There’s a new neighbourhood bar in the Northern Quarter, with a pretty creative happy hour deal.
Public is the latest offering from the team behind institution Evelyn’s and its hidden basement bar The Daisy, and promises the same level of cocktails plus an easy menu inspired by New York City’s late-night bars.
Arguably the biggest selling point for Public is its huge outside space, with almost 300 seats on the sunnier side of Stevenson Square, sandwiched in between The Quarter House and the square’s new ice cream parlour, Sweet.
And when the weather inevitably turns, they’ve still got you covered, with special happy hour prices popping up every time it rains (so… all the time). You’ll be able to sip on £6 daiquiris when it’s drizzling, as well as £4 lager or wine.
When it comes to the menu, the new Northern Quarter spot has chosen food inspired by cravings – which turns out to be a very good thing.
You’re looking at one of the city’s best beef burgers, served blushing pink with a potato bun, American cheese, disco pickles, white onion, burger sauce and house ketchup – and it’s one that you can actually fit in your mouth without ending up with a lap full of toppings.
Burger and chicken sando at Public, a new bar on Stevenson Square. Credit: The Manc GroupCocktails at Public – the buttermilk martini and Public Colada. Credit: The Manc GroupNoodles at Public. Credit: The Manc Group
There’s a buttermilk fried chicken breast sandwich too, layered up with iceberg lettuce, sriracha mayo, sesame, gochugaru, pepper mayo, and more disco pickles.
Also on the menu are hot oil gun gun noodles, served in the takeaway box for maximum enjoyment with minimal mess, and glazed char sui sticky glazed pork belly skewers.
Drinks will play on classics, like a Margarita Seltzer, an ‘Aperol Spritz But Better’ (a frozen drink with orange wine), and the Public Colada.
There’s also a signature martini inspired by the food menu’s chicken sando, made with buttermilk-washed vodka and topped with drops of gochugaru oil.
Drinks prices for Manchester Oasis gigs announced – and you’ll be pleasantly surprised
Daisy Jackson
The prices of drinks at Heaton Park for the five huge Manchester Oasis shows have been released in advance.
With the Gallagher brothers reuniting on stage in their hometown for the first time this weekend (and then again next week), it’s a huge moment for our city.
Those lucky enough to snag tickets have already forked out a small fortune to witness this moment in history (still scarred from the dynamic pricing debacle).
And most of us were probably bracing to spend another small fortune on beers at the Oasis Manchester gigs.
But you might be pleasantly surprised at the drinks prices up at Heaton Park for Oasis Live ’25.
It’s now been confirmed that pints of lager and cider will be just £6.50.
Before you turn your nose up, remember that pints at our two arenas – the AO Arena and Co-op Live are now sitting around the £9 mark.
Prices for other drinks, like wine and spirits, we’ll have to wait until Friday to see.
Heaton Park will also be the home of the ‘largest beer garden’ and the longest bars in the city for the Oasis reunion.
With a major heatwave predicted for the first shows, fans are being encouraged to stay hydrated (on WATER, not beer, please).
Ticket-holders will be allowed to bring a sealed bottle of water up to 500ml in with you, but it must be collapsible plastic.
Solid plastic and metal containers will be rejected on safety grounds.
There’s a free water point on site where you can fill up your bottles again.
Oasis will perform at Heaton Park in Manchester on 11, 12, 16, 19 and 20 July.
£1.8m revamp of Ancoats pub The Shamrock is FINALLY set to begin
Daisy Jackson
At long last, work to revamp The Shamrock pub in Ancoats is about to begin – and they’re calling on locals to rename the historic boozer.
The Shamrock, on Bengal Street, was taken over by Joseph Holt brewery in 2019 but has been firmly sealed shut ever since, with the pandemic halting its revamp.
But now the family-owned brewery is ready to get to work on the pub, with a £1.8m revamp kicking off very soon.
The Shamrock, which dates back to 1808, will be transformed from an Irish pub into a Joseph Holt’s venue.
Back in the turn of the 19th century, it was a popular watering hole for the Irish and Italian communities who moved to the industrial neighbourhood.
Obviously, Ancoats has gone through some pretty major changes in the years since, and is now one of the city’s trendiest and foodiest suburbs, filled with flats, bars, coffee shops and more.
It’s because of this that the Joseph Holt team felt like The Shamrock was due a new name for its new chapter, and are asking the public to help rename the pub, with a shortlist of five names drawn up.
The options on the table for when the pub reopens include The Victoria Arms (as a nod to the flats and accommodation across the road); The Fleet (the name of a former neighbouring pub); and The Linen Arms, reflecting the city’s cotton trade.
The historic Ancoats pub The Shamrock will finally undergo a £1.8m revamp. Credit: Supplied
The other choices for the public to vote on are The Spinners Rest, after the mill workers who lived in historic Ancoats; and Queen Adelaide, after another former pub around the corner on the main Ancoats Road.
Richard Kershaw, CEO of Joseph Holt, said: “As a family business with deep roots in the area, our pubs are very much at the very heart of the communities where they are located.
“With the moving forward of long-awaited refurbishment of The Shamrock – and with it a new name – we wanted our customers to feel part of the journey.
“So we brainstormed names for the pub that would respect the past and the local area while also looking to the future. Now we’re letting the people who matter most to us, our customers, decide which one to use.”
You can place your vote on the new name for The Shamrock pub HERE. One participant who picks the winning name will receive free drinks vouchers.
Daisy Jackson -
21st July 2023 
