City Centre

Lättsam: Manchester’s Swedish meatball cafe bar announces sudden closure

Bosses blamed the changing working patterns of our 'post-Covid world' and the knock-on effect it has had on their city centre business.

Georgina Pellant - 22nd August 2022

A Scandi-inspired cafe bar that opened in the heart of Manchester’s office district in 2020 has it will be closing for good.

Spring Gardens cafe bar Lättsam, popular for its mugs of gravy soaked Swedish meatballs and huge range of beer, has revealed that it will be closing up shop for good.

Opened by the team the behind the award-winning Beatnikz Republic Brewing Co. and NQ Bar, the cafe and bar has occupied the former Brook Street Recruitment Office since 2020.

When owners first got their hands on the site, they thought they would have a steady stream of customers thanks to the offices upstairs.

Now, they say that the pandemic has put paid to that dream.

Opening in the early days of the Covid pandemic, bosses first had to operate as a takeaway whilst waiting for the city to enter ‘Tier 2’ so it could offer a fuller menu in line with government restrictions. 

It is this, combined with a change of working patterns, that owners pointed to as they announced the restaurant’s closure on social media over the weekend.

Saying there was ‘no way of knowing what was just around the corner’, they pointed to ‘multiple re-openings over the years’ and the fact that ‘the working landscape had completely changed’ since early 2020.

The team wrote: “It’s with a heavy heart that we announce that tonight we have closed our doors for the last time.

“When we first opened early 2020 we were destined to be in the hub of Manchester’s office district, with no way of knowing what was just around the corner.

“With multiple re-openings over the years that followed, the working landscape had completely changed and we suffered many of the issues that other city centre hospitality venues have faced over the past 12 months in this post-Covid world.

“Thank you to our loyal customers who loved our chilled out vibes and couldn’t get enough of our gorgeous meatballs, we hope to bump into you in the future.

“Thank you & goodbye (Tack adjö), Team Lättsam”

Read more: A new pasta restaurant is opening inside the old Vertigo site on Cross Street

Replying to the post, one person said: “Ah gutted! Always loved popping in for a beer!”

Another replied: “Oh No. Truly gutted great coffee, beer and food. All the best folks.”

A third said: “No way, Manchester is packed more than ever, offices are full and building more, Gordon Ramsay is coming, why is sit really closScaning? Every day everywhere is packed more than anywhere else in Europe.”

Feature image – Lattsam