Another week, another great list of top Manchester scran options to tempt you with.
As we settle into September, this week welcomes the return of Manchester’s annual food and drink festival as well as heralding some new arrivals – including the opening of Bundobust’s new Oxford Road taproom and restaurant and a must-try waterside natural wine bar from the Higher Ground team.
Keep reading to discover our top food and drink picks for this week.
The team at Flawd have now moved into their own unit following a summer stint at neighbours Pollen / Flawd Image: Eatmcr
A neighbourhood natural wine bar with food from the Higher Ground team
Using fresh, organic produce grown themselves on their own 1-acre market garden in Cheshire, the team at Flawd have now moved into their own unit following a summer stint at neighbouring cafe Pollen.
With a constantly-changing seasonal menu put together by head chef Joseph Otway, there’s more to try than just charcuterie and cheese – although you’ll definitely want to eat that too. Wines and beers are also available to take away to enjoy at home or out on their terrace on the marina.
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Soon to be joined next door by Pippy Eats’ Noodlehaus, it seems that the Ancoats marina is going to become quite the dining destination.
Capable of producing 20,000 pints per month. the new 150-seat taproom and restaurant will open with fresh beers on tap to try alongside its menu favourites / Image: Bundobust
A new brewery and restaurant in a former carpark
The Bundobust team has been squirrelling away at plans to open a new brewery and restaurant in the former Oxford road car park since 2019. Now, at last, they’re ready to go – and they’re planning on giving out 200 free beers this Thursday 16 to mark the occasion.
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Capable of producing 20,000 pints per month. the new 150-seat taproom and restaurant will open with all of its menu favourites and six of its newly-brewed beers available on draught. Choices include a coriander lager, chai masala porter and tropical pale ale, a couple of different IPAs and a light, Kellerbier-style lager.
There are also some exciting collaborations on the horizon, including a salted lemon sour with North Brewing Co and a hoppy black lager collab with Deya.
Find it at . Bundobust’s new site opens this Thursday 16 September.
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Find it at St James’s Bldg, Bundobust Brewery, 61-69 Oxford St, Manchester M1 6EQ.
Manchester’s food and drink festival returns to the city this year, bringing with it a whole host of markets, street food pop-ups and special dinners / Image: MFDF
The return of Manchester’s annual food and drink festival
Manchester’s food and drink festival returns to the city this year, bringing with it a whole host of markets, street food pop-ups and special dinners. This week look out for the Artisan Market and MFDF Street Food hub, both at Cathedral Gardens, plus a special five-course menu over at the KAMPUS bungalow from the talented lads behind Tine.
Down at the hub you’ll find a Manchester beer bar, products from local artisans like Bread Flower, and street food delights including proper Breton crepes from Mason Briezh, and East Indian favourites from Stockport favourite Aunti Ji’s.
Find the festival hub from this Thursday 16 September at Cathedral Gardens, Corporation St, Manchester M4 3BG.
Pink grilled rump of lamb served with peas, broad beans, lamb bacon and a plump Hasselback potato / Image: Rendition
A new fine-dining restaurant in the former Tapeo and Wine unit
Serving up locally sourced dishes that champion British produce, newcomer Rendition releases new menus every month to suit the season. For September, head chef Stuart Valentine (formerly Tariff and Dale / Albert’s Chop House) is serving market-price oysters alongside dishes like beer-glazed chicken, duck, roasted rump of lamb, and homity pie.
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Opened by the team behind 90s London celeb haunt China White, the menu here is overseen by Exec Chef Arthur Potts-Dawson – the former head chef of The River Café in London who’s also worked with the likes of Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and Jamie Oliver.
Find Rendition at 209 Deansgate, Manchester M3 3NW.
Beloved plant-based independent street food business Herbivorous is set to close imminently
Danny Jones
We hate writing this, but we have news of yet another local hospitality closure as beloved Manchester-born and pioneering plant-based brand Herbivorous has confirmed they’ll soon be calling it a day.
If you can hear us sighing through the screen, apologies – we’re just getting really fed up of saying farewell to our favourites, so god knows how rubbish those involved feel.
As you can see, the team behind the multi-location vegan street food specialists began by writing: “It’s a long one so stay with me… It seems you can’t open social media at the moment without reading about another hospitality business closing down.
