Eats

Glitzy Manchester restaurant KAJI has quietly shut down

A restaurant critic once described it as 'torture'

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson - 30th April 2026

A glamorous Manchester restaurant famed for its Japanese cooking and sushi has quietly closed its doors for good, it seems.

KAJI, on Bridge Street, has pulled table reservations and repossession notices have been stuck into its windows.

The glitzy, futuristic restaurant made a pretty big impact on the city’s dining scene since opening in 2022 – but not always for the right reasons.

It first launched as MUSU, and hit headlines when vandals smashed the windows and threw paint all over the restaurant space in the middle of a busy Valentine’s Day service.

MUSU also got its name out there after Ilkay Gundogan’s wife – who had famously described Manchester’s restaurant scene as ‘horrible’ – actually liked the food here.

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It attracted other famous faces too, including Man City boss Pep Guardiola, and Jason Derulo.

Then in 2024, the restaurant rebranded to KAJI, promising dishes cooked over fire in ‘homage to ancient Japanese cooking techniques’.

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And last year it received a review in The Telegraph, where William Sitwell said that KAJI was ‘all tummies, bald heads, tattoos and heat’, describing the experience of eating there as ‘brash (and pricey) torture’.

KAJI
KAJI
Notices in the windows of KAJI
Notices in the windows of KAJI

But now, it appears the business – which launched a new menu concept just weeks ago – has oh-so-quietly shut its doors for good.

When you try to book a table, no availability is showing.

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And walking past its glamorous Bridge Street location now, you can see repossession notices have been displayed in the windows.

It appears that the landlords of the building took possession way back on 10 April – and KAJI has been silent on social media ever since.

Will you be sad to see this one go?

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Featured image: The Manc Group

Eats

‘Stunning’ Old Rectory pub in Stockport suffers permanent closure

Danny Jones Danny Jones Old Rectory pub closed down permanently Stockport

One of Stockport town centre’s most beautiful pub venues, The Old Rectory, has officially closed down permanently following notices about its “final stages”.

Built circa 1740, the historic space itself has been there since before the Regency period.

Stockport‘s Old Rectory pub on Churchgate has been a number of different things over the decades, and has changed hands multiple times in more recent years, but now the Greene King site has shut down, what seems like, for good.

In fact, if you look online, it is already listed as ‘permanently closed’ on Google, as does a temporary sign now stuck to the gates of their entrance, with the most recent service last week being their final one.

when did the old rectory pub in stockport close down?
Credit: The Manc Eats

With the news having since been shared on the Stockport Tourism notice board on Facebook, a post from the ‘Old Rec’ team reads: “We are sad to announce that The Old Rectory will be closing its doors at the end of this month. Thank you to everyone who has visited and supported the venue over the years.”

An update has also now been shared on the official CAMRA (Campaign for Real Ale) website.

Issuing a statement directly to The Manc, a spokesperson for Greene King said: “Following a period of team member consultation, we can confirm that the Old Rectory has now closed.

“We are grateful to everyone who has supported the Old Rectory over the years, and we look forward to welcoming them into our other pubs in the local area soon.”

They also go on to assure that they have worked with the team members who have sadly been put out of work to try and find new positions at other locations, with the operators urging Stopfordians to try other nearby pubs such as Gardeners Arms in Offerton and the recently refurbished Carousel in Reddish.

is the old rectory hotel in stockport still open
old rectory premier inn stockport
Credit: The Manc

Described by CAMRA as a “multi-roomed pub-restaurant that still maintains a country house feel with plenty of dark wood and plush décor”, not to mention praising the all-day food service and “top notch” beer selection, its heyday may have been long ago, but it’ll still be missed by regulars and natives.

It’s also worth noting that the former Hungry Horse public house also long-served as an accommodation spot, too, with Premier Inn’s ‘Stockport Central Hotel’ attached to the back of the building.

There are no updates on this front at present, and they could easily repurpose what natives have hailed as a “stunning” Georgian structure – not to mention the expansive garden grounds – but the company is also currently cutting more than 3,800 jobs as part of a wider savings strategy.

Elsewhere, as SK residents bid goodbye to one veteran pub, they’re also gearing up to welcome back another former favourite…

Bask is BACK – bosses confirm return to ‘golden era’ of popular Stockport spot

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Featured Images — The Manc Group

Eats

Sacha Lord set to back local hospitality again with money behind the bar of Manchester pub

Danny Jones Danny Jones Sacha Lord putting £2,500k behind one Manchester pub bar

Local figure Sacha Lord is once again looking to help support Greater Manchester’s food and drink scene once again this spring by putting a total of £2.5k behind the bar of one lucky pub.

Well, let’s be honest, we’re about to be the real lucky ones.

It’s far from the first time that the Night Time Economy Advisor has done this, having previously put sizeable sums towards shared tabs on a few occasions over the last few years.

Lining up his next handout for this coming early May bank holiday (perfect timing), it’s going to be a super and potentially very sloppy Sunday…

Sharing the video above online earlier this week, the 54-year-old simply wrote, “Tell me your favourite pub in Greater Manchester. Bank Holiday Sunday, 3rd May, I’ll be turning up and putting £2500 behind the bar.”

The message is as straightforward as ever: “Support your local pub.”

Now obviously, the fact that people can reply with their go-to boozers and help influence the decision is one thing – something that has certainly always created an attraction each time he’s done this – but it’s also just a good way of marketing these watering holes to begin with.

Whether or not someone’s favourite public house tucked away in one of the 10 boroughs, or their bar of choice here in Manchester city centre, ends up being selected or not, it’s obviously great publicity having their names plastered on a notable social media account.

This is especially so when you see how much the post itself ends up being reshared and the overall exposure Lord ultimately lends them via creating such a big crowd discussion.

Confirming the chosen pub in a subsequent post, he said: “I asked you to choose a pub you wanted me to support. This Sunday, 4pm, I’ll be turning up at The Ape and Apple on John Dalton St, Manchester, and putting £2500 behind the bar.”

Here’s hoping we get proper beer garden weather over that long weekend – especially with that lovely refurbished outdoor terrace space up on the first floor of the Joseph Holt watering hole.

It’s also worth noting that the further support stunts like this have helped garner support for other regional businesses – in particular, indies that are battling the cost of living crisis and so many other challenges within the sector – has proved crucial for some places to stay open to begin with.

A good example is the Thirsty Korean, who teamed up with the Altrincham-born entrepreneur to cover hundreds of bills back in 2023, and has now been able to expand into a larger venue down the road from their original Chorlton location.

The obstacles facing the hospitality industry remain varied and numerous, but gestures like this can go a long way to helping prop up those who need it.

Which ones are you calling your favourites these days?

The best beer gardens in Manchester for when the sun is shining

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Featured Images — Sacha Lord/The Manc Group/The Manc Eats

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