Beeswing, a new wine bar and all-day kitchen, will be the latest to open at Kampus in Manchester city centre.
Beeswing is a collaboration between two local hospitality heavyweights, Anna Tutton (of Vin-yard, formerly at Hatch) and Joe Maddock (from West Didsbury’s Pinchjos).
The two have already worked together on pop-up supper clubs but will take over a vacant plot directly above Nell’s New York Pizza & Bar for their very own venue.
With seating both inside and out, Beeswing will have views right across Kampus’s garden, as well as of Canal Street across the water.
It’s the latest independent operator to be announced at Capital & Centric and HBD’s neighbourhood, joining Pollen and General Stores on the list of 2022 openings.
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Anna Tutton and Joe Maddock of Beeswing. Credit: Supplied
Beeswing is named after the crust that forms on old wines, which resembles the wing of a bee.
It will serve a rotating list of wines from small producers across the globe, all available by the glass, carafe or bottle.
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Light bites and sharing plates will be available throughout the day, made with local ingredients.
Beeswing, which will also include a wine shop on its site, will be open for breakfast and until late in the evenings.
At Beeswing’s new site at Kampus in Manchester.
Anna said: “We want Beeswing to be a real neighbourhood bar, a warm and inviting place where you can come and enjoy a glass (or two) of wine and an hour turns into several without you noticing.
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“We’ll be serving simple but delicious food, all day long, with an ever changing menu using the best fresh local produce.
“Being alongside like-minded independent businesses in the amazing surroundings of the garden neighbourhood is what attracted us to Kampus and we can’t wait to be part of the community.”
Adam Higgins, co-founder at CAPITAL&CENTRIC said: “This isn’t going to be some stuffy wine bar with intimidating wine lists.
“In true Kampus style it’ll have a super relaxed vibe offering something a bit different to what you get elsewhere.
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“It’ll also have Kampus’ very own wine shop where residents can come and grab a bottle on their doorstep.
“With Nell’s pizza and bar already open, Pollen and General Stores coming early next year and now Beeswing, we’ve already got a really nice mix of indie businesses in the Kampus neighbourhood – and we’ve lots more to come!”
Beeswing is set to open in March 2022.
Featured image: Kampus
Food & Drink
Enormous Manchester venue set to open (again) after brief rebrand
Daisy Jackson
A huge, glamorous restaurant and bar space looks set to reopen just months after it closed down and attempted to rebrand.
SakkuSamba announced back in June that it was closing for a short while to undergo a refurbishment.
That news came after two years hosting all-you-can-eat sushi dinners and star-studded parties in Spinningfields, like an afterparty with Ne-Yo following his show at the AO Arena.
They wrote at the time: “Exciting News! We will be closing our doors on June 2nd for an exciting refurbishment and upgrade. We’re sorry to be closing for a little while, but stay tuned for updates over the next couple of weeks as we begin this transition!
“We can’t wait to show you what’s coming next soon!”
But then SakkuSamba never reopened and the space instead became Raft, essentially Manchester’s most boujie buffet.
Raft had a huge dining room upstairs, a hidden club room, a ‘toilet disco’, 360-degree DJ booths, and a ‘coastal boozer’ on the ground floor.
The restaurant when it was previously SakkuSamba. Credit: The Manc GroupVs when it was Raft. Credit: The Manc Group
Raft was only open for three months when it was suddenly bolted shut, with a forteiture notice in the window that was apparently linked to a ‘historic dispute’.
And now, in an unexpected twist in events, SakkuSamba has shared that it’s coming back to Manchester.
Keeping up okay? Let’s continue.
In the first post since announcing the temporary closure and refurbishment of both of its restaurants (in Manchester and in Bradford), SakkuSamba wrote: “SakkuSamba 2025. Manchester keep your eyes peeled, major announcement coming soon.”
If it follows the same format it took previously, that means a fusion of Brazilian and Japanese cuisine together in a swanky all-you-can-eat setting.
And hopefully it’ll last longer than poor Raft did…
Northern Quarter craft beer bar Fierce Bar announces sudden closure
Thomas Melia
A much loved independent craft beer bar in the heart of the Northern Quarter is set to close before the end of the year.
Fierce Bar, which opened in Manchester city centre in 2020, has been a firm favourite for Mancs and visitors alike with their range of beers and IPAs.
The Fierce Beer company has established itself as a leading force within the beer community winning ‘Scottish Brewery of the Year in 2021’ and numerous Scottish Beer Awards.
Their wide range of drink flavours pay homage to varieties from the USA and offered people who frequented their Thomas Street site in the Northern Quarter were treated to a refreshing taste of the transatlantic.
The Thomas Street bar had previously been home to 57 Thomas Street, a bar operated by Marble Brewery, which also operates The Marble Arch.
In a post on social media which opens with, “Some sad news…”, the company have stated: “We face continually spiralling costs that unfortunately mean it’s going to be unsustainable to continue operating the venue viably going forward”.
There’s still some hope as beer brand have also announced: “This is not the end for Fierce Beer south of the border though; we’re continuing to keep an eye on the market and aim to get back as soon as we can with a new physical location.”
Anyone wanting to continue the bar’s legacy in Manchester can sport the indie establishment’s range of t-shirts, hats and funky glasses, some of which adorned the walls.
Being a Scottish born and bred brewery, if you’re still after your alcohol fix, you can still visit their two other locations in Edinburgh and Aberdeen next time you’re heading up north.
The last day of trade for Fierce Bar will be 20 December where the founders Dave and Louise will be heading to the Manchester site say a sad goodbye.
As it will be the final night of service ever, the team are urging anyone to pop down for a pint or two to commemorate the Manchester home.
It’s a shame to see such a well-used city centre social space shutting its doors, however Fierce Beer loyalists fear not as their online website is still very much alive and thriving here.
Daisy Jackson -
20th December 2021 
