The founders of North Bar have been making a name for themselves across the Pennines for some 25 years now. In 1997, two mates, John Gyngell and Christian Townsley, took over a long, narrow unit on New Briggate in Leeds city centre, eventually creating a space where people could try brews they couldn’t get anywhere else.
North Bar in Leeds became the first craft beer bar in the UK and slowly built a reputation for friendly service and great music in minimalist surroundings. In the early days, and in the owners own words, the beer selection was “much less adventurous”, but over time it built up relationships with Yorkshire-based beer importers and the bar became a launchpad for what are now household names in beer.
Fast forward to 2023 and the owners now operate eight bars across Yorkshire, have their own brewery - North Brewing Co which launched in 2015 - and have opened a multi-million pound taproom in Springwell. Now, after searching for a spot in Manchester since they opened their first bar, the Leeds-based brewery has finally found a home for its latest taproom just off Oxford Road.
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“Our new bar in Manchester marks a huge milestone for all of us at North,” said co-founder John Gyngell. “We’ve actually been looking for a Manchester site for the last 25 years and have come very close a number of times!
“Many of the North team have lived, worked or studied in Manchester, and we make a habit of visiting as regularly as possible. The hospitality scene in Manchester has provided tonnes of inspiration over the years, and we can’t wait to bring North to the city.”
North Taproom is situated next to Manchester’s bustling Oxford Road, and is part of the burgeoning Circle Square development - home to Hello Oriental, Bird of Prey and Canvas, amongst others. Located on the development’s eastern corner, overlooking Symphony Park, the taproom is housed within a modern glass building and also features an extensive outdoor terrace area for sipping North Brewing Co’s diverse range of beers, wines and cocktails from an eclectic range of local and international producers.
As well as boasting 24 draught lines, including 18 lines of keg beer, the North team have also been working with an array of guest breweries on the Manchester taproom line-up including Cloudwater and Pomona Island, and guests can expect a collaboration beer brewed with Track Brewing to celebrate the opening of the new bar. Currently on the taps, visitors can expect beers such North Brewing Co’s Springwell Pilsner, Sputnik Pale Ale and Transmission IPA, plus IPAs from Sureshot, Track and JW Leeds and Co.
Beer lovers can also browse the fridges for cans-to-go, spanning IPAs, pale ales, sours and pilsners, plus ciders and stouts and non-alcoholic beers. At the bar, there’s also a cocktail menu, featuring the taproom’s own negroni on tap, which is prepared at the brewery and delivered at the site to avoid queues at the bar, plus a curated list of wines by the bottle, showcasing natural wines producers and new techniques.
Offering the perfect accompaniment to North Brewing Co’s beers, fellow Leeds-based business Little Bao Boy have been tapped up to provide a mix of their Asian street food to eat in or takeaway. Their menu features fluffy steamed bao buns filled with slow cooked beef brisket, crispy fried chicken, crunchy panko aubergine, plus crispy gyoza, steaming bowls of noodles and loaded fries.
Speaking to the Manchester Evening News at the opening, Head of Marketing, Sarah Hardy said “John, who is one of the owners, is from Manchester and he always wanted a bar here, and he said in the early 2000s that there might be too many bars in Manchester, hence why they took on Leeds first. He’s waited 25 years and while there’s a fair few more bars now in Manchester, he’s always wanted one here, and seeing the Circle Square development come to fruition has been really exciting.
“I was a student here about 13 years ago, and this side of Oxford Road was always sort of forgotten about. You would go through to get to places like Joshua Brooks, but there wasn’t much here when the BBC shut down so seeing it redeveloped in this way, with really cool neighbours and independents like fellow Leeds concept Bundobust is really great.
“It’s a really bright, open space, with lots of plants, greenery and nice things to look at. It’s a new flagship venue for North Brewing Co, and we’ve got a number of beers from North and friends, so we’ve got a few collaborations with Manchester breweries that we’ve brewed especially for the launch.
“Manchester is one of our favourite cities in the world, and has provided North with so much inspiration from its thriving food and drink scene. We’re joining an incredible line up of bars and taprooms in the city, and can’t wait to be part of the growth of the new Circle Square development.”
North Room at Circle Square is open seven days a week. Monday through Thursday it opens between 11am-11.30pm, Friday and Saturday 11am-12.30pm and Sundays 11am-10pm.
North Taproom, Vita East, Circle Square, Nobel Way, Manchester, M1 7FA
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