Lina Stores is set to open its very first restaurant in Manchester early next year, taking its beloved mix of handmade pasta and deli food outside of London for the first time.
80 years after opening for the first time in Soho, Lina Stores is heading north to open a 150-cover restaurant.
Blending coffee shop, delicatessen, restaurant, and bar, the new space will be styled in traditional Lina Stores shades of pastel green hues, warm timber woods, and terrazzo and timber flooring.
You’ll find bespoke marble tables, original vintage Bentwood chairs, dark green booth seating and opaline globe lighting inspired by the original Brewer Street delicatessen.
Diners will be spoilt with an Italian-inspired breakfast menu, featuring dishes like truffle scrambled eggs with toasted sourdough, Greek yoghurt with Italian Macedonia fruit salad, and a selection of breakfast panini.
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At lunchtimes and dinner there’ll be antipasti such as ricotta and herb gnudi fritti with Calabrian chilli marmellata, and tuna crudo with capers, pink peppercorn and salsa verde.
Lina Stores Manchester will have the brand’s beloved pasta dishes, such as the 30-egg yolk taglioni with black truffle, and lamb sausage ragu pappardelle, plus new options like lemon sole and potato raviolo.
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For secondi (because this is Italy darling, you can have two mains!) there are dishes like chicken Milanese and Luganega fennel sausage.
And for dessert, it’s set to be a feast of Sicilian cannolo (filled with ricotta, pistachio and chocolate) and tiramisu.
Lina Stores – Italian deli restaurant serving homemade pasta and more is heading to Manchester. Credit: Rebecca Hope
In the open-plan delicatessen, you’ll be able to grab filling salads, freshly-made panini, and delicate cakes and pastries.
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Shelves will be stocked with Lina Stores Collection pantry essentials, from olive oil to traditional biscotti.
And just next to that will be Bar Lina, serving classic and modern Italian cocktails for aperitivo hour until late at night.
Expect favourites like the bloody martini, Rinomata americano, and the basilico with gin, vermouth, basil and lemon.
The bar will have a versatile wine list from all corners of Italy, including the brand’s own signature collection.
Lina Stores Manchester will be located on Quay Street in the recently-refurbished Quoin building, right opposite the Opera House theatre.
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Masha Rener, Head Chef of Lina Stores, said: “We’re extremely excited to be opening in Manchester this spring.
“The city feels like a natural home for us considering the area’s rich history, vibrant culinary scene and lively nightlife, and look forward to sharing our passion of great Italian food and produce with the Manchester community.
“Quay Street is the perfect location for us to do so, sitting right in the trifecta of Spinningfields, St John Street and St Peter’s Square.”
Inside The Black Friar as Salford pub unveils incredible floral display
Daisy Jackson
Spring has really sprung in Salford – legendary pub The Black Friar has just revealed a sensational makeover, with gigantic flowers sprawled across its frontage and a new seasonal menu to go with it.
The historic pub is celebrating the changing of the seasons with both a striking floral installation and a menu that celebrates spring and Salford in equal measure.
Most Mancs will by now have spotted the 4,000 flower-strong installation that now adorns the front of The Black Friar, with bright pink, yellow and purple flowers spilling from a gigantic pink tap.
And all those florals continue inside, with the pub’s Tavern – previously a cosy winter hideaway – now filled with trailing blooms and woodland installations, just off their award-winning garden.
Cheshire-based artist Kelly Louise Chapman is the woman behind this sensational transformation of the much-loved gastropub.
As for the pub’s kitchen, they’ve crafted a new very seasonal and very British menu, with plenty of nods to Black Friar’s Salford roots.
There are dishes like a Boddingtons braised ox cheek (the pub still proudly displays its Boddingtons sign outside), aged beef tartare, butternut squash and ricotta tortellini, and pan-roasted cod fillet.
Spring small plates at The Black Friar pubDelicious spring drinksInside The Tavern at The Black Friar
A popular item from the Valentine’s Day menu – the Cornish crab vol-au-vent – will be sticking around on the spring menu, along with an enhanced grill section that includes a lamb Barnsley chop cooked over coals.
Then for desserts, you’ll be spoilt with a banoffee knickerbocker glory, and passionfruit panna cotta.
And for drinks (because this is a pub, after all), The Black Friar has put together a range of seasonal drinks like a rose sangria sharer, and non-alcoholic sodas like kaffir lime and coconut.
Ben Chaplin, head chef at The Black Friar, said: “This new menu is all about celebrating the best of spring produce.
“We’ve carefully crafted each dish to highlight fresh, seasonal ingredients and bold flavours, adding new depth to our offerings while still delivering the comfort that will always be associated with The Black Friar.
“My top recommendation and personal favourite dish is the Slow-Cooked Boddingtons Braised Ox Cheek.”
Neil Burke, owner of The Black Friar, commented: “We wanted to bring a taste of spring to The Black Friar, inside and out. This floral installation will transform the space and bring sunshine and smiles, whatever the weather!
“My top recommendation on the new menu is the Cumbrian Spiced Lamb Scotch Egg. It’s EXCEPTIONAL.”
To find out more about The Black Friar and to book a table, visit HERE.
Team behind award-winning Higher Ground to open new Bar Shrimp seafood bar in Manchester
Daisy Jackson
Higher Ground, one of Manchester’s very top restaurants, is to open a brand-new seafood bar later this year.
With Bar Shrimp, they’ll be bringing a brand-new offering to town, with cocktails, beers on tap, British seafood and snacks.
Bar Shrimp will come from Daniel Craig Martin, Joseph Otway and Richard Cossins, who at this point are a well-oiled operational machine.
They’re the team behind proudly British bistro Higher Ground, which grows much of its own produce at its Cinderwood Market Garden and earned a Michelin Bib Gourmand within a year of opening.
The same team are also behind Flawd, the beautiful waterside wine bar at Ancoats Marina.
And they’ve cemented themselves as one of Manchester’s most widely acclaimed hospitality teams – even Rick Stein says Higher Ground is one of the best places to eat in the entire country, which is high praise indeed.
Bar Shrimp, set to open in Manchester this winter, aims to be a ‘relaxed and focused bar with delicious food’.
They say: “Whether it’s a beer after work, some food with friends or after dinner drinks late into the night, Bar Shrimp will be a dynamic space where the music and energy evolves throughout the evening where everyone and anyone can come together for a memorable experience.”
They announced the news this morning on Cerys Matthews’ BBC 6Music Show.
British seafood with a side of cocktails? Sounds alright to us.
A location, opening date and more info on Bar Shrimp will follow – stay up to date with their latest HERE.
Daisy Jackson -
5th September 2024 
