First ever pottery painting and pizza parlour to open in Southport

One of Southport’s oldest restaurants is being transformed into a unique new venue, the first of its kind in the town. 

The popular venue, previously known as Fuego’s Mexican restaurant on Stanley Street, will be given a new lease of life and turned into a Clay & Crust. 

Once complete, the new venture will be open seven days a week for people of all ages and families to enjoy pottery painting and some delicious food and drink.

The unique new venue will also offer pottery parties, as well as the opportunity to drop pottery off at home for children to paint in their own environment before picking it up to be fired and completed. 

The idea for Clay & Crust was created by Joe Bolger, who has expertise in hospitality venues across the North West as well as the Lake District. 

Being born in Southport, Joe is thrilled to be bringing something a bit different to the town.

Joe said: 

“I’m really confident Clay & Crust will do very well in Southport! It’s going to be very family-friendly. We’ll have a team of five or six people here. It’s something very new, and we’ve had great feedback from everyone we’ve spoken to; including people who’ve called into the site to ask us what we’re working on! Fuego’s was such an iconic Southport restaurant, it was here for 25 years. We wanted to come in and transform the building and create something exciting where people can come in, and enjoy great experiences.

“We’d love to welcome any former Fuego’s customers, as well as anyone who’s never been here before. It’s suitable for people of all ages. Who doesn’t love painting pottery? You can come in as a family; as a group of friends; or even on a date night, as we’ll be open into the evenings too. We’ll start off opening seven days a week, probably midday to 8pm, and we’ll see what demand is like and how we adapt our offering to suit our customers. Rather than create pottery and then head out to find somewhere else to go and eat or grab a drink, you can do it all here. You’ll be able to sit and order some delicious pizza, small plates, antipasti and more, plus hot and cold drinks. You can then take home whatever pottery you’ve created, as a happy memory of great times spent together. Whenever you look at your pottery, hopefully it’ll remind you to come back and enjoy it again! 

For Joe, opening Clay & Crust is a continuation of his family’s long and successful investment in Southport. 

Speaking more about the new concept, he added: 

“We’re looking to put on theme nights, sing-alongs, and host events that are really fun. We can also come to you for anyone who wants to host pottery parties at home. It’s taken a lot of hard work to get to this stage, but I’m very grateful for all the help and support I’ve had from friends and family including Kyle Hendry, Kelly Bond and others. My Dad, Steven Bolger, ran the popular Le Frog restaurant in Southport, and also the Cafe Bar in Ormskirk. My brother, Daniel Bolger, owns Penelope’s restaurant in Southport, Emily’s restaurant in Formby and Ghetto Golf in Liverpool city centre. 

“I have worked in hospitality since I was 14 or 15 years old. My first ever job was working in a pottery painting studio, so my life’s now come full circle! I was born in Southport and then grew up in Ormskirk, before moving to the Lake District. I ran three successful bars in Manchester until the Covid pandemic arrived and life changed. 

“When this site became available, I felt it was divine intervention and I decided to come in and give Clay & Crust a go. I think it’s going to be a brilliant new addition for Southport. There are lots of exciting things happening, with new places such as the new Warehouse Arts Centre opening on West Street soon, the new Footy Nation now open at Ocean Plaza, and restoration work on Southport Pier starting soon. We have The Open Golf Championship and all the new events happening in Southport this year too, so there’s plenty of reasons for people to come and visit this town and enjoy some memorable experiences here. We are looking to open Clay & Crust in mid to late May with an official opening date to be announced soon. 

“We can’t wait to open; please follow our Instagram and TikTok pages, where I post regular videos and updates on the work we’re doing and what we’ll be offering. I’m looking forward to welcoming people to Clay & Crust very soon.”

Stay up to date on Clay & Crust over on their Instagram here.

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