recipe of well-made, well-priced cocktails, free pizza and ongoing fun promotions have resonated with Liverpool’s city centre workers, partygoers and students, too.

“Thanks to everyone who has visited the venue - and especially thanks to our team of hard-working bar staff who make the venue what it is.”

The final will be held on Wednesday, June 26, in London and all 94 county winners will come together and celebrate their achievements, before discovering which venues will become regional winners.

Tristan O’Hana, editor of Pub and Bar magazine, which runs the event, said: “The fact that we had record entries for the 2024 National Pub & Bar Awards tells us two things: one is how highly the industry regards these accolades, which is fantastic.

"But, also, it shows that more operators are in need of really positive and strong publicity to help drive business at the moment. Pubs and bars are facing some of the biggest challenges in recent history, so if the National Pub & Bar Awards can help by lifting sales across these venues, then we’re delighted to play our part.”

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