The 2025 National Pub & Bar Awards shortlist has been revealed and includes a number of north west venues
What's On Jenna Campbell What's On Editor 09:30, 17 Apr 2025
Nominations for the National Pub & Bar Awards 2025 have been announced, with 256 pubs and bars across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland being shortlisted for a prestigious County Winner title.
The annual event, which returns to London on Tuesday, 24 June, will welcome all nominees to come together and celebrate their success, before discovering which venues will go on to scoop up the coveted County and Regional Winner awards.
In a change-up to previous years, the 94 County Winners will be announced live at the event, as well as Highly Commended venues for each area.
On top of that, the 2025 event will launch the Top 10 Pubs & Bars in the UK list, which has been voted for by hundreds of operators from across the country, and will decide who takes home the official title of ‘National Pub & Bar of the Year’.
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“The aim of the National Pub & Bar Awards is simple,” says Tristan O’Hana, editor of Pub & Bar magazine.
"We want to showcase how brilliant these businesses are and how valuable pubs and bars are to fabric of society across the whole of the UK.
“It has never been harder in hospitality. Whether it’s a countryside pub with rooms or a city centre bar showing live sport, these operations deserve widespread recognition and more customers - hopefully the National Pub& Bar Awards can help with both.”
The awards look at a number of elements including marketing, digital presence, design, service, style of offer and investment.
Here in the North West, a number of pubs and bars have had the call up, including three Greater Manchester venues.
It includes Edinburgh Castle in Ancoats, which is one of Manchester's most decorated pubs and has attracted the praise of food critics locally and nationally.
The historic pub reopened in 2019 under the ownership of the same team behind Cottonopolis. The pub initially offers a small menu of traditional British dishes featuring locally-sourced ingredients and products from local suppliers, but more recently it has introduced a new Thai-inspired concept to the menu.
Also on the list, Electric Shuffle on Deansgate, a recent addition to Manchester's bar scene which features a range of quirky cocktails, sourdough pizzas and plenty of shuffleboard.
Serving as a sister concept to popular darts venue Flight Club on King Street, Electric Shuffle offers up a high-tech and immersive spin on shuffleboard, which has been taking over bars and venues across the country in recent months.
The third and final venue is Side Street, a day-to-night bar and restaurant space located in the St John's neighbourhood.
By day, visitors can enjoy specialty coffee, brunch, and local beers, while by night, the space transforms into a cosy venue for wines, spritzes, and evening dishes.
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Other venues close to Greater Manchester include Cheshire hotpots Bunbury Arms, Cholmondeley Arms and The Bull's Head, while in Lancashire, Offshore, Parkers Arms, and The Black Bull all feature.
In Cumbria, the Boaters Bar in Bowness, The Black Bull in Sedbergh and The Temperance Inn are all in the running too.
The venues now have over two months in which to trade off their achievement, before making their way to the National Pub & Bar Awards grand final in June.
