It’s been one of the most talked-about restaurant openings of the year, and in the run-up to Fenix’s launch, everyone’s been talking about that interior.
The lavish new Greek-Mediterranean restaurant comes from the same team behind Tattu, so we were all already anticipating another impeccably-designed space.
And Fenix is already living up to expectations.
Its inspiration comes from the beautiful island of Mykonos, from the driftwood dining chairs and stunning stone floors to huge plumes of grasses and carved stone walls.
No expense has been spared on making this a world-class venue.
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Cutting-edge lighting transforms the atmosphere from warm, sunlit beach bar to a moonlit restaurant space.
Stonewashed arches soar overheard with a ceiling covered in golden grasses.
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Diners enter the space on the ground floor into the bar area, where clever illusions make it seem as though a wall of fire is flickering above the huge selection of spirits.
The restaurant space at Fenix. Credit: The Manc Group
A spiral staircase surrounds a giant olive tree and leads up to the main restaurant space, with an open kitchen where diners can see the chefs preparing Fenix’s contemporary Greek food.
Also on offer are a wealth of pasta and rice dishes, a ‘Raw’ menu including Sea Bass ceviche and steak tartare, clay pot roasted leg of lamb folded in vine leaves, and Tiger prawns with yuzu sauce.
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To compliment Fenix’s food offering, the site will also be home to one of the city’s best bars, headed up by Will Meredith.
Fenix is opening in SpinningfieldsDownstairs in Fenix, ManchesterDownstairs in Fenix, Manchester
The ground floor will be transformed into a vibrant luxury drinking den, with live DJs and service running into the evening.
Will has drawn inspiration from his Greek heritage and the stories of ancient Greece to create a drinks menu that splits into four sections: Earth, Water, Fire, and Wind.
Each of the 16 innovative cocktails will be served in custom glassware, and the bar team will even be carving every piece of ice into boulder-like shapes.
Fenix will officially open its doors on 30 November, The Goods Yard Building, Goods Yard Street, Spinningfields, M3 3BG.
‘New wave’ pizzeria where every pizza is served with scissors is heading to Manchester
Daisy Jackson
Always a hot topic of conversation around a pizza is how to eat the damn thing – knife and fork, slice and hold, fold it up?
And now a new pizza concept is heading to Manchester, where authentic Neapolitan pizzas are always served with a pair of scissors for cutting up your dinner.
We here at The Manc are firm believers that scissors are a far superior tool for getting your pizza into slices, so news that Forbici (which literally translates as ‘Scissors’ from Italian) is opening in the city centre is music to our ears.
Forbici is taking over a corner unit on Cross Street, not far from the former site of much-loved family-focused Italian Croma.
Claiming to be arriving in town with ‘the world’s most powerful pizza dough’, the restaurant hails a ‘new wave’ of pizzeria.
Its roots will be firmly in Naples, with puffy biga dough handmade fresh daily and proofed for 12 hours. It’ll be made so fresh every day that pizzas will only be available while the dough lasts.
Forbici will serve its pizza the Neapolitan way too – quartered (it’s ‘four ways always’, with scissors, which protects that signature airy crust.
The pizzas are going to be topped with tomatoes from Solania, the only producer of true San Manzarno DOP tomatoes, and Fior di Latte Mozzerella from Vico Equese, a small coastal town where tradition runs deep.
They’ve even imported a pizza oven direct from Sorrento.
And drinks will come from Italian craft beer brand Amarcord, one of the nation’s first independent breweries.
Forbici says it will blend ‘born in Naples’ flavours with ‘rising in Manchester’ influences.
Andrew Garton, CEO of Forbici, said: “Forbici isn’t just another pizza restaurant—it’s a new way of experiencing pizza.
“We are pioneering a new wave of pizza in the UK, with the simple belief that pizza should be better.
“We have brought together the finest master bakers who have spent decades honing their craft in Naples to create the perfect formula for fermenting the world’s most powerful pizza dough.
“Born from centuries of Neapolitan expertise and heritage, Forbici will be rising in Manchester this year.”
Forbici will open its first Manchester pizza restaurant on Cross Street this spring – you can follow them on Instagram HERE for the latest.
Giuseppe’s – the tiny Italian bistro that proves Stalybridge is fast becoming a dining destination
Daisy Jackson
Giuseppe’s in Stalybridge is a restaurant that’s putting in an enormous amount of effort to please just a very small group of people – this teeny tiny bistro has just 18 seats.
With such a small capacity no one would blame them for sitting back and scaling back to a concise little menu of pizza – but Giuseppe’s really said ‘no grazie’ to such an idea and committed itself to a full bistro menu.
It’s yet another exciting addition to the rapidly-booming restaurant scene here in Tameside, where neighbours include Cafe Continental, Gladstone Barber & Bistro, and SK15 Bar & Bistro.
Giuseppe’s arrival on the Stalybridge high street has created a cosy corner for locals, one which could quickly follow in the footsteps of Ornella’s to become a fully-booked-for-months-in-advance destination.
Inside its welcoming navy blue walls you’re welcomed by a room filled with trailing plants, ceramic lemons and a huge doodle map of Sicily.
The menu also hails from Sicily, specialising in wood-fired pizzas but also dipping a toe into pasta and small plates too.
Pizza at Giuseppe’s Italian bistro in StalybridgeA spread of dishes at Pizza at Giuseppe’s Italian bistro in Stalybridge
Giuseppe’s pizza dough is meticulously made fresh with Italian 00 flour, left to ferment for at least 48 hours, before being stretched and topped and cooked in the wood-fired pizza oven until it’s all puffed-up and charred around the edges.
At lunch times, those delicious pizza doughs are folded in half to make Italian panozzi sandwiches, the charred dough encasing fillings like Sicilian fennel sausage and friarelli, and mortadella with stracciatella.
These are strong contenders for the best pizzas this side of Greater Manchester, with a soft and chewy crust that stands up against much bigger names in the pizza game.
Rum baba at Giuseppe’sThe team at Giuseppe’s in Stalybridge
Giuseppe’s pasta bowls include a hearty paccheri with Sicilian sausage AND guanciale, all salty and rich and creamy.
And once you’ve eaten your fill in this tiny little spot, where the windows go all steamed up in winter and you’re nudging up against neighbours chatting over pizzas, you can polish off with Italian desserts too.
There’s a very respectable slab of tiramisu on offer, plus a rum baba soaked in syrup and packed with fresh cream.
Giuseppe’s in Stalybridge may be small in capacity but it’s huge on spirit.