Paperchase has opened a new shop in Manchester, and Mancs have said they could ‘weep for joy’.
The popular stationery brand collapsed into administration in early 2021 saying that lockdown restrictions had put ‘unbearable strain’ on retail businesses.
A big chunk of the business was saved but 37 stores had to close, including the huge flagship shop in Manchester city centre.
But while the three-storey St Mary’s Gate property is still empty, Paperchase has finally made a return to the city centre.
The new Paperchase shop has taken over the old Thorntons site in Manchester Arndale / Credit: The Manc Group
A brand new shop has opened in the Arndale shopping centre, taking over the old Thorntons site.
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It’s a much smaller site than the old flagship, but shoppers are still delighted at its return.
One person tweeted: “PAPERCHASE IS COMING BACK TO MANCHESTER IM GOING TO CRY.”
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Another wrote: “Paperchase is back in Manchester (Arndale) and I could weep for joy.”
Paperchase maintained a presence in the city with its concession inside Next.
Featured Image – The Manc Group
City Centre
The best pasta places in and around Manchester
Danny Jones
Besides the all-season pizza, we would argue that pasta is arguably the pizza we will happily eat pretty much any time of you (god, the Italians really do have it cracked, don’t they?), so we thought it was about high time we put together a list of the best places to find it in and around Manchester.
That’s right, it’s time for another ‘listicle’, so buckle up and unbutton your pants.
Whether it be a city centre star or a beloved off-the-beaten-path favourite out in the boroughs, Greater Manchester as a whole really does do Italian restaurants well and pasta, specifically, if you ask.
From well-known names you’ve probably eaten at already yourselves, to hopefully a few hidden gems that have somehow flown under your radar, here is The Manc‘s round-up of the best pasta places the Manchester foodie scene has to offer.
The best places for pasta in the city centre
1. Lina Stores – St. John’s
Up first is one we’ve visited a fair few times since it landed here from London and really has taken to life up North rather well. Lina MCR, just opposite Spinningfields and just off Deansgate on Quay Street, is their first foray into our city and captures the same laid-back split between delicatessen and restaurant.
Actually, it’s even more than that; this place rolls cafe, bar and evening eatery all into one, serving up stunning pasta dishes, delectable desserts, a great wine selection and some seriously stunning starters, sides and small plates to boot – we’re thinking of the fried ricotta, specifically…
Onto number two, and not only one of the most popular Manchester pasta spots, but a place that has recently surpassed more than 10 years here in the city centre. To some of us, it seems like just yesterday that they first opened their doors, but they’ve been serving us for a good long while now.
The parents of nearby Noi Quattro, which sits just across the road in the Northern Quarter, Pasta Factory sits just on the corner around from Victoria, and their prawn-filled miso butter pasta with burrata is to die for. Better still, you can buy their various shapes, styles and sauces to take home on your way out.
3. Anatra – Exhibition
They say three is the magic number, so they must have been talking about Anatra, which is well and truly something special. Popping up in the increasingly enticing Exhibition food hall and bar over on Peter Street back in August 2025, they’ve made a great first impression.
Head chef Grant may be from Stoke, but he still knows all about serving up tasty and substantial food to Northerners fed up of getting home after a rainy day and warming up a ready meal. Think thick, handmade pasta with the perfect bite, with big flavours like saffron, burnt chilli and brown crab butter.
Credit: The Manc Group
4. Soots – Tib Street
For number four, we have nothing but praise for the purely plant-based excellence that is Soots Pasta, created by owners and co-founders Ellie Proudfoot and Ruth Duarte, who’ve quietly become not only one of the best pasta restaurants in town but one of the best vegan restaurants in Manchester, too.
Named after their dog and starting out life in Altrincham Market, they’ve become a real lovely hospitality story in what is an increasingly difficult sector. We can’t speak highly enough of how much we love these guys; in fact, so much so that you can read even more about this wonderful place down below.
