It’s an end of an era for the undisputed trailblazers of Manchester’s dirty burger scene.
Almost Famous has confirmed it is closing down its original Northern Quarter site a full decade after it first opened its doors on High Street in 2012.
Back then, the ‘secret’ burger bar offered something distinctly different to diners – an intentional lack of signage, no reservations, and ‘off menu’-only vegetarian items leading only the most committed of burger enthusiasts to venture up those dark stairwells in search of the best buns in town.
Mac and cheese balls, Molotov cocktails, ‘bacon bacon’ and ‘winning’ fries, not to mention those famous loaded burgers drenched in a variety of house-made sauces, all set the tone for a dirty food obsession that would prevail for years to come.
Image: Almost Famous
Trends have moved on, but Almost Famous is still a stalwart on the Manchester burger scene. In that time, it survived a fire, opened a second site in Manchester, and expanded its meaty, cheesy goodness into other cities like Leeds and Liverpool.
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Now, after ten years on the scene, the team has revealed it is gearing up to move out of its original Northern Quarter location to a brand new home – leaving behind the site where it all began for good.
Sharing the news on social media this week, the restaurant said: “ANNOUNCEMENT: I’m like a sherbet dibdab of emotion telling this… AlmostFamousNQ is closing forever at the end of next week.
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Image: Almost Famous
“The legendary hang out where it all began is moving home – thank you all for making it what it was – come say hey, party all week, last one Saturday.”
The restaurant is yet to reveal where it will be moving to, leaving fans to guess as to where the new location could be.
The news has caused an outpouring of love on social media, with one person commenting: “Thanks for the memories! Feels like a lifetime ago”
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Another said: “A part of my heart goes with it”
A third added: “I’m forever grateful for the legends I got to meet working here, especially my best friend and godmother to my daughter, @em_hull I love you babes, may we forever slag off the nutcases we called colleagues xxx”
Image: Almost Famous
Image: Almost Famous
Image: Almost Famous
The news marks a change for the brand, which has also just revealed it will be teaming up with Bowling Alley chain Lane7 to offer its famous burgers at their Bristol and Leicester sites.
However, The Manc has had confirmation that Almost Famous will not be moving into the Lane7 site at Great Northern Warehouse.
Jenn Quinn, Marketing at Almost Famous, said in a statement: “Manchester burger lovers, fear not, as Almost Famous will continue to serve your favourite, super juicy dripping, no nonsense burgers from our venue at Great Northern Warehouse.
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“Almost Famous is also proud to now operate from within Lane7 in Leicester and Bristol.
The announcement also follows news shared last week that Beautiful Drinks, the company behind Almost Famous, will also be permanently closing down its Home Sweet Home restaurant on Edge Street.
Almost Famous NQ will close its doors this Saturday 23 July after one final service.
Feature image – Google
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Manchester Storm announce return to AO Arena after nearly two and a half decades
Danny Jones
In a huge bit of regional sporting news, Manchester Storm have announced they will be coming home to the AO Arena after nearly two and a half decades away from the iconic venue.
Massive news for Manc ice hockey followers and local sports fans in general.
Revealing the long-awaited return after 24 long years away from the place where Manchester’s native hockey team first began its story, the team, AO figures, and even some fans were part of a special announcement event inside the 20,000-seater stadium this week.
Confirming the news on Monday, 27 April, MCR Storm will be back playing at the AO Arena later this year – just in time for the start of the 2026/27 campaign.
— Manchester Storm | #TakeShelter (@Mcr_Storm) April 27, 2026
As detailed in a full press release from the Greater Manchester club, they are seemingly marking a milestone moment in their next chapter by going back to their roots.
It goes on to read: “Founded back in 1995 as a tenant of the then newly-opened Manchester Arena, the original Manchester Storm quickly became one of British ice hockey’s most iconic teams.
“In their inaugural season, the Storm secured the First Division championship before becoming founding members of the Ice Hockey Superleague in 1996.”
Coming somewhat full circle more than a generation later (Storm having made it to the play-off finals of the modern Elite Ice Hockey League era this April for the first time in their history), they have made one-off returns to the storied space in recent times.
However, many supporters have been waiting for a fully fledged return for some time now; equally, others are understandably sad to pay a bittersweet goodbye to the ‘Storm Shelter’ over in Altrincham, with the building having already pulled licensing for next year.
They have been at the Planet Ice rink for over a decade now, and the company itself have even issued a lengthy response following the departure – namely noting the issue of communication, clarity and fair notice. Nevertheless, for the vast majority, this felt like a long-overdue comeback.
With an ex-player turned head coach and all-round club legend, Cam Critchlow, having also signed on for another campaign behind the bench, it’s been a busy week in and around the organisation.
Representing the Manchester Storm ownership group, former coach Ryan Finnerty and partner Emma said in a joint statement: “This is a major milestone for our partnership group and a vision we’ve worked towards for some time.
Returning Manchester Storm to the AO Arena is a proud moment for everyone involved. It’s about giving our fans a premier stage in the heart of the city and delivering an outstanding live experience.
“Together with our leadership team and Canadian partners, our ambition is clear — not just to compete, but to lead in the Elite Ice Hockey League and beyond. This marks the start of an exciting new era for the club. Manchester Storm is coming home.
“Today marks a hugely exciting and significant moment for both the Manchester Storm and the Elite League”. The EIHL themselves have also celebrated the news, adding that they feel it reflects “the scale and ambition of the league”.
Are you happy to see them setting up shop at the AO Arena once again? Better still, do you remember going there to watch games the first time around? Let us know down in the comments.
Featured Images — Press shots (supplied via GALA PR)/The Manc Group/AO Arena
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Discount flights from Manchester up for grabs as easyJet’s ‘Big Orange Sale’ returns for 2026
Danny Jones
Get ready to book in some annual leave, because easyJet’s ‘Big Orange Sale’ is BACK for 2026, with cheap flights from Manchester and more up for grabs.
Not only can you get affordable trips from Manchester Airport, specifically, but there are discounts across the board by the operator.
The Big Orange Sale is becoming an increasingly popular annual occurrence for Brits, with countless holidaymakers, rather fittingly, making the most of the offer.
In fact, you might have already seen the advert yourselves:
Packing our bags already.
Just as the ad explains, those travelling via easyJet can get up to 20% discount on flights to a load of different destinations across the globe.
Yes, the company are knocking up to a fifth off the price on flights over the course of nearly 10 months’ worth of travel from the UK, provided the trip is booked within the right window.
Seeing savings on more than 730,000 seats, the time frame itself is also one of the longest cut-price periods you’ll come across this year, not to mention well into 2027.
Better still, it doesn’t just stop at flying itself…
Get this, the flight operators and travel agents are offering up to £400 off on package holidays, meaning those old faithful all-inclusives are about to become even more bang for your buck.
Featuring not only countless mainland European favourites on the list, but also the likes of the Canary Islands, Morocco, and numerous popular skiing hotspots, just to name a few.
In ideal news for all you lot, approximately 90,000 of these reduced seats are on flights from Manchester Airport, with the operators also having just added 30 new locations to the areas they service.
Allowing you to book trips departing between 1 May 2026 and 14 March 2027, it’s a huge travel window for you to get extra value-for-money deals on your next getaway.
You can find the full list of flights and package holidays on easyJet’s Big Orange Sale right HERE.
Speaking of airports, you’ll also be glad to hear that public transport infrastructure is also getting a big upgrade to make your next holiday even easier:
Georgina Pellant -
18th July 2022 
