The Blue Bell is named Warrington’s Best Pub 2024

They took over at town centre pub The Blue Bell just seven months ago and the awards are already stacking up.

Hot on the heels of taking top spot when it comes to serving Warrington’s best roast dinner, the dynamic duo have just bagged the Best Pub title as well!

The refurbished entrance to The Blue Bell

In April, we launched our Best of 2024 competition and we’ve given out 22 awards.

• Best for Hair - Kate Lucy Hair Studio
• Best for Pies - Tomlins Bakehouse
• Best for Nails - By Maisie Beck
• Best for Roast Dinner - The Blue Bell
• Best for Cocktails - Dead Eyes
• Best for Breakfast – CJ’s Coffee House
• Best for Fish and Chips - Plaice Station
• Best Beer Garden - The Ferry Tavern
• Best for Fitness – Tommy O’Connor
• Best for Tattoos – Sam Small Ink
• Best Independent Shop or Business – Manic Minors Toystore
• Best for Dessert – White Lace Bakery
• Best for Kids – Velocity Dance
• Best for Pets – Victoria Park Vets
• Best for Beauty – LUXE Salon & Training
• Best for Pizza – San Lorenzo
• Best for Afternoon Tea – Room Forty
• Best for Burgers – Café at the End of the Universe
• Best Gym – Ryfields Gym
• Best for Curry – The Black Gold
• Best Café or Coffee Shop – Rhode Island Coffee

Voting for Warrington’s Best Restaurant is currently taking place.

Vote for Warrington’s Best Pub or Bar 2024

Fifteen of Warrington’s most popular pubs and bars made the shortlist in the latest Best of 2024 category and The Blue Bell came out on top.

Graeme and Chris took over at The Blue Bell in February this year.

The Horsemarket Street venue serves food and drink, opening from 9:30am for cooked breakfasts and serving a wide range of dishes from small plates such as jacket potatoes and sandwiches to steaks, burgers, mixed grills and ribs.

It has become famous for its Sunday roasts claiming Warrington’s Best for Roast Dinner 2024 title, something head chef George is especially proud of.

The award-winning roast dinner

All their meat is sourced from local butchers and they have a large selection of food, beers, cask ales and cocktails as well as weekly live entertainment with local bands performing every Saturday and before and after Warrington Wolves matches.

Graeme owns Subway franchises and Dead Eyes Cocktail Bar, which took the Best for Cocktails top spot.

Chris is the owner of HC Promotions putting on events such as Ibiza Symphonic and Indie Disco and he is hoping to bring the biggest names in darts to an event at the Parr Hall.

Graeme said: “Both of us were looking for the right venue to do together.

“We believed strongly that with our passion and different strengths in business we could create a pub that local people can be proud of – a business where we can bring joy to others.

“We have many regulars and talking to them on nearly a daily basis and bringing them some joy is really rewarding to us.

“We always listen to our customers and love to bring their ideas to life, such as a charity night we hosted raising money for Alzheimer’s Society for our regulars Alan and John.”

A team night out

So, what makes The Blue Bell different to similar venues in Warrington? What sets them apart from their competition?

Chris said: “We like to think we tick many boxes.

“We have a beautiful pub that’s just had a refurb costing more than £100,000 and it still has its classic and vintage look.

“We aim to serve great food all day and we have a wide range on the bar at competitive prices.

“We have great weekly entertainment and we both get involved hands on with the business with our incredible team.

“We are like a family rather than just a team of staff and, like a family, we can have our differences but ultimately we’re all there for each other and everyone cares about each other.

“The team is so passionate and everyone wants the pub to succeed, which is something money can’t buy.

“This passion is driven by our great management team – general manager Alex, assistants Stacey and Lisa, head chef George, sous chef Josh, supervisor Ceci and all our team.”

The Blue Bell's full English

What do customers think about The Blue Bell? Why did they want the venue to win our latest Best of 2024 award?

One regular said: “The Blue Bell for me - best pub in Warrington!

“Great food and superb live music.”

Another said: “There is great for food, entertainment and atmosphere.

“The owners and staff are very welcoming.”

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Graeme said: “Customers come to us for the personal experience from our staff, great food and great drinks, and the entertainment we put in on is first class!

“We have lots of things coming up with Christmas round the corner - breakfast with Santa, our new festive menu, which will be launched soon, and more great entertainment.”

Chris said: “We both love Saturday nights when we see people having a great time.

“We love Sundays and seeing incredible roasts coming out of the kitchen or busy mornings when people gather for a cooked breakfast.

“Match days are great, when all the fans are in enjoying a beer.”

Skratch Rock Covers Band

When Graeme and Chris heard The Blue Bell had made the shortlist for a second Best of 2024 award, they were “honoured to among a great list of pubs”.

Graeme said: “We were absolutely delighted to hear that we’d won!

“We had a mission when we took over the pub where we wanted to make a difference and getting the support from our customers has been incredible.

“We’re so grateful to everyone that voted and can’t thank our customers enough.

“We will continue to do them proud and keep making The Blue Bell even better.”