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Award-winning Manchester cocktail bar Red Light announces surprise return in new location

The best news we've heard all week

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson - 6th October 2026

Red Light, an award-winning cocktail bar that closed its doors earlier this year, has announced it’s making a grand return.

The celebrated watering hole had been at Kampus in the city centre for three years before it closed for good in August.

But now, in news that will thrill a lot of us in Manchester, the bar has announced it’s returning, with plenty of new ’surprises’ to come.

Announcing Red Light 2.0 this evening, they revealed a brand-new location, with all the cocktails we all loved before, plus a new bar snack offering.

Also new with its reopening will be a dedicated clubbing space (operating in a residential area was one of the reasons Red Light closed at Kampus) and the return of its legendary street parties.

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They said: “Your love and support has meant the absolute world to us since we closed the doors to our Kampus venue.

“It’s been a tricky secret to keep but we’re thrilled to share that we’re back and in a brand new location!

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“This one feels special, it’s not often you get a second chance at things in the current climate.”

They added: “We can’t wait to welcome you with open arms. Red Light NQ. LETS GO BABY!”

Although they’ve not announced the location, they have teased some pictures – and unless we’re very much mistaken, they’ll be moving into Tariff Street, in the old El Capo site.

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Perfect.

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Featured image: The Manc Group

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Chinatown restaurant pleads for help after dine-and-dash customer leaves staff member in A&E

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson Chinatown restaurant pleads for help after dine-and-dash customer leaves staff member in A&E

A brilliant restaurant in Manchester’s Chinatown has shared CCTV and a heartfelt appeal after one of its staff members was left in A&E.

Noodle Alley shared that one of its young staff members chased after a group of dine-and-dash customers who’d left without paying for their meal.

The restaurant then said that she was ‘assaulted’ at some point in the chase and ended up in A&E.

In their statement, Noodle Alley said that the staff member ‘had treated them kindly and never expected that kindness to come back to her like this’.

They wrote: “What has this world come to? A violent man sent our staff to A&E over an unpaid meal.”

The CCTV shows a group of three young men, all carrying Selfridges shopping bags, entering the restaurant.

They sit and enjoy a meal, before two of them slip out of the restaurant. The third man then exits but is chased by a Noodle Alley staff member.

It’s at this point – out of the range of the restaurant’s CCTV – that they said she was assaulted ‘after going beyond her duty to try and recover what had been taken’.

The family business said that she has been ’emotionally affected’ by the incident.

The police are involved and the restaurant has appealed for anyone who can help with their investigation to get in touch.

It’s also the second time they’ve appealed about a dine-and-dash customer in the last few months, but this incident went ‘far beyond’ previous incidents.

In their full statement, Noodle Alley said: “We’re a small family business, and lately it feels like small businesses are being targeted again and again.

“But this time, it went far beyond anything we have experienced before.

“One of our young staff members — a girl simply doing her job — was assaulted after going beyond her duty to try to recover what had been taken from our restaurant. She ended up in A&E.

“What hurts us most is seeing how emotionally affected she has been by what happened. She told us she had treated them kindly and never expected that kindness to come back to her like this.

“We work hard to look after our staff and our customers, and nobody should have to go through this simply for doing their job.

“We have reported the incident to the police.

“If anyone recognises these individuals or has any information that could help the police with their investigation, please contact us or the police directly.

“We’re sharing this because we believe our staff deserve to feel safe at work.”

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Featured image: The Manc Group

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Celebrity chef James Martin closes Manchester restaurant after more than a decade

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson James Martin Manchester has closed down

James Martin Manchester has closed its doors, bringing an end to the chef’s decade-long restaurant partnership with casino Manchester235.

Metropolitan Gaming announced on 1 October that its partnership with James Martin and his team had concluded, with the restaurant operation at the city centre venue ending on the same day.

The partnership dates back to 2012, meaning James Martin Manchester had been part of the Manchester235 experience for more than 14 years.

During that time, the restaurant became an established part of the venue’s food and drink offering, with Metropolitan Gaming describing the collaboration as ‘successful and valued’.

The company also credited James Martin and his team with contributing to Manchester’s wider food and dining scene, as well as providing high-quality dining for Manchester235 guests.

Maxine Gibbons, Venue Director at Manchester235, thanked the chef and his team for their contribution to the venue.

She said: “Our partnership with James Martin and his team has been an important part of Manchester235’s story since 2012.

“We would like to thank James and everyone who has been part of the James Martin Manchester team over the years for their commitment, hard work and the memorable experiences they have created for our guests.”

Gibbons added that the team had made a ‘significant contribution’ to Manchester235’s food and beverage experience and wished James Martin and his colleagues ‘every success for the future’.

The closure will not result in affected employees losing their jobs, with Metropolitan Gaming confirming that any employees impacted by the restaurant’s closure have been retained within the business.

Customers with existing restaurant reservations will also be contacted directly by Manchester235 regarding cancellations.

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Featured image: Publicity picture

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