Now, naturally, we couldn’t possibly right up a list of the best pasta places in Manchester city centre, the UK, or otherwise, without mentioning the social media sensation that is Onda, which on its day really does live up to the hype. At least it has every time we’ve managed to visit, anyway.
Starting out as an Ancoats pop-up over at New Cross, they quickly became famous for their viral ‘Tiramisu Drawer’, where they pull out giant scoops of the classic Italian dessert by the big spoonful. However, they are also known for VERY good pasta, such as their carbonara and vodka ‘nduja lamache.
From the new school to the old faithful, there aren’t many Italian restaurants that’ve been doing this in Manchester as long as Salvi’s has, and you could argue that they set many trends in motion decades before they ever took off. They’re part of the city’s dining heritage, as far as we’re concerned.
For instance, they’re still one of the places we remember doing a mozzarella bar, or offering customers the chance to buy authentic ingredients from ‘il Bel Paese‘, and if you’ve never sat down for a bowl of pasta in here, you haven’t lived basically. Hyperbole? Maybe, but the food is bloody good, that’s no lie.
Another new kid on the block that’s trying to carve out its own space in Manchester’s Italian food scene is one that we don’t just fully expect to do so, but would wager already has, even if it hasn’t only been in our neck of the woods for what feels like five minutes. Part of Big Mamma Group, Circolo is a juggernaut.
One of the most beautiful spaces we’ve ever stepped foot in – and no, that isn’t a slight exaggeration – the Italian restaurant sat at the foot of Gary Neville’s growing St. Michael’s skyscraper is a tribute to lemons and indulgence. It may have competition in Chotto Matte, but it’ll certainly handle itself.
From glitteringly gorgeous rooms to even more beautiful food, we’ve lost track of how many times someone has told us that their favourite restaurant in Manchester is The Sparrows Continental Pasta & Spätzle, to give them they’re rarely used full title.
And, to be honest, we wouldn’t disagree; even in all our years of eating incredible food in Manchester city centre and further afield, the Green Quarter spot offers some of the most unique takes on pasta noodles you’ll ever test, bringing in various global influences and some of the highest quality ingredients around.
Heading over to Ancoats, and it’s safe to say that the brilliant Bruco has some very big fans in the office over here, not to mention many more throughout the district and the Manc culinary community as a whole. This Italian spot still feels criminally unsung by the masses, but we’re big cheerleaders.
Striking that balance between bar and kitchen, they specialise in small plates and spritzes, but dishes like butternut squash gnocchi, minted lamb ragu pappardelle, fennel sausage orecchiette and slow-cooked short rib lasagne would stand out on the menu of any of the best pasta restaurants in Manchester.
Credit: The Manc
10. Italiana Fifty Five – Great Northern, Liverpool Road and Didsbury
And in a number 10, we have to give a special shout-out to one of the most reliable Italian restaurant groups in Manchester: Italiana Fifty Five, formerly known as Cibo, but still serving up solid pasta and more for some of the best prices you’ll find in the city centre.
They may have rebranded, but this small but accessible chain rarely disappoints, and it’s also worth noting that they regularly rotate deals and promotions to keep sitting down to eat good scran in town as affordably as possible. It’s important work, and we’re glad they take it seriously and are consistent, too.
Moving out of the city limits and towards the outskirts and various different areas that are each wrapped up in a scran-obsessed world of their own, we’re heading to the ever-charming Chorlton and that stretch of Barlow Moor Road that is long enough to offer up so many good places to eat and drink.
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It’s possible that you know Lucky Mama’s best for their big pizzas, but of late, we’re becoming much more enamoured with their somewhat ridiculous but undeniably delicious pasta-filled pizza bowls. Yes, you heard us right, and yes, it is as fantastic and filling as it sounds. Here’s more carbs on carbs.
12. Ornella’s Kitchen – Denton (and MCR city centre)
Over to Tameside now and Ornella’s, which is also up there in the conversation for the most raved-about Italian restaurants and pasta spots in Greater Manchester; that’s not just our opinion, either, ask the hundreds of incredible five-star reviews they have online. And rightly so, we hasten to add.
