A brand-new ‘champagne boutique’ is opening in Manchester this week, boasting more than 250 different champagnes to our city.
Portfolio will be a new bar and ‘immersive wine experience’, which will have one of the largest and most diverse champagne collections in the UK.
Mancs will be able to order champagne by the glass from just £12.50, along with plenty of accessible bottles.
To kick things off, Portfolio will open with a bar food offering that includes Welsh charcuterie, British cheeses and accoutrements, created by co-founder Julian Pizer, formerly of Another Hand and the Edinburgh Castle.
But later down the line, there’ll be a fun, relaxed tasting menu, ranging from a few bites to a full dining experience, obviously paired with the best champagne list in the country.
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Inside Portfolio, you’ll be greeted by a striking champagne wall of 100 different bottles, plus a wall of photos from the team’s trips to Champagne in France.
Every drink will be served in exclusive Lehmann glassware imported from Reims, with more than 10 different glass styles and a strict no flutes policy.
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There’ll be an open chef’s pass and sommelier station with bar seating, plus a working champagne cellar that will function as a private dining room and event space.
Portfolio champagne boutique opens in Manchester. Credit: The Manc Group
Julian Pizer has created Portfolio with Cameron Foster, founder of Duex Six which specialises in providing exclusive grower champagnes to the UK.
They’ll be joined by Wayne Baxendale as food and beverage director, who has more than 30 years of global wine experience including from Michelin starred restaurants, and Nikolai Kuklenko as general manager, who previously held a role as Head Sommelier at Mana.
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Portfolio will be a wine boutique packed with rare grower bottles and vintage prestige cuvées and hopes to ‘strip away the snobbery and make champagne accessible’.
As well as well known names, guests will be able to enjoy rare and highly sought-after cuvées, including Jacques Selosse, Ulysse Collin, Jérôme Prévost, Cédric Bouchard, Larmandier Bernier and Egly Ouriet.
There will also be vintage prestige cuvées from Cristal, Philipponnat, Pommery, Jacquesson, Pierre Peters and Bollinger, some dating back to the 1990s.
As Cameron Foster explains: “We want to strip back the snobbery of Champagne and make it a wine for everyone, whether that’s a quick glass after work, a special celebration, or discovering grower champagne for the first time.”
Portfolio will open on 9 December at 67 Bridge Street, Manchester, with the full restaurant experience launching in February 2026.
‘Remember to support genuine independents’ – Manchester’s rotisserie chicken bistro Tartuffe announces closure
Emily Sergeant
Rotisserie chicken bistro Tartuffe has called final orders on its time at popular city centre hangout, Side Street.
Serving some of the best rotisserie chicken in Manchester – ‘sexy chicken’, if you will – Tartuffe first landed at Side Street inside the ABC Building back in the later summer of 2024, and quickly became known and loved by critics and customers alike for not just their rotisserie options, but also their stylish bar snacks and standout sides.
But despite being a roaring success these past two years, Tartuffe took to social media this week to announce the end of the ‘longest pop-up ever’, with its final service being tomorrow (25 September).
Tartuffe will be leaving Side Street this Friday / Credit: The Manc Group
Announcing its closure on Instagram, Tartuffe wrote: “That’s right, our time at Side Street has come to an end and our final service here is this Friday.
“It’s been an incredible two and a half years cooking for the wonderful people of Manchester and we’re hugely thankful to everyone who’s been to see us whilst we’ve been here.
“Another big thanks to the staff at Side Street who we’ve loved working with. We’ve made some great friends and worked with some absolutely brilliant people.
10 of the best new restaurants, bars and cafes to open in Greater Manchester recently
Clementine Hall
Manchester has welcomed a whole host of new places to eat and drink over the past couple of months – and there’s a LOT to be excited about.
It’s fair to say we all love our food, and here at The Manc, we certainly love writing about it.
So, allow us to indulge as we take you through some of our favourite new openings to have landed across Greater Manchester recently.
From a Latin BBQ restaurant making a splash in the Northern Quarter to a humble Vietnamese sandwich shop turning heads over in Didsbury, there’s been plenty to get excited about.
But consider this your warning: reading on may cause extreme hunger…
Kickback Coffee
11 Portland Street, M1 3HU
Images: The Manc Group
Kickback Coffee is the latest trader to open on bustling Portland Street, serving up flat whites, long blacks and iced drinks aplenty.
