A popular cocktail hangout has been crowned the best bar in the UK. Schofield’s, on Little Quay Street in Manchester, was crowned Bar of the Year at the annual Class magazine awards in a ceremony in London last night.
The bar, run by brothers Joe and Daniel Schofield, was also named Best Bar in the North. The awards, which celebrates its 20th year this year and is the longest running bar awards event, found 100 industry experts from across the country judging the best bars, with Schofield’s coming out on top.
It is the second year running that the bar has been named the best in the country at the Class Awards. Last year it won both Bar of the Year and New Bar of the Year too, according to the Manchester Evening News.
Hamish Smith, editor of Class and co-host of the Class Bar Awards, said: “The 78 finalists this year were the strongest and most geographically diverse since we relaunched the Awards in 2017.
"London remains strong but the Bar of the Year is in Manchester again, the New Bar of the Year is in Birmingham, the Bar Innovator of the Year is in Edinburgh and the bar leading sustainable practices is in Cornwall - there are countless other bars up and down the UK propelling the industry forward.
“Not in recent memory has the UK bar scene felt as rich in talent, or as evenly spread. London doesn’t lead the global bar industry anymore, the UK does.”
The brothers, originally from Rossendale, opened the bar in 2021, having worked at some of the best cocktail spots in the world, including the American Bar at the Savoy and Coupette in London.
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They then went on to open Atomeca at Deansgate Square, and then last year, Sterling, in the basement of Gary Neville’s Stock Exchange Hotel.
They now also run the Stock Market Grill, their first restaurant project, which replaces Tom Kerridge’s Bull & Bear restaurant in the Stock Exchange earlier this year.
Schofield’s has been the recipient of a raft of awards since opening, including being named in the UK’s top five in the annual Top 50 Cocktail Bars list in February this year.
