10 amazing new restaurants and bars opening in Manchester this month | November 2023
Greek street food, fancy new cocktail bars, and one of the city's most hotly-anticipated new restaurants are all coming in November. Oh, and the Christmas Markets...
It feels like we say this every month, but it genuinely feels like November might be our biggest month for new Manchester restaurants of the year so far.
There are some huge national names like Six By Nico and Gail’s Bakery opening brand new sites, some local favourites like Seven Brothers launching new ventures, and a couple of totally new brands joining the fray.
November will also see the launch of the beautiful Fenix restaurant and bar, one of the city’s most hotly-anticipated new openings.
There’ll be plenty of new bars opening alongside all those new restaurants in Manchester too, whether you’re into no-nonsense cocktail bars or proper beer taprooms.
Oh, did we mention that Christmas is officially back too?
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From Salford to the city centre, we’ve picked out 10 of the best new openings to add to your list this month.
Six By Nico, John Dalton Street
Six By Nico, the restaurant that takes the usually eye-wateringly expensive tasting menu concept and slaps a low £39 price tag on it, is opening its second restaurant here in Manchester this month.
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The tried-and-tested concept involved a six-course themed menu that changes every six weeks, with previous themes including chippy tea, childhood, and fairytales.
Speaking of the launch, Nico Simeone said: “Since launching in 2019, our Spring Gardens venue has gone from strength to strength, prompting demand for a second site in the heart of the city. The support we have had from the people of Manchester and further afield, as well as the team we have had there since day one, have all helped make a second-site possible.”
2 John Dalton Street, M3 2NW | Opens 30 November
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Stray, Mackie Mayor
Tucked on the corner of Eagle Street in the former Atkinsons Coffee site, in the sensational building that’s home to Mackie Mayor, is Stray, a brand new cocktail bar promising uncomplicated cocktails.
Their drinks menu’s signature section is titled ‘Led Astray’ and will combine seasonal flavours and some less commonly explored ingredients.
And they’re putting just as much effort into their low- and non-alcoholic cocktails too.
Eagle St, M4 5BU| Opening 3 November
Rola Wala, Deansgate
Foot-long naan wraps, served until 3am. Shall I just leave it there?
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Rola Wala is an Indian street food favourite that will soon be opening its first site here in Manchester.
On the menu you’ll see build-your-own naan rolls (Rola Wala literally translates to ‘man that rolls’ in Hindi), filled with authentically spiced Indian fillings, healthy and hearty lunches like naan tikka tacos and rice bowls, and curries.
The brand’s ‘buy-one-give-one’ incentive means that they donate one meal to a hungry child in the developing world for every naan roll sold – so far, that’s totally 850,000 meals delivered by Rola Wala.
To celebrate the opening, Rola Wala will be giving away more than 1,000 naan rolls on launch day – just head down from midday on 8 November to grab one.
75 Deansgate, M3 2BW | Opening 8 November
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Gail’s, Knutsford
Gail’s in Manchester. Credit: The Manc GroupGail’s in Manchester. Credit: The Manc Group
The UK’s poshest bakery is continuing its formidable expansion across the north, opening a new site in Knutsford.
Famed for their homemade bread and sensational pastries (the crunch on their cinnamon bun is next-level), Gail’s is a London brand that’s taking the north west by storm.
They’re taking over the old HSBC bank in the centre of the market town.
19 Princess St, Knutsford WA16 6BZ| Opening 3 November
Bar Hutte, Kampus and Great Northern
Bar Hutte is returning to Manchester in November. Credit: Supplied
You know it’s Christmas when the little wooden huts start popping up around Manchester – and the ones at Bar Hutte are home to more festive spirit than anything you’ll find at the Manchester Christmas Markets.
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Bar Hütte’s legendary karaoke cabins are coming back, bringing Alpine vibes, cosy furnishings, twinkling lights, live music sessions, and flowing drinks – with not one, but two locations in Manchester city centre.
While Bar Hütte at Great Northern Square is heading back to Deansgate, with 15 cosy private hüttes neatly-positioned under a heated stretch tent and twinkling lights, Bar Hütte at Kampus will also see a new outdoor terrace, comprising of eight snug, wooden karaoke hüttes nestled beneath the trees, and an ‘Aprés Ski Bungalow’ serving as an indoor alpine bar.
Bar Hütte at Kampus also teamed up with its neighbours, Nell’s and Great North Pie Co, so that hungry foodies can order pizza and pies delivered straight to their hütte via a QR code system.
