COMMON is part of the Northern Quarter furniture.
We’ve just celebrated ten years of Common, so it felt like the right time to re-develop the space and take a step forward
Like Affleck's Palace, Koffee Pot and Fred Aldous, Common is one of those venues that you couldn't imagine the area without. Rightly so. This pillar of the Northern Quarter drinking scene has been here from the start - if you ignore everything and everyone that went before and consider 'the start' to be the onset of heavy, corduroy trousered gentrification in 2004, of course.
Now over a decade old, the owners at Common bar on Edge Street have ripped out the rag-tag, chip board, Berlin backpacker hostel interior and chucked the whole Skandi book at it in a design by Peter Masters and Joe Hartley.
Of course, some of the hardcore ale faithful have been whining on Twitter, the all-new lighter, slicker, hyper-designed feel being likely to attract a wider crowd of popular folk with sunny dispositions. Sod 'em, they can head down to Common's other gaff, the Port Street Beer House, and weep into their 18% stout in the corner on their toddy.
Because the new Common looks and smells very handsome indeed. Though we're not too sure about this new moniker - 'Common: Social, Eatery and Coffee Spot'. Bit wanky that. 'Bar' is fine, 'Cafe Bar' ok. 'Social, Eatery and Coffee Spot'... C'mon now.
Co-owner Jonny Heyes said: "We’ve just celebrated ten years of Common, so it felt like the right time to redevelop the space and take a step forward. We brought on Joe and Peter to create a new vision and direction for the interior, and worked with our entire team to develop and improve every element of the bar from coffee to cocktails."
Common will continue to exhibit and promote the city's artists and designers, and will soon launch a new breakfast, lunch and dinner menu featuring Lazy Scotch egg, 'pig bits', Korean fried chicken and roast hake.
Open 9am to late @common_bar
