A popular vegan takeaway in Chorlton has announced its permanent closure.
Zad’s was the first fully-vegan takeaway in the UK when it opened its doors on Barlow Moor Road in 2017.
Since then, vegan junk food has grown in popularity and plant-based alternatives crop up on menus across the nation.
The takeaway is famed for its pizzas, as well as its range of meat-free burgers, cauliflower wings, and macaroni cheese.
Vegan chicken wings (made with cauliflower) at Zad’s. Credit: Instagram, @zadsmcr
The owners of Zad’s have been looking for a buyer for the business, but say ‘the time has come to close our doors’ for good.
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Last year, they posted: “Zad’s is looking for a new owner and is going on the market for sale. Like many people, I have taken a lot of time over the last eighteen months or so to reassess many things and have come to the difficult realisation that I’m not the right person for Zad’s – I have a full time job which I love, a young family and a growing list of voluntary charitable commitments which just mean I don’t have the time to give to Zad’s that it deserves.
“Zad’s was started as a bit of fun, to give Manchester the vegan pizza it so desperately needed and there is still a huge need for what we do today.
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“We have a huge fanbase and if the last eighteen months has taught us anything, it’s that when Zad’s gets the attention it deserves, great things happen. We flourished through lockdown and provided an incredibly important service to all of our wonderful customers when you needed us most.”
Sadly, the Chorlton takeaway has now announced that it’s been unable to find someone to take over, and it will close after a few last celebrations.
The business is revisiting some of its most popular specials over the coming weeks before it closes on Sunday 24 July.
Zad’s posted on Instagram: “Well… after almost a full year of trying to find a buyer for Zad’s, the time has come to close our doors.
“We will be celebrating our 5th birthday on Thursday 21st July and will close our doors for the final time on Sunday 24th July. It’s been a hell of a rollercoaster and thank you all for your support over the last 5 years.
“More updates coming on our plans for the next 4 weeks, including specials, and details of how we can get our food to everyone before we close. I’m sure they’ll be a blog post before long too, with all the details around our decision to close.”
The announcement from Zad’s in Chorlton. Credit: Instagram, @zadsmcr
Fans of the takeaway have expressed their dismay to see the business close.
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One person wrote: “What a shame. Absolutely paved the way for vegan junk food in Manchester.”
Another said: “You guys were the trailblazers of vegan fast food in Manchester.”
Someone else commented: “Such a massive shame. Goodbye to the best vegan takeaway pizza ever.”
Featured image:Instagram, @zadsmcr
Eats
‘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 -
4th July 2022 