“Throughout 8 years of Herbivorous years we’ve come up against many challenges from Covid 5 years ago to watching all the big vegan brands from London and beyond come to Manchester and largely disappear again to the closure of Hatch our busiest site, but with continually increasing costs its becoming really difficult to maintain a thriving business.”
Herbivorous started out life back in 2016 as a cult hit at the old outdoor food, drink and entertainment hub centring around a ‘container village’, the first of its kind in the city and soon to reopen under new owners and a new name.
Since then, co-founders Robyn and Damian have gone on to expand not just to one permanent site over in Withington but with outposts in Sheffield and York, having gained a strong reputation with stalls and pop-ups all over.
Their hospitality story might not have the ending we personally would hope for, but it’s been a brilliant one for so many foodie fans – us lot included.
Nevertheless, they go on to add in the emotional statement that external pressures such as a recent bereavement and their own ever-growing family have also contributed to the decision which, despite being an understandably hard one, “feel like the right time.”
“We are so incredibly proud of how far we’ve come from spending long days slinging duck wraps from our green vintage horse box at festivals to three Herbi locations across the North of England”, they continue, “and with that we’ve also met so many fantastic people!”
“Whether you worked for us at a few festivals over [the] summer or for years at our restaurant, we just wanted to say and massive thank you! The memories will stay with us forever and, of course, how can we not mention our fabulous customers!
“Thank you all so much for choosing Herbivorous over the years. Those of you who had our food at Festivals and then found us at one of our permanent locations, those of you who came back week after week to Hatch, Spark, Withington and beyond.”
They signed off by detailing their final business days, with their Sheffield Kommune spot having already shut for refurbishment; meanwhile, their spot in SPARK York will be wrapping up on Saturday, 19 April.
As for their flagship brick-and-mortar venue here in Greater Manchester, Herbivorous Withington will be shutting on Friday, 25 April.
Once again, there’s nothing we can say other than thank you for years of delicious food, that we’re guttted to see you go, and that everyone at The Manc Group wishes you the best whatever comes next.
AJ Tracey is playing a VERY intimate gig in Manchester next month
Thomas Melia
London rapper and respected grime artist AJ Tracey is ‘live and direct’ once again, announcing a whole host of UK dates, one of which is a rather intimate gig right here in Manchester.
It’s official: one of UK rap’s leading gents is getting back on the road and he’s showing a ‘Little More Love’ to lots of cities, including Manchester.
In a post on the UK star’s socials, AJ Tracey trades his music persona for that of a sports pundit as he announces the dates for his upcoming tour while impersonating an F1 commentator.
Anyone looking to attend Tracey’s ‘Not Even A Tour’ can catch the star up and down the country on his over 20-date tour with a stop in Manchester as soon as this month.
The rapper has reached phenomenal heights since dropping the unforgettable ‘Ladbroke Grove’ in 2019 and is heading out across the nation to make sure everyone knows about it.
Get ready to spit bars left and right as this rapper’s discography is stacked with serious tunes like ‘Dinner Guest’, ‘West Ten’, ‘Thiago Silva’ and more.
More recently, he collaborated with Walsall’s finest Jorja Smith for a flirty garage beat also known as ‘Crush’ with the video being the two artists talking it out in a good old fashioned caff.
The latest collaboration with Smith marks the start of a new era for Mr. Live and direct as it fell in line with the announcement of his third studio album.
Titled Don’t Die Before You’re Dead, we’re sure he’ll be “building a vibe” wherever he goes and probably previewing a few exclusive tracks from his upcoming project too.
This gig may come as quite a surprise for any hardcore fans of the ‘Ladbroke Grove’ star as the venue in which he’s performing is definitely intimate only, holding just over 250 guests.
This rap giant is bringing his unbelievable beats to none other than the legendary small-cap city centre live music venue, The Deaf Institute, at the end of this month.
It’s safe to say you won’t get many more chances, if any, to see him in such a tight-knit space again.
AJ Tracey is bringing ‘Not Even A Tour’ to Deaf Institute in Manchester on 30 April, with tickets on sale Friday 4 April from 12 noon.
Georgina Pellant -
13th September 2021 
