The team behind one of Ancoat’s coolest venues has been quietly working away on plans for a new venue on the other side of town for months. Now, at last, they’ve teased out some details – promising to open this summer and bring ‘Manchester’s biggest beer garden’ to Piccadilly East.
Called Diecast, the new 5,000 capacity space is set to be something of a behemoth. Within its giant new beer garden, its vast outside area will also house an open-air BBQ kitchen, ‘NeoPan’ pizzeria and festival-style ‘House of Daiquiri’ and ‘Rum Town’ bars.
Specialising in frozen daiquiris and pina coladas alongside heritage and new world rums, when the next heatwave hits this summer we know where we will want to be drinking.
Add to that plans for an in-house beer and kombucha brewery, night market, brewing co., warehouse restaurant, and a huge festival stage, and it really does sound like this is going to be a huge new opening for Manchester this summer.
Image: Supplied
Image: Supplied
Set to open in stages, according to bosses the outdoor area will launch first although no date has been set as of yet.
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Emphasising the size of the project, Joel Wilkinson, DieCast Director and owner, said “We’re taking all our learnings from Ramona and The Firehouse, but this time it’s on an industrial scale.
“It’s more than a venue. It’s an area within itself. A new creative neighbourhood for the city.”
Due to the sheer scale of the site, the city centre location and striking industrial aesthetics, DieCast is already in use as the industrial backdrop for events, parties, shoots, and film locations.
Adelaide Winter, Creative Director at Diecast, added: “The Factory floor and Machine Works are already being used for creative events, filmmakers, musicians and event producers to use.
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“This is the first part of establishing DieCast as a new creative resource for the city, but this summer we will finally open the garden to the public for the first time ”
Built around a 250,000-square-foot former foundry and warehouse. Untouched since its last update in 1983, it’s a paradigm of Manchester’s industrial aesthetic: with corrugated steel, roof-block walls, large roller shutters, and a concrete terrazzo stretching throughout.
Just a few minutes walk from Manchester Piccadilly train station, Diecast will be located between Store Street and Ducie Street. To keep up with more updates, make sure to follow Diecast on Instagram here.
Feature image – Supplied
Eats
The very best ice cream and frozen yoghurt places around Greater Manchester
Danny Jones
We know it’s not often sunny out in these parts to enjoy the proper summery joy of lapping up lots of ice cream, but there are still bloody wonderful places to get it here in Greater Manchester – and we know some of the best.
Of course, it always hits different when the sun does come out.
It doesn’t matter if you prefer it chock-full of chocolate chips and coffee, mouth-frothingly fruity sweet, you’re in your pistachio phase or cannot get past the raspberry ripple, there are plenty of places to get whatever you’re after.
Be it Manchester city centre or beyond, we do ice cream pretty darn well for a place that basically rains for two-thirds of the year.
15 top ice cream, soft serve and fro-yo places around Manchester
In no particular order, by the way, because we already hate playing favourites and all those serve our infinitely sweet tooth are created equal.
1. Grandpa Greene’s – Oldham
First up, there are few other fitting enough places to start than the Diggle Lock’s legendary Grandpa Greene’s, which serves not just some of the best desserts we’ve EVER had but stunning, homemade ice-cream that we here at The Manc have even helped make in the past.
In fact, this place has been such a hit in the area that they’ve gone on to open their own bistro and, unsurprisingly, it’s proved just as impressive and popular.
2. Midnight Brownie Club – Ashton-under-Lyne
Heading over to Tameside now, Midnight Brownie Club is one to indulge at any time if you ask us, especially if you treat yourself to one of their sumptuous sundaes, which you can top with everything from kunafa, Lotus Biscoff crumble, raspberry ripple and more.
You can go wrong with those fudgey little chocolate squares, of course, and they obviously do lots of different stuff besides just ice cream and their namesake brownies, so our own recommendation is that you give it a try sooner rather than later.
From Oldham over to the borough of Bolton, and native favourite, Milk Maids, whose award-winning dairy farming expertise has seen them garner an iconic status among locals, and it’s no wonder.