Not too long ago, they opened up a second location in Freight Island, meaning we city folk don’t have to go too far to try their amazing food, but in all honesty, we’d travel miles and miles for this stuff. Take it from us, you simply cannot leave without trying the pistachio carbonara and the beef shin pappardelle.
Moving in the Bury direction now and over to the leafy suburb of Prestwich, how does eating some of the best Italian food you’ve probably ever had in this country in a rustic cafe, bar, pasticceria and restaurant in an unsuspecting old industrial estate? We’ll assume we have your attention…
It might sound rough and ready on the surface, but trust us, there’s no trade-off between style and substance; it’s one of the coolest places to eat in Greater Manchester and does some of the best pasta around, for our money. The amatriciana is unreal, and the fennel sausage one is also unbelievable.
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Lupo Caffe Italiano is a taste of sunny Rome on a Prestwich industrial estate… and it MUST be one of Greater Manchester's most hidden gems in a very literal sense. 🍝😍
Our penultimate pick is another south Manchester outpost famous for fantastic restaurants, so it’s no surprise that they also have plenty of great Italians, too: Casa Italia being just one of them, but perhaps our favourite of the lot – at least in this Didsbury, anyway.
More of a chill deli with pretty stocks of produce lining the walls and a healthy counter packed full of goodies, both savoury and sweet, we’ve had many memorable meals in here, and it was actually one of the first places we tried a cannelloni. You always remember your first, and we always will.
Make sure to check out their digital store as well. (Credit: The Manc)
15. Little Scarfs – Stockport
Last but not least, please ignore the grammatical error: they don’t care about tense here, they’re just interested in serving you up really good plates of pasta, and they do; in fact, they might be some of the best you’ll find in Stockport, full stop.
A little birdie who recently moved to the town told us about this one, and all we’ll say is that there’s some just so wholesome about it from top to bottom. They also have one of the prettiest aesthetics we’ve come across of late – see for yourself, then go try the food and let us know how mint it was.
A first look into the highly-anticipated TV soap crossover ‘Corriedale’ has just dropped
Thomas Melia
The wait is nearly over for TV soap fans, as producers behind the highly-anticipated ‘Corriedale’ crossover have just dropped an exclusive first look.
Whether you’re team Coronation Streetor team Emmerdale, this show has all areas covered as it merges both the iconic TV soaps into an hour-long special.
Now, it feels like Christmas has come early as pictures of two very distinctive cast members smiling next to each other while filming the crossover episode have been released.
In the newly-released images we can see Vicky Myers, known for playing the assertive and dedicated DS Lisa Swain, representing the Manchester-based production Coronation Street.
Vicky Myers (DS Lisa Swain) and Danny Miller (Aaron Dingle) pictured together ahead of upcoming TV soap crossover Corriedale / Credit: ITV Press Centre (Supplied)
Stood by her side is Danny Miller known for his role as the complex and vulnerable Aaron Dingle in Leeds-based hit soap Emmerdale.
Both can be seen on-set and are pictured in front of a white trailer filming for the upcoming Corriedale special.
Although the shows are set just a one hour’s drive away from each other, separated by The Pennines, this soap special marks the first time that characters from each drama will have ever crossed paths.
Most details for this soap crossover are being kept very tight-lipped although filming kicked off in September with this latest update marking the first-ever major cast announcement for Corriedale.
ITV Executive Producer for Continuing Drama Iain Macleod said: “It’s beyond exciting that filming is under way on Corriedale.
“There is a massive buzz around both the Leeds and Manchester sites and the images coming out of the shoot are utterly spectacular. And that’s before we’ve even got to all the brilliant transpennine interactions between characters from the different shows!
“As a soap fan myself, I think my head is going to explode when the episode airs next year. It will be mind-blowing, historical and unmissable.”
Corriedale is coming to our TV screens in early 2026 and heralds the start of a new soap power hour with 30 minute episodes of both Coronation Street and Emmerdale to air every weekday.
Daisy Jackson -
10th November 2021 
