A new cocktail bar is opening in Manchester this week, with Stray taking over a corner unit in the Northern Quarter that lends itself to the best people-watching in the city.
Stray has moved into the old Atkinsons Coffee unit on the corner of the beautiful Mackie Mayor.
And while a lot of cocktail bars open with a concept so convoluted you need a thesaurus to understand the menu, Stray is stripping it back to basics.
What’s it all about? Great drinks, great service, and a great atmosphere. Perfect.
The L-shaped bar bar comes with huge windows that look out across Eagle Street, with a row of window seats to perch on.
ADVERTISEMENT
There are cosy couches and little nooks to tuck yourself into as you work through Stray’s signature cocktails, a collection titled ‘Led Astray’.
These drinks are all made, wherever possible, with top-quality local ingredients, with the team infusing their own spirits and making their own cordials in-house.
ADVERTISEMENT
A Buckfast negroni at Stray in the Northern QuarterInside Stray, a new Manchester cocktail bar at Mackie Mayor in the Northern QuarterCocktails at Stray
You can expect an incredible margarita made with tomato vine tequila, a fig leaf pisco, and a rhubarb and pine gimlet, as well as all your usual classics made just how you like them.
Oh, did we mention you can find a Buckfast negroni in here? Don’t knock it til you’ve tried it…
The team have spent just as much time working on their non- and low-alcoholic cocktails too, so if you’re shunning the strong stuff you can still guarantee yourself a decent drink, whether it’s a booze-free marg or a mocktail reminiscent of a glass of pet-nat.
ADVERTISEMENT
The decor inside the bar itself is looped around that huge marble bar, with walls painted half and half dark green and painted brick and concrete.
So pull up a pew in the window, order yourself one of the city’s best cocktails, and watch the weird and wonderful world of Manchester go by.
Stray opens at Mackie Mayor on 3 November, and will be open 12pm-10pm Tuesday to Friday; 10am-10pm on Saturdays, and 12pm-6pm on Sunday.
Inside Manchester’s new padel club with a Pot Kettle Black cafe and courtside cocktail bar
Daisy Jackson
Padel is the fastest-growing sport in the world, and it’s really picking up speed in Manchester now too with another city centre club opening this month.
The Pollen Club is a little different to the others, in that it’s fully undercover and protected from Manchester’s less-than-favourable weather.
And another thing that makes it a must-visit is the cafe attached to it – a third site for the beloved Pot Kettle Black.
The Pollen Club and Pot Kettle Black have both taken over a prominent city centre spot just off Deansgate, at the foot of the recently-opened Treehouse Hotel.
There are two state-of-the-art padel courts inside, with a mezzanine terrace for enjoy Pot Kettle Black’s offerings.
In summer, there are plans to launch a bar downstairs too, where you can sip spritzes courtside from loungers and swing seats.
The exciting new Manchester padel club will host pop up events, DJ takeovers and an extended evening food offering.
Pot Kettle Black are part of the new padel clubInside Manchester’s new padel club, The Pollen ClubPot Kettle Black are part of the new padel club
And even if you’re not heading inside The Pollen Club, Pot Kettle Black has a grab-and-go hatch facing onto Blackfriars Street, making their delicious coffees, sandwiches and pastries (from their own bakery Half Dozen Other) even more accessible.
Commenting on the opening of the new site, Pot Kettle Black co-owner, Mark Flanagan said: “We’re absolutely thrilled to have opened our third Pot Kettle Black site at The Padel Club. This achievement is a testament to the hard work and dedication of the team.
“After ten years in the city we’ve been enjoying seeing some familiar faces stopping by for a coffee and we can’t wait to get started on our programme of summer events!”
Insomnia Cookies is giving away FREE cookies to anyone with these two names
Emily Sergeant
Manchester’s late-night sweet treat spot Insomnia Cookies is dishing out freebies this week… but there’s a catch.
You have to be called one of two specific names to get one.
With the long bank holiday weekend upon us, those in-the-know will also have noticed that this Sunday isn’t just Easter Sunday, it also happens to be 4/20… and that means Insomnia Cookies is back with its ‘blazing’ £4.20 deal, giving you the chance to bag a box of four warm cookies while saving nearly £7 at the same time.
But even better still, if you happen to have either the first or middle name ‘Mary’ or ‘Jane’, then you can also get yourself a warm tasty cookie for free.
To mark both 4/20, and celebrate the launch of its newest strain of mouthwatering cookie, the Mary Jane, anyone called Mary or Jane can pop into either of Insomnia Cookies’ two Manchester city centre sites – Cross Street and University Green – show their valid ID with their name on, and walk alway with a cookie free of charge.
If you want to try the new Mary Jane cookie, then this limited-edition special is made up of a cookies n cream dough base, packed with rainbow sprinkles.
The freebie deal has been running all week, and you have up until 3am on Monday 21 April to take advantage of it.
Customers will be limited to one free cookie per day.
Insomnia Cookies is giving away free cookies to anyone with these two names / Credit: Insomnia Cookies UK
If you aren’t lucky enough to be called one of those two names though, then thankfully you can still make some great savings on a classic four-pack of cookies over the spring bank holiday weekend, and for every four-pack sold, £1 will be donated to Groundwork – a charity helping make Manchester greener for nature and for local people.
“We’re calling for Marys and Janes to join us to live the high life with free cookies all week,” commented Millie Ralston, Head of Marketing at Insomnia Cookies.
Daisy Jackson -
3rd November 2023 
