THE ELITE of Newcastle’s hospitality scene descended on The Assembly Rooms for the Benevolent Awards – an annual head-to-head of the industry’s best held by Licensed Trade International.
The celebrations saw Britain’s Got Talent finalists ‘The Bar Wizards’ perform before the winners were announced to a crowd of almost 300 bar and restaurant professionals from the North East.
Bonbar, which sits within the iconic host venue, was shortlisted for a total of four awards including Best Bar of the Year, Best Food Bar and Best Late Night Venue.
The crown for North East Mixologist of the Year went to Bonbar’s very own head bartender Johny Hume, well-known on the bar scene in the city. The team also walked away with second place for Best Food Bar and third place for the overall Best Bar title.
Antony Michaelides, owner and managing director of The Assembly Rooms and Bonbar, said: “We’re thrilled that Johny was named Best Mixologist – he’s a fantastic asset to the team and always brings creativity and skill to our cocktail selection so it’s a truly deserving win.
“One of our aims is to establish our offering beyond a popular bar and late night venue, and firmly put our food on the map. We have some talented chefs on board and have completely revamped our dining menu so we were really pleased to be recognised in the Best Food Bar category. We’re confident we can take it to the next level in 2016 for the top spot!”
The awards’ nominations for each category were based on an initial public voting process to select the top six candidates who then battled it out to be presented as the winner on the night.
Licensed Trade International was set up in 2012 by its founder Anthony Molloy. Its objective was to connect people in the North East’s licensed trade sector, such that it could facilitate sustainable growth and jobs.
For more information on Bonbar, visit www.bonbar.co.uk/ or call 0191 232 8695.
