Much-loved Levenshulme wine bar Isca has announced it’s closing the doors of its Stockport Road restrurant after five years.
The intimate, independent venue has said in a statement shared today that their rent is set to increase by a whopping 80%.
This, coupled with building work ‘disturbing’ their opening hours, has led to Isca announcing that they ‘cannot continue to operate’.
Isca has operated from 825 Stockport Road for more than five years, but it’s coming to ‘an abrupt close’.
But the renowned wine bar and small plates restaurant then softened the blow significantly by announcing that they have already found a new home.
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It means the Isca will only be closed for ‘a short while’, while the team move in to a bigger space, thankfully still in the Levenshulme neighbourhood.
They’ve said that with their new, larger space they’ll be able to provide a bigger selection of wine, groceries and products, a bigger kitchen, and more events.
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Several local businesses have voiced their support, with The Craft Cheeseman commenting: “So sad that your landlord has behaved this way but it sounds like it’s created an awesome opportunity which is so great to hear. Very exciting times ahead!!”
Local brewery Cloudwater wrote: “So glad to hear there’s a bigger Isca on the way!”
Isca in Levenshulme has announced it’s closing its existing restaurant. Credit: The Manc Group
In their statement, Isca said: “Some important news from us. Please read.
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“Our journey at 825 Stockport rd has come to an abrupt close, unfortunately due to pressure from our current landlord to increase our rent by 80% and their intention on to built an extension on the back of our building during opening hours which would cause disturbance to us, we have decided we cannot continue to operate there.
“As one door closes another door opens, we are very excited to tell you that we are moving up the road to a bigger space at 1032 Stockport rd.
“Our last day at 825 is coming around fast and will be the 28th July. After that we will be closed for a short while whilst we move into our new home. Join us before we close the door on our little space which has served us so well over the last 5 years.
“We will be leaving with fond memories of good times and are very proud of the food we have created, wines we have poured and events we have hosted in that space.
“A bigger space means we can increase our offering of wines, groceries and products as well as more seats for our customers, a bigger kitchen and more space to host events, wine tastings, wine makers, collaborations and more!
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“Please do bare with us whilst we settle into our new home during August and get in to our groove. We will be adapting to a new space as we go so opening times may change.
“We do hope you will stroll a bit further up the road to see us. Keep an eye out updates coming up soon.”
Isca is the brainchild of sommelier Caroline Dubois and Chef Isobel Jenkins, who met while working at Michelin-recognised Stockport restaurant Where The Light Gets In, and have created one of the city’s most respected homes of natural wine.
A tasty festival celebrating all things tacos is taking place in Manchester next month
Emily Sergeant
Manchester is celebrating the start of May with tacos, tacos, and even more tacos, so make sure you’re hungry.
To coincide with both the early May bank holiday weekend, and of course the annual Mexican celebration Cinco De Mayo, Manchester‘s biggest street food and events space GRUB will be hosting its very-own festival dedicated to all things tacos.
The Green Quarter-based social hub will be bringing hungry Mancs two days of ‘tacos, tacos, and more tacos’ from midday onwards.
Five of the city’s very best street food traders, including El Piloto Tacos and Enchilady, will be cooking for you all weekend long, bringing their own authentic take on the humble taco, plus a feast of other specials to go alongside.
The massively-popular Nina’s Taco Truck, and Pez Tacos will also be pulling up at GRUB across the two days, so there’ll be plenty of choice.
And of course, we all need a sweet treat to finish things off, so GRUB favourite Munchie Mummy’s Kitchen will also be on site serving up a wide range of plant-based bakes to suit all tastes and dietary requirements.
To wash it all down, what would Cinco De Mayo be without a margarita?
A tasty tacos festival is taking place in Manchester next month / Credit: GRUB
For anyone that books a table in advance for GRUB’s Taco Fest, there’ll be buy one get one free on margaritas from the special pop-up margarita bar.
You can also expect craft beer, cocktails, special sodas and oft drinks, and great tunes blasting out across the beer garden, so now all we need to do is hope the Mexican-style sunshine graces Manchester with its presence.
Taco Fest will be taking place from 12-8pm on Sunday 4 May, and 12-6pm on Cinco De Mayo itself, Monday 5 May – which is also bank holiday Monday.
GRUB’s themed food fairs are always busy, so big groups are advised to book in advance here.
Featured Image – GRUB
Eats
Mystery golden egg to be hidden in Manchester and you win a £1.5k coffee prize bundle if you find it
Emily Sergeant
A mystery golden egg is being hidden in a secret location in Manchester, and you can win a £1.5k coffee bundle if you find it.
Speciality coffee roaster and popular cafe brand 200 Degrees has announced an ‘egg-citing’ Easter giveaway in a bid to celebrate the anticipated launch of its all-new spring menu, and it’s giving Manchester locals the chance to win an ultimate prize bundle full of some seriously-coveted coffee accessories.
A golden egg will be stashed in a key city location, and the first person to solve the clue and find it will win the premium prize worth hunting for.
Taking place next Tuesday (15 April) from midday, the Easter bunny will be tucked away somewhere in the city centre with an basket full of goodies, and also guarding the ultimate coffee lover’s prize.
A mystery golden egg with a £1.5k coffee prize bundle is being hidden in Manchester / Credit: Mylo Kaye | Victoria Shes (via Unsplash)
A Sage Bambino coffee machine, 1kg of 200 Degrees’ best-selling Brazilian Love Affair Beans, free coffee syrups and speciality oat milk, and even free coffee for a year from its shops, are just some of the prizes you could win in the bundle.
Even if you aren’t lucky enough to find the golden egg though, don’t worry, you won’t miss out, as anyone who joins the hunt and makes it to the giveaway location will receive a voucher code for a free drink from the new 200 Degrees spring menu, which is redeemable in-store.
200 Degrees’ own-recipe Salted Caramel Oat Iced Twist returns to the menu once again by popular demand, alongside a duo of other fruity chilled drinks perfect for the warmer days we’re having right now, and then when it comes to food, you’ll soon be able to tuck into the limited edition chicken tikka wrap and finish it off with something like the new raspberry and bergamot cake.
The new spring menu will be available from all 200 Degrees stores, including Manchester’s on Mosley Street, on the same day as the coffee bundle giveaway (15 April).
Keep an eye on 200 Degrees’ social channels on the day as they’ll be dropping cryptic clues to help you track down the golden egg in Manchester, and if you’re the first to crack the location, find the egg, and give the secret code word – which is revealed on its socials – then you’ll be able to claim the prize.
Don’t forget to check the website too, as secret codes will be hid across there, and if you spot one, you’ll unlock some exclusive discounts to enjoy over the Easter weekend.
Daisy Jackson -
17th July 2024 