Kampus, Aytoun St, M1 3GL; and Great Northern, 235 Deansgate, M3 4EN| Opening 8 November
Fenix, Spinningfields
Fenix is one of the most exciting new restaurant and bar openings in Manchester this month
Bringing a taste of Mykonos to Manchester will be Fenix, a luxurious new Mediterranean restaurant from the team who founded Tattu.
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Fenix will be serving high-end contemporary Greek-Mediterranean food in Spinningfields, in a truly beautiful restaurant space that includes carved stone walls, gold fauna hanging from the ceiling, and cutting-edge lighting design that will mimic the setting sun and moonlit nights in the Greek isles.
Expect everything from fresh pitta and hummus to spiced beef meatballs, grilled octopus with Aegean fava beans, shrimp ‘Saganaki’, and Wagyu beef dumplings.
And a spectacular charcoal-fired grill in the heart of the new restaurant will see fresh seafood and locally sourced meats flamed live in front of customers.
You can get 50% off its soft launch period and have exclusive access to bookings if you sign up to their newsletter.
The Goods Yard Building, M3 3BG | Opening late November
Prestwich’s food and drink scene just keeps thriving, with a brand new neighbourhood restaurant joining the high street this month.
After a wildly successful Crowdfunding campaign, which saw it selling rewards including food for life, The Pearl has pulled in acclaimed chef Iain Thomas to craft a menu of locally-sourced plates.
Prior to launching The Pearl, co-owner Sam launched the successful sandwich delivery service SanSan during the Covid lockdowns.
425 Bury New Rd, Prestwich, M25 1AF | Opening 4 November
11 Central, Salford
11 Central is set to open in Salford, from the teams behind Seven Brothers Brewery and the Sisters Distillery
The huge group of siblings behind two of Manchester’s best drinks brands are teaming up to open a new bar, with 11 Central set to launch in Salford very soon.
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The bar will form part of the new Central Bay site at MediaCityUK and comes from the teams behind Seven Brothers Brewery and the Sisters Distillery.
11 Central will take its name from the fact that all 11 siblings are joining forces to create a new watering hole for Salford .
The bar will have a mix of food, drink, live music, bar games and waterside views across a 2000sq ft terrace.
Central Bay, Salford M50 3XW | Opening 17 November
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Dear Sailor, Spinningfields
Tucked in just across the road from Sexy Fish is Dear Sailor, a new cocktail bar inspired by the underground jazz cafes that sprung up around Tokyo in the 1930s.
It’s taking over the old Wolf Italian site in the heart of Spinningfields and will promise plenty of cocktails, plenty of music, and plenty of classy vibes.
Details are pretty scarce at the minute but it’s pitching itself as ‘discreet fine partying and drinking’.
Spinningfields Square, M3 3AP | Opening late November
One of The Manc’s favourite lunches is, hands-down, a gyros – and now there’s a new kitchen dedicated to the Greek street food opening right around the corner from our office.
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Soft, traditional flatbreads will be stuffed with spiced meats, pulled chicken, and fried halloumi, plus chips (because potatoes in bread is an elite food group).
It’s taking up the space left vacant by the old Venus flower shop on Oxford Road.
95 Oxford St, M1 6ET | Opening 13 November
Things to do and events in Manchester in November 2023
Duvel x Maray – Middle-Eastern favourite Maray is teaming up with Duvel for a one-off, five course menu, each dish paired with beer. Perfect. It’s happening on 15 and 16 November and costs £50 per person.
Wine to Water charity cocktails – One of Manchester’s most iconic speakeasies The Washhouse, along with new Kampus LGBTQ+ cocktail bar Red Light, will be offering a new range of charity cocktails this month in support of clean water charity Wine To Water. £1 from each purchase will be donated to the cause, with drinks available until mid-November.
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Bundobust Pizza – Indian street food legends Bundobust are partnering with Slice Culture and Track Taproom for a one-night-only Indian-inspired pizza collab, with toppings including Biryani, korma, and saag paneer. It’s happening on Friday 3 November at Track’s taproom near Manchester Piccadilly.
Manchester Christmas Markets – Here they come again – the Manchester Christmas Markets will officially kick off on Friday 10 November, bringing festive cheer, loads of beer, and plenty of sausages to the city’s streets.
