Food & Drink

Welcome back: The Manchester pubs, bars and restaurants reopening indoors from May 17

Around four in five restaurants, pubs and bars in the city centre have had to remained closed - until now

Georgina Pellant Georgina Pellant - 17th May 2021

As of Monday 17 May Manchester will have officially entered ‘Step Three’ of the roadmap out of lockdown.

This means new rules permitting indoor drinking and dining for the first time in months, as well as the reopening of some long-shuttered local businesses like cinemas and museums.

For the roughly four in five Manchester hospitality businesses left unable to trade during the strict nationwide lockdowns, this is welcome news indeed.

The majority have been unable to open since before Christmas. Others have been closed for the best part of a year.

Those without any outdoor drinking or dining space have been hit the hardest. Out of 659 Manchester city centre hospitality venues, around 170 resumed trading in April.

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Lockdown saw us lose some real city centre gems, with casualties including city centre favourites Nexus Arts Cafe, Bock Biere, Teacup Kitchen, Lunya and Earth Cafe.

Now, with the next few months set to be pivotal for the success of many local hospitality businesses, we are at risk of losing more if they don’t get the support they need.

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So, as the city takes one more step back towards normality, we thought we’d put together a list of the places that will reopen for indoor drinking and dining from May 17.

Let’s go and show them some support.

This piece will be regularly updated as new information becomes available.

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Manchester bars and restaurants reopening the week commencing May 17:

Albert Square

Reds True BBQ
Slug and Lettuce
Speak In Code
The Allotment Vegan
Wood & Co.
Armenian Taverna

Ancoats

Blue-Eyed Panda
Second City
Erst
Jub Thai
Street Urchin (Wednesday, 19th May)
Sugo
Viet Shack
Cha-ology

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Bridge Street

Dishoom
Mason’s Restaurant and Bar
MOJO

Castlefield

Albert’s Shed
The Wharf
Cafe Istanbul
Cibo
The Wharf

Central

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American Pies
The Bank
Crown And Anchor
Circle Tavern
The Flying Monkey
Annies
San Carlo Bottega
Browns
The Bull & Bear
Chish & Fips
Harvey Nichols Second Floor Bar and Brasserie
Mamucium
The Restaurant, Bar and Kitchen
Peru Perdu
TGI Fridays
Sam’s Chop House
Three Little Words
The Brotherhood of Pursuits and Pastimes
City Arms

Chinatown

Little Yang Sing
Phetphalin
Teppanyaki Chinatown
Yang Sing
Yuzu
The New Emperor
Seven Oaks

Corn Exchange

Pizza Express
Pho
Vapiano

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Deansgate

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Be At One
Las Iguanas
Slug and Lettuce
The Knott
Ark
Bem Brasil
San Carlo Cichetti
Cloud 23
Dimitris Taverna
Gaucho
Hawksmoor
La Vina
Evuna
Dirty Martini

First Street

Junkyard Golf Club
Indian Tiffin Room
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Great Northern

Vesper cocktail bar
James Martin Manchester
Platzki
Fat Hippo
Siam Smiles Cafe

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King Street

Flight Club
Grand Pacific
Kala
Rosso
Honey at Gotham
King Street Tavern

Northern Quarter

63 Degrees
Allotment NQ
The Abel Heywood
Bem Brasil
Band on the Wall
Behind Closed Doors
Bar 21
Castle Hotel
CBRB
Cottonopolis
Dusk Til Pawn
English Lounge
Herd NQ
Junior Jacksons
NQ64
Noi Quattro
33 Oldham Street
TNQ Restaurant & Bar
The Lost Cat
Night & Day
Turtle Bay Restaurant & Bar
SoLIta NQ
Chakalaka (?)
Ciaooo Pizzeria
Pen and Pencil
Penang
Evelyn’s Cafe & Bar
Ply
Seed and Cherry
Sicilian NQ

Oxford Road
Turtle Bay Restaurant & Bar
Joshua Brooks
Dog Bowl
Temple Bar
One Plus
Oishi Q
Navarro Lounge
The Refuge

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Peter Street

Asha’s
Don Giovanni
Don Marco
Ezra & Gil
The French at The Midland)
Mount Street Dining Room and Bar at The Midland
Peaky Blinders
The Blues Kitchen Manchester (20th May)
Peter Street Kitchen

Piccadilly

Brasserie Abode
Bundobust
Chez Mal
Ducie Street Warehouse
Franco Manca
The Green
Waldorf Hotel
Escape to Freight Island

Printworks

Bierkeller
Chiquito
Frankie & Benny’s
Hard Rock Cafe
Nandos
Wagamama
Wasabi
O’Neills
Walkabout

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Shudehill

Lower Turks Head
The Pasta Factory

Spinningfields

Fazenda
Tattu
BLVD

The Village

Jasmine Grill
Habesha
Arnero
Napoleon’s bar and Chinese restaurant
Yizhichuan
Samsi

Food & Drink

Beloved Manchester Italian restaurant unveils big refurb

Thomas Melia Thomas Melia Beloved Manchester Italian restaurant Italiana Fifty-Five unveils big refurb

Much-loved Italian restaurant Italiana Fifty-Five has just unveiled a beautiful refurbishment at one of its Manchester sites, along with a new menu of fresh, handmade pasta. 

