A NEWPORT pub - which was opened on a bet - is now a thriving hub for food, live music, and more.

Slipping Jimmy's opened on Newport’s High Street around a decade ago – with business owner Stephen Reynolds admitting he opened the pub on a bet with a friend who'd moved from Newport to West Wales.

“He visits every now and then and we go out to town,” said Mr Reynolds.

“All I did was moan about the places we went to – my friend said ‘if you think you can do better then why don’t you?’

“He said I never could and now – out of pure stubbornness – here I am.

And it seems that stubbornness paid off; 10 years later and Slipping Jimmy's is a thriving part of Newport’s music and nightlife scene - but why the name?

"It's actually a reference to the TV show Better Call Saul," confessed Mr Reynolds.

"Saul's brother, Chuck McGill, says 'you're nothing but a slipping jimmy' and it stuck with me. The only problem is that everyone calls me Jimmy now.

"But it's become a community here; we’ve got a lot of regulars who use this as their local in the city centre."

Slipping Jimmys, which has a maximum capacity of around 200 people, has a well stocked bar and does happy hour (or happy four hours?) between midday and 4pm during the week, offering many drinks for £2.50.

The pub is part of Newport's diverse live music scene, with bands and performers taking to the stage at 9pm on Fridays and Saturdays. 

Visitors can also try their hands at darts, or have a few games of pool, with local teams using Slipping Jimmys to help develop their skills and socialise.

But the venue is also making an impact on Newport's food scene with Mr Reynolds, who has previously worked as a baker, building a woodfired oven (with help from a friend) which is used to cook pizza and a variety of other foods. 

“We built the oven with lots of help from YouTube and Google,” said Mr Reynolds.

“It took us about three weeks to build and it’s all safe; it can get up to 500 degrees inside and you can still touch the outside.”

The wood fire gives the pizza a “better flavour” with the dough made fresh.

“The feedback to our pizza has been great – some have said it’s the best they’ve ever had,” said Mr Reynolds.

“It’s all fresh, with the wood giving it that nice smoky flavour, and the thin crust means it cooks properly.”

The venue also offers an array of other food options including roast chicken (smoked in the oven), hot dogs, burgers, breakfasts, pulled pork, ploughman's lunch, jacket potatoes, and more.

There's even the big feast box - which is made to order and a sharer for two - made up of food smoked in the wood fire oven, including:

• Brisket;
• Sausage;
• Pulled pork;
• Half a roast chicken;
• Ribs;
• Sides and more.

Earlier this year, in June, the venue opened a takeaway hatch giving people the option to grab food on the go, with them also able to eat in the venue and appreciate the quirky interior.

"When we opened, I didn’t have a lot of money,” admitted Mr Reynolds, who formerly owned Toy Army in Newport Market.

“Lots of things were cheap, free, or donated – the floor and bar was made from planks of timber.

“Dean [from Kriminal Records] gave me a lot of the records on the walls and there’s lots of old toys from when I ran Toy Army.

"I'm a big fan out cowboy films and had a bunch of old posters which look good on the wall.

"Now people bring in their old records, tin signs, and number plates [to use as decoration]."

Slipping Jimmys also features artwork by Newport artist Consumersmith with Mr Reynolds hoping to commission more work by him - including a portrait of Chuck McGill (the character on Better Call Saul who inspired the name "slipping jimmy").

The bar is hired out during quieter times, with Mr Reynolds exploring the option of getting into the basement for private hire.

Find out more about Slipping Jimmy's at slippingjimmys.co.uk