Eats

Huge new Treehouse Hotel in Manchester announces first restaurant, with acclaimed local chef Mary-Ellen McTague

It's all set to open this summer.

Daisy Jackson - 23rd May 2024

Acclaimed local chef Mary-Ellen McTague has revealed details of the first restaurant at the huge new Treehouse Hotel.

She will open Pip, a restaurant that will celebrate seasonal, low-waste cooking, on the ground floor of the landmark new hotel.

This is the first of three restaurant concepts to be announced at Treehouse Hotel, which is taking shape on the site of the former long-standing Deansgate hotel the Renaissance.

When it’s completed later this summer, Treehouse Hotel will have 224 guest rooms, multiple event spaces, an expansive screening room, a gymnasium, and three unique restaurant and bar spaces – including the newly-announced Pip.

This first restaurant will be headed up by Manchester’s very own Mary-Ellen McTague, who’ll be doing what she does best – seasonal produce that celebrates the finest produce from around the North West, as sustainably as possible.

Over her 20 years in the hospitality industry, Mary-Ellen has worked alongside Heston Blumenthal at his esteemed Michelin-starred restaurants, The Fat Duck and The Hinds Head, as well as founding EatWellMCR.

At Pip, diners can expect dishes that reimagine the potential of each ingredient served through from breakfast, lunch, and dinner, as well as a convenient grab-and-go option.

Treehouse Hotel has confirmed details of its first restaurant, and a summer opening date. Credit: Supplied

She’ll be sourcing ingredients – sometimes unconventional ones – from local farms, and suppliers like Littlewoods Butchers, Cinderwood Market Garden, Organic North, Courtyard Dairy, and Platt Fields Market Garden.

Dish highlights include Carlingford oysters with fennel kimchi liquor; home-smoked mackerel with pickled beets, mustard cream, and rye; Lancashire hotpot with pickled red cabbage and oyster ketchup; and Rhubarb fool with olive oil biscuits.

Commenting on her new restaurant opening, Mary-Ellen McTague said: “I’m thrilled to bring Pip to life at Treehouse Hotel Manchester.

“This restaurant is a celebration of everything I am passionate about – seasonal, low-waste cooking, and the incredible produce we have here in the North West.

Brilliant Manchester chef Mary-Ellen McTague will be behind the first restaurant at Treehouse Hotel. Credit: Jody Hartley

“The menu is designed to showcase the best of our local culinary heritage, using modern techniques that make the most of every single ingredient. I cannot wait to share our vision for Pip with the Manchester community and beyond.”

Treehouse Hotel Manchester itself will be the second property under the same brand, which says it takes its playful inspiration through the lens of childhood.

Commenting on the first restaurant to open at the hotel, Tim Reynolds, general manager of Treehouse Hotel Manchester, said: “We are incredibly excited to welcome Pip to Treehouse Hotel Manchester.

“Mary-Ellen’s innovative approach to low-waste cooking and her dedication to using locally sourced ingredients align perfectly with our values. We look forward to offering our guests an extraordinary dining experience that reflects the vibrant spirit of Manchester.”

Pip will welcome guests in late summer, alongside the opening of Treehouse Hotel Manchester.