A Dundee pub owner has managed to bring his own little Italy to a popular area of the city after the easing of restrictions on hospitality.
Andrew McMahon opened his Aperol Spritz bar in part of the car park at West Port, across from his pub the West House, on Monday to welcome customers back for the first time this year.
He has transformed a corner of the car park into a bright and inviting continental style bar, with Italian styling and dazzling colours – including a pushbike and ice cream barrel to add to the atmosphere.
Bright orange sun umbrellas – or rain covers – as well as blankets and patio heaters have been included to ensure customers stay dry and warm
Andrew said: “The sun might not be shining but everyone is loving our Aperol bar.
“The whole idea was to bring a little bit of continental sunshine and fun to this corner of the city, just outside the West House.
“Aperol is an Italian vermouth and it makes everyone immediately think of holidays and sunshine.
“We opened on Monday and we were completely full.
“We have attracted customers every day since.”
More on beer gardens
- Find your nearest beer garden with our new interactive map.
- Test your knowledge on the pubs in your area with our new quiz.
- Get into the party spirit with our perfect beer garden playlist
Andrew said that he was operating a walk-in service only, with no booking in advance, to attract customers.
He said: “We think this is going to work well for us and we are not limiting the length of time people can stay and drink.
“We are offering food and drink in the bar, including Aperol cocktails and they are proving to be very popular.
“I’ve been trying to get the council to let me use this space for some time and it has worked out great for us now.
“I hope to be able to be open here for the whole of the summer and would love to think that it might not be long before we can also provide music and musical nights here.
“We are finding it’s actually getting easier to serve people outside because everyone knows what’s expected of them and turn up with their own masks and stay socially distanced.
“We are really hopeful that this is going to take off for us and be a huge success and give people in Dundee something a little different to enjoy.”
Beer gardens near me: Interactive map shows the pubs open across Tayside and Fife