If you’re a bartender in Manchester clocking off at 4am, there aren’t many pubs or city centre options available to you whatsoever if you fancy a post-shift drink.Almost.
Finish even one hour earlier and you can visit another industry-only bar in the Northern Quarter, which I have – on pain of death – sworn not to mention in print here. If you know, you know, and if you don’t, well that’s too bad.
Come 4am, though, there’s no amount of crying and pleading and ‘knowing the owners’ that will get you through that door. Which is why it’s always good to have a backup.
Yes, at this time in the morning, sometimes known as the ‘Devil’s hour’, there’s only one option open to thirsty hospitality workers – the secretive Chinatown-neighbouring pub known as The Seven Oaks.
A pokey little boozer a stone’s throw from Manchester Art Gallery, this no-frills watering hole acts as a haven in the wee hours for cranky bartenders wanting a stiff drink after their shift – and has been looking after them much longer than a certain NQ competitor.
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A favourite for sports-loving punters and quietly a Manchester bartenders’ pub. (Credit: The Manc)
So long as you follow the rules and behave, you’re more than welcome.
During the day, the pub is a solid boozer showing sports round the clock that has jokingly referred to itself as a ‘husband creche’ where wives can drop off their grumbling other halves before enjoying a few hours of big city shopping in peace on more than one occasion.
They even host live music, stand-up comedy and even the odd theatre night these days. But come nightfall, it’s a completely different picture…
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From 12am until well into the morning, if you’re nice enough to the staff — and so you bloody should be (these lot are so sound, anyway, it’s hardly a struggle) and speak to the right people, the let in other bartenders and other hospitality staff, exclusively, permitting one guest per worker.
Entry is gained not through the pub’s main entrance but via a side door leading off a dirty alleyway. You’ll need to get past the bins and make sure you’ve got a payslip to hand, because without one there’s no way you’re getting inside.
According to former landlord Phil Greenwood, who left Seven Oaks over half a decade ago, the policy previously earned him a reputation as one of Manchester’s most ruthless pub bosses.
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He previously told Vice: “People say I’m a bit of a gobby tw*t because I take no shit […] others tell me I have a messiah complex, but if people tell you you’re amazing enough times you’re going to start believing it.”
Now owned by Patrick Smith, the ‘two in one’ pub is an oasis for tired and skint staff — many of whom will have spent their night slinging out expensive drinks to office workers with cash to burn and a whole weekend off to enjoy.
Inside, you’ll find all sorts rubbing shoulders: ranging from Wetherspoons pint-pullers to high-end cocktail bartenders, sommeliers, and brewery nerds. A sports bar by day, it’s not unusual to find the big screens still showing pre-recorded football matches at 7am.
All part of the charm, if you ever do make it down then our advice is to neck your tequila shots and pints and drink it all in. After all, what else is there to do if you’re still out drinking after the street cleaners finish work?
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There really is nowhere else like The Seven Oaks anywhere in the city — especially if you’re a Manchester bartender and looking for a late-night pub.
I went all the way to Paris to test out Big Mamma ahead of Manchester’s most exciting new restaurant opening
Daisy Jackson
Hospitality heavyweights Big Mamma Group are finally heading to Manchester, opening a Circolo Popolare Italian restaurant in the city centre – so we nipped over to Paris to see exactly what’s in store for us.
In the 10 years since launching their very first restaurant, East Mamma in the 11th arrondissement of Paris, the group have spread their wings wide.
There are Big Mamma Group restaurants, under several different names, all over Europe – and although they all belong to the same family, each one is treated like a total individual.
Some have maximalist, kitsch interiors with animal print furniture, gilded ceilings and retro prints of men in Y-fronts; others are more traditional trattorias with exposed brick, terracotta floors and crisp white tablecloths.
These interiors are fun, which is so refreshing in an industry which sometimes takes itself a bit too seriously.
On our tour of Big Mamma restaurants in Paris I came across delightful details like a loo wallpapered in pictures of Rod Stewart, a cocktail menu designed like a retro football sticker book, and an ice cream parlour built into an old train station carriage.
