A brand new Japanese restaurant is opening in Manchester city centre this weekend, with stunning interiors and affordable prices.
Hakkapo is ready to welcome its first diners this week to the bright and airy restaurant down on First Street.
They’ve taken on the old The Laundrette site (it was also, briefly, School For Scandal) and turned it into a modern dining space.
The unit on Jack Rosenthal Street is blessed with plenty of natural light thanks to the floor-to-ceiling windows on three sides.
They’ve embraced that by decorating the space with rattan, light wood, wicker, and white marble throughout.
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And Hakkapo will be a haven when summer finally rolls around, with a large weather-proof terrace out the front (it’s covered and heated, because we all know Manchester summers are a smidge temperamental).
As for the menu, Hakkapo is keeping things much more affordable than a lot of other Japanese restaurants that have opened in Manchester lately.
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You’ll find delicious dishes including ramen, donburi, bao and Japanese small plates, all at a similar price point to Wagamama’s.
The outside terrace at Hakkapo in Manchester. Credit: The Manc GroupHakkapo, a new Japanese restaurant opening in Manchester this week. Credit: The Manc Group
Many of the ramens begin with a traditional tonkotsu base, a creamy pork broth, which is then jazzed up with ingredients like black garlic ketchup, chashu pork, smoked pork belly, and slow-cooked bbq pork.
There’s also a tori chintan shoyu, a ramen made with clear chicken broth, braised chicken thigh, and naruto fish cake.
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Hakkapo stuffs fluffy bao with fillings like kaarage chicken, smoked sausage, and ebi katsu (or crispy squid).
Traditional Japanese donburi rice bowls come with toppings like salmon sashimi, chicken katsu, salt-aged sirloin and miso aubergine.
Fried ice cream bao at Hakkapo in ManchesterMatcha affogato
And on the small plates side of things, there are pickles, salads, yakitori skewers, and sweet-and-salty fries.
The desserts include a miso and vanilla fried bao, and a beautiful matcha affogato with red bean paste.
And as well as sake and Japanese soft drinks, there’s a menu packed with wines from central Europe.
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Hakkapo will officially open its doors on Tuesday 5 March.
Beloved Manc butty shop Bada Bing set for a sensational return to the city centre
Danny Jones
Sandwich lovers rejoice because one of the finest butty shops to ever grace Manchester is returning: that’s right, Bada Bing is bada-back!
The Sopranos-inspired deli and sandwich shop that took its name from one of the central locations featured in the iconic US drama (yes, the strip club), was a huge success when it first opened in Manchester a few short years ago, so it was a huge blow when it closed in February 2022.
Starting out by serving sandwiches out of a window at The B Lounge pub on Paton Street near Piccadilly, before moving to a small kitchen on Radium Street and eventually setting up their stall inside Ancoats General Store, they would regularly have lines around the block every lunchtime.
These Italian-American sarnies were so popular you’d often struggle to get your claws on one – and believe us, they really are a two-handed task – as they’d sell out on what felt like most days. But now, whether you were a regular or someone who missed out, there is hope once again:
Announcing their sensational return to a new site over in the Northern Quarter, which will now mark the fourth premises they’ve popped up at, Bada Bing is back with a bang and, as you can, they dropped the news with one of the best reveal videos we’ve ever seen.
If you know, you know…
Set to take over 125 Oldham Street, owners Sam Gormally and Meg Lingenfelter haven’t yet graced us with an opening date but the new unit should hopefully be open sooner rather than later.
The duo, who previously worked at fellow NQ favourite Another Heart to Feed, came up with the concept during lockdown and it didn’t take long for the idea to take off, nor for them to earn their spot amongst the very best sandwich places in Manchester.
Seriously, these things were so big and unwieldy (in the best way possible) that they even used to come with eating instructions: both hands and the trademark Tony Soprano hunch recommended, though the slightly stained wife-beater, boxer shorts and open dressing gown look is optional.
From slices of provolone cheese, all the thinly sliced Italian meats you could think of and the closest thing to actual ‘gabagool‘ as you’ll find in Greater Manchester, the menu was fitting of being served up to the iconic characters that once sat outside Satriale’s and a big approving grin from the man himself.
Simply put, we cannot wait and we will certainly keep you posted when we find out exactly when Bada Bing confirms their official reopening date.
Burger King is giving away free burgers to new drivers today
Emily Sergeant
Burger King will be giving away burgers to drivers who have recently passed their tests for free of charge today.
In case it wasn’t on your radar, tomorrow (Thursday 24 July) is actually National Drive-Thru Day, and in a bid to properly celebrate this unofficial holiday, Burger King has decided to hand out a bunch of freebies to newbies today.
The fast food chain is asking all new drivers to “buckle up”, head on down to their nearest Burger King drive-thru, and help themselves to a free burger.
All newly-qualified drivers will be able to take their pick from either the Whopper or Chicken Royale without parting ways with a penny, and all they’ll need to do the claim their freebie is simply show off their learner’s ‘L Plates’ to the staff at their local Burger King restaurant.
/ Credit: Burger King UK (via Instagram) | Supplied
Hundreds of Burger King drive-thrus across the UK are taking part in the one-day promotion – including several across in Greater Manchester.
Although it might seem a little too good to be true, there’s a reason Burger King has chosen to dish out the freebies, and that’s because the company says it knows that one of the first activities newly-qualified drivers like do once they’ve passed their test is make a pit stop at a drive-thru with their mates to show off their new wheels and skills.
Sometimes though, navigating a drive-thru for the first time can be tricky, and this leaves new drivers feeling a bit like a rabbit in the headlights.
Luckily with this one-day Burger King offer, new drivers’ first drive-thru trip couldn’t be any easier.
The offer is available nationwide today (Wednesday 24 July) at Burger King drive-thru lanes only, while stock lasts, and newly qualified drivers must verbally mention “BK Plates” at the drive-thru lane to unlock their free burger.