It’s been a staple of Mancunian lunchtimes for decades, but now Cafe Marhaba has been placed up for sale.
The Back Piccadilly restaurant and takeaway is one of the city’s most legendary rice and three cafes, serving up hearty curries and tandoor-baked naans at low, low prices.
It’s a family-run operation that’s been here in the Northern Quarter since 1992 – so it’s understandable that a wave of panic has rippled through the city upon seeing the business appear on Rightmove.
Cafe Marhaba has been listed as a ‘highly sought after takeaway business’ in a ‘top location’.
Agents have placed it on the market at £1,153 per calendar month.
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But Abdul Ahmed, who runs the business alongside his parents, has confirmed to The Manc that they are simply ‘testing the waters’ and thinking of shifting the beloved business to a new premises.
The tiny space, just down the road from the newly-reborn Rat and Pigeon pub, only has space for a handful of tables for dine-in customers.
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Inside Cafe Marhaba in Manchester. Credit: The Manc GroupInside Cafe Marhaba in Manchester. Credit: The Manc Group
If you do sit in, curries are carefully ladled onto patterned mismatched plates and served alongside the city’s best naan breads.
Cafe Marhaba is particularly well-known for its £8 rice and three deal – a local staple – where you can choose any three curries for a filling lunch.
At the time of writing, Abdul stressed that there are no plans to close the restaurant for the time being.
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So you can still get your rice and three fix at this Manchester institution – and if you miss it, you’ll forever regret it.
Iconic Oxford Road pub The Footage has gone up for sale – and wait until you hear for how much
Danny Jones
Beloved Manchester bar and once regular student stomping ground The Footage has officially been up for sale and it’s fair to say we had to double-take when saw for how much.
The iconic Oxford Road pub quietly closed its doors back in May after more than 30 years under various different names – but it’s always been The Footage to us.
It was one of the most popular pubs on the busy student strip for generations of uni cohorts and, as we’re sure many a Manc gig-goer would vouch for, a great place for pints beforehand.
However, not only the place is vacant but it’s now been put on the market for a bigger bargain than you’d find at Poundland. No, seriously…
The Footage is now up for sale on Rightmove. (Credit: The Manc Group)
No, we’re not pulling your leg: Manchester’s once well-trodden and ever-busy The Footage is now listed on Rightmove for just £1.
A quid, for a whole building and all that potential on none other than Oxford Road, one of Manchester’s most prime real estate areas.
It might sound daft at first but it’s actually not too unheard of nowadays and properties like these can often be listed for such a small amount either to help others get on the ladder, support local businesses and industry markets, as well as make sure a site’s heritage can be not just kept intact but carried on.
As the former cinema house and theatre is a Grade II-listed building, built in 1912 and set over two sizeable storeys (plus, it really is gorgeous), everyone involved has a vested interest in making sure it doesn’t get left to just sit there and go to waste.
However, take that price point with a decent pinch of salt because it isn’t just about purchasing the plot but also getting the place up to scratch, and in terms of business rates the value according to Rightmove is “£41,250 with effect from April 2023”.
The listing goes on to add that “confirmation of actual business rates payable should be obtained from the local authority” but it still presents a big opportunity for someone to take over the roomy spot.
Although there is scope to do a lot with the place, the substantial basement area with two large beer cellars and a number of smaller storage rooms means it’s likely to become another bar or maybe just snapped up by a bar group.
Once again, particulars like the current energy rating are still to be fully certified but whoever does take a chance on buying it for just the price of a decent pick-and-mix with have access to a license that allows for trading between 10am-2am, Monday to Saturday and until 1am on Sunday.
We sincerely hope The Footage doesn’t stay up for sale too long and that somebody rolls the dice with the beautiful building – at that kind of price you’d be a fool not to. It’s not the only longstanding local favourite that’s gone up for sale either.
Manchester United reveal first impressions of new stadium and Old Trafford Regeneration scheme
Danny Jones
Manchester United, their chief architects and the Old Trafford Regeneration Task Force have finally revealed their first impressions of what the new stadium and surrounding area could look like.
After naming Foster + Partners as the lead designers on the new ‘Wembley of the North’ last week and teasing further details surrounding their Old Trafford masterplan, supports now have their first glimpse at what the task force is hoping can be achieved with the soon-to-be-redeveloped stadium and region.
In addition to creating over 92,000 jobs in the immediate area and across nearby boroughs, one of the biggest claims they have made is that the regeneration scheme will inject an “extra £7.3 billion in GVA [gross value added] for the UK economy each year.”
Presuming these projections are to be believed, Greater Manchester’s Mayor Andy Burnham might be right when he says this could be “the biggest regeneration scheme ever seen in this country.”
Old Trafford update 🏟️
An economic report has explored the benefits of regenerating our stadium and surrounding area ⤵️#MUFC
Man United shared the lengthy reel featuring concept art and quotes from figures partnering with the Old Trafford Regeneration scheme, including Mayor Burnham, club legend and local entrepreneur Gary Neville and task force’s chair, Lord Sebastian Coe, among others.
Coe, a retired Olympic track and field athlete himself turned sports administrator and former politician, echoed Burnham’s sentiment, adding: “We have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to create something special.”
Lord Foster (of Foster + Partners), who was born just down the road in Reddish, Stockport, also expressed his excitement about being part of the project and building upon “the foundations of Manchester’s industrial heritage.”
The club stated that the overall scheme “will benefit the local community, attract new residents, increase job provision, and make it a vibrant destination for visitors from Manchester, the UK and all around the world”, and the Mayor assured no public money will be used in the development.
You see some snapshots of the would-be teaser video down below:
The first impressions of what a new Old Trafford stadium could be look like (Credit: Man United via screenshot)
The plans will see ‘New Trafford’ – we have no idea if that’s actually its name or not, by the way, just an easy working title for our purposes – erected as the first 100,000-seater stadium not only in the North but the entire country, surpassing the current largest (Wembley) by a full 10k.
However, as the full update from United explains, the plans go far beyond just creating a new football ground: they want to develop the entire Old Trafford district and pump money into both already valuable areas like the Trafford Park industrial complex and under-utilised areas.
The regeneration team has also been tasked with helping carve out plans for “new mixed-use developments around the stadium and in the adjacent Trafford Wharfside area” as well as along the River Irwell towards Salford Quays.
As you see, while these small snippets might only be artistic impressions at this stage, the CGIs have also been backed up by the first models designed by the architects.
You can see more here:
The plan is to make the Old Trafford area a full on sporting, leisure and entertainment destination.Credit: Man United x Old Trafford Regeneration (screenshot)/Sky Sports (via YouTube – screenshot)
Other stats about the Old Trafford Regeneration scheme that follow these first impressions include an estimated 1.8 million additional visitors to the multi-purpose stadium and more than 17,000 new homes following investment in the surrounding areas.
The club and their regeneration task force are eyeing up a total of one million square meters of new developments/redeveloped plots, so it goes without saying that this could change the face of a good chunk of Greater Manchester forever.
With talk that Man United now intend to keep the existing Theatre of Dreams to house the women’s team and preserve their storied history – rather than bulldoze as many first feared – what you do make of this first look at the potential future of your stadium, Reds?
Daisy Jackson -
24th September 2024 
