The drinks were a “real bargain”
Women enjoying a drink in Bar Zero, Liverpool. January 7, 1997(Image: Mirrorpix)
It’s now been almost 30 years since a lost Liverpool bar that you “couldn’t miss” on one city centre street first opened its doors. If you were old enough to visit bars and pubs in the city back in the 90s and 00s, it’s likely you may remember a night out at Bar Zero.
Located on North John Street, the venue first opened its doors in 1996 and stood out on the street for its row of giant red banners hanging outside the entrance and bold blue and red logo that decorated the wall inside. Once a branch of a building society, it was hoped that the new site would become “the watering hole for Liverpool city centre office staff.”
On May 31, 1996, the Liverpool ECHO reported: “George Sadler has spent 250,000 converting it into a leisure spot which he feels will add considerably to the ambiance of the area. Mr Sadler said: “We’ll offer Mediterranean-style food at lunchtimes and stay open until 2am.
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“We’re right in the middle of the city’s offices and financial centre and we want the bar to be popular with people who work around here.” George’s niece, former Atomic Kitten star Jenny Frost, used to frequent the bar, which she once described as “a great place to go for a few drinks. “
Brilliant photos, unseen for years, are courtesy of our archives, Mirrorpix. These images were taken back in January 1997 as part of a feature looking at traditional boozers versus trendy bars in the city at the time.
These photos have been unseen for years(Image: Mirrorpix)
ECHO reporter Paddy Shennan visited both The Globe pub close to the entrance to the Clayton Square shopping centre and then Bar Zero in North John Street, which he described as “like stepping into two different worlds.” At the time, 18-year-old customers Kelly Thomas and Carly Dillon told the ECHO how they were attracted by the bright lights of the new city bars.
Kelly previously said: “This bar is nice and bright and has a good atmosphere. There’s a lot of good new bars opening up in the city centre and we all tend to go to a few of them before heading for a nightclub.”
In the photos, you can see a group of women enjoying a night out at Bar Zero, as well as the bold logo on the wall and the bar area. These images are likely to stir memories for former customers decades on.
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In 2000, reporter Liz Hull also paid a visit to the venue to let readers know more about what was on offer. At the time, it did not cost anything to get into Bar Zero – but the drinks were “a real bargain.”
Every night, except Saturdays, there was a “buy one get one free” offer on all drinks. This meant two pints of lager cost £2.40, two bottles of Budweiser cost £2.90 and two vodka and tonics could be bought for £2.50.
On November 24, 2000, Liz said: “You can’t miss Bar Zero because it has a row of giant red banners hanging outside the entrance proclaiming its name. The frontage is more like a shop than a pub, with big glass windows from floor to ceiling which allow potential punters to have a look in and see what’s going on inside.
Women cheers in Bar Zero (Image: Mirrorpix)
“The pub itself is fairly large and is dominated by a long red mirrored bar along the back wall. Punters mainly stand up and drink because there are few places to sit, with a few cushioned benches and tables and chairs scattered around the lower level.”
At the time, the atmosphere was described as very relaxed. Regular Jenny Maguire, 23, from Fairfield., previously said: “I come here with a few mates on Wednesdays for the salsa – it is always a really good laugh and a great night out.”
It’s now been years since customers visited Bar Zero, which closed around the mid-00s. In the years that followed, the site has been home to restaurants.
When Bar Zero closed, the site reopened as La Vina Liverpool, a popular traditional Spanish tapas restaurant. But in 2019, the ECHO reported how the site was going to be taken over by concept restaurant Six by Nico holdings site, but the restaurant brand was yet to be decided.
Six By Nico did later open in the North John Street venue and soon became packed out with customers on a weekly basis. But the restaurant has remained closed since August 2022, when it shut its doors due to flooding.