Eats

Gooey is opening a Christmas-themed cafe in Greater Manchester

Including afternoon tea with Santa.

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson - 28th October 2022

Gooey – the bakery that often has people queueing down the street for its chunky cookies and brioche doughnuts – has revealed plans for a Christmas cafe.

The cafe is set to offer festive afternoon teas and breakfast with Santa, as well as exclusive festive bakes.

Gooey’s 30-seat Christmas cafe will open at Selfridges next week as part of the department store’s ‘Season’s Feastings’ concept.

On the menu will be seasonal treats like a smores cookie pie, a Snowman choux, a layered chocolate orange cake and Gooey’s beloved millionaire’s shortbread with a Christmas twist.

All that will be alongside the gooey cookies and sugar-coated doughnuts the bakery is so loved for.

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Credit: The Manc Group
Credit: The Manc Group
Previous Gooey specials as bakery announces new Christmas cafe.

There’ll be boxes of cookies and doughnuts to takeaway, or diners can relax with a selection of barista coffees, boozy hot chocolate and soft drinks.

Throughout December, afternoon tea with Santa will take place every Thursday and Friday, while breakfast with Santa will run every Saturday and Sunday.

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Gooey first started selling its goods from a hatch in the Northern Quarter just before lockdown.

Since then, it’s moved into the kiosk space at Ducie Street Warehouse and more recently opened its first cafe, where the offering has expanded to include brunches and lunches.

And yes, there are still queues – this time for its unbelievable egg may sandwiches and its towering lighter-than-air French toast.

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The Gooey and Selfridges Trafford cafe will be open Monday to Sunday, in line with the department store’s opening hours.

It will open on Tuesday 1 November at the Trafford Centre – you can follow them on Instagram for updates.

Featured image: The Manc Group

Eats

Enormous Manchester venue set to open (again) after brief rebrand

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson SakkuSamba may be about to reopen in Manchester. Credit: The Manc Group

A huge, glamorous restaurant and bar space looks set to reopen just months after it closed down and attempted to rebrand. 

SakkuSamba announced back in June that it was closing for a short while to undergo a refurbishment. 

That news came after two years hosting all-you-can-eat sushi dinners and star-studded parties in Spinningfields, like an afterparty with Ne-Yo following his show at the AO Arena. 

They wrote at the time: “Exciting News! We will be closing our doors on June 2nd for an exciting refurbishment and upgrade. We’re sorry to be closing for a little while, but stay tuned for updates over the next couple of weeks as we begin this transition!

“We can’t wait to show you what’s coming next soon!”

But then SakkuSamba never reopened and the space instead became Raft, essentially Manchester’s most boujie buffet.

Raft had a huge dining room upstairs, a hidden club room, a ‘toilet disco’, 360-degree DJ booths, and a ‘coastal boozer’ on the ground floor.

The restaurant when it was previously SakkuSamba. Credit: The Manc Group
The restaurant when it was previously SakkuSamba. Credit: The Manc Group
Vs when it was Raft. Credit: The Manc Group
Vs when it was Raft. Credit: The Manc Group

Raft was only open for three months when it was suddenly bolted shut, with a forteiture notice in the window that was apparently linked to a ‘historic dispute’.

And now, in an unexpected twist in events, SakkuSamba has shared that it’s coming back to Manchester.

Keeping up okay? Let’s continue. 

In the first post since announcing the temporary closure and refurbishment of both of its restaurants (in Manchester and in Bradford), SakkuSamba wrote: “SakkuSamba 2025. Manchester keep your eyes peeled, major announcement coming soon.”

If it follows the same format it took previously, that means a fusion of Brazilian and Japanese cuisine together in a swanky all-you-can-eat setting.

And hopefully it’ll last longer than poor Raft did…

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Featured image: The Manc Group

Eats

Northern Quarter craft beer bar Fierce Bar announces sudden closure

Thomas Melia Thomas Melia Northern Quarter craft beer bar Fierce Bar announces sudden closure

A much loved independent craft beer bar in the heart of the Northern Quarter is set to close before the end of the year.

Fierce Bar, which opened in Manchester city centre in 2020, has been a firm favourite for Mancs and visitors alike with their range of beers and IPAs.

The Fierce Beer company has established itself as a leading force within the beer community winning ‘Scottish Brewery of the Year in 2021’ and numerous Scottish Beer Awards.

Their wide range of drink flavours pay homage to varieties from the USA and offered people who frequented their Thomas Street site in the Northern Quarter were treated to a refreshing taste of the transatlantic.

The Thomas Street bar had previously been home to 57 Thomas Street, a bar operated by Marble Brewery, which also operates The Marble Arch.

In a post on social media which opens with, “Some sad news…”, the company have stated: “We face continually spiralling costs that unfortunately mean it’s going to be unsustainable to continue operating the venue viably going forward”.

There’s still some hope as beer brand have also announced: “This is not the end for Fierce Beer south of the border though; we’re continuing to keep an eye on the market and aim to get back as soon as we can with a new physical location.”

Anyone wanting to continue the bar’s legacy in Manchester can sport the indie establishment’s range of t-shirts, hats and funky glasses, some of which adorned the walls.

Being a Scottish born and bred brewery, if you’re still after your alcohol fix, you can still visit their two other locations in Edinburgh and Aberdeen next time you’re heading up north.

The last day of trade for Fierce Bar will be 20 December where the founders Dave and Louise will be heading to the Manchester site say a sad goodbye.

As it will be the final night of service ever, the team are urging anyone to pop down for a pint or two to commemorate the Manchester home.

It’s a shame to see such a well-used city centre social space shutting its doors, however Fierce Beer loyalists fear not as their online website is still very much alive and thriving here.

Read more:

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Featured Image: The Manc Group

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