New ‘pizza pub’ opens in Winchester

The Pizza Tavern has opened in Winchester and is run by city residents Freddie Fraser and Michael Smith.

Originally a mobile business, the new pub opened its doors on 3 October in place of the former Black Bottle wine bar on Bridge Street and aims to offer “authentic pizza” to its guests.

Winchester is already well populated by pubs, with one pub per 1,040 residents according to a recent study, making it the city with the eighth highest pubs-to-people ratio in the country.

Co-owner Mr Fraser said: “We’ve got a more authentic food offering and we’ve been making pizzas for three years as a business now.”

Having had over 10 years of experience in the hospitality industry, fellow owner Mr Smith feels he has a “360 degree knowledge of how to operate and run a business” and this is something he can bring that “not a lot of people can”.

Pubs across the country have closed at an alarming rate in recent times with more than 50 having shut down per month in the first half of 2024 according to government data so this may pose a threat to the new opening.