For those who’ve been kicking around the Manchester food scene for a while, Croma needs no introduction.
One of Manchester’s most long-standing pizza restaurants, after 22 years in the city the family favourite left fans heartbroken last January as it closed the doors to its original Clarence Street site.
The closure of its Didsbury venue followed this summer, with owners confirming in a statement it was with a “heavy heart” they would be shuttering the Wilmslow Road eatery in May.
Now, a new Italian restaurant has its eyes set on the site at 651A Wilmslow Road – and has revealed plans to breathe new life into the venue with its own offering, which spans freshly-made pizzas, pasta, flaming pasta wheels, and a bottomless brunch with endless prosecco Italian cocktails.
Image: Italiana Fifty Five
Image: Italiana Fifty Five
Italiana Fifty Five, formerly known as Cibo Manchester, already has two popular sites in Manchester city centre at The Great Northern Warehouse and Liverpool Road, Castlefield.
Now, it’s gearing up to take on South Manchester as it swoops into Didsbury Village – but bosses are mindful of Croma’s reputation, and say they have been working ‘very hard’ to meet the ‘high expectations set by [their] predecessors.’
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Speaking to The Manc, a spokesperson from Italiana Fifty Five said: “After the successful rebranding from Cibo Manchester to Italiana, we are excited to share a project that has been in the works for some time.
“We are thrilled to announce that we have taken over the former Croma site in Didsbury. We are fully aware of the high expectations set by our predecessors, and our teams have been working very hard to meet them.
“While we are not yet prepared to disclose the official opening date, we assure you that it will be happening very soon!”
Drink prices at Parklife 2025 as festival-goers face £9.50 gin tins
Daisy Jackson
Parklife festival is a bucket list item for a huge swathe of young Manc music-lovers, with a massive line-up of dance, electronic and house music up in the fields at Heaton Park.
As the biggest party in the calendar, tens of thousands save up for tickets and to let their hair down for two days of the summer.
But as with all music and entertainment venues, prices for everything are creeping ever-higher.
And Parklife is not immune to the rising price of drinks, with spirits, beer, wine, and even pre-mixed cans more expensive than ever.
In our opinion… still worth it.
Here are the drink prices across Parklife 2025.
Spirit and mixers
Smirnoff No.21 Vodka- £11.80 for double, £7.90 for single
Captain Morgan Spiced Gold – £11.80 for double, £7.90 for single
Captain Morgan Black Spiced – £11.80 for double, £7.90 for single
Johnnie Walker Black Label – £11.80 for double, £7.90 for single
Gordon’s London Dry Gin – £11.80 for double, £7.90 for single
Gordon’s Pink Gin – £11.80 for double, £7.90 for single
Casamigos Blanco Tequila – £14.80 for double, £10.90 for single
Included mixers: Pepsi Max, Pepsi Max Cherry, 7Up Free, Ginger Beer, Tonic, Soda, Grapefruit Soda
Rockstar Energy drink mixers: Tropical Guava, Peach Zero Sugar, Original – +£1
Free Glastonbury-themed festivals with pizza, tequila, and big screens to take place in Greater Manchester
Emily Sergeant
Glastonbury weekend is upon us, and to celebrate the UK’s biggest music festival in all its glory, Nell’s is hosting its own festivals instead.
Hundreds of thousands of people will be making the trek to the fields of Worthy Farm next weekend, as Glastonbury 2025 headliners Olivia Rodrigo, Neil Young, and The 1975 bring the tunes, alongside a list of other talented names too big to even begin starting to reel off – as is always the case with Glastonbury, there’s something for everyone.
But for those of us not lucky enough to have bagged tickets to what is undeniably the biggest event in the British music calendar, not to worry, as Nell’s is where it’s at here in Greater Manchester.
The beloved New York-style pizza specialists – which now has four sites across the region – is turning two of its most popular restaurants into festival hubs next weekend, bringing all the spirit of Glastonbury to Kampus and Altrincham.
Manchester‘s thriving canalside neighbourhood Kampus will become home to the aptly-named Kampus Fest, while over in the Trafford town of Altrincham, Alty Fest will be in full force.
Nell’s is hosting its own FREE Glastonbury-themed festivals at Kampus and in Altrincham / Credit: Supplied
At Kampus, the gardens will be transformed into a city centre festival site for a free three-day party featuring big screens live streaming the full Glastonbury festival throughout, plus a pop-up market, face painting and hair tinsel stations, an outdoor tequila and margarita bar, happy hours, and of course, lots and lots of Nell’s pizza.
Altrincham is bringing you much of the same – the same big screens, the same tasty pizza slices, and the same happy hours, only over two days instead of three.
Family fun is also at the heart of both Kampus Fest and Alty Fest, so you can expect lots of crafting workshops and bunting making, accessory customisation stations, as well as all-day colouring sessions by Born to be Wild Child and Søstrene Grene.
Kampus Fest will take over the gardens at Kampus from Friday 27 – Sunday 29 June, while Alty Fest will take place at Nell’s Altrincham on both Saturday 28 and Sunday 29 June.
Georgina Pellant -
27th July 2023 
