36 Bridge St remains as St Helens' top-rated restaurant after rebrand

After launching 'Vigour' with his school friends seven years ago, it has been quite the journey for Ant Georgiou as the restaurant has shifted its menu focus, adapted to national crises, and dealt with low footfall in St Helens.

And despite the risk of changing a winning formula, the team made the bold move to rebrand from Vigour to '36 Bridge St' earlier this year, with the business now running as a family venue.

Slimming down the menu and focusing on "good quality food", the change seems to have paid off as the five-star reviews have continued and the business remains as St Helens' top-rated restaurant on Trip Advisor.

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Inside the Bridge Street restaurant (Image: St Helens Star)
With Vigour first switching from a 'health kitchen' venue to a small plate focus, '36 Bridge St' offers a selection of favourite restaurant meals, with a commitment to high-quality cookery.

This includes salt and pepper chicken, grilled halloumi wraps, steak, burgers, and Sunday roasts, as well as a selection of hearty brunch options.

In homage to the restaurant's 'Vigour' past, a small plate offer remains as starter options, which includes salt and pepper ribs, chorizo and parmesan croquettes, and short-rib tacos.

To create a more vibrant atmosphere, live singers now perform at weekends, while the popular private events will infrequently remain, with the latest collaboration with 'Baldy's Dark Kitchen' taking place earlier this month. 

Some of the dishes on offer at 36 Bridge St (Image: 36 Bridge St)
Speaking about the business and rebrand, Ant, 35, said: "Over the past seven years, we inevitably made mistakes and I think some customers were unsure what our offer was because we adapted quite a lot.

"You have to adapt to the times that you're in but we have learned a lot of lessons over the years.

"This is why we think it is best to offer a smaller menu with good quality food and give people the best we can, from the menu to the service.

"It's been a fresh start and the rebrand has definitely appealed to more customers who we hadn't seen before."

Brunch options are also available at the restaurant (Image: 36 Bridge St)

Although the business has struggled to attract lots of passing trade in St Helens, it has managed to thrive in difficult circumstances thanks to the quality of its food and a plethora of positive reviews.

Managing to stay as St Helens' top-rated restaurant on Trip Advisor for several years, 36 Bridge St is also rated as Merseyside's 22nd best restaurant on the online review site.

With this recognition helping to make the job worthwhile, Ant hopes that 36 Bridge St can gain further support as the town's multi-million-pound regeneration plans begin to take shape over the next few years. 

There is a focus on using local produce and local businesses at 36 Bridge St (Image: St Helens Star)
Ant, from Sutton, added: "The fact that we are consistently rated as the number one rated restaurant in St Helens is so rewarding because it shows that we are constantly doing the right things.

"We've had some great support from our regular customers and on social media, but it would be amazing if there was a bit more support for independent businesses from the local community, because this will help sustain these venues before things get better in the town centre.

"I'm a local lad and I want to support the town as much as I can, and we do this from the local produce we use, to the local artists and plants we showcase in the restaurant.

"It has been a labour of love over the years but to do this in my hometown gives me a huge amount of pride."

36 Bridge St, in St Helens town centre (Image: St Helens Star)