A handful of restaurants and bars in Manchester city centre have unveiled new Christmas menus and events happening over the festive season.
With the arrival of December merely a few days away, and the most wonderful time of the year right around the corner, plenty of the city’s best-loved hospitality venues are gearing up for Christmas and New Year by revealing seasonal food and drink menus and themed events to help get Mancunians in the festive spirit.
New Year’s burlesque shows, late-night Christmas parties, and new limited-time festive food and drinks offerings are just some of the things you can get stuck into at each of the four popular venues – which are all owned by the Northern Hospitality group – over the next month.
So, whether you’re looking for a quiet place for lunch / dinner, or a night to remember in the city centre, there’s sure to be something that takes your fancy.
Located on the bustling Stevenson Square, Quarter House is one of Manchester’s most laid-back restaurant bars that’s serving over 14 beers and ciders on draught, speciality cocktails, and hearty food all year round, cheffed up by one of the North West’s leading multi award-winning BBQ chefs.
But for this Christmas, the extensive food menu has some new festive additions.
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In celebration of the season, a trio of turkey treats have been added to the menu – Turkey Fries, Turkey Tray, and Turkey Tacos – as well as the undeniable and indulgent menu stand-out, the ‘Santa’s Little Helper’ burger, which is an aged steak burger patty topped with double cheese, maple bacon, smoked Turkey, sausage and cranberry stuffing patty, Vimto BBQ sauce, sprout top slaw and a candy pigs in blanket pinwheel lollipop, served with fries and a pot of gravy.
You can find out more about Quarter House this Christmas here.
Hula
Stevenson Square
Hula MCR / Credit: Hula
Also sitting on Northern Quarter hub Stevenson Square, Hula – which is the original and best Tiki experience in Manchester – is known for transporting you to a 1950s-inspired tropical slice of paradise, with lots of hedonistic fun, exotic cocktails, and shake-your-booty dance beats that make for one of the best nights out you’ll have in the city centre.
It’s also the ultimate afterparty venue for the Christmas parties, and it’s open from 5pm until late everyday for those who don’t want the party to stop.
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You can find out more about Hula this Christmas here.
The Fitzgerald
Stevenson Square
The Fitzgerald / Credit: The Fitzgerald
Yet another Stevenson Square gem, the “Northern Quarter’s atmospheric drinking den” The Fitzgerald will be hosting a number of events throughout the festive period, including the continuation of the ever-popular monthly comedy night on Thursday 16 December, with doors opening from 7:30pm and the show starting at 8pm.
And then, on New Year’s Eve, there will be a special Burlesque show by Bad Bunny Burlesque, with tickets from just £10 on Skiddle.
You can find out more about what’s happening at The Fitzgerald here.
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Man With The Fish
High Street
Man With The Fish / Credit: Instagram (@manwiththefishmcr)
Newly-opened Man With The Fish – another laid-back Northern Quarter bar that’s situated on the bustling High Street – is the ideal place to hit up after a busy day of shopping, during your lunch hour, after work, or if you want to party the weekend away.
Upstairs in the venue is focused around beer, with 15 different lines and huge selection of bottles and cans, as well as an amazing cocktail list, and a good selection of wine, while downstairs is the basement club that’s open Friday and Saturday nights until 3am.
There’s also rooms available for private hire for any last-minute Christmas parties too.
You can find out more about Man With The Fish this Christmas here.
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Featured Image – The Fitzgerald / Man With The Fish
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A dedicated anime, movie and gaming concert with a live orchestra is coming to Manchester
Danny Jones
Calling all self-proclaimed otakus, cinephiles and gamers: a huge concert experience will see dozens of musicians bring classic anime, film and gaming soundtracks and scores to life later this year, right here in Manchester.
The city is no stranger to events celebrating these beloved kinds of media, but you’ll struggle to find another bringing all of them together in one place.
Brought to us Mancs by KIN Music Entertainment, a locally founded arts, events and music label, this celebration of all things pop culture – and specifically, the music tied to it.
