Lazy Tony’s
Open Now
Lazy Tony’s spent the first part of its life serving out of a hatch in Ancoats, and has built up a cult following of pasta fanatics since it opened its doors during lockdown. Home of the infamous lasagna slab, the restaurant has something for everyone – featuring Mac n Cheese, Vodka Penne and plenty of vegetarian and vegan options and it’s all now available to enjoy in the basement of Alvarium.
Firefly’s New Concept
Open Now
Firefly has rapidly become a well-known destination in Manchester’s buzzing nightlife scene, known for its glitzy, vibrant dining, huge open plan layout and unique, dual combination of FoodWell by day and Firefly by night. Both concepts have now been split and set on their own trajectory, with Firefly now taking over the whole venue. The inception of the brand-new Firefly is ready to experience right now, with a new refurb, dining style, huge events and a new music concept with a state-of-the-art speaker system.
The Vurger Co
Open Now
The Vurger Co’s mission is to ‘revolutionise fast food through the power of plants’, with all of the food on their menu being 100% plant-based, ethically sourced and sustainable. If you’re into getting your hands dirty whilst chowing down on big burgers, you must pay them a visit. We highly recommend the BBQ ‘Pork’ burger, containing a sausage style ‘pork’ patty topped with vegan smoked gouda, house-made BBQ baconnaise and hickory BBQ sauce, paired with crispy onion straws, tangy slaw and rocket. Apologies is we’re already making you salivate at your desk.
UNAGI Green Quarter
Early May TBC
Things are moving very quickly with sushi masters UNAGI’s first foray into the city centre, and they should have their tiny shipping container village open sometime in the first week of May. It’ll provide not just a spot in which to offer up their excellent sushi delivery service, but also somewhere you can go, sit outside, have some fresh sushi and chill in the May Manchester sun.
Kong’s at Hatch
Open Now
The infamous Kong’s Chicken Shop has opened a pop-up in Hatch serving a new sandwich shop concept. The team behind the business have put together a list of NYC deli / bodega inspired sandwiches with their own twist, full of the freshest ingredients along with a few boozy delights, too. The new Hatch stall is currently just a concept for summer, but we’re hoping that these guys stick around for longer!
Cheeky Tikka at Hatch
Open Now
Cheeky Tikka has now expanded into the city centre, taking up a spot down at Hatch on Oxford Road with their ‘Bites’ concept. The menu features some signature Indian street food dishes “packed with lots of spicy goodness”, including the fan favourite ‘Cheeky Samosa Chaat’ – a crispy samosa topped with a mildly spiced chickpea salsa, pomegranate and a mint and tamarind sauce; as well as their ‘Cheeky Chips and Gravy’ – chunky chips with lashings of butter chicken and gravy.
Roti West Didsbury
5th May
A restaurant where you have to scan the menu to decide what you’re not going to order, Roti has already found a home in both Sale and Chorlton, but, now, it has opened another site in West Didsbury’s Boiler Room. The restaurant is famous for its Scottish and Indian fusion dishes such as the ‘Wee Poori Parcels’ and ‘Chaat-Massala Spiced Scotch Egg’ and it also serves an Irn Bru Negroni and a Roti Daiquri!! Need I say much more?
Green Lab Deansgate Square
Friday 6th May
The Green Lab on Deansgate Square opens on Friday 6th May with an exciting new evening offer to complement their much-loved salads, juices, treats and plant-based options. The new site features an organic wine list and twists on classic cocktails, including a Miso Caramel Espresso Martini and a Strawberry Matcha Highball, as well as new menu items such as sushi and sashimi. Opening from 7am on weekdays and 8am at weekends, the venue, designed by Manchester studio YOUTH, will serve breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner seven days per week. Live entertainment will also feature every evening, Wednesday – Sunday.
Follow Green Lab Deansgate Square
LiveWell
Friday 13th May
LiveWell is a sustainable lifestyle and retail shop based in Northern Quarter. On 13th May, the store will open a yoga studio underneath the crystal and coffee shop with free yoga classes for the whole of the week following. It’s aiming to be a space for novices and beginners alike, creating a relaxing atmosphere perfect for those looking to unwind through the practice of yoga.
Blinker
Tuesday 17th May
If you’re a cocktail connoisseur, then you’ll be a big fan of the new kid on the block, Blinker. The bar, headed up by ex-Gordon Ramsay bars boss is driven by seasonality, sustainability and simplicity, and will have a focus on classic cocktails, with an additional menu, reimagining classics based around four flavours each month, determined by seasonal British produce. Located at the top of King Street, Blinker Bar sits in good company with aspirations to be the pre and post dinner and all day cocktail spot for those who appreciate a well crafted beverage and great service.
Burgerism at Escape to Freight Island
TBC
Manchester’s very own phenomenal online-and-delivery-only burger joint, Burgerism, will be joining Escape to Freight Island this month. This will be a much-anticipated arrival as burger fans will now be able to dine in for the best burger in town. Their premium smashed burger and fries will be a welcome addition as it replaces Patty Queen. Menu highlights include the famous ‘Cheesed’ with two smashed patties, cheese, lettuce, tomato, pickle, onion and Burgerism sauce in a brioche bun.
Lucky Foot at Escape to Freight Island
TBC
Another exciting food concept opening at Freight Island this month comes from the team behind Belzan who will refresh their current counter with a brand-new deep fried and charcoal grilled chicken offering, Lucky Foot. Serving first class birds, it will showcase modern cooking using the best chicken – made from scratch in Manchester.
Blanchflower Sale
End of May TBC
Pioneers of the café culture that we’ve experienced in the city over the last 8 years, Blanchflower was there from the beginning, offering up top-notch coffee, home-baked bread, pastries, cakes, and high-end restaurant quality food to the world of cafes. Their new location in Sale is finally set to open this month, another addition to a quickly expanding and exciting future for the area, and joining a host of already established venues.
Dokes Prestwich
End of May
The food and drink renaissance of Prestwich continues as news has reached our ears that Dokes, the Anglo-Saxon pizzeria that’s currently operating out of Society in the city centre, is opening up a new location in the heart of the city suburb this month! Run by the brains behind Elnecot, Michael Clay, Dokes will serve ‘Anglo-Saxon’ style pizzas with the UK’s very best cheeses, meats, vegetables and produce including air-dried duck breast from Trealy Farm in South Wales, Curthwaite Goat’s Curd from Cumbria, truffles from Wiltshire and British burrata.
Great North Pie
End of May
Pie-lovers will soon be able to enjoy some of Great North Pie’s most popular dishes at Kampus! Classic bakes such as ‘Classic Lancashire Cheese and Onion’ that comes with Dewlay’s Tasty Lancashire cheese, caramelised white onion, white pepper, nutmeg and panko breadcrumbs will be on offer, alongside a seasonally changing range of pies using locally sourced ingredients. A modern take on a traditional pie and mash café, the mouth-watering selection of pies can also be washed down with a matching beer or glass of Prosecco, with a full drinks menu on offer, too.
