Eats

First look as Ad Maiora opens first proper sandwich shop in Manchester

A proper home-grown business.

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson - 25th February 2025

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 Manchester
Ad Maiora is opening its first sandwich shop in Manchester
Inside Ad Maiora in Manchester
Inside 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.

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Featured image: The Manc Group

Eats

Highballer – Stockport’s new bar from the brains behind Cherry Jam

Danny Jones Danny Jones New Highballer bar Stockport opens

Stockport is riding a real wave of excitement right now, and aside from being dubbed ‘the new Berlin’ a couple of years back, it’s also enjoying a big bar boom right now: case and point, Highballer, which has just been opened by the blokes behind a familiar local name.

Given the experience behind this new venture, we have a feeling this one could finally stick for what has proved to be a tricky unit in the past.

Created by Neil Garner – the man behind charming indie bar champions, Cherry Jam – Highballer is another music-forward venue from a team with experience across both industries.

Looking to carry on where Amp, Dr Feelgood and even Remedy Bar left off before them, Highballer is the latest watering hole to appear inside 11 Market Place following a successful pop-up earlier this year.

No, it’s not the ‘Gary the Gorilla’, sorry – but it does give a nice little nod to Almost Famous. (Credit: Highballer)

With Amp closing at the start of the year, Garner saw the opportunity to step in turn the place into something familiar but new, promising more music, karaoke and bandaoke; a fresh new food menu, darts, pool and even the classic American lawn game, cornhole.

Having already opened earlier this month, toasting the arrival with a bonus Oasis reunion launch party on Friday, 20 June, the crowds are already starting to return. As for Garner, he brings an incredible pedigree to the new project.

A world champion flair bartender boasting 28 years in hospitality, he’s worked in over 100 countries, including time as a Las Vegas performer, not to mention holding a Guinness World Record and coming runner-up on Britain’s Got Talent as the founder-creator of entertainment act, ‘Barwizards’.

During his time down south, he also created the UK’s first adult playground called Roof East in London, which was ultimately sold a decade after winning Britain’s Best Outdoor Experience in 2024.

With his baby and the neighbouring bar Cherry Jam located literally just around the corner and down the brow, the reputation is already there, hence why it was busy from minute one.

new bar stockport market place
highballer sk
Highballer sitting pretty in the shadow of two famous Stockport landmarks. (Credit: Supplied)

Stockport town centre has plenty of new pub and bar openings, from the resurrection of the old White Lion this time last year and the recently debuted Underbank, to fellow newcomer Fitzpatrick’s (formerly Bask), so it’s nice to see yet another one added into the mix.

Before Highballer, Neil spent years behind the scenes at some of the UK’s biggest festivals, running the backstage bars in the mid-noughties for events like Reading and Leeds Festival, Glastonbury, Isle of Wight and even Coachella.

In terms of food, he also spent time living in Seoul, where he developed a serious love for Korean, meaning that their collab with Manc favourites BAB was a natural fit.

On the menu you’ll find:

  • Korean Fried Chicken – crispy and packed with flavour
  • Loaded Fries – choose between pulled pork or spicy grilled chicken
  • Cauliflower Bites – crispy and full of spice
  • Gochujang Mac n’ Cheese – creamy and with a kick
  • Korean Cheese Corndogs
  • Korean Grilled Cheese
highballer stockport food menu
highballer bab korean food
BAB MCR have come to Stockport to lend their talents to Highballer. (Credit: Supplied)

With ‘power hour’ karaoke sessions, Vimto mojitos named not just after the drink but the giant Gorilla bouncer sat outside (great name), not to mention a big terrace to bring those beer garden vibes, they’ve got all the ingredients for an instant hit.

Oh, did we mention there are drink deals all week long? Well, there are. Cheers to that. Speaking to The Manc, Garner kept things short and sweet as he’s confident the product will do the talking, but admitted he’s “buzzing” to be opening another venue in the borough.

Balancing live music, entertainment, and hospitality is a tall order for anyone, but with some help from Benji Taylor on events side of things too – the original founder of Bask and You Are Not Alone Festival – we reckon that with this duo’s expertise, they stand as much of a fighting chance as everyone else.

It’s been a big couple of weeks for food and drink in Stockport.

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For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images — Highballer (supplied)

Eats

First Look: Fitzpatrick’s – Stockport’s new Irish Bar gets off to a stunning start

Danny Jones Danny Jones Fitzpatrick's new Irish bar and grill opening Stockport

Stockport has a brand new Irish bar as the growing Greater Manchester trend continues, with Fitzpatrick’s officially debuting to the public on Thursday, 19 June.

Taking over the former Bask site just outside the train station, Fitzpatrick’s is the borough’s answer to American sports bar meets an Irish pub and grill, with live music, a wide array of food and more.

Founded by the man who now shares his name with the already lively boozer, John Fitzpatrick – a.k.a. local producer, musician and DJ, Jon Fitz – the venue has big shoes to fill following its predecessor, but is already off to a very strong start.

We had the privilege of walking in on opening day, and the place was absolutely packed to the rafters from the off, and we didn’t even stay until the end. More fool us…

As you can see, it hasn’t taken them any time at all to get an atmosphere going; good weather on their inaugural day, but the free-flowing beer, classic pub food flying out of the kitchen, and musicians reeling off classic Irish folk music did most of the heavy lifting.

Plus, that beer garden and covered outdoor terrace area are pretty perfect in any weather, to be fair.

The scran on their maiden evening mainly consisted of pizza, chips and other easy-to-serve-up plates as they gradually ease into the first week or so of service, but with a full menu of burgers, pies, breakfasts and even Sunday roasts to come, we’re very excited to try the full gamut.

Regardless, the staff were pulling pints like pros, John himself had plenty of involvement greeting people and getting behind the bar, and the atmosphere was buzzing from minute one.

ln fact, that was arguably the best part about it all: there was that genuine feeling of a new community cornerstone being born, with the well-known Stopfordian reeling off names and recognising what seemed like almost every face that walked through the door.

You don’t get that everywhere.

A lay of the land at Fitzpatrick’s Stockport. (Credit: The Manc Eats)

Although this was their first proper day of trading, they had already gauged the kind of crowds they could expect by soft launching with friends and family last week.

That being said, as mentioned, there was a real tight-knit, community feel to the place, full of County kits, young families and older couples alike, all of whom seemed to be dovetailing together as if the pub had always been around.

SK is often dubbed one of those places where everyone kind of knows everyone, even despite how big the town is as a whole, and this definitely felt like proof of that perception.

There was even close-up magic from Stockport’s famous ‘Fingerless Magician’, Dean Lahan, who famously featured on Britain’s Got Talent and even featured for Team GB’s Para Ice Hockey squad.

Of course, there is some familiarity with the space having previously been Bask, but the location of the stage, a newly decked out bar and the large jumbo-tron style TV set-up for live sport in the centre of the room (providing prime viewing from virtually all angles) have made a big difference.

Based solely on the hordes of people that piled into the place the second the doors opened, we can’t wait to see what the gaff is like once it’s in so-called ‘full swing’. John and his team might just be on to something big here.

Speaking to The Manc, he said: “As a local lad, I wanted to put something into the space that reflects a lot of my history and culture. Music, food, sport and a great atmosphere are all things I love, so I wanted to reflect that in this gorgeous space.”

Open 4-11 from Tuesday to Thursday, 2pm until late on Fridays, and the same only from 1pm at weekends, we can imagine Stockport punters are about to be spending a lot of time in Fitzpatrick’s.

(Credit: The Manc Group)

Read more:

For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images – The Manc Group

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