We’ve been on to this place in Over Hulton for ages, but now they’re approaching a decade of serving their oh-so-sweet scoops, we can’t pretend to take even the remotest bit of credit. Their reputation precedes them and is about as long-standing as their lines.
4. Hello Oriental – Oxford Road Corridor
This one might come as a surprise, but if you’re in the market for some really good soft serve, subterranean pan-Asian food hall Hello Oriental just so happens to have it on offer.
Available in tubs or even served on top of a cute little animal-shaped waffle cone hybrids (there’s even a little chocolate surprise inside), they’re not just smooth and silky, they’re also adorable.
In at number four is arguably the ice cream and dessert parlour with the very best name in Manchester, and that’s Big Licks, which recently relocated from Liverpool Road over in Castlefield to Printworks. Now positioned in a much more central location, it’s no surprise that the spot has seen an increase in queuing.
You’ll find pretty much every combo you could ask for here; they also do some pretty banging burgers if you fancy eating both tea and afters here. We’re big fans of their ice cream sandwiches, as well.
As a native Stopfordian myself, my grandma only ever called dessert a ‘sweet’ or ‘pudding’, regardless of what it was, but regardless of what you call it around your way/in your family, we have a Stopfordian ice cream spot that you need to visit.
Macari’s Gelateria opened up over in Heaton Moor back in 2023, and it’s quickly grown a passionate cult following – ourselves included. From their punchy and/or fruity flavours, to the super soft texture that their perfectly flaky wafers just about hold up to, it’s pretty perfect. Remember the name.
Credit: The Manc Group
7. Lazy Sundae – Manchester Arndale
We’re past the halfway mark now, and if you’re not already feeling a bit sluggish after this sugary feast for your eyes, you almost certainly will after looking at the super indulgent Lazy Sundae, who do everything from bubble tea and creative Korean desserts to standard ice cream cones.
But make no mistake, there’s nothing plain or basic about this place: it’s remained one of the best places for ice cream in Manchester, and while we may have said goodbye to their OG spot in NQ back in January 2025, the Arndale parlour now serves as the perfect flagship location.
Sticking with the city centre and whipping our way back to NQ (pun very much intended), we’ve got the brilliant Black Milk up next, who we confess most regularly visit for a proper good milkshake, but they do shine when it comes to pretty much anything sugary, to be honest.
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Ice cream-wise, you can’t go wrong with their cookies and cream sundae, and their special St. Patrick’s Guinness gelato is still one of the most unique desserts we’ve ever had. Speaking of gelato…
Heading out to Trafford now, and the ever-growing foodie scene in Sale, their increasingly well-known Gelato Creamery® store has been making waves for some time now, and by waves, we mean perfectly swirled scoops of ice cream’s somewhat healthier but still just as tasty Italian cousin.
They have a more central pod at Jacuna Kitchen over in Ardwick on the outskirts of the city centre, but really do recommend visiting their shop on School Road for a lesson on what proper good gelato should taste like.
Another Stopfordian stop on this ice cream tour comes in the form of All Things Nice, who couldn’t be more appropriately named if they tried – both when it comes to the scran and the service.
Over in the hilly village of Marple, this lovely little cafe on Market Street is known for all manner of bakes, brunch plates, pastries, and a fair few sweet treats, including their ice cream, which is just about as delicious as everything else on the menu. No surprise here.
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Credit: The Manc
11. Wazuzhi – Chinatown
Here’s another one that might surprise people: yes, the affordable Manchester city centre favourite and Chinatown staple formerly known as Wasabi isn’t just great at the savoury side of things; they also have some lovely desserts, too.
Specifically, they do ‘shaved ice’ cups, which come in a variety of flavours, many of which are super fruity and fresh, but we do heartily reccommend coming for the sushi first and this for afters.
Since we’re mixing things up a bit, now it’s time to throw some ‘fro-yo’ into the conversation, and if you haven’t tried MAST over on King Street West – that little backstreet just off Deansgate and around the corner from Crazy Pedros – you’re really to correct that oversight.
