Flat Iron, the steak house that is renowned for its affordable prices, has confirmed new details of its very first Manchester restaurant.
The restaurant brand, which has sites across London as well as in Leeds and Cambridge, is taking over the old Blacks outdoor clothing shop on Deansgate.
Landing slap bang in the heart of Manchester – and just a few doors down from arguably the city’s best steak house, Hawksmoor – Flat Iron has confirmed it will be open for business early this summer.
The menu is simple, and led by their signature Flat Iron steak priced at just £14, which sees the underrated featherblade cut of beef cooked and butchered with skill.
There are sides including beef dripping chips, creamed spinach, truffled macaroni cheese, and crispy bone marrow garlic mash.
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There’ll be a selection of wines including their very own Malbec, blended in the south of France, alongside draft beers and signature cocktails.
When it opens, Flat Iron will have 150 covers in the two-storey restaurant on 200-204 Deansgate.
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The Grade II-listed building was first opened in 1908 as the Royal London Friendly Society, and its interiors have now been remodelled by architects Macaulay Sinclair, who will be displaying as many of the original features as possible.
Original timber flooring, glazed brick walls, riveted steel columns and original parquet floors have been revealed and restored.
Flat Iron is opening a restaurant in Manchester (this is the Leeds site). Credit: The Hoot LeedsFlat Iron sides include mac and cheese. Credit: The Hoot Leeds
Speaking of the opening, Flat Iron’s Founder, Charlie Carroll says: “Opening a restaurant in my home town of Manchester is a big deal to me and a long time coming.
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“The food and drink scene is so exciting at the moment and just keeps getting better. I can’t wait to be a tiny part of it.
“I fell in love with a beautiful historic building on Deansgate in 2018 and six years on we are finally opening this summer.
“Flat Iron is about unpretentious, top quality steak, available to all.
“I am passionate about delicious beef and proud to bring Flat Iron to the city where I grew up and where so many of my friends and family live.”
Flat Iron will open on Deansgate in Manchester in Summer 2024.
New pie shop with Indian-inspired fillings opens at Greater Manchester train station
Emily Sergeant
At long last, Patel’s Pies – the proper pie shop with Indian-inspired fillings – has got its very own site, and we couldn’t be happier about it.
The business is already a familiar name (to the blue half of the city, of course) thanks to its matchday spot outside the Etihad Stadium, but now, Patel’s Pies will be serving its delicious savoury bakes to the people of the Heatons too – with its brand-new pie shop now opene at Heaton Chapel train station.
Here you’ll find their legendary curry pies with homemade pastry – filled with the likes of keema, butter chicken, and beef madras.
You can grab hot and cold pies to take away, all setting you back an affordable £5.95 each.
Patel’s Pies is now open at Heaton Chapel train station / Credit: The Manc Group
From 11am-2pm, you can also get your hands on the lunch deal, which is any pie, masala mash, spiced mushy peas, and gunpowder gravy.
Patel’s Pies has teamed up with Manc legends Gooey, so you can grab the bakery’s famous cookies and doughnuts here too.
There’ll also be local beers and canned drinks up for grabs.
All pies will set you back an affordable £5.95 each / Credit: The Manc Group
Inside, the shop keeps things traditional, complete with classic pie warmers on the counter and hand-painted signage by Cactus Sign Painting, giving the space the feel of a proper old-school pie shop with a modern twist.
Announcing the new venture, Steve, the owner of Patel’s Pies has said: “We’d love for you to come down, say hello, and support our new venture. It’s our very first day, so please bear with us as we get settled in, we can’t wait to serve you all.”
Patel’s Pies is open now at Heaton Chapel Train Station on Tatton Road South.
Featured Image – The Manc Group
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Trendy Ancoats wine bar Blossom Street Social to close after six years
Emily Sergeant
Trendy neighbourhood wine bar Blossom Street Social has announced its closure after nearly seven years serving the Ancoats community.
Blossom Street Social first opened its doors back in 2019, just months before the country – and the res of the world – was plunged into the COVID-19 lockdowns, but despite all the challenges during the early days, this wine bar went on to become a true staple of Ancoats life – hosting events, exhibitions, wine tastings, and everything in between.
But now, the owners have had to make the heartbreaking decision to close, saying they’ve ‘danced our last dance, played our last record, and poured our last glass of wine in Ancoats.’
Announcing the news in a statement to social media this week, Blossom Street Social said: “Blossom Street Social closes its doors after six and a half years at the heart of the Ancoats community.
Blossom Street Social has announced its closure after six years / Credit: The Manc Group
“When we opened in 2019, just months before the world changed forever, we couldn’t possibly have imagined the journey ahead. Through lockdowns, uncertainty and everything that followed, we somehow managed to build something that became far more than a wine bar.
“Wine was always at the heart of what we did, but so were the conversations, the music, the art and the community that grew around it.
“We’ve hosted tastings, exhibitions, launches, celebrations, social sessions and countless memorable nights. We’ve introduced people to wines they’d never tried before, watched friendships form and shared in some truly special moments.
“We’ve watched first dates become engagements, engagements become marriages, and couples return with babies in tow. We’ve celebrated birthdays, anniversaries, new homes and countless milestones alongside you. We’ve shared conversations, laughter, music and moments that mattered from our little corner of Ancoats. We will never forget them.”
The team then went on to thank ‘every customer, artist, DJ, supplier, collaborator and friend’ who became part of their story.
The owners also gave a special thank you to the staff members who stayed ‘to the very end’ and ‘showed up when it was hard’, admitting that they couldn’t have done it without them all.
Daisy Jackson -
6th March 2024 
