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.
‘Hidden’ Manchester cocktail bar shuts down after only six months
Daisy Jackson
A cocktail bar in Manchester city centre that opened only last December has reportedly closed down, with its final service today.
Ego Death, a ‘hidden’ speakeasy-style bar in the Northern Quarter, told CLASS magazine that they were told by backers that they would have to close.
It opened under the steer of acclaimed bartender Cressida Lawlor, co-founded by Beau Myers, who also founded the original Almost Famous.
The bar is beneath newcomer smash burger joint Super Awesome Deluxe and accessed through an unmarked door within the takeaway.
Shortly after Super Awesome Deluxe opened, Almost Famous went through a high-profile closure of all of its restaurants this year, later bought out and reopened by D2.
And now just six months after launch, Ego Death looks set to be closing for good.
Cressida told CLASS: “The team here is wildly talented so the goal now is to get them into jobs so they can pay their bills and keep a roof over their heads.
“No one wants Ego Death to die and I think we’ve made enough of a stir in the six months that we’ve been open to find a new site and investment.
“Our last day is going to be Sunday, so anyone who can get here for one final party should come down.”
She later added on Instagram: “Truly gutting but there is always light in any form of darkness. Come see us this Sunday for the final service as we go through a true ego death.”
Ego Death came from the same team behind Socio Rehab (which if you remember it from 2004 was a bit of a local institution) and had a cocktail menu inspired by the speakeasy bars of New York City.
Behind the bar the stars were bourbon and champagne, plus cocktails inspired by the Big Apple – including one named after Sex and the City’s Samantha Jones.
Beau Myers, co-founder at Ego Death said at the time of its opening: “It’s been 20 years since we opened Socio Rehab so it seems pretty poignant to be opening another amazing cocktail bar. We changed the landscape of cocktail bar culture then and that’s something we’re trying to do again.
“We’ve partnered with Cressida Lawlor to make this dream happen. She’s a total firecracker and reminds me a lot of myself 20 years ago, she’s the future of cocktails and bartending and has that maverick spirit.
“Together we’ve created Ego Death, hidden in a basement behind an unmarked door at the back of a burger shop will be this cocktail haven. An underground escape throwing out the best classic cocktails, bourbon, and champagne from top level bartenders.”
This Manchester bar serves a bottomless cheese fondue with endless beer and wine
Georgina Pellant
There’s a bar in Manchester serving a bottomless cheese fondue with endless wine and beer, and it honestly sounds like the perfect treat.
While it might scream cosy winter night in, with a huge outdoor terrace, The Mews is also a firm favourite during the summer months.
Add in a board of melt-in-the-mouth charcuterie, springy pieces of garlic sourdough and a host of crunchy cheese biscuits, and you’ve got yourself the ideal afternoon if you ask us.
But there’s more. Alongside all that cheese and meat and bread, included in the price of The Mews’ bottomless fondue, cheese lovers can also enjoy 90 minutes of non-stop drinks.
Bottomless cheese fondue at The Mews on Deansgate in Manchester. (Credit: The Manc Eats)
Costing £37.50 each, included in the deal is a huge pot of melted Italian Fontina cheese served with homemade garlic croutons, sourdough crackers, and slices of British charcuterie.
You’ll also get to enjoy an hour and a half of endless pints of house pilsner and carafes of red or white wine to enjoy alongside.
Serving up to six people, the bottomless cheese fondue is available only when you pre-book, so make sure to get in touch ahead of your visit to let The Mews know that you’re coming.
If you’re not on the sauce, you can opt for the cheese fondue alone. Without the booze, it’s quite a bit cheaper at £25 for one, and £2.50 on top for any additional people who want to get stuck in.
Housed up on Deansgate Mews, just behind the main hustle and bustle of Deansgate, there’s plenty of space inside as well as a large, secluded terrace that is quite the suntrap (when the Manchester sun is shining).
Daisy Jackson -
25th February 2025 