With their roastery hub based in Cheshire, this independent business puts their love of coffee at the forefront. If you’re looking for a really quality coffee, then this is your next stop.
Sandy’s Smoke Shed
Arch 121 Woollam Pl, Manchester M3 4JJ
Images: The Manc Group
Sandy’s Smokeshed has just opened in Castlefield, where Sam – and his smoker, Angela – are serving up serious Texas-style BBQ, with queues already stretching out the door.
The idea is simple: take great cuts of meat, cover them generously in seasoning, put them in the smoker and give them all the time they need.
Think eight-hour smoked beef chuck, brisket, short ribs, chicken and stellar sides.
Say hello to Sister Moon, a beautiful new restaurant bringing a taste of Southeast Asia to the city centre and the latest addition to Manchester’s Treehouse Hotel.
Here, all the dishes are cooked on open fire, including dishes like the fried pork skewers with banana ketchup and the grilled prawns with crispy chilli and garlic. Elsewhere on the menu you’ll find stars like the crispy pork belly and pomelo salad as well as the slow cooked lamb jungle curry (warning, this one’s got a kick).
Sister Moon is the new project from acclaimed chef Sam Grainger who you’ll know from Madre, and it’s just as good as you’d expect.
If you need a break from all that indulgent food and drink, then this new spot on Deansgate should be at the top of your list.
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Clean Greens is bringing health in the form of fresh salads, cold-pressed juices, matchas, coffee, and more. Their menu focuses on using clean ingredients without all the faff, and all served in a gorgeous setting – what more could you want?
Pranzo Italian
55 King St, Manchester M2 4LQ
Images: The Manc Group
Sometimes only a steaming hot bowl of homemade pasta will do, and you’ll find it at the new Pranzo Italian on King Street.
Here they’re using 70-year-old Calabrian recipes passed down from owner Marco’s Nonna, so it’s about as authentic as it gets. The pasta comes al dente, and they’re not scrimping on the portions or the flavour.
Dahlia Stereo has landed in the Northern Quarter, bringing Latin-inspired open-fire cooking, tequila and mezcal-led drinks, and a seriously impressive sound system under one roof.
Expect everything from achiote chicken and 400g churrasco steak to fresh tortillas, smoky sides, and house-made cocktails, with DJs keeping the vibe going late into the night.
If you love great food, good music, and a proper Manchester night out, this one looks well worth checking out.
This unassuming spot has been turning heads in Didsbury for its authentic, stacked Banh Mi sandwiches.
Everything is made fresh to order, with fillings like crispy pork belly, lemongrass crispy chicken, roast duck, ham, grilled beef, and tofu, plus traditional Vietnamese coffee with condensed milk.
Casa Papi
9 Woodford Road, Bramhall, Stockport SK7 1JN
Images: The Manc Group
There’s a new taqueria spot in Stockport that prides itself on using only the best of the best ingredients imported all the way from Mexico.
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Casa Papi is serving up tacos, rice bowls and plenty with your choice of slow-cooked birria beef, roasted chicken or sweet potato for the veggies. They’ve even got traditional blue-corn taco shells as an option too which are 100% gluten free and just as tasty as their flour-based cousins.
Arcadian
1C School Lane, Didsbury, M20 6RD
Images: The Manc Group
Beloved neighbourhood restaurant Hispi may have closed its doors, but its shoes have been filled pretty quickly with the delightful Arcadian stepping into its place.
A new-to-Manchester open-fire restaurant, with dishes cooked over wood, charcoal and open flame. The new concept sees the chefs themselves serving you your dinner, with plates like coal-seared beef tartare, grilled monkfish, and a Basque cheesecake with black cherries.
Bar Caput
71 Great Underbank, Stockport SK1 1PE
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Images: The Manc Group
Stockport has bid farewell to its only Michelin Bib Gourmand restaurant, with the team behind the acclaimed Cantaloupe pivoting to a totally new concept – and it’s a good’un.
Bar Caput has stepped into the unit, where it’s all about bringing the Roman culture of drinking and aperitivi to Great Underbank. That means crisp-based Roman-style pizzas, plus fritti, small plates, great wine, and bright cocktails.