Noodle heads, rejoice because legendary late-night spot Cocktail Beer Ramen + Bun is coming back to the Manchester hospitality scene — well, for one night only, at least.
Over a year on from its shock closure, the much-loved Manc ramen restaurant and bar often referred to simply as CBRB has delighted its die-hard followers, lovers of Japanese cuisine and fans of late-night scran all over the region by staging a special and exclusive return.
Named as the next noodle experts set to take over the kitchens at fellow industry favourites New Wave Ramen over on Tib Lane as part of their crossover series, this being the third edition so far this year, foodies will once again be able to taste some of the best broths to ever grace the game.
You best believe you can sign us up for as many bowls of the Nagoya as we’re allowed and there’ll probably be tears of joy left in it once we’re done.
With New Wave being packed out for the previous two takeovers by Matsudai Ramen and most recently Kanada-Ya — two brands that have received plenty of praise around the UK — it’s hard to understate just how big a deal it is to have one of our own and most celebrated coming back.
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Rumblings of something happening with the ‘Girl Gang’ who served up some of the very best if not the best ramen in Manchester started after CBRB posted nothing but a plain black screen to their Instagram story after pretty much complete silence since they sadly closed their doors on 12 February 2023.
Having only really made noise to announce that their “OG”, former chef and bar manager turned chef-owner Tom Potts would be taking over the Oldham Street venue to open the first brick-and-mortar Kong’s Kitchen fried chicken concept, it’s been dark mode ever since — but no longer.
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As for New Wave, when they too opened up their own standalone site, we were delighted to hear that one of the chefs had come directly from Cocktail Beer Ramen + Bun, so they were already doing their bit to help keep the spirit alive and choosing them for the next takeover just makes sense.
Set to take over New Wave for Easter Sunday on 31 March, both teams are obviously expecting an extremely high demand for bookings, so you best be quick if you want to secure an exclusive table and take one last slurp of the good stuff so many used to enjoy into the early hours — you can do so HERE.
Speaking in a statement, New Wave Ramen summed up the limited-time-only event with their mission statement: “Native Produce, Japanese Soul; and visitors can expect nothing short of that during the CBRB takeover. Guests can once again experience the dishes they became so loved for including the spicy Nagoya, soft shell crab Kare ramen and the vegan Tantanmen.
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“This particular collaboration, as part of a series of takeovers at New Wave means both former CBRB patrons and newcomers can enjoy the nostalgia and esteemed dishes respectively, whilst experiencing the excellent service in a relaxed space New Wave prides itself on.” What a way to close out the month.
Now, we’re not going to get carried away and get ahead of ourselves but let’s just say we’re very happy to be hearing Girl Gang’s return and we’ll keep our fingers crossed that moments like this might one day mean we get them back full-time.
In the meantime, if you want to know exactly how much this place means to this particular ramen-obsessed writer, you can always read this — and good luck to those going for a table, we sincerely hope you land one.
Smash-hit sandwich shop Earl’s is set to open another site in Bolton
Danny Jones
Yes, beloved Bolton butty shop and bar, Earl’s, is set to open up their second location in the Greater Manchester borough, taking the food from the town centre over to Farnworth.
We’re keeping our fingers crossed for a metropolitan expansion either this year or next, but for now, we’re just glad to hear we’re getting more of the good stuff.
Earl’s Day and Night Deli, to give them their full name, is the latest name to join the lineup of new foodie faces joining the culinary boom over at the Farnworth Green development.
Soon, the stacked sandwiches, quality coffee and laid-back vibes will be coming to one of the best up-and-coming new neighbourhoods.
Founded by two local lads, Jonny Eckersley and Andy Partington, the first venue only opened back in December of 2024, but has gone on to become a North West-wide sensation.
Carb connoisseurs will literally travel for this scran, and having tasted it for ourselves a couple of times now, it’s no wonder.
Taking inspiration not only from regional food and drink, but also from the wider atmospheres and culinary cultures of Lisbon, Sydney, Antwerp and more, if they can translate even half the levels of chill from the OG Earl’s into this soon-to-open sister site, we’re sure it will hit the ground running.
As per an official press release, fans and those who’ve never tried it before can “expect a menu packed with freshly made sandwiches, alongside a line-up of hot and cold options available for both grab-and-go and delivery.”
Crucially, they’re also looking to carry over that feeling of a seamless transition between services, blending everything from morning coffee runs and the lunch rush with casual evening hangs.
Co-founder Jonny said in a statement: “We are staying true to our roots by bringing a second Earl’s in Bolton. This new venture helps to fuel our expansion plans and widen our catchment area so even more local people can enjoy the Earl’s experience.
“We have big plans for the space and can’t wait to get started.” An exact opening date hasn’t even been confirmed yet, but we’re already getting excited.
Tom Wilmot, joint managing director at Capital and Centric (the developers behind Farnworth Green) added: “We back standout local operators, and Earl’s is right up there – great food, loads of energy and a proper following already behind them.
“Farnworth Green is shaping up to be a neighbourhood with real character, and Earl’s is only going to add to that. Expect it to be busy.”
Crown and Kettle set to take over another former Northern Quarter bar
Danny Jones
The team behind beloved Ancoats pub The Crown and Kettle have announced that they are set to take over another former bar and restaurant location in nearby Northern Quarter.
We were gutted to see the old place go, but at least we can’t think of many better to take over the unit.
The historic watering hole on the corner of Oldham Road and Great Ancoats Street is said to have stood in that spot since the 18th century, but now the present owners have confirmed they’ll be taking on a third venue, having also opened The Rat and Pigeon back in June 2024.
Many of you may have been to one or multiple of its previous iterations of the site in question over the years, but most recently, it was the Calcio sports bar – and soon it’ll become ‘The Badger’.
Revealing the news online last week, Crown and Kettle wrote: “We’re delighted to announce that our new pub, The Badger, arrives on Dale Street this spring!
“Once home to Calcio, Allotment & Nickelbys, this beautiful old building first served as The Haunch of Venison public house back in the early 1800s. Over the past few months, we’ve been hard at work, quietly bringing it back to life & returning it to its roots as a community pub.
“With The Badger, we’ve set out to create the kind of place we love most, warm, welcoming, full of character, with all the charm of a great countryside pub in the heart of the city.
“Expect cosy corners, traditional pub foods, fine ales & the warmest of welcomes. Made for regulars. Open to all. Worth returning to. We can’t wait to welcome you to your new city centre local. GET SET(T)…” Oh, very good indeed.
We visited Calcio many times over the past couple of years, both for work and pleasure in our own free time; it was a great place to watch the footy, enjoy some matchday scran and roll back the years with retro videogames.
As mentioned, though, not only did it used to be one of multiple Allotment vegan and vegetarian eateries in Greater Manchester – thankfully, their presence still remains in multiple buildings – but it has a past long before that which many people bring up on social media.
Insert, “I remember when…’ post.
While we might not know much about what they have in store for this next chapter, knowing how much we love their current city centre favourites, we’re very excited.
As it stands, we’re also yet to hear anything about a more precise opening date, but at least we know it’s coming sometime soon, and we have every faith they’re going to smash it.
Danny Jones -
20th March 2024 
