Eats

A Cumbrian craft brewery is taking over a beloved independent bar in the Northern Quarter

As long as it's staying open we're buzzing.

Danny Jones Danny Jones - 27th June 2024

Popular Cumbria-based craft beer brand Fell Brewery is set to take over an independent Manchester pub in the Northern Quarter and former Squawk drinking spot.

The company based in Grange-over-Sands on the southern coast of the Lake District was founded back in 2013 and has become a much-admired name in the region, with a total of five different locations across the North West, including their live music and events space, Glisky.

Now set to take over the Pelican on NQ, formerly operated by Manc beer experts Squawk Brewing Co. who reopened the venue as the successor Beatnikz Republic, they will retain the existing name for now but are set to carry out a rebrand in the coming months.

This comes as a lifeline for the pub after Squawk announced back in January that they were calling it a day after a decade of brewing some of the area’s most beloved and world-renowned craft beer. Luckily, they announced they were back up and running earlier this month but Pelican will be changing hands.

This is actually the second Greater Manchester spot they have taken over, with the Cumbrian brewery having also acquired an old clothing shop back in 2020 and opening under the name Fell Chorlton, as we’re sure many of you have already sampled in the years since.

ADVERTISEMENT

Promising to continue instilling their principles of ‘independent and local’, ‘sustainable and small’, the brand is hoping to keep Pelican’s ever-growing crowd of regulars coming through the door whilst also attracting new customers with their own take on craft ales and the beerhouse experience.

As detailed in the announcement, the plan is to “incorporate [their] branding and venue look and feel” and they’ll also be announcing a lot more over the next few weeks.

ADVERTISEMENT

We also applaud the person who was first to respond underneath the announcement post with the comedic but convenient suggestion, “So you’re calling it Fellican right?” Well played.

pelican bar northern quarter
squawk brewery manchester
Fell Brewery lays down more roots in Manchester. (Credit: The Manc Eats)

Read more:

Although it’s still unclear as to when the first raft of changes will begin, for now, you can still head in and enjoy Pelican’s wide range of lagers, ales, IPAs, stouts, sours and more.

It really is a great boozer and we’re glad Fell Brewery is helping keep Squawk‘s legacy alive in pub form over at the Dale Street site, even if it’s not quite as we know it.

ADVERTISEMENT

Better yet, with Fell Chorlton having already grown a strong local following, it’ll be no time before the regular punters catch the tram into town to try the new gaff.

See you there for a pint or two soon.

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

Featured Images — The Manc Group/Fell Brewery

Eats

Popular outdoor dining event returns to MediaCity waterfront this summer

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

Greater Manchester’s popular outdoor dining concept is back again this summer, and there’s a proper tasty lineup of traders.

Kargo on the Docks, which is MediaCity‘s al fresco dining pop-up, has taken over the waterfront and gardens once again with a fresh wave of local food traders and stunning artwork by Salford-based creatives, all as the sun shines down on Salford Quays this summer.

A handful of Greater Manchester‘s most popular independents have set themselves up Quayside inside those signature re-imagined shipping containers.

Foodies can expect a menu packed with bold new flavours including Caribbean, Lebanese, Mexican, Ethiopian, and Pan-Asian dishes.

Loads of local indie food vendors have taken over the Salford Quays waterfront for the summer / Credit: Supplied

Afro Shack – the sister brand to Kargo.MKT favourite House of Habesha – will be serving fusion food combining East African flavours with indulgent American fast food, while new kids on the block Wok Bros will deliver sizzling, wok-tossed Pan-Asian street food and 100% halal dishes inspired by authentic flavours and fresh ingredients.

Iconic Jamaican dishes will also be on offer from Sunrise Caribbean, while Quiero Tacos will bring slow-cooked Birria tacos, cheesy quesadillas, and vibrant rice bowls packed with the spirit of Mexico.

Last but not least, Mediterranean food lovers can expect juicy lamb koftas, golden halloumi, and richly spiced chicken shawarma from Habibs.

Foodies can expect a menu packed with bold new flavours / Credit: Mark Waugh (via Supplied)

As well as the tasty food on offer, as mentioned, Kargo on the Docks also features a range of artwork and installations from local independent talent – with each container adorned with murals from creatives including Fernandes Makes, Kelly Ma, and Caroline Daly, bringing a feel-good summer vibe to the MediaCity Gardens.

