Cibo Manchester is set to open its doors this weekend as bosses prepare to launch the popular Liverpool road restaurant’s second site inside the Great Northern Warehouse.
Taking over the former Home Sweet Home unit, the swanky new Italian independent eatery is all yellow-gold and burnished copper with exposed industrial details and a cluster of filament bulbs making a statement above the impressive bar area as you enter.
When it opens on Friday, diners can expect a brand new cocktail menu, late weekend opening hours stretching to 2am, and flaming parmesan cheese wheels in which pasta is swirled whilst you watch to create the ultimate indulgent cheesy dish.
Image: The Manc Group Image: The Manc Group
Regulars of Cibo in Castlefield can expect to see the same yellow-gold seating and plush booths, dark wood, and white herringbone details here that make the existing Liverpool road site so sleek – but this time on a much grander scale.
Split across four different levels, there’s a huge bar as you enter, boasting a brand new cocktail menu with flaming drinks to match the flaming parmesan cheese wheels for which the group has already become quite famous.
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Elsewhere, you’ll find Italian classics like the bellini and negroni sbagliato – a lighter, low ABV alternative to the classic negroni that replaces gin with prosecco.
Seating is tiered, with plump comfy booths lining the wall on the top mezzanine level giving views across both Great Northern Square and the glitzy interior of the restaurant below.
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Image: The Manc Group Image: The Manc Group
Food-wise, all a la carte dishes remain the same here as in Castlefield – meaning diners can enjoy the authentic Italian pizza and pasta favourites they have come to know and love, alongside traditional mains and sides.
What’s more, further quarterly menu additions in the form of specials promise to introduce something that is just “as big and as exciting” as the epic flaming cheese wheel every few months here.
Owners have invested over £600,000 into the snazzy new restaurant, which opens inside the Great Northern Warehouse this Friday 14 January.
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Already nearly fully booked for its opening weekend, it’s easy to see why so many Mancs – already enamored with the existing Cibo – are flocking to making a booking at the new site.
Image: The Manc Group Image: The Manc Group
Alongside the regular a la carte menu, which is 50% off Sunday – Thursday throughout the month of January, diners can also opt for more savings at certain times of day by choosing set menus like the lunch menu (1 course £7 or 2 courses £12) or the pre-theatre menu (2 courses £14.95 or 3 courses £19.95).
The pre-theatre menu, available between 5-7pm every day, features pizza and pasta favourites, including the house-made lobster ravioli, as well as a selection of side dishes ranging from salads and ‘mama’s mashed potatoes’ to spicy wild spinach and courgette fries.
The set lunch, meanwhile, is available in the week from 12-2pm and on weekends from 12-3pm, includes choices such as a whole burrata topped with cherries and balsamic glaze, wild mushroom risotto, and homemade ravioli stuff with either lobster or spinach depending on your preference.
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Bosses have also introduced a new three course Italian bottomless brunch service at the restaurant on Saturdays, with endless mimosas and prosecco making an appearance alongside Italian breakfast twists on mid-morning classics.
Open from 12pm-11pm Monday to Thursday, and 12pm-2am over the weekend, Cibo Manchester opens its doors to the public this Friday 14 January. To find out more and book, visit its website here.
A Christmas train in Wigan has been delivering donated toys galore
Thomas Melia
Yuletide wishes have come true as a donation of toys and goodies have been delivered via a Christmas train in Wigan, right in time for the big day.
The Amazon toy train, which is a new initiative running this festive season, is dropping off presents from now right up until Christmas day itself.
Already visiting Wigan earlier this month, the locomotive has its sites set on three more stops including London, Swansea and Scotland as it makes its journey across three nations.
In partnership with Multibank’s Brick-by-Brick project, the train hopes to provide and offer gifts to families in need across the UK with Wigan marking the closest stop off in Greater Manchester.
Credit: Lee Boswell (supplied)
All the toys that are being transported across the country in this Amazon-fronted train are featured on the company’s ‘Top Ten Toys 2024’ list.
Hatchimals, Screamerz and Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza were some of the exciting gifts found on the Christmas train in Wigan at the start of this month.
This lighthearted and fun-filled Christmas-themed project is kitted out with toys from top brands like Play-Doh and the brickmasters themselves, LEGO Star Wars.
So far, Multibank has helped over 400,000 families and provided three million essential items across their operations in England, Scotland and Wales since launching in 2022.
This collaborative local project doesn’t just operate at Christmastime either: Brick-to-Brick Multibank run all year round collecting surplus business requirements like furniture, hot water bottles and hygiene products to be used by those less fortunate.
The Christmas train in Wigan filled with Amazon’s top toys.The Wigan toy train features some well known brands.Credit: Supplied
This roster of children’s favourite companions and interactive games is inspired by the consumers themselves. Every toy is related to or the exact match of what Amazon customers have been searching for the most. A real Christmas list come true.
The list of the top toys isn’t extortionate either, offering customers some affordable and still as fascinating options with prices starting from £9.99.
Even old-school classics like Play-Doh have a spot on this wish list. This poses the really big question: where’s the adult version?
You may have finished your Christmas shopping not too long ago or might still be looking for inspiration, browse the top-ranked teddies and more HERE.
Manchester United are offering fans the chance to play at Old Trafford as part of a dream competition
Danny Jones
Manchester United fans are being offered the chance to live out their childhood dreams and play at Old Trafford as part of an exciting new competition by the club.
For anyone who has grown up a Red, the idea of playing under the lights at the Theatre of Dreams is a fantasy most can only ever fantasise about – even being a ball boy or a mascot would suffice for some – but Man United are taking things even further.
Teaming up with hotel partners, Marriott Bonvoy, not only is the club prepared to give supporters the opportunity to walk out onto that pitch and play a real game of footy, but they’re also hoping to give those fortunate enough to win the ultimate stay in Manchester city centre.
Fancy playing in red, watching the match at the weekend, enjoying a lavish hotel room and much more?
As part of this limited-time-only competition, United are giving away the perfect hospitality package in collaboration with Marriott Bonvoy, the hotel group’s loyalty programme which specialises in helping members redeem points towards extra perks like activities, spending and free stays at luxury resorts.
So, not only will the 10 lucky winners get to part in the exclusive ‘Play on the Pitch’ event, but they will also receive a pair of tickets to watch the Manchester United vs Aston Villa game on 25 May 2025 and (get this) a FOUR-night stay for two at the Manchester Marriott Hotel Piccadilly.
It doesn’t stop there either…
As well as round-trip flights for those flying into Manchester from abroad and full train coverage for anyone travelling into the city, those selected will also be treated to a group dinner with a Man United legend and no, we can’t tell you who it is: that would spoil the surprise!
Come on, that’s a pretty incredible deal, right?
We’ve been met a few Reds past and present in our time.Your kit is waiting for you…It’s the shared dream of millions all over the world to play at Old Trafford (Credit: The Manc Group)
As if all this wasn’t enough, if selected, you will also receive a variety of personalised gifts from the club and Marriot Bonvoy to remember the experience – not that you’ll be forgetting it any time soon.
To have a chance at winning this unreal competition, all you need to do is simply complete the entry form HERE before 23:59 on the closing date, which is 31 March, 2025.
Entry is currently open (18+ only), so don’t waste any more time if you want to win the opportunity of a lifetime. You can find the full terms and conditions online but, other than that, we just really hope you score a proper screamer right in front of the Stretford End.
The Manc -
13th January 2022 
