A cinema themed cocktail bar has reopened in Newcastle after its owners bought a popular venue on Pilgrim Street.
Paul Pringle and Mark Wrightson are reopening Intermezzo, which was previously based at the Tyneside Cinema until it closed in 2016.
The popular bar changed hands after the lease expired and Tyneside Cinema decided to take over the running of the bar themselves.
But the bar is returning to the region after ts new owners acquired Bierrex, down the road from the original site. The building has been a popular venue for North East drinkers and was previously home to Popolo before it moved to the quayside.
After just two weeks the site has been refurbished and has reopened under the Intermezzo name.
Mr Pringle said: "We took over this lease last month, did a quick refurbish and made it Intermezzo.
"It is a new twist on it and we want to bring the old clients, the coffee, the music and the vibe back to a site I always rated as great.
"We have bought Ray’z and The Poison Cabinet in the basement, and we are leaving the speakeasy as it is."
The new owners have plenty of experience running bars in Newcastle. They have owned nearby Alvino’s for 10 years and recently acquired Tokyo. Mr Pringle is hoping the new site will fit in with the local drinking scene and the business’s other bars.
"When we sat down with the designer the remit was that it needs to be accessible to customers from early to late night,” he said.
"In the morning it is a coffee bar, early afternoon it is open to shoppers and ladies who lunch, then at night it is a cocktail bar and will sell craft ales, which is what we are known for at Alvino’s and Tokyo."
Intermezzo - which has been named after the Italian name for a film intermission - will be heavily themed around the cinema.
Famous film posters are on display and the bar now boasts a cocktail menu based on famous films. The new menu includes the Pretty in Pink, Something About Mary, and The English Patient.
Currently the building is split into three distinct bars: Intermezzo, Ray’z Backroom Bar, and underground speakeasy The Poison Cabinet. However, the plan is to knock through one of the walls to turn Ray’z into an additional room for Intermezzo that will be available for private hire.
Due to its unique theme, The Poison Cabinet will remain its own separate venue.
The new company has also brought in one of the former managers of Popolo to try to capture the same feel that customers enjoyed.
"John Dyer, the general manager, is the original manager of Popolos and he is working here to bring back the old feel and vibe of the place."
