Could a series of collab pop-up food events in the West Riding help revive Dewsbury’s restaurant scene?

The West Riding is on a mission to revive the restaurant scene in Dewsbury – by bringing the restaurants into the pub! We have just launched our new Pop-up ‘Westaurant’ programme; a series of collaboration events where local food and drink providers take over the West Riding kitchen and create their own restaurant experience in the pub.

First up in the Pop-up Westaurant series is a wine and cheese pairing event on Wednesday 29 April. Michelle from The Last Drop will be taking attendees through 6 different wines and pairing each of them with the perfect cheese accompaniment.

On 11 May, Scran & Sup is serving up vintage afternoon tea, which not only features a range of home baked treats but also a Motown soundtrack. West Africa meets the West Riding on 27 May when Delice D’Ivoire brings their African soul food to Dewsbury. And there will be a continental vibe on 24 June when private chef, Adam Rasburn of Wild Infused Vinegar, serves up tastes from the Med.

Dewsbury needs a restaurant scene

The series is deliberately varied and is designed to emulate a bustling restaurant scene that you would hope to find in a town or city from different specialist providers. The Pop-up Westaurant at the West Riding is Beerhouses MD Sarah Barnes’ idea to bring different styles of restaurant experiences to Dewsbury.

“We would love to be part of a busy pub and restaurant scene in Dewsbury, but times are difficult for the hospitality industry and Dewsbury has, sadly, lost many great venues over the years. This series is not only designed to bring restaurants back to the town – one event at a time – but to show potential providers that there is still a demand for great food and drink experiences here. It could even be a baby step towards reviving the hospitality scene in the town.”

Details about all the events, including new ones as they’re added to the programme, are listed on the West Riding’s Facebook page and all require pre-booking. Any food providers who would like to bring their cuisine to the Pop-up Westaurant at the West Riding should contact Barry Shaw at barry@beerhouses.co.uk

The West Riding is Heavy Woollen CAMRA’s Pub of the Year 2026.