Bombay Curry Club – A new bottomless curry offering is heading to Freight Island, with Payal serving all-you-can-eat curries between 6pm and 9pm every Thursday, accompanied by live DJs. It all kicks off from 2 November.
Loaf’s birthday – Beloved Oxford Street cake shop Loaf is celebrating its birthday with 50% off from 12pm until 4pm on Saturday. Their full range will be half price for one day only.
Featured image: Fenix
Eats
Albert’s Schloss – Manchester’s busiest nightlife hotspot is also serving some of the city’s best roasts
Daisy Jackson
If someone were to ask me the root cause of most of my adult hangovers, I would turn and point at Albert’s Schloss quicker than you could say ‘stiegl’.
I’m not the only one either – this nightlife hotspot on Peter Street is busy all. the. time.
Whether it’s a few happy hour drinks straight after work or dancing on the benches into the early hours, there is always something going on in this Bavarian beer hall.
With a ‘Showtime’ programme of events that includes some sort of live entertainment every night of the week, it’s easy to see why most of us start and end our nights out here.
It all started back in 2015 and quickly grew, becoming one of the country’s most voracious venues with a footprint in multiple cities almost a decade later.
But despite us all knowing Albert’s Schloss so well, do we really know and appreciate everything it’s got going on beyond the party atmosphere?
Because I’ll bet a load of you didn’t know that Albert’s Schloss is also whipping up one of Manchester’s very best Sunday roasts.
Schweins in blanketsThis huge pork knuckle is one of Albert’s Schloss Sunday roastsCauliflower fondue
And that’s along with a pretty impressive, Bavarian-inspired food menu that’s always ticking away in the background.
I already proved that the city is slightly oblivious to the venue’s culinary prowess when The Manc Eats posted these pictures of the pastries made fresh here, and our audience were flabbergasted to learn that Schloss can be as much about viennoiserie as it is about Viennese beers.
So, back to those Albert’s Schloss roasts.
The huge venue hosts Sunday Service every week, where the house band serves up grooves to go with the gravy.
Alpine croquettesHummus and pickles
As you’re serenaded by goosebump-worthy harmonies, you can tuck into gigantic roasts and other comforting plates, like sides of fondue cauliflower and schweins in blankets.
The roasts themselves centre (obviously) around meat, with dry-aged beef, roast chicken, and a no-nut roast on offer, but the star of the show has and always will be the schweinshaxe, an enormous pork knuckle roasted to perfection and served with apple sauce.
If you’re not fancying a roast (who are you), there are other mains like a humble kroissant pie, pan-roasted salmon, and the venue’s signature cheeseburger.
Push for gravy buttons as the Albert’s Schloss Sunday roast
Groups should come ready to banquet. There’s a Bavarian Feast for sharing, which comes with – brace yourselves – roast pork knuckle, chicken schnitzel, bratwurst, kaiserwurst, chilliwurst, pork belly, sformoto, braised red cabbage, seasonal greens, bier jus, kraut, and pickles.
Oh and please, please, if you have even a hint of a sweet tooth, don’t leave without trying the black forest brownie, liberally flavoured with Amarena cherries.
There are also pretzel doughnuts ripe for dipping in a pot of melted chocolate, and classic apple strudel with vanilla sauce.
And all of it’s available for £29 for three courses.
So now with evening beers, late-night dancing, pastries, lunches AND Sunday roasts covered, Albert’s Schloss is bringing back the old 24 Hour Party People mantra.
Desserts included in Albert’s Schloss Sunday roasts menu
Moor Hall – What it’s like to eat at officially the best restaurant in England
Daisy Jackson
There are a lot of good places to eat around the north west. Some are even great. But very few are exceptional – and only one can claim to be the best not just in our region, but in the entire country.
The restaurant in question is Moor Hall.
This two Michelin-star spot, just outside Greater Manchester in Lancashire, opened back in 2017. It achieved its first Michelin star at break-neck speed, proudly mounting a red plaque within six months of opening. A year later, it got its second. It’s been named the Best Restaurant in England two years in a row at the Estrella Damm National Restaurant Awards. And that’s just the tip of the glittering iceberg.
All this might seem quick, but I doubt anyone has walked through these doors without emphatically agreeing that Moor Hall deserves every accolade on its shelves. If I had the power, I’d give it another star on the spot.
The experience begins before you’ve even got through the door.
You’ll drive through the stone gates and down the winding driveway, passing a lake, a group of geese pottering about on the lawn, and around the back of the beautiful former mansion house.
