A NEW venue has opened in St Helens that aims to add a touch of class to the town centre’s social scene.
The Little George Quarter is a “cosy” café and wine bar on George Street, St Helens.
Its owners have transformed the former Bento Box Noodle venue to create an intimate space.
The ground floor bar opened last week as part of a phased launch, with work continuing on the upstairs, which will be a sports bar.
The venture is part of W. Hecklrr Enterprise Ltd and marks a first foray into the hospitality sector for owner Christopher Hobin, who also runs construction firm CJ Hobin Ltd.
The Little George Quarter is a stone’s throw from the more traditional George pub and Mr Hobin hopes it will bring something different to the area.
For around two decades, there has been talk of making the area the town’s “cultural” quarter and although a number of restaurants are now nestled in the surrounding streets, it has never become a destination where groups move from venue to venue on a night out.
Speaking to the Star on Wednesday, members of the team at the Little George Quarter said they were delighted to have enjoyed rave reviews from customers who enjoyed a taste of its hospitality last weekend.
Initial impressions are that it is beautifully designed, with a stylish bar and an impressive ceiling creating striking features.
Mr Hobin told the Star that he hopes the venue will appeal to daytime and evening customers. A chef has been appointed and once the phased opening progresses it will begin serving “light bites”.
It will be open from 8am throughout the week and there are hopes that customers will view it as a port of call before and after catching trains from St Helens Central station.
Mr Hobin added: “We’ve opened as wine bar/café and the aim will be to serve light bites during the daytime/teatime and then become more of a wet-led establishment in the evening.
“Upstairs – when it’s ready in the next couple of weeks - will be a sports bar.”
He adds that, while there are restaurants and traditional pubs in the area, there are no smaller, intimate bars like this where people can gather before or after meals: “We are the Little George Quarter and hopefully we can help the Georgian Quarter overall.”
Further down the line, the business is also aiming to open a restaurant/bar nearby in the former Dawsons music shop next to Mexican venue Sabroso, to add to the mix of eateries, which also includes Indian Ba’Bursi, Spanish restaurant La Casa Vieja and Italian The Green Olive.
For now, the focus of the Little George Quarter, which has a 15-strong team working on rotation through the week, is building its own reputation.
There will be live music at weekends. It stocks beers, ales and spirits – and a limited selection of wines.
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