Entitled ‘The Kin & Fushigi Anime, Film & Videogame Orchestra’, this passionate collective serves as not only a platform for rising artists but also to hear some iconic sonic moments like never before.
KIN have created a large-scale live concert experience which will bring together a 25-piece pop orchestra made up of emerging professional performers and conservatoire graduates.
Aside from the impressive total of people behind this production to begin with, they also form an immersive hybrid orchestral and live band capable of bringing.
Speaking on the upcoming date, KIN Entertainment said in a statement: “We wanted to create the kind of live experience that many anime and videogame fans in Manchester have been waiting for — something cinematic, emotional and community-driven that brings these sound worlds to life with the energy of both an orchestra and a live band.”
Kin was founded by bassist, composer and ensemble performer Alejandro Urbina Diaz, who first brought his talents and wider interests over from Mexico to the Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM) here in the city centre at the age of 23.
Citing Manchester’s multiculturalism and cosmopolitan cultural fabric as a big part of his inspiration, he and his team have ended up carving out this niche for themselves, and now they’ll be playing this beloved music to Mancs at none other than the O2 Ritz.
Credit: KIN Music Entertainment (supplied via Academy Music Group Digital)
With new arrangements inspired by anime, cinematic and videogame culture, not to mention orchestral and even rock crossover twists – including both vocalist and rhythm sections, by the way – it’s set to be a highly unique experience that most will have never come across before.
This event itself is suitable for audiences aged 14+, although under-16s must be accompanied by an adult, and it’s taking place at the Ritz on Sunday, 26 July.
We’re not going to spoil any more details about the show for you, so which particular pieces of pop culture they reference will just have to be a surprise…
Featured Images — Publicity pictures (supplied via AMG Digital)
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You can now get Deep South-inspired BBQ dishes on Manchester’s Deansgate
Daisy Jackson
There’s a brand-new menu of smokehouse-style BBQ dishes being served up on a sunny terrace on Deansgate.
Motley, the neighbourhood bar and restaurant on the corner of John Dalton Street, has added an authentic smoker to its kitchen.
That means they’ve got a whole load of new dishes, slow-cooked over hickory wood, that are bringing a taste of a Deep South BBQ to Manchester city centre.
The smokehouse-style meats are all seasoned in-house and cooked for hours, for a perfect fall-off-the-bone experience.
It might be an authentic American smokehouse menu, but it’s firmly British too, with most products locally sourced.
You can now get Deep South-inspired BBQ dishes on Deansgate / Credit: The Manc Group
Motley are calling on local suppliers like Althams Butchers (established since 1856) for their meat, plus greengrocers R Noone and Son, and Cheshire Farm for their real dairy ice cream.
Signature dishes on the new menu at Motley include slow smoked brisket, seasoned in Motley’s signature rub before being slow-smoked for more than eight hours.
There’s also a beef short rib with a chimichurri sauce, and a pork belly strip that’s seasoned with sage and onion and finished with a panko breadcrumb crust.
And for the veggies, there’s a vegan smoked veg kebab with courgette, mushrooms, bell pepper, sweet corn and red onion drizzled with homemade BBQ sauce.
Motley has added an authentic smoker to its kitchen / Credit: The Manc Group
Prices across the board start from just £16, served with beef dripping fries, rainbow slaw, pickles and homemade beef gravy.
As for small plates, you can expect short rib bonbons, homemade corn bread, spicy chicken wings, bang bang cauliflower, mac and cheese, and frickles.
House favourites like steak, vegetable hash, salads, and burgers will remain on the Motley menu.
Victor Gonzalez, food and beverage manager at Motley, said: “Our new signature smoked dishes are all crafted and seasoned in-house then slow cooked for hours over hickory wood to create rich and smoky melt-in-your mouth flavours.
“From our slow-smoked brisket to our home-made sides, everything has been carefully crafted to bring an authentic taste of the deep south to Manchester and we can’t wait for guests to try it.”
Motley can be found at 2 John Dalton Street on the corner of Deansgate in the city centre.
Emily Sergeant -
29th November 2021 