Visitors can also enjoy an art trail display through the gardens, featuring structures designed by, A Studio Called Jane, Luke Passey, and Tasha Whittle.

There will also be a range of pop-up events hosted at the venue throughout the summer, with more announcements to be made very soon, so keep your eyes peeled.

Read more:

Kargo on the Docks is now back at MediaCity from today (9 May) and will be open Tuesday to Sunday from 12pm-9pm throughout the summer.

Featured Image – Mark Waugh (via Supplied)

Eats

I went all the way to Paris to test out Big Mamma ahead of Manchester’s most exciting new restaurant opening

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson Libertino in Paris

Hospitality heavyweights Big Mamma Group are finally heading to Manchester, opening a Circolo Popolare Italian restaurant in the city centre – so we nipped over to Paris to see exactly what’s in store for us.

In the 10 years since launching their very first restaurant, East Mamma in the 11th arrondissement of Paris, the group have spread their wings wide.

There are Big Mamma Group restaurants, under several different names, all over Europe – and although they all belong to the same family, each one is treated like a total individual.

Some have maximalist, kitsch interiors with animal print furniture, gilded ceilings and retro prints of men in Y-fronts; others are more traditional trattorias with exposed brick, terracotta floors and crisp white tablecloths.

These interiors are fun, which is so refreshing in an industry which sometimes takes itself a bit too seriously.

On our tour of Big Mamma restaurants in Paris I came across delightful details like a loo wallpapered in pictures of Rod Stewart, a cocktail menu designed like a retro football sticker book, and an ice cream parlour built into an old train station carriage.

Every corner is packed with whimsy and wonder and there’s a whole team dedicated to sourcing these little touches from antiques fairs, second-hand shops and independent makers, stashing them all in an Aladdin’s Cave of a warehouse. Each restaurant even has its own crockery pattern.

East Mamma, one of Big Mamma's Paris restaurants
East Mamma, one of Big Mamma’s Paris restaurants
No Entry cocktail bar
No Entry cocktail bar
A Big Mamma speakeasy
A Big Mamma speakeasy
Pink Mamma
Pink Mamma
La Felicita food hall
La Felicita food hall
La Felicita food hall
La Felicita food hall

So yes, the interiors in Manchester will be similarly interesting and lavish.

Big Mamma Group has already confirmed that the huge two-storey Circolo Popolare trattoria will be inspired by a Sardinian Festa, meaning cosy alcoves, more than 8000 bottles of vintage booze, and a vast room inspired by an overgrown Mediterranean courtyard.

As it takes shape in Gary Neville’s £400m St Michael’s development, they’ll be moving in big sharing tables, antique trinkets, reels of twinkling lights and even an Italian wishing well ahead of the big launch next month.

But not enough of us are talking about the food yet – this is a restaurant group that sources its produce from 160 different Italian artisans to ensure that everything you’re eating as authentic and delicious as possible.

Food at Big Mamma
Food at Big Mamma
Food at Big Mamma
Food at Big Mamma
Food at Big Mamma
Food at Big Mamma

While the menus shift between restaurants you can expect hearty bowls of handmade pasta laced with truffle or tomato or cheese, crispy-soft pizzas layered in creative sauce bases (like zucchini cream or black truffle cream, along with their classic San Marzano DOP tomato sauce), and per iniziare starters like giant burrata balls, melt-in-the-mouth croquettes, and slivers of cured meats – all prepared in an open kitchen run by Campanian-born Alfonso Esposito.

And a show-stopper for Manchester will be an outrageous six-inch lemon meringue pie, with a wibbly wobbly tower of Italian meringue on top.

Circolo Popolare will officially open its doors on 6 June – and before then, there’ll be a very limited soft launch where you can snag yourself 50% off your bill. Sign up HERE, with bookings live on Monday 12 May.

Read more

Featured image: The Manc Group

More Eats

Food on the terrace at King Street Townhouse

Eats

The massively underrated rooftop terrace in Manchester with great views and top cocktails

The Clink restaurant in Styal is closing

Cheshire

Acclaimed restaurant staffed by prison inmates announces sad closure

New Manchester brunch spot triangle Deansgate

City Centre

Deansgate’s new mini brunch triangle attracting big queues – and rightly so

Audio

Clint Boon takes us around Manchester's iconic Deaf Institute

Eats

We go meatballs deep with Mira's traditional Neapolitan sandwiches