This week sees the start of Advent, and with snow already on the ground, it’s all starting to feel very festive here in Manchester.
It’s a feeling that’s reflected in this week’s list of new restaurant and bar openings, too, which cover a mix of Christmas tipis and market stall pop-ups alongside some permanent new additions to the city’s dining scene.
Keep reading to discover where to head for the newest food offerings in the city this week.
Salvi’s Italian Christmas Markets
Mancunian-Italian institution Salvi’s has gone all-out this year, hosting a festive Italian Christmas market in partnership with Deansgate Square. Open now, the two-tipi hub boasts a selection of fine Italian food and drinks alongside a roaring firepit, festive huts and more.
Pick up Salvi’s favourite street food, soffietti (fried dough balls) alongside olives and taralli, and enjoy drinks from the Campari and Peroni bars – selling the likes of fig, hazelnut and hot mulled negronis, Aperol spritz and Italian mulled wine Vin Brule, alongside the usual suspects.
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Open from 27 November – 22 December. Find it at Deansgate Square.
Jardim Rodizio
All-you-can-eat Brazilian steakhouse Jardim Rodizio is officially open in Altrincham this week. Brought to the Trafford market town by Robert Melman, one of the restauranteurs behind Fazenda, the new opening offers diners top-quality Brazilian-style steak in a bottomless setting.
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Launched inside the Old Post Rooms, meats are served directly off the cooking spit in traditional rodizio style – sliced and plated right at your table. There is also a substantial salad bar, to help you add a bit of green and balance out the endless meat feast.
Find it at 70 Stamford New Rd, Altrincham WA14 1EE.
Dishing out serves by Salford Rum alongside beers from the likes of Pomona Island, Cloudwater, Seven Brothers, Track, Shindigger and Squawk breweries, the festive pop-up will be open throughout December.
Open from December 1, serving between 12pm-12am every Wednesday through Sunday over Christmas.Find it at Arch 33 on Viaduct Street, Salford,
Herd NQ
Steakhouse Herd NQ has revamped its old home at gin bar Allotment, taking over the space entirely and rebranding it as Herd.
The steakhouse has built a solid reputation for itself, using only the finest cuts from local butchers The Butcher’s Quarter, and runs popular steak nights as well as serving a bang-up roast.
This week, unfortunately, the kitchen is temporarily closed due to a number of kitchen staff testing positive for Covid-19 – but the bar remains open, selling some gorgeous martinis, spritzes, sours and more, alongside a strong wine list.
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Find it at 24 Dale St, Manchester M1 1FY.
Northern Soul Grilled Cheese at Winter Island
Manchester grilled cheese heroes Northern Soul have upped sticks – with not one but two hubs for you to get your cheese fix from this Christmas.
The eatery will be slinging its beloved Crimbo Dinner toastie special at Escape to Freight Island this winter, as well as from its Northern Quarter restaurant.
This toastie is up there with one of the best festive specials in the city – loaded with slices of turkey crown, homemade stuffing and cranberry sauce, not to mention oodles of cheese, before being toasted, topped with a pig in blanket lollipop, then drenched in gravy.
Find it at Winter Island, 11 Baring St, Manchester M1 2PZ.
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This Charming Naan at The Deaf Institute
Campus favourite The Deaf Institute has teamed up with Smiths-themed curry house This Charming Naan. Run by Smiths superfan Max Paley, the vegan Indian restaurant pays tribute to the band with dishes like ‘Girlfriend in a Korma’, ‘ How Saag Is Now’ and ‘Last Night I Dreamt That Some Bhaji Loved Me’.
With twenty different plant-based dishes on the menu, This Charming Naan is now available at The Deaf Institute every Wednesday to Sunday from 4pm until 10pm.
Find it at 135 Grosvenor St, Manchester M1 7HE.
Happy Lemon Taiwanese Bubble Tea
As well as its namesake bubble tea, Happy Lemon also sell bubble waffles and stuffed crepes with fillings ranging from ice cream to ham and cheese, Nutella, banana and red bean matcha (£3.50 – £3.95).
Tea-wise, you’re absolutely spoilt for choice with over 40 options on the menu. Think classic milk tea, cream crown milk tea, milk tea smoothies, fresh lemon milk tea, pure brewed milk tea, fresh fruit matcha latte and speciality drinks like chocolate milk tea with taro balls, red bean matcha latte smoothies and more.
