Some big, familiar restaurant names have rocked up in Manchester in recent weeks, and will continue to do so into June.
But there’s plenty of homegrown talent popping up all over the region, including some old favourites moving up in the world.
Take Pollen, who have just moved into their enormous new site at Kampus, or pizza pedlars Corner Slice, who have paired up with Jimmy’s in Ancoats.
Then there’s a very familiar old name in the form of a new Blockbusters cocktail bar, and plenty more newcomers joining the fray.
Keep reading to see the new restaurants and bars opening in Manchester this June.
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Kitten Izakaya, Deansgate Sq
Image: Wikimedia Commons
When it opens on Deansgate Square this June, Kitten will feature modern Japanese fine-dining and contemporary cocktails in a swanky setting
Guests can dine with a front-row seat to the sushi chefs, glancing into the semi-open kitchen to see dishes grilled over one of the largest charcoal Robatayak grills in the city.
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Bringing modern Japanese fine-dining to the heart of the city, the menu will focus on high-end sushi, sashimi, and robata-grilled dishes, all served in an exceedingly glamorous setting boasting a 5-metre-high Bonsai treet, bamboo walls and elegant Venetian plastering.
Opens 17 June
Blockbuster NQ
Image: Supplied
Nothing says Y2K quite like spending your Friday night in a Blockbuster, which makes the arrival of this new Northern Quarter bar particularly timely.
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Paying homage to the glory days of video rental, the video shop-themed bar has gone the whole hog with cocktails like the ‘VHS Presso Martini’, ‘Alcopop-corn’ and the ‘PG&T’.
Split across two floors, its main floor is modelled on the classic Blockbuster store set up and even includes a ‘naughty films’ section hidden at the back.
DVD cases line the walls and there’s even a separate x-rated section dedicated to adult videos.
Downstairs, meanwhile, black walls, velvet chairs, and a sparkly stage for performances lend a cinematic feel to the bar’s entertainment space.
Open now
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Tim Hortons
Tim Hortons has opened on Market Street, bringing its best-selling donuts, breakfasts, and burgers to Manchester city centre for the first time.
Open until late, you can get your fix of Tim bits (made using the leftover dough taken from the donut holes) and those liquid gold French vanilla lattes on Market Street throughout the week.
Open now
Adelphi Lads Club
Image: supplied
Salford’s historic Adelphi Lads Club will reopen this month as a new bar and kitchen after over a decade of closure.
The 134-year-old building will be brought back to life by the teams behind Elnecot and Tokyo Ramen, who will bring a new BBQ food concept to the historic Salford site.
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Diners can expect to see similar themes running through the new bar and kitchen, with signature bold flavours, smoke and fire all playing a prominent part on the menu.
From the team behind crazy golfing aficionados Junkyard Golf comes Paradise Skate World – a new ‘intergalactic’ roller skating rink set to open on Deansgate this June.
With a cutting edge rink and huge bar serving ‘intergalactic cocktails’ alongside a selection of Japanese and Mexican bar snacks, it’s certainly something a little bit different.
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If you fancy sipping on space cocktails and skating off into the cosmos, well, then look no further.
Opening in June
Neon Tiger
A new Thai BBQ restaurant, Neon Tiger opens in Manchester this June in the former Grindsmith unit on Bridge Street.
It will pay homage to traditional charcoal cooking methods with a host of grilled skewer dishes and sharing plates, bringing street food-style barebque dining to the city.
Using traditional cooking processes of live fire and smoked meat, diners can expect to find the likes of house made lemongrass and turmeric smoked sausages, King oyster mushroom skewers, and coal-roasted aubergine on menu when Neon Tiger opens its doors later this month.
Manchester’s hip-hop-themed burger shop has returned to Stockport after an eight week hiatus, and we’re buzzing to have them back.
The dirty burger peddlers are back at The Drawing Room in Bramhall serving up a menu full of towering smashed patties, fried chicken, and loaded fries.
Dishes are named after hip-hop icons like Snoop Dogg and Childish Gambino, and are are available to order for delivery or collection only.
Read more:Manchester’s hip-hop-themed burger shop has returned to Stockport
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Open now
Pollen at Kampus
Image: The Manc Eats
Six years after its fledgling opening in a Piccadilly archway, Pollen is gearing up to open its second Manchester cafe.
