There’s a van on Oxford Road serving up coffee INSIDE donuts, and we’re officially obsessed with the whole idea.
Called Vanoffee, it’s been a fixture up in Altrincham for a while already but has just landed here in Manchester city centre – parking up near the Manchester Metropolitan University campus for the first time last week.
Stationed outside All Saints Park, whilst you’ll find a host of hot drinks and other sweet treats on offer here the main draw is the team’s signature coffee in a donut, also known as a doughnoffee.
Giving serious affogato vibes, we’re talking plump, sugar-covered donuts that are hollowed out and covered in your choice of iscoff or Nutella, then filled with freshly-brewed espresso and hot, steamed milk.
Finally, the doughnoffee is topped off with a generous squirt of whipped cream, some chocolate sprinkles and a straw (yes, a straw) to slurp up all that sweet, creamy Biscoff-flavoured coffee goodness.
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Image: The Manc Ea
Image: The Manc Eats
Elsewhere on the menu, you’ll find three different luxury hot chocolates in white, milk and dark, classic coffees like espresso and americano, alongside the likes of matcha lattes with vanilla, turmeric lattes with black pepper and cinnamon-style chai lattes.
Add to that cold drinks like iced coffee, peach, passionfruit and green iced teas, and cakes ranging from cookies and brownies to packets of crisps, and it’s a perfect little lunchtime stop off for an afternoon pick me up.
Founded by April-Rose Kennedy, the business has now come full circle – returning to the place where it all began with its first city centre site outside Manchester Metropolitan University.
Commenting on the new opening, Kennedy said: “At the beginning of the year, I set a goal to get my van into Manchester city centre. Anyone who knows me, knows how hard this was to keep a secret.
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“After a lengthy application process and council hearing, I am excited to announce I have secured a street trading spot on Oxford rd outside All Saints Park next to Man Met Uni.
“I can’t believe I have come full circle to where my brand was founded on Oxford road.”
Featured image – The Manc Eats
Eats
Manchester institution Salvi’s announces closure of original city centre restaurant
Danny Jones
One of Manchester’s oldest and most loved Italian restaurants, Salvi’s, has sadly announced that they are closing their original restaurant after more than a decade and a half.
Having served authentic recipes from Naples and been at the forefront of the cuisine in this city for well over 15 years, it can be hard to remember a time before Salvi’s.
With that in mind, we’re gutted to hear that their OG location over in the Corn Exchange is now shutting its doors imminently.
But fret not: it’s not all doom and gloom, as they promise this isn’t the last you’ll see of them.
Often considered the first true Manc-Neapolitan eatery, which turned from a small counter and deli into, at one point, a big and beloved group of local independent restaurants with multiple locations, most people know the name and the sign, and plenty have patronised them since day one.
Sharing an emotional message in the caption of the post above, founder Maurizio Cecco and his wife Claire said: “For sixteen years, Salvi’s has been part of Manchester’s story. We’re incredibly proud of everything we’ve built together.
“As the city changes, independent businesses have to change too. Today will be our last day of trading at Corn Exchange. Thank you to everyone who has been part of our journey all these years.
“This isn’t the end of our story; it’s the beginning of a new chapter – stay tuned. Grazie Mille.”
Unsurprisingly, the reaction to the news has been bittersweet, with people obviously saddened to hear of this latest closure but also looking back fondly on its past.
One person wrote in the comments: “I remember launching this amazing place all those years ago and have continued to watch you thrive!! Best of luck for the future!” Another added: “Will miss Salvi’s great food, great staff, not forgetting the Italian festival. All the best, Maurizio and family in your new adventure
As mentioned, it’s also worth noting that Maurizio and Claire are also behind the equally famous Festa Italiana, which draws crowds of tens of thousands across a full weekend every single year.
Having been regulars and firm fans of both their first family-owned flagship site and the aforementioned festival for many years, we’re equally gutted to see it go.
But as they made clear, this is not a definite ending for the brand, and it’s safe to say we’ll be eagerly awaiting whatever comes next.
Thanks for the memories and all the incredible food and drink you’ve served us – we hope we hear from you again sometime very soon.
Iconic old Manchester boozer named the best pub in the UK
Daisy Jackson
One of Manchester’s most legendary pubs – which happens to be home to its most legendary landlady too – has been named the best in the UK.
The Peveril of the Peak has shot to the top of a list of the 22 Best Pubs in the UK, compiled by Time Out.
The comprehensive list spans the length and breadth of the country looking for the watering holes that nail a ‘convivial atmosphere, charming staff, charismatic decor and, above all, a varied selection of well-kept, well-served drinks’.
And it’s Manchester’s very own Peveril of the Peak, or The Pev, that made it into the number one spot, being labelled by judges as ‘perfect’.
Time Out praised the pub’s ‘dazzling’ tiled exterior, its jukebox and pool table, and its 96-year-old landlady Nancy Swanick, who (along with her family) has overseen the pub for more than 50 years.
The Peveril of the Peak wasn’t the only Manchester pub to make it onto the list of the best in the UK – there was also a nod for another local icon, The Marble Arch, which placed 15th.
Elsewhere in the North West, The Golden Lion in Todmorden, and The Roscoe Head in Liverpool made it onto the list, along with a couple of pubs in Sheffield.
Inside The PevThe Peveril of the Peak pub in Manchester
Speaking of The Pev, Time Out wrote: “The Peveril of the Peak — or the Pev, for short, always — is the kind of pub that’s so perfect, it deserves to serve as the venue for the wetting of your head, your wedding and your wake. And, preferably, as much life between.
“Standing freely on Great Bridgewater Street, the Pev beckons you in with its dazzling green, yellow and brown tiling, retro windows and heavy emerald door. Inside, it’s a ‘proper pub’ and then some: a jukebox, pool table and dartboard are all crammed into a cosy snug, smattered with vintage stools, sticky tables and framed Pub of the Year awards from decades gone by.
“The boozer — rumoured to be both a former brothel and a haunt for ghosts — has been overseen by legendary landlady Nancy Swanick, who still lives above the bar and is now well into her 90s, for over 50 years. Expect a knees-up for the ages when she hits the big 100. Cheers!”
The full list of Time Out’s 22 Best Pubs in the UK 2026
Georgina Pellant -
28th April 2023 