You could have arrived on the set of Bridgerton (if the Bridgertons happened to have a wine list so comprehensive that the table shakes under the weight of the menu).
As each guest is given a staggered arrival time, they know who you are the second you walk through the door. Being greeted by name takes us both aback – is this how the Beckhams feel all the time? Fetch me my Birkin! Where’s my security?!
Anyway. The initial grandeur of Moor Hall carries through for the first part of your meal – drinks and snacks in the bar area, where the walls are covered in dark wood and cosy bay windows look out onto the lake.
The main dining room at Moor HallMoor Hall’s Provenance menu The experience includes a walk through the kitchens
Here, you begin to see the many, many cogs that go into making a restaurant like this function. Someone is in charge of water. Someone else is carefully slicing charcuterie into slices so thin it dissolves on your tongue like butter.
Tiny black pudding bites pack a rich, meaty punch that immediately makes me wish we were staying overnight and could eat breakfast here too (there are 14 guest bedrooms at Moor Hall plus new garden rooms being constructed in the grounds).
The next miniature mouthful bursts open with flavours of barbecued asparagus and smoky chorizo, then a dinky English muffin topped with buttered lobster turns me misty-eyed.
A pair of pretty leaf-shaped crackers, each one embossed with herbs, arrives next, alongside a tin of cod roe and caviar, like a classic pate but 1000 times richer and more interesting.
Crackers with cod roe and caviarAn English muffin with poached lobster
At this point, you’re whisked off your feet by another Moor Hall staff member, who promptly escorts you out the door. Have we done something wrong? Nope – it’s time to see the kitchen gardens.
He expertly points out all the herbs, fruits and vegetables that are grown on-site in the beautiful walled gardens, tended to by a small team of gardeners.
The tour then spits you out into the kitchen, where each of the many, many chefs whipping up your dinner will greet you with a friendly smile, and chef-patron Mark Birchall offers a warm handshake and yet another snack (this one resembles a small bird’s nest, filled with smoked eel and potato).
While the bar is dark and stately, the dining room is a modern, simple space flooded with sunlight and views of the lake.
The dishes at this stage of the Provenance menu become instantly more theatrical.
‘Royal Oak Rainbow’ – baked carrots with doddington cheese ‘snow’Rudy red Devon beef with beetroot and mustardGuinea hen with morel mushoomsGrilled cornish turbot with mussel and roe sauce
Suddenly we have people spooning brilliant white crumbles onto plates of carrots, herb-infused stocks being poured onto plates, quenelles of butter being rolled out of wooden dishes.
Some dishes are simpler, like a loaf of the best sourdough we’ve ever had, but most are unimaginably intricate, like 80-day aged beef served with beetroot and mustard, and rich guinea hen complimented by even richer morel mushrooms.
Whatever the dish (and we get through a LOT), it’s the sort of food that makes you stop in your tracks. It triggers involuntary reactions – I keep catching us smiling, or closing our eyes, or gleefully pointing out goosebumps on our arms. I actually well up at one point. I didn’t know ice cream could move me to tears, but laced with spicy stem ginger – a staple on Moor Hall’s menu from day one – apparently it can.
And throughout, Moor Hall will go to great lengths to show you where each dish has come from (because let’s be honest, fine dining sometimes gets so complicated it stops resembling food at all), whether that’s showing the huge joint of meat your dish has been carved from or handing you a tiny card telling the story of Ormskirk gingerbread.
Three of four sweet courses on Moor Hall’s Provenance menu
If you add a cheese course, you’re even escorted into the cheese room (is this… heaven?) to build your own cheese board from the huge selection of British creations inside.
There’s a refreshing level of transparency throughout and although we’re surprised plenty of times, it doesn’t feel like trickery.
It’s hard not to appreciate the meal you’re eating because you’ve seen every painstaking step and every ingredient being used before you’ve even sat down, from the gardner pruning the rosemary shrub to the sous chef placing micro herbs on bright green butter with a pair of tweezers.
It’s elaborate but intimate, complex but never intimidating.
The cheese room, where you can build your own cheese course
You might wonder how a £235 tasting menu could ever NOT be intimidating to the average person, and that really comes down to the team who work at Moor Hall.
They’re so warm and inviting, it’s like dining with friends. They could switch it up from explaining one of the most intricate menus in the world to joining in with our debate about whether it’s weird for adults to have a favourite colour.