Signage goes up at The Muddler as next addition to Sunderland's Keel Square gets ready to make its mark

There’s been much anticipation about the arrival of The Muddler to the large corner unit beneath Holiday Inn.

Now the brand, which is already well established in Newcastle’s Grey Street, has put up window signage in the unit teasing that it’s ‘coming soon’ after plans were approved in May.

Although there’s no exact opening date confirmed as yet, The Muddler has said it will be this year.

The Muddler is owned by The Danieli Group, who already know the Sunderland market thanks to their Stack brand, which has a successful branch at Seaburn.

While Stack focuses on street food, The Muddler has a more upmarket offering of sushi, pan-Asian dishes and cocktails.

The restaurant will accommodate more than 150 diners, with a cocktail bar area for those just wanting to enjoy drinks, spread across the ground floor and first floor levels along with an outside seating area for 110 covers.

The new Muddler will be three times the size of the original, which occupies two units in Grey Street, connected by a tunnel.

Head chef Ian Puso has worked his way up the ranks at The Muddler and says he’s looking forward to bringing some of the brand’s signature Far East flavours to Sunderland.

“We’re going to be bringing some great pan-Asian flavours to Sunderland, from countries like Japan, the Philippines, Thailand, China and Korea,” said the chef. “It’s very vibrant food and we use great ingredients.”

The opulent Great Gatsby-esque decor of the Newcastle branch will also be echoed at the Sunderland site.

The Muddler will create a number of new kitchen and front of house jobs in Sunderland, with more detail on recruitment announced closer to the time.

An announcement is also due on the fourth unit beneath Holiday Inn, facing on to High Street West, which is also expected to be a bar.

Sunderland’s new public square has really come into its own in the past couple of years, with The Botanist and Keel Tavern proving popular additions.

Meanwhile, work is well underway on Culture House as it rises into the skyline.

The £27m development is one of the key players in the ongoing regeneration of the city centre, a culture hub offering a mix of library, creative, digital and community spaces.

Due to open in summer 2025, the project is part funded by the Government’s Future High Streets Fund and is expected to boost city spending while attracting more than half a million visitors a year, according to city leaders.

Elsewhere in Keel Square, the big screen has come down to make way for a new pavilion.

Due to open soon, the pavilion will house a fully immersive screen which will appear 3D and is thought to be one of the largest in the UK.

The pavilion will also house exhibitions and showcase local talent and innovation, a viewing platform to allow people to watch the city’s new Culture House take shape, and areas for large installations and displays.