The venues we've lost
Every venue here poured for Sunderland Cocktail Week and has since closed for good. Thank you to every one of them.
Closed
808 Bar & Kitchen
Their signature: Watermelon & Peach Margarita
Closed
Bar Justice
Closed
Prego Bar and Eatery
Their signature: Prego Gin N Juice
Closures come from Google Maps, which lists each of these venues as permanently closed (checked every month), and from venues we've been told have closed. Has one reopened, moved or changed its name? Email hello@cocktail-week.com and we'll update it.
Still pouring in Sunderland
Venues that have taken part in Sunderland Cocktail Week and are open now. Tap one to see what they poured.
- Poetic License Bar
- Angelo’s Ristorante
- Blacks Corner
- The Botanist
- Café Floriana
- Chester's Lounge
- Cooper Rose
- Diego's Joint
- Elephant Rock
- Enfes Restaurant
- Enfes Turkish Restaurant
- The Engine Room
- Fausto Coffee
- Flower Cafe
- Gatsby
- Glitterball
- Holiday Inn
- The Ivy House
- Ivy House Pub
- Keel Tavern
- The Manor Bar
- My Delhi
- Otto
- The Peacock
- Port of Call
- Sam’s
- Sam's Bar
- Sheepfolds Stables
- Signatures Italian Restaurant and Bar
- Six
- Sloanes Sports Bar
- Spacebar
- Spent Grain
- STACK Seaburn
- Sunderland Bowl
- Tarantinos
- The Terrace
- These Things Happen
- Tin of Sardines
- Tosca
- Ttonic Bar & Kitchen
- Vesta Tilleys
Signed up for Sunderland Cocktail Week January 2027
What Sunderland Cocktail Week does for hospitality
Sunderland Cocktail Week is about getting people out to local bars and restaurants. The venues host and pour and we bring the customers.
Real footfall
Wristband holders plan their ten days around the line-up, so venues meet people who have never been through the door, often at a quieter time of year.
Money in the till
Every signature cocktail is bought at the bar, so the money goes straight into the venue's own till, along with whatever else people order while they're in.
Awareness
The guide, the website, social ads, emails and local press put every venue taking part in front of people across Sunderland.
48Sunderland venues across 2 editions of Sunderland Cocktail Week, with 60 different signature cocktails
What Sunderland venues said
Sunderland is such a vibrant city with a great hospitality scene! Schemes like Cocktail Week are great for helping businesses thrive!
My Delhi, head of l&d, after Sunderland Cocktail Week 2025Sunderland Cocktail Week is a great boost for us early in the year!
Port of Call, director, after Sunderland Cocktail Week 2026Great for our city and brought new customers to our venue who hadn't experienced it before 😊🍸
Sam’s, owner, after Sunderland Cocktail Week 2025
Why your local needs you
A bar or restaurant is someone's first job, a regular order for local suppliers, the place you go for birthdays and the reason Sunderland still feels alive after six o'clock.
Costs have climbed on every side: wages, energy, food, business rates and VAT. When a venue closes, the staff, the regulars and the nights out go with it. The best thing any of us can do is simple: go out and go local.
How you can help
- Go midweekWeekends are busy. A Tuesday or Wednesday visit goes further.
- Try somewhere newPick the bar you always walk past and finally go in.
- Book, then turn upCan't make it? Cancel, so someone else can have the table.
- Leave a reviewA kind review takes a minute and helps the next person choose them.
- Bring the groupBirthdays, leaving dos and catch ups. Book them local.
- Buy a gift cardChristmas sorted and money through the door when it's needed.
- Back the VAT cutSign the #VATsTheProblem petition for a 10% VAT rate on hospitality. Sign it here.
Why VAT matters
Cut hospitality VAT
In the UK, VAT on eating and drinking out is 20%. The campaign points out that France, Spain and Italy charge 10% on hospitality.
The #VATsTheProblem campaign, led by chef Tom Kerridge and backed by UKHospitality, the British Beer & Pub Association and the British Institute of Innkeeping, is asking for a 10% rate for hospitality. More than 400,000 people signed its petition before it was handed in at Downing Street on 14 October 2026.
The Budget on 28 October 2026 did not cut it, so the campaign carries on. We're behind it.
Sign the petition20%→10%
VAT on UK hospitality now, and what the #VATsTheProblem campaign is asking for.
Plan your night out
Questions
What venues have closed in Sunderland?
Koji, Mexico 70, 808 Bar & Kitchen, Bar Justice and Prego Bar and Eatery took part in Sunderland Cocktail Week and are now listed as permanently closed.
How can I support Sunderland hospitality?
Go out locally, midweek if you can. Try somewhere new, book and turn up, leave a review, bring your group and buy gift cards from local venues. You can also sign the #VATsTheProblem petition for a 10% VAT rate on hospitality.
What does Sunderland Cocktail Week do for local hospitality?
For ten days, wristband holders plan their nights around the venues taking part, so they meet new customers. Every cocktail is bought at the bar, so the money goes into the venue's own till and the guide, website, ads and local press put every venue in front of people across Sunderland.
What is the #VATsTheProblem campaign?
A campaign led by chef Tom Kerridge, with UKHospitality, the British Beer & Pub Association and the British Institute of Innkeeping, asking the UK Government to cut VAT on hospitality from 20% to 10%. More than 400,000 people had signed its petition by October 2026. The Budget on 28 October 2026 did not cut the rate and the campaign is carrying on.
The next Sunderland Cocktail Week
The next Sunderland Cocktail Week runs 29 January to 7 February 2027. One wristband unlocks signature cocktails from £5.