The new cafe and kitchen at Kampus will serve a varied menu alongside pastries, cakes, speciality baked goods and its much-loved range of sourdough bread.
It will also boast a ‘glass gallery’ looking into the kitchen, meaning diners will be able to watch Pollen’s talented pastry chefs at work as they tuck into a seasonally-changing menu of breakfast, brunch and lunch dishes.
As well as offering diners a front-row seat to all the kitchen action, the new cafe will also be significantly bigger than the Ancoats site.
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It will open from Wednesday to Sunday, with plenty of seating both indoors and out, with an al fresco area overlooking the green foliage of the Kampus garden.
Opens 9 June
Corner Slice x Jimmy’s
Manchester’s original Detroit pizza slingers, Corner Slice, are officially making their move into the city centre with a new dine-in kitchen at Jimmy’s in Ancoats.
The hugely popular Failsworth pizzeria still retains its original location, adding a second string to its bow with a kitchen takeover at Cutting Room Square.
Known for its exquisitely fluffy deep pan pizzas, finished with marinara, traditional Italian toppings and a curly cheese crust, its already cornered the market in East Manchester – now its moving into town.
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Corner Slice will be in the kitchen at Jimmy’s all summer, serving up their Motor city-inspired rectangular pizzas. If you’ve not tried one yet, this is your cue to go.
Read more:Popular pizza ‘peddlers’ Corner Slice to take over Jimmy’s kitchen in Manchester
Opens 3 June
Box on the Docks
Box on the Docks returns to Salford Quays this month with flowing beers, freshly-baked bagels, and boozy ice cream.
Back for its third year in a row, MediaCity’s popular outdoor dining concept takes on a brand-new format for 2022.
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Working in partnership with Salford-based brewing company Seven Brothers, head down to discover a rotating residency of the region’s best established and emerging independent food and drink pop ups.
There’ll also been an exciting lineup of live music and events for all ages.
The 5 best places to go for a matcha in Manchester
Daisy Jackson
Matcha fever has the nation gripped at the minute – it feels like half the country has turned its back on flat whites in favour of the popular green tea drink.
This pretty Japanese beverage might have been around for centuries, but it’s having a bit of a new moment here in Manchester and finding a whole new wave of fans.
With the global success of brands like Blank Street, you can barely walk down the street without passing someone sipping something green.
So we’ve decided to pull together five local spots in Manchester who are doing the very best matcha in town, from the very traditional to the very playful.
Know of somewhere we’ve missed? Drop us a DM on our The Manc Eats Instagram page HERE.
Ohayo Tea, Chinatown
Matcha bubble tea and soft serve at Ohayo Tea in Manchester. Credit: The Manc Group
This adorable bubble tea cafe in Chinatown has a Shiba Inu dog as its mascot, and you’ll find his face carved into the walls, waffles in the shape of his head, and a giant dog statue bursting out of the wall.
Ohayo Tea serve a complex take on a matcha drink that plays into their bubble tea expertise – expect your matcha to come layered with tapioca pearls, cheese foam, pistachio foam, and plenty more options too.
These drinks come with instructions – tilt your branded cup (the Shiba is back) it to at least 45 degrees to get every layer at once, or, if you insist, use a thick straw to mix it all together.
You can also get matcha soft serve here with shards of honeycomb stuck to it. Delightful.
Just Between Friends, Ancoats and Northern Quarter
Matcha drinks at Just Between Friends, Ancoats. Credit: The Manc Group
If you’re someone who actually likes matcha to taste of matcha, rather than of all sorts of syrups and other add-ons, turn to one of the city’s best coffee shops.
At Just Between Friends – which has locations tucked into an old mill in Ancoats as well as right on Tib Street in the Northern Quarter – matcha is whisked properly with a traditional bamboo whisk, before being added to steamed or chilled milk.
The result is either a warm, smooth drink served in an earthenware cup, or a refreshing iced matcha.
You can wedge yourself into a window seat or even sit on the cobbled archway outside and imagine you’ve transported yourself to a Tokyo backstreet.
We’d love to tell you the opening hours and location of this pop-up matcha hotspot, but it tends to shift around Manchester a bit.
It’s worth tracking down though – Matcha Kyoto is importing speciality ingredients all the way from Kyoto and doing everything as authentically as possible.