Manchester’s smash burger and ice cream legends Big Licks launch huge crowdfunding effort
Daisy Jackson
Big Licks, the Manchester restaurant that’s found the ‘sweet spot’ between amazing burgers and delicious desserts, is sailing through a huge crowdfunding campaign.
The restaurant, which has an eye-catching location down on Liverpool Road as well as two sites in Scotland, has already raised a whopping £135,000 for its expansion dreams.
It’s now pushing to hit £150,000 so that it can open new restaurants and franchises across the UK.
Big Licks was first launched by two teenagers in 2009 as a takeaway – it’s now gone on to be a rapidly expanding name bringing in £3m in sales and more than 400,000 customers in the last 12 months alone.
On their menu you’ll find incredible smash burgers (with up to four patties in each bun) made with free-range grass-fed beef that they source directly from farm, or buttermilk chicken topped with their signature ranch sauce.
There’s also an impressive menu of house-churned ice cream made with quality local ingredients, and cakes, cheesecakes and brownies all baked in house daily.
All that is alongside fried chicken, loaded fries, and other mouth-watering sides.
Next on the agenda for Big Licks is expansion across the country, offering up the chance to become a shareholder in this bright young business.
They want to use the money raised to prepare the business for franchising, with a target to open 18 restaurants by 2027.
Then any extra money raised will be used to open more company-owned restaurants.
And there are rewards on offer for those who choose to invest in Big Licks.
If you invest £100, you’ll get a Big Licks White Card which gets you 10% off in store, as well as owning a share of the business.
Then the rewards continue with other things like free burgers and shakes all the way to merch and much bigger discounts.
Co-founder Anees Ahmed said: “It is clear that the potential is great.”
He added: “We believe one of the key ingredients to a successful restaurant is creating a hangout spot, a vibe. That will always be our aim when you come to Big Licks.”
The businessman then said: “We won’t compromise on quality. We will always keep sourcing within head office. This means we keep producing our own ice cream using locally sourced organic milk and the finest Italian flavours.
“We’ve found that sweet spot. The combination of sweet desserts and smashing burgers that opens up audience’s doors, covering off every craving.
“We want you to be part of the journey and become a shareholder in Big Licks.”
You can find out more about the Big Licks crowdfunder through Crowdcube here.
*Don’t invest unless you’re prepared to lose all the money you invest. This is a high-risk investment and you are unlikely to be protected if something goes wrong.
Eats
Electrik Bar in Chorlton is giving away 100 FREE frankfurters to celebrate their latest kitchen collab
Danny Jones
We all love a freebie, so we thought we’d spread the good word of the scran lords by letting you know that Electrik over in Chorlton is giving away 100 free frankfurters to celebrate their newest menu takeover.
The popular neighbourhood bar and kitchen on Wilbraham Road in the South Manchester suburb has had a couple of different foodie collaborations over the past couple of years, with local residents Paramogeddon and Four Side Vegan Pizza being the most recent, but now they’re doing hot dogs.
Welcoming their latest vendors Tisch Und Teller, Electrik will be giving away a total of 100 free frankfurters to the first century of people there this evening.
Bringing a taste of Berlin, Bavaria, Frankfurt and more (with a Manc twist, of course) to the popular pub for the Thursday launch party, all you need to do is order a drink upon arrival to get your hands on a free frankfurter sandwiched between a lovely fluffy roll.
Who doesn’t love a hot dog? Especially when they’re giving them away.
As for Tisch Und Teller (TuT), they’ve been serving up German-inspired favourites from the likes of The Shakespeare in Manchester city centre and Nip and Tipple in Whalley Range since September last year, including some very impressive brunches and Sunday roasts.
But the brand just keeps gaining more traction and now they’re setting up shop in Electrik, we’re sure the word will continue to spread – and fast.
Better still, as advertised on the promo poster, not only will TuT now be serving up their delicious food from Electrik every Thursday-Sunday for the foreseeable but the launch party will also live music by local legend and DJing veteran, Abigail Ward of Ghost Assembly.
Free food, pints and top tunes – what more could you ask for on a random weeknight?
The offer will be available from 6pm tonight and, once again, you have to be among the first 100 people to buy a pint to be eligible for a free frankfurter.