Greens, the much-loved neighbourhood restaurant founded by celebrity chef Simon Rimmer, has announced it has closed after more than three decades.
The Didsbury branch of the acclaimed vegetarian restaurant has said that it has closed down with immediate effect.
The restaurant has cited rising costs as the reason for its closure, with its rent alone going up 35%.
Its newer site in Sale, which recently earned itself a place on the Rate Good Roasts Top 10 Sunday Roasts list, will remain open.
Greens was launched by Simon Rimmer and Simon Connolly in 1990 and for three decades has prided itself on ‘terrifying carnivores’.
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Simon Rimmer has shared an emotional video message this afternoon, saying it’s a ‘heartbreaking day’.
He told his followers: “Well, this is a very sad day. After 33 years of running Greens in Didsbury, we’ve unfortunately had to close the door.
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Simon Rimmer has shared an emotional video announcing the closure of Greens in Didsbury
“Our landlords have increased our rent by the region of 35%. The cost of raw materials, the cost of heat and light and power, employing people, and general food costs, have meant that unfortunately the business has become unviable.
“So with immediate effect, we’ve unfortunately shut the door. It’s a heartbreaking day.
“I’d like to thank every single member of staff that’s worked for us over the years and every single customer that’s come through the door.
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“Our amazing suppliers, our neighbours, our friends, and anybody who has ever set foot inside the door.
“I can’t believe I’m actually doing this message. Big love. Thank you for the last 33 years and hopefully we’ll see you in Sale if not here. Lots of love.”
Greens wrote on Instagram: “With great sadness we have had to close the doors on Greens Didsbury for good after 33 fantastic years.
“We can no longer make it work – our landlord has increased our rent by 35%, that together with increases in power, food and staff costs have made it impossible for us to continue we’d like to thank every single customer, member of staff, supplier and our friends and neighbours for being part of the journey.
“Our sister restaurant in Sale is still open and we’d love to see you all there to help the Greens story continue. If you have a reservation with us we’ll be in touch.
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“Love, thanks and keep terrifying the carnivores. Simon and Simon.”
Fans have been gutted at the news, with Gary Usher’s Elite Bistros writing: “So so sad! You’ll be missed in Didsbury for sure. Sending love to the team.”
Another wrote: “Devastated for you all and myself. We regularly make the 30 mile there and back trip for the luxury of being able to order anything rather than be faced with a sad girl veggie lasagne.”
Someone else posted on X: “Oh no! I’m devastated about this! My favourite place… so sorry you’ve had to close.
“We will definitely come to Sale (or come back again, I should say, we’ve been before) but we loved the original @greensveggie. Crap start to the year all round.”
A new ’boutique’ chicken spot has opened in Manchester’s Northern Quarter
Danny Jones
A brand-new chicken spot called ‘Le Coq Boutique’ has just opened in Manchester city centre, serving out of a popular Northern Quarter bar.
Is this the best name we’ve ever heard in our time writing about food and drink? It just might be…
Opening from inside The Social NQ on Thomas Street (formerly known as Smithfield Social), their new resident and poultry-centric kitchen is a bit of a pun on the classic French sportswear label, but having now been versed in the word about the bird for ourselves, we can confirm it’s much more than that.
For starters, the only thing more decadent than the roasted meats are the sides and cocktail menu, which features everything from chunky hash browns and some of the richest sauces you could ask for.
As you can see, the most chicken is well and truly the star of the show here, but what they have done is find unique ways of innovating and experimenting with it.
For instance, if you’ve never had a cocktail with chicken fat in it, here’s a place you can try one.
Honestly, this isn’t our first rodeo with this very particular kind of drink – but for those of you that haven’t, we promise, it really is quite good.
Aside from surprisingly saline kicks beside the salty marg rims we’ve become more accustomed to over the years, there are some very nice drinks on the menu.
But we’ll be honest, if you’re a sucker for the famous ‘chicken wine’ – a.k.a. La Vieille Ferme, if you want to be all formal – we imagine you’ll be sticking to plenty of this.
Having already spent many a weekend, be that afternoon or night, at the old Smithfield over the years, now that it has this fine new in-house food offering tacked on, we suspect we’ll be going back a lot more.
Whether you want lots of crispy chicken skin or prefer it smothered in gravy and various other kinds of savoury jus, if you’re an unadulterated mothercluckin’ chicken lover, then you’ll have a great time here.
As the team has joked in the comments under their first few social media posts, while it isn’t technically mandatory to wear the vintage 80s brand upon visiting, it is “expected”, with “bonus marks and shots” and promised for your efforts.
It’s also worth noting that they have an exclusive launch offer for those who sort a booking early, so we wouldn’t wait around if we were you.
Let us know what you think if you visit anytime soon.
Bunny Jackson’s offer Foo Fighters and Mancs incredible deal if they play their stage after Ritz gig
Danny Jones
Beloved dive bar Bunny Jackson’s has offered the Foo Fighters and Mancunians alike an incredible deal, provided the legendary band if they play on their stage after their gig at the O2 Ritz.
As well as Manchester ramping up the 2026 BRITs Week buzz ahead of the awards at Co-op Live this weekend, a little-known American rock group called the Foo Fighters decided to announce a surprise gig here in town.
But the bigger story now, we’d argue, is that the city centre boozer – which serves as a regular go-to both before and after gigs – is offering free drinks if Dave Grohl and co. pop up to perform on their usual bandaoke platform. As in for EVERYONE.
As explained by the Bunny’s boss, if the Foos make what is quite literally a minute trip down the road to OG Jackson’s wing joint and late-night watering hole after their Ritz gig is over, they’re promising to hand out free booze to all inside the venue.
Joking that they can quite literally “do anything” and may not even fit on their even smaller stage – with this being one of the tiniest of Manchester’s small-cap venues – it’s worth reminding that they wouldn’t be the first big name to surprise punters.
It was only a couple of years ago that both The 1975 and Olivia Rodrigo showed their faces, with the former getting behind the bar and pouring drinks themselves, and the latter even hopping on the mic herself – yes, really.
Just last March, members of Bilmuri also hopped behind the decks for a DJ set, and saxophone player Gabi Rose couldn’t resist hitting some horns live for the crowd, too.
You might want to be at Bunny’s even if you’re not going to the gig anyway. (Credit: Bunny Jackson’s)
So what we’re telling you is that this isn’t entirely beyond the realms of possibility. Keep absolutely everything crossed.
BJ’s was already hosting a pre- and post-curfew party for the big Manchester gig, as they often do, but just think how incredible it would be if the rock icons actually turned up in person. You can find out what else they’ve got planned on the night HERE.
Not only would it mean free-flowing beer for everyone in the gaff, but this would go down as one of the greatest stories in Greater Manchester music history.
If you want to up the chances of this happening, make sure you share it far and wide, getting @ing and pestering them, and hopefully we’ll see you at Bunny Jackson’s with the boys from Foo Fighters!
Oh, and lads, if you’re wondering why we all love it here, look no further:
Daisy Jackson -
2nd January 2024 