With matcha whipped cream, matcha lattes, matcha desserts and matcha toppings it’s a dream come true for matcha lovers… Is the word matcha starting to sound like gibberish to anyone else at this point?
Track their latest movements on their Instagram HERE.
Sipp, Ancoats and Deansgate Square
Sipp matcha in Ancoats. Credit: The Manc Group
If you’re new to matcha, or just know that you like yours with a little sweetness and fun, you must get a sip of Sipp’s.
These guys are based in General Stores around town, with their own coffee shop soon to open in Chorlton, and they have a whole list of ‘Matcha Cloud’ drinks.
Their best-seller is the raspberry and coconut, which tastes exactly like a lamington, or there are always specials cropping up (currently, it’s a mango and passionfruit).
This is gateway matcha – and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that.
Tsujiri, Chinatown
A selection of matcha items at Tsujuri in Manchester. Credit: The Manc Group
Not satisfied with simply serving matcha you can drink, Tsujiri is a Japanese tea house using this powerful ingredient in cakes, ice creams, cheesecakes and more.
Tsujiri was founded all the way back in 1860, before bringing the finest matcha lattes and infused desserts to British shores.
In Manchester, you’ll find them in the heart of Chinatown, tucked up an anonymous flight of stairs, where there are cabinets full of green sweet treats like a matcha basque cheesecake, matcha sundaes, and classic iced lattes.
The two best bakeries in Greater Manchester, according to the Good Food Guide
Daisy Jackson
The Good Food Guide has released its list of the top bakeries across the UK – and two in Greater Manchester have made the cut.
The prestigious guide has been travelling across the nation testing out the joy of British bakeries, from pastries to loaves to biscuits.
50 bakeries around the UK have been selected, ‘from a makeshift industrial unit in Devon to a radically remote destination in the Scottish Highlands and a must-visit spot in Mid Wales’.
Greater Manchester, as we know, has no shortage of great bakeries, whether it’s queueing for ages for an artisan pastry at La Chouquette, the ever-changing specials at Half Dozen Other in the Green Quarter, or delicious bakes and breads at Companio.
The Good Food Guide has said that the nation is going through something of a ‘modern baking boom’ and selected two spots locally that are doing it better than anyone else.
The first is Pollen, a legendary bakery which started life under a railway arch near Manchester Piccadilly, where people would queue all morning for a cruffin (at the time, this was revolutionary).
The team have now gone on to open a sunny waterside cafe at Ancoats Marina, and another in the leafy Kampus neighbourhood.
Pollen in AncoatsPollen in AncoatsPollen at KampusPollen at KampusCredit: The Manc Group
The Good Food Guide praised Pollen for its ‘quality viennoiserie and sourdough loaves’.
The Good Food Guide says of Pollen: “Since the aroma of fresh croissants first wafted from the ovens of the original bakery in Ancoats, Pollen has established something of a cult status in Manchester for its quality viennoiserie and sourdough loaves.
“A second, larger outpost at the Kampus development in the Piccadilly area is a serene, putty-hued space looking onto a lush courtyard garden where you can linger over a lunch of BBQ mushrooms on toast with celeriac and salsa verde or Jerusalem artichoke soup with herb butter.
“The counter also advertises a handsome selection of sweet treats: our surprisingly delicate matcha cheesecake was a sure sign of the pastry team’s skills.”
Long Boi’s Bakehouse in Levenshulme. Credit: The Manc Group
The second of the bakeries in Greater Manchester to catch the eye of the Good Food Guide is the brilliant Long Bois over in Levenshulme, a sunny, colourful little bakery which first rocketed to fame for its homemade pop tarts.
The guide said: “A small team of all-female bakers turns out a satisfyingly creative selection of sweet and savoury bakes – perhaps a pandan lamington (a take on the coconut-drenched Aussie classic) or an ‘everything bagel’ croissant stuffed with dill, spring onion and cream cheese – while classic cakes and pastries are presented with equal doses of flavour and flourish.
“With a tiny production kitchen, bread comes from the also-excellent Holy Grain Sourdough in Manchester city centre. Like any self-respecting neighbourhood bakery, they sell out quickly – so get there early.”
Where’s your favourite bakery in Greater Manchester?
Georgina Pellant -
5th June 2022 
