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Chat about:
Beer of the Week (w/e 15th June 2025) with Tris39
on the Pub Forum
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 5 of 10) see review guidelines
Blue Scrumpy left this review about Bar Ninety
After a period where it was known as Ste & Wendy's, this place is now called the Open Arms. On our Saturday visit to Wigan, it was due to be the final port of call on a charity pub walk. We saw plenty of people doing the walk in purple t-shirts, but only one or two in the Open Arms. In Real Crafty alone, there must have been 20-30 people who had been part of the walk.
It didn't take long to work out why people had somehow skipped this venue. It is just a single, small room with a limited and average beer selection. The beers themselves (Marston's Wainwright Gold & Wadworth 6X & Henry's IPA) were in a poor condition. I thought we'd walked into a private party at first, but I think it was just set up to welcome the drinkers who hadn't seemed to have turned up.
The owner/barmaid appeared to be friendly enough, but she obviously didn't serve many of the cask ales, as she had to turn the clips round towards her to see which one was which. Perhaps the Beavertown Neck Oil on keg would have been the better option. My Somersby Blackberry was ok though.
There seems to be very little to get drinkers over to the Wigan Lane area these days. It's unlikely that I'll be back to this area for a while.
On 19th May 2025
- rating: 4
[User has posted 3111 recommendations about 3109 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Brainy Pool left this review about Bar Ninety
now called Ste & Wendys, it now has some decor and real ale has returned over two handpumps though the remaining offering is still quite basic. I prefer a proper pub rather than these tiny pop-up bars but good luck to the owners as Wigan Lane is mostly awful now.
On 11th March 2024
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 1174 recommendations about 1136 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Brainy Pool left this review about Bar Ninety
New owners and a new name, I never liked it much as Blundells but it’s a blander than bland place now, a non-descript room with live TV sports and no decor. As is fashionable on Wigan Lane, it has a resident DJ and live music - no idea how that works in such a tiny venue. Real ale is gone and keg options all mass produced. Yawn…
On 24th December 2022
- rating: 2
[User has posted 1174 recommendations about 1136 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Real Ale Ray left this review about Blundell's
A disappointing visit this one as I found the interior to be hot and stuffy, even though it wasn't such a particularly hot day on our visit. This also coincided with their beer temperature as it was too warm and not in great condition, so the mutual decision to leave was the right one. The barmaid was friendly and chatty and tipped us off to visit another bar when visiting Standish. I found the interior with a formica counter, black plastic wall and bar front cladding and choice of music to be off putting. Maybe we caught it on a bad day.
On 26th June 2016
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 3684 recommendations about 3684 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Will Larter left this review about Blundell's
Not really a micro-pub, this is just a cafe bar - albeit in a shop-conversion - and has been well described by PSM below. We received a friendly greeting when we entered but unfortunately we found the beers to be not up to the same standard. Wily Fox Blonde Vixen was tried and rejected, and we settled on the two alternatives: Springhead Outlawed and Blundells Ringside Blonde. Though none of them was off to the extent of taking them back and asking for them to be changed - changed for what, anyway - they were unpleasant enough for all four of us to leave our drinks unfinished. Maybe this part of Wigan is not ready yet for real ale.
On 24th June 2016
- rating: 3
[User has posted 4348 recommendations about 3996 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Just a quick pint, then I'm off left this review about Blundell's
New-fangled café / bar, with very modern and light furniture and decor. Two of three real handpumps in use, dispensing Adnams Mosaic and the local Hophurst Twisted Vine (£2.60). Quiet later on a Thursday evening, but perhaps I missed the rush?
On 17th April 2016
- rating: 6
[User has posted 8733 recommendations about 8733 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Pub SignMan left this review about Blundell's
One of four micro pubs to have opened in and around Wigan in the last six months, this small, single room bar feels more like a café than a traditional pub. The bar is located at the top end of town, in an area with a few other decent pubs, making it easy to incorporate if you’re planning a crawl of the area. The place is pretty basic, with a square shaped room served by a small bar area in the rear right corner. The counter has a black formica top and bar back and the room has laminate flooring and modern high backed padded chairs around small café style tables, all of which combines to lend the place a feeling of showroom-newness that hopefully will bed in a bit over time. A huge floor-to-ceiling image of Venice covers most of the left hand wall, although I’m not too sure what the link to the bar might be, whilst the right hand side is mostly bare, except for a single, long mirror. A table near the servery had a stack of CAMRA magazines and the day’s papers on it and there was a relaxing swing music soundtrack playing – unconventional for a micro pub, but not really out of place. I arrived early on a Saturday evening and found the place pretty quiet, making it ideal for a relaxing pint away from some of the busier spots around town.
There are three handpulls on the bar which were dispensing beers from local brewers – Martland Mill Lancashire Loom, Prospect Silver Tally and Hophurst Flaxen, with the latter costing £2.60 a pint and served in pretty good shape. Three keg taps (also unusual for a micro pub and perhaps part of the reason the pub isn’t mentioned on the Micro Pub Association’s website) offered mainstream lagers and Tetley Smooth. A few bottled continental beers were available in the fridges, there was an extensive coffee menu plus snacks in the shape of sandwiches and soups.
I found this to be an interesting take on the micro pub model – one that perhaps appeals to a wider section of the community than just ale drinkers. I could certainly envisage daytime visitors meeting here over a coffee and sandwich, but imagine the place comes more into its own in the evening. A good addition to the local pub scene.
On 9th March 2015
- rating: 6
[User has posted 3361 recommendations about 3361 pubs]