GreaterManchester is much, much hungrier all of a sudden.
The region will move into Tier 3 restrictions from 00.01 on Friday – a world where pubs and bars can remain open and serve drinks if they provide ‘substantial meals’.
Coincidentally, appetites have increased, and venues right across the region are pushing grub to the forefront of their menus – giving patrons a proper meal to pair with their pints.
Northern Quarter cafe and bar Koffee Pot already announced their ingenious, albeit jokey, ‘Breakfast Tasting Menu (eight small plates, spaced over eight hours, and a beer with each) but now we’ve got another bar finding an inventive way to mix things up.
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Bunny Jackson’s is offering bottomless wings and fries – with booze – every single day.
The First Street ‘juke joint’ made the announcement on Thursday morning – confirming they’d be hosting the feast between midday and 5pm, seven days a week.
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The bar wrote: “If we’re being made to eat while we booze, then here comes Bottomless Bunny!”
Included in the offer are as many wings as you can manage (House BBQ; Buffalo; and Classic), with chips on the side and a choice of house lager, frozen cocktails and flavoured Lambrini.
You don’t need to make a booking to secure a spot (simply walk in) and every party will have their table for a maximum of 90 minutes.
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The price is just £25 per person.
With the impending restrictions, this was a weekend when we were all supposed to be feeling gloomy.
But visit to Bunny Jackson’s might just be the remedy for that.
Eats
A tiny new train station pub is set to open at Manchester Oxford Road
Daisy Jackson
A tiny craft beer pub is set to open at Manchester Oxford Road, making all those inevitable train cancellations a little sweeter.
The new boozer will come from the same team behind some of the UK’s best train station pubs, who already have bars at Manchester Piccadilly and Manchester Victoria.
A licensing application has now been submitted by Bloomsbury Leisure Holdings Limited to take over the former cycle hub at Manchester Oxford Road.
The small building is directly opposite the entrance to the busy train station on the southern side of the city centre.
If approved, it will be the third site for the pub group in Manchester.
They already operate the Piccadilly Tap, that two-storey beer bar on Piccadilly Approach with a heated rooftop space and outdoor patio.
The team are also responsible for the more recently-opened Victoria Tap, which took over the former bin store at Manchester Victoria.
That particular pub has a heated beer garden constructed just inches away from where the trams tootle past and has a departures board where time is measured by pints (got 10 mins til your train leaves? That’s one pint, sir!)
As for the Oxford Road Tap, a new account on X appeared a few weeks ago that appears to confirm the imminent arrival of a new pub.
The Oxford Road Tap have applied to have opening hours through to half-past-midnight Sunday to Thursday, and until 1.30am on Fridays and Saturdays.
They teased a mocked-up photo of posters outside the station with the new pub logo, plus a slogan of ‘Great beer is just a few steps away…’
They later shared ‘Triple threat incoming’ with all three pub brands lined up as a deck of cards.
Northern Quarter favourite Pie and Ale has sadly closed down
Danny Jones
Beloved Northern Quarter eatery and pub Pie and Ale has sadly and quietly closed its doors this week in yet another gutting bit of news for the Manc hospitality sector.
Known for its legendary homemade pies, great selections of ales, craft beers and lagers, not to mention a great little pub when it comes to watching live sport, it’s long been considered an NQ institution.
Unfortunately, however, as confirmed by a sign posted in the window, Pie and Ale has now closed for business after more than a decade.
Safe to say, we’re absolutely gutted, as we’re sure everyone else is.
While no official announcement has been made on their social media as yet, which will no doubt receive love and sadness from its loyal following, the sign in the window simply reads: “Pie and Ale has unfortunately ceased trading. Apologies for any inconvenience.”
The local favourite which was always hailed for being great value for money – celebrated especially for its popular pie and a pint for under a tenner deal – also served up great nibbles and light bites as well as dessert specials.
Although the Lever Street spot previously shut down for a short spell back in 2018 due to what they labelled as “unforeseen circumstances” before reopening just two months later, this latest update looks pretty definitive.
Sister-site Bakerie also ceased trading back in April 2019, with husband and wife founders, Alyson Doocey and David Cook, admitting that all independents had been “feeling the squeeze”.
While we have few other details at this stage, it does look like Pie and Ale has indeed closed down for the foreseeable future.
A mainstay on our list of the best pies in Manchester since day dot and just the latest in the list of losses in 2024 so far, they will be sorely missed.
We sincerely hope this is like last time and will keep our fingers crossed that we see the pie pros and expert pourers back in business at some point.