New Mortal Hound micro pub coming to Sunderland city centre

The Mortal Hound is completely transforming the old army recruitment office in Vine Place which has stood empty for more than five years.

Work is forging ahead on the site, with a view to opening by the end of June.

It will be a taproom for the Blockyard Brew Co brewery, which opened in Roker last year, behind the Queen Vic pub, brewing classic and experimental real ales and more, in a mixture of cans, keg and cask.

The Mortal Hound is named after one of their IPAs and the micro pub will be selling Blockyard Brew Co, as well as a range of real ales, guest draughts, premium spirits and wines.

There will also be some more familiar brands on tap, such as Beavertown Neck Oil, Bones lager, Cruzcampo, Guinness and Inch’s cider.

A kitchen will also be serving sharing boards and small plates to enjoy with a pint.

The Sunderland-based owners are hoping to bring something different to the city centre, whilst also complementing nearby real ale venues in the area, such as Chaplins and Fitzgeralds to create a mini route at that end of town.

Reclaimed materials have been used in the creation of the bar, with old whisky barrels used to create the lighting and features such as vintage bar stools from O’Briens in East Boldon. Once open, the bar will hold around 60 people.

Renovations have also included making the unit accessible.

Head brewer Mikey Boyack said: “We opened Blockyard Brew Co last year and had been looking for units to open a micro pub and this one had great potential. We’ve been doing it up for the past couple of months and there’s been loads of interest from people passing by. We want it to be a nice, easy bar for people to come to."

One of the owners, James Gallagher, who also runs the Queen Vic, said it was great to be part of a wave of new openings in the city centre and to be breathing new life into a once-empty unit.

As well as the bar downstairs, the businessman has taken on the two upper floors, which house six office units available to rent in a prime city centre location near Park Lane interchange.

James said: “We’ll be doing things a little differently, like offering premium spirits such as Black Cow vodka, as well as rums and whiskies.”

Other new ventures heading to the city centre this summer include The Botanist and The Keel Tavern, which it’s expected will open in Keel Square towards the end of the summer after they were recently granted outdoor seating licences.

This week, Rio steakhouse also confirmed they are in talks for a new unit in the city centre after ruling out the former Frankie & Benny’s unit in Sunniside. The new location is set to be announced soon.

German Doner Kebab is also expected to open in High Street West in the coming weeks.

The new Mortal Hound venture is creating six new jobs for the city and recruitment is ongoing for a chef and bar staff. Anyone interested in applying can email [email protected]