Hugely popular Slice Seaham to launch sister site at Sunderland's Vaux Brewery

Slice Seaham launched in March 2021 from a hatch at the back of the Coalface pub at the bottom of Church Street.

With its off-the-beaten-track location overlooking a car park, some had their doubts on whether it would work. But its hidden gem location making it easy for people to pull up for a slice of New York-style pizza proved its USP and it’s been a huge hit, selling up to 300 slices per hour at peak times.

Now, business partners Andy Smith and Mark Milroy have teamed up with Vaux Brewery for a Sunderland site.

A former storage unit at the front of the site is being converted into a pizza hatch where people visiting the brewery’s Taproom on weekends will be able to buy slices of pizza, or a whole 24in pie, to enjoy with their beers.

The hatch is also aimed at people passing en route to the match or people just wanting to pull up for a bite to eat, with Slice Sunderland aiming to sling its first slices from mid September.

Andy said teaming up with Vaux, who’ve had great success in reviving the historic Vaux name, was a perfect fit for Slice.

"Slice Seaham has done so well, we worked really hard on getting the product right, and we know we can replicate that in Sunderland,” he said. “We wanted to open in Sunderland and know the Vaux team well. They’ve been hosting food pop-ups at the taproom, but they wanted some consistency and quick food like the slices is perfect for their customers.

"We already have a Sunderland following, with some people coming through to the hatch weekly for slices, so the name is already known here.”

Slice Sunderland will be serving two staple pizzas each week, margherita and pepperoni, as well as two specials, priced between £3 and £3.50 for a large slice.

Andy said it’s an exciting time to be a part of Sunderland’s burgeoning food and drink scene. "Sunderland is certainly on the up now and it’s really upping everyone’s game,” he said. “I think 10 years ago it would have been a gamble to open in Sunderland, but it’s a really easy decision to open here now.”

As well as Slice Seaham, Andy and Mark breathed new life into their property in Seaham by creating the Coalface pub on the ground floor and a six-bed Air B’n’B, called Beachcomber Loft, on the top floor, which has proved hugely popular with sea glass hunters travelling to the town from as far afield as Canada.

Built with ballast from old working ships at the once bustling port, the gable end building has had various guises over the decades, from retail to a barbers.

But after the entrepreneurial pair bought the site in 2019, they’ve transformed it into three new businesses for the town.

Meanwhile, Vaux will also be expanding. Next year, the team is planning to open a new craft ale beach bar which is set to transform the old shelter on Marine Walk, Roker.

:: Slice Sunderland’s opening hours at the taproom in Vaux Brewery, Monk Street, Roker, will be Friday and Saturday, from 12noon until 8pm and from 12noon until 6pm on Sundays.