Gone is the famous yellow colour palette of this Italian eatery as they swap in a sophisticated and regal turquoise blue at their Liverpool Road restaurant.

This establishment is known for its impressive shop-window pasta making stations where you can see your food prepared live in-store and while walking past outside the venue.

They’re continuing their foodie legacy serving carby creations, like a flaming cheese wheel pasta where staff blowtorch the cheese to ensure it’s as melty as possible. 

One of the biggest menu highlights at Italiana Fifty-Five is the cappellacci, which comes in two equally gorgeous forms and much like its English translation, emulates tiny hats.

These cute little plates come in two delicious stuffed pairings – the burrata, combined with a tangy tomato and beef filling, and a salmon with cream sauce and fresh lemon for a match made in heaven.

Beloved Manchester Italian restaurant Italiana Fifty-Five unveils big refurb
Beloved Manchester Italian restaurant Italiana Fifty-Five unveils big refurb. Credit: The Manc Group
Inside Italiana Fifty-Five as it unveils a new look on Liverpool Road. Credit: The Manc Group
Inside Italiana Fifty-Five as it unveils a new look on Liverpool Road. Credit: The Manc Group

How can you think of anything more ideal than a table full of hearty and home-comforting meals than one that also features an array of beautiful sides?

Usual delights like the burrata on a bed of rocket, tomato and finished off with a balsamic vinegar glaze are a great addition to your already faultless food.

Cheesy garlic pizza bread is quintessential when dining in an Italian restaurant, and Italiana 55’s lovely flavour-packed favourite is a go-to when ordering here.

The Liverpool Road restaurant also has a tonnata pizza which uses toppings that are an exact ingredient breakdown of the Mediterranean sauce, which it shares its name with.

In photos: Italiana Fifty-Five has undergone a refurb. Credit: The Manc Group

What better way to wolf down some incredible Italian feasts than with some perfectly paired alcoholic offerings like the classic Aperol spritz, trusted espresso martinis and a selection of fine wines.

Their menu is staying as tasty as ever with their delicious pizzas and pastas, with the new fresh pasta menu available at their restaurants on Liverpool Road and in Didsbury. 

Find out more and book a table HERE. 

Read more: This Manchester suburb has just been named one of the UK’s ‘happiest’ places to live in 2024

Featured Image: The Manc Group

Food & Drink

Bakery chain Gail’s is attempting to win over Prestwich after spelling mishap

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson Gail's will hand out free tea in Prestwich to apologise for spelling the village's name wrong

Gail’s has announced a plan to try and make amends with Prestwich after spelling the village’s name wrong on the new bakery’s signs.

The massive bakery chain finally confirmed that it would be moving into the suburb on the fringes of Bury and Manchester, but made a fatal flaw at the first step.

Gail’s put big red temporary signs in the windows of the old bank it’s moving in to – and managed to spell Prestwich wrong.

The huge posters are missing the letter ‘T’, instead saying ‘Hello Preswich’.

More than a few eyebrows were raised locally, with people saying it’s ‘not a great first impression for the locals…’.

And now Gail’s is attempting to put things right by offering free tea to Prestwich residents.

In new material released today, they wrote: “Oops… people of Prestwich, we owe you a ‘T’.

“You may have seen how we missed out a ‘t’ in our new bakery signage.

“We’re sorry for the mistake, and to make up for it we’d like to brew you a tea when we open.”

The new advertising has a QR code which people can scan to claim their free cuppa.

Gail’s has also passed its thanks on to ‘local resident Clair’, who actually came up with the suggestion on The Manc’s LinkedIn post here.

With this development, Gail’s has now confirmed it’ll be opening in Prestwich – directly opposite the new Rudy’s – in early 2025, with free tea served then to those who scan the QR code.

Gail's will hand out free tea in Prestwich to apologise for spelling the village's name wrong
Gail’s will hand out free tea in Prestwich to apologise for spelling the village’s name wrong
Huge bakery chain Gail's confirms move to Prestwich - but spells village's name wrong in signage
Huge bakery chain Gail’s confirms move to Prestwich – but spells village’s name wrong in signage

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Featured image: The Manc Group

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