There’s something about this one that feels like a proper treat whilst also balancing that sugar content, thanks to the healthier ice cream alternative, as you still get that fix from toppings like Smarties, crushed Oreos, classic candy lovehearts and tonnes more. Pretty as a picture.
13. Frurt – Various
Sticking with the frozen yoghurt theme, it’d be foolish to overlook the kings of the local game, as this may be a franchise, but it started right here back in 2010 with husband-and-wife team, Syed and Shaza Hassan, and they’ve only got bigger and better, still offering healthy, dairy and gluten-free cups.
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You can find them in the following locations: the city centre (a pair of them), Stockport, Sale, on Bury New Road, Bolton, Oldham, not to mention soon the Trafford Centre and beyond Greater Manchester.
The penultimate blood sugar pincher is the famous Get Baked, which barely even turned the key to unlock the doors before they had a crowd waiting outside the shop window of their first permanent Manchester location.
Whether you’re three for big cookies, the famous Matilda-inspired ‘Bertha’ cake or their free-flowing soft-serve that is easier to drink than water – we know we have a problem, we’re working on it – you won’t be disappointed, no matter how long you wait.
Credit: The Manc
15. Baby Mayhem – Ancoats
Last but certainly not least of the latest newcomers to the Manc dessert scene, and while it may not be strictly just an ice cream parlour, it is one of the best places for anyone who is powerless to resist their cravings for things fresh, cold, filled, fried and covered in sugar.
Baby Mayhem is where ice cream and doughnuts collide in one superior pudding. How does a ‘donut ice cream sandwich’ sound? Incredible? We thought so… It’s popped in the old Lazy Tony’s Lasagneria site and is already following in its footsteps of filling locals’ bellies to the max.
That should just about do you for now, and if this list wasn’t sickly enough, don’t you worry…
You best believe we’ll be going around all around Greater Manchester in search of more ice cream and the best places that do it whenever the sun is out.
So, just keep your eyes peeled for when we inevitably update this one, because there’s always room for one more scoop.
Well, speaking of…
Honourable mention
Take issue with this if you want, but any place that offers a free ice cream sandwich on your birthday deserves to be on the list if you ask us, so here’s our nod to the wonderful Nell’s.
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Available in dulce de leche, cherry pie, cookie dough and, of course, that birthday cake flavour – not to mention various one-off specials through the year – nothing quite compares to a slice and one of these sweet little frozen sandos.
Starting off life as a little coffee trike back in 2021, and now based inside a bright-yellow shipping container in Levenshulme‘s Cringle Park, Grounded MCR CIC is a social enterprise that does more than just make you a brew.
Set up with the idea of creating a welcoming space for the whole community to gather, with a key focus on sustainability, Grounded serves up specialty coffee, lots of other hot and cold drinks, and yummy homemade food – much of which is grown by hand, on and around the container.
This is Grounded MCR / Credit: The Manc Group
Coffee beans sourced from a local roaster that pays farmers properly, tasty bakes on offer from a handful of local makers – including bread from the incredible Stockport-based charity, Pure Innovations – and dozens of free community events organised throughout the year are just a few of the reasons why Grounded goes above and beyond your typical cafe.
Sustainability – and affordability, especially amid the ongoing cost of living crisis – are two huge driving factors for Grounded, especially through their partnership with FareShare Greater Manchester and utilising the ‘Too Good To Go’ scheme.
By delivering and using surplus food that would’ve otherwise gone to waste, Grounded is able to keep their prices low whilst still creating some delicious scran.
The Levenshulme community cafe crafting coffee for a great cause / Credit: The Manc Group
Their ‘FareShare Fridays’ are hosted each week, where that morning’s delivery is dedicated to one specific dish and served up for just £1.
To top it all off, Grounded also works with vulnerable adults in honing their barista and hospitality skills, and is also in partnership with ‘Women in Probation’ too to ensure their impact goes further than just what comes in a cup or on a plate.
”We’ve worked hard to create a space that feels safe and welcoming for all,” Grounded declares in a statement on it’s website – and we think they’ve succeeded.
Georgina Pellant -
8th March 2023 