Every corner is packed with whimsy and wonder and there’s a whole team dedicated to sourcing these little touches from antiques fairs, second-hand shops and independent makers, stashing them all in an Aladdin’s Cave of a warehouse. Each restaurant even has its own crockery pattern.
East Mamma, one of Big Mamma’s Paris restaurantsNo Entry cocktail barA Big Mamma speakeasyPink MammaLa Felicita food hallLa Felicita food hall
So yes, the interiors in Manchester will be similarly interesting and lavish.
Big Mamma Group has already confirmed that the huge two-storey Circolo Popolare trattoria will be inspired by a Sardinian Festa, meaning cosy alcoves, more than 8000 bottles of vintage booze, and a vast room inspired by an overgrown Mediterranean courtyard.
As it takes shape in Gary Neville’s £400m St Michael’s development, they’ll be moving in big sharing tables, antique trinkets, reels of twinkling lights and even an Italian wishing well ahead of the big launch next month.
But not enough of us are talking about the food yet – this is a restaurant group that sources its produce from 160 different Italian artisans to ensure that everything you’re eating as authentic and delicious as possible.
Food at Big Mamma
While the menus shift between restaurants you can expect hearty bowls of handmade pasta laced with truffle or tomato or cheese, crispy-soft pizzas layered in creative sauce bases (like zucchini cream or black truffle cream, along with their classic San Marzano DOP tomato sauce), and per iniziare starters like giant burrata balls, melt-in-the-mouth croquettes, and slivers of cured meats – all prepared in an open kitchen run by Campanian-born Alfonso Esposito.
And a show-stopper for Manchester will be an outrageous six-inch lemon meringue pie, with a wibbly wobbly tower of Italian meringue on top.
Circolo Popolare will officially open its doors on 6 June – and before then, there’ll be a very limited soft launch where you can snag yourself 50% off your bill. Sign up HERE, with bookings live on Monday 12 May.
The massively underrated rooftop terrace in Manchester with great views and top cocktails
Daisy Jackson
Manchester city centre is generally STARVED of outdoor space, but we’ve found the perfect sun-soaked oasis where you can enjoy a bit of fresh air and a whole lot of great food and drinks.
Tucked up on the sixth floor of the award-winning boutique hotel King Street Townhouse, you’ll find a rooftop terrace with beautiful views of the city’s skyline.
As Manchester buzzes along beneath you, you can tuck in to everything from full charcuterie grazing boards to seasonal snacks and small plates, all served alongside an impressive wine and cocktail list.
This often-overlooked local spot is a firm favourite of those in the know, thanks to its sheltered location that basks in the sun all afternoon.
And although it’s in a prime city centre location, just a stone’s throw from Deansgate, St Peter’s Square and Market Street, it’s a luxurious escape from it all – as is the entire boutique hotel it’s part of.
Whether it’s a post-work social, a relaxed date night, or a cheeky afternoon cocktail, the King Street Townhouse Terrace is open to the public and available for walk-ins or bookings when it isn’t privately hired.
On the menu you can expect locally-sourced dishes like Pollen sourdough served with whipped butter, a meat or cheese grazing board loaded with British produce, and larger plates like a beef and bone marrow burger or a fried fish roll topped with crisps.
British charcuterie grazing boardSpritzes on the King Street Townhouse terrace
Pairing perfectly with a spritz or a beer are snacks like deep-fried Gordal olives, stuffed with fennel sausage, and a brioche garlic bread packed with cream cheese.
The hotel has a cocktail list that celebrates classic drinks and a few of their own signature concoctions, and it doesn’t feel much more luxurious than when you treat yourself to a glass of sky-high champagne with views like this.
The South Terrace can also be hired privately for leisure or corporate events, with tailored catering options including summer BBQs.
And you can ramp up your trip to this oasis by staying overnight in one of the boutique hotels’ rooms, or visiting the King Street Townhouse ESPA spa for a treatment.
Find out more about the terrace at King Street Townhouse HERE.
The terrace at King Street Townhouse hotelThe terrace at King Street Townhouse hotelDeep-fried olivesGarlic bread with creamed cheeseKing Street Townhouse hotel
Georgina Pellant -
23rd May 2023 
