Inside Lidl's first-ever PUB: Discount supermarket chain opens £500,000 60-seat bar selling beer, wine and spirits called The Middle Ale

Published: 10:40, 19 June 2026 | Updated: 10:50, 19 June 2026 Discount supermarket Lidl has opened its first-ever pub - aptly called The Middle Ale.  With its walls filled to the brim with Lidl-branded goods and a colour scheme of red, yellow and blue, it could not be clearer who owns the newest pub in Dundonald, Northern Ireland, which opened to punters today. The £500,000 'world-first' pub will offer customers a truly one-of-a-kind experience since it has a door to the supermarket next door and an adjacent entrance to an off-licence. Insid, there are recognisable beers on tap, including Guinness and Estrella, as well as a selection of Lidl's award-winning wines and its own-brand spirits. While no hot food will be served at the premises, a selection of flavoured crisps from Lidl's own-brand range is available for snacking. The Middle Ale - named after Lidl's famous middle aisle - has enough room for 60 pub-goers as well as two toilets.  Opening a pub inside a supermarket is not just a marketing gimmick - it is a way around Northern Ireland's tough licencing laws. With its walls filled to the brim with Lidl-branded goods and a colour scheme of red, yellow and blue, it could not be clearer who owns the newest pub in Dundonald, Northern Ireland , which opened to punters today The pub's bar manager Samantha Hill with Lidl's Regional Managing Director for Northern Ireland Gordon Cruikshanks. It will serve a selection of draft beers as well as Lidl's award-winning wine Supermarkets in the country have two hurdles they must overcome before they can sell alcohol. They must buy a license which has been 'surrendered' by another business in the area, such as a pub which is closing. The 'surrender principle' acts as a strict cap on the number of premises which can sell alcohol. Then the supermarket must pass the 'inadequacy' test by showing that the number of existing licensed premises in an area are inadequate to meet the needs of the public. Lidl failed the inadequacy test but it did pass the test for a pub because two nearby bars have closed in recent years. It then faced a tough battle to open the pub. In January 2025, Lidl faced an objection from Philip Russell Ltd, which runs several off-licences across Northern Ireland – but judge Mr Justice Colton rejected the complaint. Dundonald's newest pub is aptly named The Middle Ale - in reference to the supermarket's famous middle aisle  This allowed Lidl to use its licence to open a pub and sell alcohol to take away.  Speaking at the opening, Gordon Cruikshanks, Regional Managing Director for Lidl Northern Ireland, said: 'Today marks an important milestone as we open our first-ever public house and begin welcoming customers to The Middle Ale.  'We're thrilled to finally bring the Dundonald community access to our full range of high quality, premium beers, wines and spirits for the first time in more than two decades. 'We recognise that there has been a great deal of local interest and anticipation around this project, which is why we have taken a measured and responsible approach to its opening, ensuring it complements the local area and provides a high-quality hospitality experience for existing Lidl customers, visitors and residents alike. 'The feedback from customers so far has been extremely positive and we're thrilled to toast the Dundonald community today and celebrate bringing our full range to local shoppers, as well as a much-needed community space to serve the thriving town.' No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.