Over the past couple of weeks, it seems as if my social media feeds have been completely taken over by a trendy looking nightspot, with its bright orange sign, wood-panelled walls and stacks of vinyl records popping up on countless Instagram posts and TikTok videos.
I presumed that it was in Manchester’s Northern Quarter, but was very pleasantly surprised when I discovered that it was actually in Bolton – just a mile-and-half outside the town centre.
Billing itself as a ‘day and night deli’, Earl’s serves pastries and coffee from 8am and then booze and small plates from midday until late. Named after a long-haired miniature dachshund belonging to co-owner Jonny Eckersley, the venue is also dog and family-friendly.
A buzzing atmosphere and Mid-Century charm
Situated on the corner of Chorley Old Road, in a building that was previously Coleman’s bakery and more recently a café/barbershop called Common & Coffee, there was a real buzz about the place when I arrived alongside Mrs Molloy on a cold Saturday evening – with a DJ playing house music and just a couple of seats free, despite it only being 5.45pm.
The décor is Mid-Century inspired, with wooden accents throughout and lots of oranges that match the venue’s bright fascia, from the La Marzocco coffee machine to the plant pots, bar tops and lamps.
Thankfully, we arrived just in time for the ‘2 cocktails for £12’ promotion that the venue has run throughout January. The deal was on two of the same cocktail; as I was feeling a bit tired, I opted for two Espresso Martinis, which were served in lowball glasses. They tasted great and as a result didn’t last very long. They also had the desired effect, managing to perk me up considerably.
Small plates and pints
We also got a couple of the small plates to accompany our cocktails – the mixed meats (£7) and the cheese and honey (£6). The saltiness of the cold cuts complemented the drinks well, but it was the honey from the other dish that was the real stand out. Served with a hard cheese (possibly pecorino) it is sourced relatively locally, in Atherton, and is genuinely the best honey I can remember tasting, providing a beautifully sweet contrast to the cheese.
Moving onto pints; we tried the Brock Nitro Stout (£5) and both thought that it was exceptional. I like Guinness but can only usually have a couple in a row before I need something a bit sweeter. There was none of that here. Just as smooth as a Guinness but with less of an aftertaste, I sank three very easily and could have kept going if it wasn’t for a very expensive month ahead of me.
Arguably one of the biggest reasons for Guinness’ surge in popularity over the past couple of years has been down to brilliant marketing, along with more and more people attempting to ‘split the G’ on social media. Here it’s all about ‘spitting the E’ and I don’t think I did too badly for a first try.
To soak up the alcohol, we ordered the mixed breads (£4) and the focaccia in particular was delightfully soft.
We’d actually only originally planned to stay for a couple but the buzzy yet cosy vibe, the brilliant table service, the excellent drinks and the fact that you don’t pay until you have to leave (and therefore can’t see the damage that you’re doing to your bank balance in real time) meant that we were still there three hours after walking through the door.
The morning after
In fact, we enjoyed it so much that we went back with sore heads just 12 hours later to try the pastries.
The pastries are from Half Dozen Other in Manchester. I had the cinnamon bun (£4) and the fact that most of the other options had sold out within an hour of opening on a Sunday morning may give a clue to how good they are.
It was quite strange seeing the place so quiet compared to the night before and did prefer the atmosphere after dark, but I could definitely still see myself returning to drink a coffee while reading a book or getting some writing done.
Before visiting Earl’s, I was worried it may be style over substance and that it wouldn’t live up to the social media hype. Fortunately my fears were unfounded and it is just a genuinely exciting addition to Bolton’s food and drink scene. I’m already thinking about my next pint of Brock.
Have you visited Earl’s yet? Let me know in the comments below!