A new gourmet pizza and cocktail bar to open at Manchester Arndale’s Halle Place in just a couple of weeks time.
PizzaLuxe has decided to create “a new home in the North” after being an anchor tenant at the award-winning Leeds Trinity Kitchen since 2013, and has confirmed that it will be opening its flagship restaurant in the new £11 million food quarter of Manchester’s central shopping mall.
The ever-popular pizza operator aims to lead the way in day-to-night dining by serving up gourmet thin-crust pizza, aperitivo, and fresh salads alongside its made-to-order cocktail menu.
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Foodies familiar with PizzaLuxe will know that the brand doesn’t stick to the rules of conventional Neopolitan pizza and instead creates unique Roman-style recipes using a combination of both British and European premium produce that has been carefully sourced to “ensure consistent quality”.
Some of the pizzas to take your pick from on the menu in Manchester include the Palermo – with mushroom, oven-baked ham hock, parmesan and sage – the Lardo, with bacon, brie and baby spinach, Chorizo, with goats cheese, roasted grapes and honey, and the Pollo – with pesto chicken, black olives, artichoke heart and mushroom.
Vegetarian options include the Verdura, which comes with cherry tomato, asparagus, artichoke heart, red onion and black olive, and the Quattro Formaggi with mozzarella, gorgonzola, feta, halloumi and thyme.
Prices for pizzas will start at just £5.50 – with vegan and gluten free options available.
Credit: PizzaLuxe
If all of those options didn’t sound mouthwatering enough as it is, PizzaLuxe will also be serving Manchester’s first breakfast pizza – which includes toppings of sausage, bacon, egg, and PizzaLuxe’s own breakfast sauce.
The full breakfast menu will be available every weekend, and also includes baked-to-order breakfast rolls and bowls.
PizzaLuxe is aiming to be the first venue in the UK to combine a quick service restaurant element with a full-service bar serving a wide selection of beers on draught, a curated wine list and countless spirits, alongside a new menu of freshly-made cocktails.
Food and drinks at PizzaLuxe Manchester can be ordered through an innovative new procedure which lets you scan a QR code at your table, and then be automatically-notified via SMS once your order pizza is ready to collect from the counter.
On top of that, the new restaurant will also launch its coffee kiosk later this month.
‘Coffee + Cake’ will be open daily for passers-by, with a fixed price of £3 for barista coffee and homemade sweet treats.
Credit: PizzaLuxe
“Our aim has always been simple and still remains at the heart of what we do – affordable luxury, exclusively for all,” said Paul Goodale, founder of PizzaLuxe.
“We offer a contemporary, creative execution of simple, classic pizzas and cocktails in a stylish environment, served with a warmth and generosity of spirit.”
The new Manchester flagship site has been designed by Paul alongside Hudson Rock Design as a bright and airy space that features both counter seating to provide the perfect pit stop for a quick meal on the go, and an in-house bar area which will create the ideal backdrop to punters looking for a casual evening drink.
PizzaLuxe opens in Manchester Arndale’s Halle Centre on Monday 19 July, and you can find more information ahead of launch day here.
Featured Image – PizzaLuxe
Food & Drink
Northern Quarter favourite The Pen and Pencil announces massive 10th birthday party and huge offers
Daisy Jackson
The Pen and Pencil, an absolute staple for brunches and drinks in the Northern Quarter, is celebrating a major milestone this month with a huge party and some unbeatable deals.
The bar and restaurant will be marking 10 years on Tariff Street in September – and it’s only right that we all pile in to celebrate with them.
This spot is one of the city’s original bottomless brunch venues and is similarly famed for its happy hour offerings, and opened in 2015 to bring a taste of Manhattan to Manchester.
Pen and Pencil took its name from the infamous New York City bar that was seen in Mad Men.
And now as it turns 10 years old, it’ll be throwing one big party on Saturday 27 September, featuring 10 hours of DJs, free pints of Red Stripe at 10pm, and a special bottomless brunch offering.
