Ad Maiora, the sandwich business that started life in a Northern Quarter flat, is opening its first proper sandwich shop in town.
The beloved butty business – a firm favourite with Erling Haaland and the rest of the Man City team – has finally opened the doors to its own place for the first time.
Ad Maiora started life just a couple of years ago when owners, Sardinian couple Daniela Steri and Enrico Pinna, quit their jobs to dedicate their lives to sandwiches.
Since then, they’ve gone on to open up in Kargo Market in Salford Quays and have had half of Manchester obsessing over their authentic sandwiches.
Made with freshly-baked schiacciata – a Tuscan flatbread – and top-quality Italian ingredients, Ad Maiora is comfortably one of the city’s best sandwich spots.
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Daniela and Enrico are now ready to open up in the Northern Quarter, where they’ll join the likes of Siop Shop and Butcher’s Quarter over on Tib Street.
In their cosy new location, there are cabinets packed with fresh produce, window seats overlooking the busy street outside, and stacks of that freshly-made bread ready for cutting, heating and filling.
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Ad Maiora is opening its first sandwich shop in ManchesterInside Ad Maiora in Manchester
You’ll also find plenty of the shop’s biggest achievements proudly displayed, from photographs with Man City players to print-outs of news articles (including, yes, this piece by yours truly).
There’s a new meal deal in store too, where you can get one of these huge sandwiches with an Italian soft drink for £10.90, Monday to Thursday.
Ad Maiora is sticking to its tried-and-tested menu of Italian sandwiches, including Haaland’s (Parma ham, burrata, pesto, truffle oil, sundried tomatoes, pistachio and rocket), named after the Man City striker’s favourite.
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From the vegan-friendly La Nonna (red tapenade, artichokes, peppers, chilli oil and rocket) to a huge array of different cheesy and meaty delights, fillings include Mortadella, fennel salami, ‘nduja, burrata, truffle sauce, pistachios and loads more.
Ad Maiora officially opens its doors on Wednesday 26 February on Tib Street in the Northern Quarter, Manchester.
40-year-old Chinatown restaurant warns ‘we won’t last another decade’ in defiant statement
Daisy Jackson
There are some businesses that feel so much a part of the fabric of Manchester, it’s hard to imagine the city without them.
But a defiant statement from Happy Seasons, a decades-old family-run restaurant in Chinatown, has said that it’s ‘not sure how businesses like ours will survive in this new world’.
They wrote that is ‘feels like everything is stacked against small businesses’ and said ‘we won’t last another 5-10 years’.
Happy Seasons has been a cornerstone of Chinatown for more than 40 years, famed for its roast meats (proudly hung in the windows) and traditional Cantonese dishes.
Everyone who works in the restaurant has been in the trade for more than 20 years, they wrote, adding ‘it’s all they’ve ever known’.
Happy Seasons has said that their type of business – where everything is made fresh, from scratch, daily – is ‘slowly fading’.
They wrote: “Younger generations are slowly stepping away from hospitality. The government continues to increase costs on our industry, while bills, rent, and even basic stock keep rising. Sometimes it feels like everything is stacked against small businesses.”
Roast meats in the windows of Happy SeasonsHappy Seasons has been in Chinatown for more than 40 years
The restaurant added: “We don’t think places like ours will last another decade if things continue the way they are.”
But in their defiant video shared to customers, the Chinese restaurant said: “We’re not going to let that stop us.
“We’re still going to put the hours in. We’re still going to make everything fresh. We’re still not going to cut corners.
“From our sauces and roasted meats to our soy sauce and sweet and sour sauce, so much of what we serve is made from scratch. The time, effort, and cost that go into these everyday dishes are much higher than they used to be.
“Even though it’s costing us more and more to operate, we’re going to do our best to stick around for as long as we can. Because there may come a day when traditional Chinese food, made the old fashioned way, becomes much harder to find here in the UK.
“So let’s make this one hell of a decade. Thank you for all the support over the years. It truly means the world to us.”
It’s since expanded, launching in Sheffield earlier this year – and now Forbici has set its sights on the Trafford Centre.
The Neapolitan pizzeria will be taking over the former Franco Manca site in The Orient, bringing its biga dough and biga crusts with it to its third location.
Pizza dough here is slow-fermented to create a light, risen crust, before being topped with quality ingredients like San Marzano tomatoes and Italian produce.
Forbici will be bringing their Manchester special, the Lancashire Hotpot, to the Trafford Centre – a pizza topped with crisps.
Other signatures include the Provola e Pepe (topped with San Marzano tomato, smoked provola, black pepper and fresh basil), as well as indulgent white-base pizzas such as the Porcini e Tartufo, loaded with Fior di latte, porcini mushrooms, Italian truffle sauce and chives.
Forbici translates as ‘scissors’ in Italian, and pizzas here are always served with scissors rather than a knife and fork – diners are encouraged to snip their dinner into quarters for the ultimate pizza experience.
Toni Dennan at Forbici said: “We don’t believe pizza should ever be ordinary. Forbici is rooted in the traditions of Naples, made with real craft and precision, but it’s also built with the energy, creativity and ambition of the cities and locations we call home.
“Every detail matters to us, from the dough and ingredients to the atmosphere in the pizzeria. Opening at Trafford Centre gives us the opportunity to bring that experience to even more people and show that pizza, when it’s done properly, can still surprise, delight and create a real sense of occasion.”
Simon Layton, Centre Director at Trafford Centre, said: “We’re delighted to announce that Forbici will be joining us at Trafford Centre, adding to our ever-evolving range of fantastic restaurants.
“As a local success story, we’re thrilled to be championing another Manchester success story, and look forward to sampling some of their delicious pizzas when they open this summer.”
Forbici will open at The Orient at the Trafford Centre this summer.
Daisy Jackson -
25th February 2025 
