This week, Gordon Ramsay opens his Asian-inspired restaurant on Manchester’s King Street – moving into the stunning old Art Deco bank that once housed Jamie’s Italian.
Spanning three floors with opulent private dining vaults in its basement, the new Manchester location promises to be a dining experience like no other with jaw-dropping decor to match.
Capturing the essence of the original Mayfair eatery in the very heart of the city in a truly iconic building, the restaurant is only the second Lucky Cat to open worldwide – cementing Manchester’s reputation as a leading destination for food, drink, and entertainment.
Taking over the former bank, Lucky Cat Manchester pays homage to the building’s heritage by embracing its gorgeous period features while offering locals a ‘brand new’ dining experience.
Image: Supplied
Image: Supplied
With wood panneled private bars and dining spaces tucked away for special events, Lucky Cat’s menu fuses the vibrant atmosphere of 1930s Tokyo jazz kissas and drinking dens with a world-class dining experience.
Promising fine wines and cocktails, live DJs and a real party atmosphere, it is already a destination on the London scene – and now it looks set to achieve the same reputation here in Manchester.
The new Manchester location hopes to immerse guests in the extraordinary culinary narrative from Gordon Ramsay and Lucky Cat Executive Head Chef Andre Camilo, who have crafted each dish with sharing and excellence in mind.
Image: Supplied
Image: Supplied
Diners are invited to ’embark on a gastronomic journey of culinary icons’, digging into the likes of sublime black cod, sumptuous sirloin weeping tiger and the legendary Lucky Cat Duck Bao.
The team has taken the very best of its Mayfair menu heroes and added some new dishes to offer ‘a dining experience like no other’, encouraging guests to ‘journey onward to the ocean’s depths’ with sublime sushi and raw dishes, from sumptuous tuna tartar to mouth-watering dragon rolls.
An innovative cocktail list, meanwhile, includes the one-of-a-kind Lucky Negroni, where the gin in your drink is determined by a captivating game of chance.
With three dice hidden inside a mysterious box, the numbers rolled will unlock the perfect combination of gins, vermouths, and bitters destined for your drink. With a staggering 216 possible combinations, your Lucky Negroni is a personalised, exhilarating experience, crafted by fate itself.
Image: Supplied
Image: Supplied
Speaking on the new opening, the celebrity chef said: “Lucky Cat is more than just a restaurant; it’s an extraordinary encounter. We’re ready to dazzle Manchester’s vibrant culinary scene with a gastronomic spectacle that will leave you craving more!”
The full menu can be viewed on the website here, promising an array of delights to stir your culinary curiosity.
Featured image – Supplied
Eats
Hotel Chocolat to open viral chocolate Velvetiser Cafe in Manchester
Daisy Jackson
Hotel Chocolat is set to open a Velvetiser Cafe in Manchester city centre, and it’ll be absolute paradise for chocolate lovers.
The popular chocolate shop, which has stores across the UK selling delicious chocolate bars, boxes and more, is now preparing to branch out in town.
Hotel Chocolat then hit a new level of fame with its Velvetiser, an invention that creates velvety smooth hot drinks at the touch of a button.
They’ve been so popular, Hotel Chocolat is now opening Velvetiser Cafes across the UK – and Manchester is up next.
If it follows in the footsteps of the Meadowhall cafe in Sheffield, visitors will be able to customise their perfect hot chocolate from thousands of combinations.
There are 18 flavours, different milks, and a whole variety of toppings available.
Then you drink can be served hot, over ice, or as a choc shake.
Colourful hoardings for the Hotel Chocolat Velvetiser Cafe have now appeared on Cross Street, just next door to the new Joe & The Juice.
A planning application has also been lodged with Manchester City Council.
Drake-backed fried chicken brand Dave’s Hot Chicken is opening in Manchester
Daisy Jackson
The huge LA-based fried chicken brand backed by Drake is heading to Manchester for the very first time this summer.
Dave’s Hot Chicken is set to open in the Printworks this August – the first UK branch outside of London and Birmingham.
The cult chicken brand has said that its new venue will feature an ‘industrial design inspired by Manchester’s rave scene’ (if we had a pound every time a new venue used that design style, we’d be as rich as Drake…).
Dave’s Hot Chicken is famed for its signature Nashville-style hot chicken, which is served in seven different spice levels from No Spice to Reaper.
Expect sliders, tenders, ‘next-level’ top-loaded shakes and slushes.
It’s grown so quickly that in 2021, it caught the eye of none other than rapper Drake, who is a ‘significant investor’ in the brand.
The fried chicken spot will be moving into the large corner unit at Printworks, which has previously been Busaba Thai, and Floripa, with 139 covers.
Dave’s Hot Chicken is coming to Manchester
Inside, it will feature towering ceilings, exposed steelwork, and laser lights, claiming to be a ‘full-on sensory trip, where music, light and fried chicken will come together to create a high-voltage experience’.
There will also be custom graffiti inspired by L.A.-based street artists Splatterhaus and Dehm.
Dave’s Hot Chicken still has hour-long queues down in London, several months after opening on Shaftesbury Avenue – next up will be a Birmingham branch in July before Manchester opens later this summer.
And this is just the start of a nationwide expansion.
Jim Attwood, Managing Director of Dave’s Hot Chicken UK, said: “Printworks Manchester is the ideal setting for our next UK site – right at the heart of one of the country’s most exciting cities.
“The new restaurant pays homage to Manchester’s legendary warehouse rave scene, with an industrial-inspired design and bold, high-energy atmosphere to match our signature flavours.
“We can’t wait to bring something fresh to this iconic venue and its vibrant mix of entertainment, food and culture.”
Dave’s Hot Chicken will open at Printworks Manchester on 8 August.
Georgina Pellant -
1st June 2023 