Those DJing on the day will include Drag Race UK’s Banksie, as well as Les Croasdaile, Mark Hogg, Danny Ward and A Deeper Groove.
Pen & Pencil has amazing deals for its 10th birthdayPen & Pencil is a Northern Quarter OG
The Pen and Pencil 10th birthday party will kick off from 2pm and run until late – but if you can’t make that one, there’ll be celebrations all week (and, indeed, month) long.
On Tuesday 23 September, you’ll be able to play for double prize money in The Pen and Pencil quiz, as well as enjoying happy hour drinks all night.
Then on Friday 26 September, it’ll be an all-night happy hour, with free tequila shots at 10pm and music from DJs Nev Johnson and Gareth James from 7pm.
All September long, there’ll be 50% off food every Monday, two-for-£10 cocktails every Wednesday, £10 burgers every Thursday, happy hour all night on Fridays, 10 dishes for £10 and two bloody Marys for £10 on Sundays, plus DJs on Fridays and Saturdays.
There’s a new colourful art installation outside the venue inspired by the bar’s New York roots.
Owner Kevin Connor said: “We’re really excited to be celebrating being part of the Manchester community for ten years!
“New York’s Pen and Pencil was a classic steak and cocktail joint, and we’re proud to have created our very own iconic Northern Quarter hangout. We hope everyone will join us in celebrating ten years on Tariff Street.”
Walk-ins are welcome for The Pen and Pencil 10th birthday party on Saturday 27 September, but booking is encouraged – book your spot HERE.
Featured image: The Manc Group
Food & Drink
Manchester restaurant to give out FREE katsu curries to people called ‘Kat’ or ‘Sue’
Emily Sergeant
In what is a small stroke of genius, a restaurant chain has decided to give out free katsu curries to anyone called ‘Kat’ or ‘Sue’.
Throughout September, award-winning restaurant chain Banana Tree – which has a Greater Manchester site down at Salford Quays – is shining the spotlight on its popular katsu creations, and as a clever way of celebrating National Katsu Day on 27 September has announced a pretty unique giveaway.
That’s right – the restaurant will be serving up katsu dishes to people called Kat, Sue, and every delicious variation of the names in between.
Anyone named Kat, Katie, Katherine, Sue, Suzy, Susan, Suzanne – or close enough to qualify, the list goes on – can head to their local Banana Tree restaurant, and all they’ll need to do is show proof of name and they can enjoy a free katsu dish of their choice, worth up to £16.75.
The chain’s kastu lineup includes three star dishes.
First there’s the much-loved Katsu Curry, as well as the all-new Katsu Burger, which is made from either a crispy chicken or veggie fillet, spicy mayo, puffed noodle crunch, and a drizzle of Katsu sauce tucked into a soft Shokupan bun with a side of salt n pepper chilli chips.
Then there’s also the intriguing newcomer, the Katsu Carbonara – which is described as being a daring East-meets-West mash-up and ‘unapologetically’ Banana Tree.
Banana Tree is giving away free katsu curries to people called ‘Kat’ or ‘Sue’ / Credit: Banana Tree
With each of these dishes usually priced around the £16 mark, the giveaway isn’t just a way of marking National Katsu Day, but it’s also a way to sample the some of the restaurant’s biggest crowd-pleasers entirely free of charge.
To avoid any confusion on who makes the cut, Banana Tree will reveal the full qualifying list of name variations on Instagram soon, so keep your eyes peeled.
“Our Katsu range is one of our proudest creations, so National Katsu Day felt like the perfect moment to have some fun with our fans,” a Banana Tree spokesperson said ahead of the giveaway.
The free katsu offer is available for four days only from Monday 22 to Thursday 25 September, and you just need to head to the Banana Tree website to sign up to the Big Flavour Club here.
Emily Sergeant -
2nd July 2021 
