Karen’s Diner, the Manchester restaurant that prides itself on having deliberately rude service, has announced an event with controversial character Katie Hopkins.
The outspoken far-right columnist is going to be at the restaurant for her ‘Katie’s Batsh*t Bonkers Britain’ show.
It’s all ahead of her Silly Cow Tour, which will take her to a select few venues around the UK who’ll have her (you can buy tickets to see her at The Monaco in Wigan if you hate yourself).
The Prestwich branch of Karen’s Diner, the immersive dining experience manned by unpleasant staff who will shout, swear, and call you names, warned that the event is ‘not for the easily-offended’.
Although given that Katie Hopkins has previously compared to refugees to cockroaches, slammed full-time parents, and just been generally incredibly racist, ‘easily-offended’ might be a bit unfair…
ADVERTISEMENT
But this divisive figure – the ultimate Karen, if you will – will be the star of the show at Karen’s Diner in March.
Tickets to the event will include Katie’s performance, plus the usual Karen’s Diner entertainment and a burger meal.
ADVERTISEMENT
Sharing news of the Katie Hopkins event, Karen’s Diner wrote: “A bit like our Karens, she’s divisive, opinionated, brash, offensive… all the qualities we look up to.”
The event page says: “Ahead of her ‘Silly Cow Tour’, Katie Hopkins takes over Karen’s Diner for an evening of madness with Katie and our Karens. This is a pairing not for the faint-hearted or easily offended.
“Your ticket will include a table for ‘Katie’s Batsh*t Bonkers Britain’ show, some infamous Karen’s entertainment AND we’ll even throw in a burger meal too!”
ADVERTISEMENT
Karen’s Diner has faced a fair bit of backlash for booking the star, with one person writing: “No!!! You’re really letting the place go downhill.”
Another said: “Scraping bottom of barrel springs to mind.”
And one person wrote: “Can’t wait to see how this one goes.”
A fair few are excited to have her in town though – one person said they ‘absolutely love Katie’ while another said was a ‘definite yes’.
And someone else just joked that they should give Putin a job as a pot washer next.
ADVERTISEMENT
Tickets for Katie Hopkins at Karen’s Diner are available here.
Lively Irish pub Nancy Spains set to open in Manchester for the first time
Daisy Jackson
An Irish bar famed for its live music is heading up to Manchester for the first time, and is promising £2.50 pints to lure us in.
Nancy Spains will be venturing out of London for the first time promising to bring the ‘ultimate traditional Irish pub experience’ to the Northern Quarter.
If you were to ask what the hottest trend in hospitality is right now the answer would, apparently, be Guinness. We’re drowning in the stuff.
This latest opening is more about Murphy’s, another Irish stout, than Guinness (they actually won’t serve Guinness at all) but the craic will be much the same.
Nancy Spains is actually set to open almost directly opposite the aforementioned Salmon of Knowledge, taking over the former Corner Boy unit on Stevenson Square in the heart of Manchester.
To celebrate its opening, the pub will be serving its first 5000 pints of Murphy’s for just £2.50, so that it can show off the atmosphere that’s established it as ‘one of London’s favourite pubs’.
They’re promising an array of Irish whiskeys behind the bar, live music performances, and a lively late-night setting.
Nancy Spains was set up by three brothers who travelled all over their home county of rural Kerry researching Irish pubs, before launching two venues down in London.
They want it to balance a traditional pub with the vibrancy of the city.
Peter O’Halloran, co-founder of Nancy Spains commented, “We’re so excited to be launching in Manchester, bringing Nancy Spains to the heart of the Northern Quarter.
“After the success of our two venues in London, it was only right to bring Nancy Spains’ infectious spirit and Irish pride to Manchester. Slainte!”
Nancy Spains will open its first Manchester pub on Saturday 15 March at 21 Hilton Street.
Lucky Mama’s – The Italian restaurant serving pasta in a dough bowl and ‘pregnant’ pizzas
Daisy Jackson
Lucky Mama’s is a local sensation, thanks to its slightly whacky but delicious Italian creations like pasta served in a bowl made of pizza dough and its latest offering, a ‘pregnant’ pizza.
What on Earth is a pregnant pizza, you ask? Firstly we should stress this is a nickname we’ve bestowed upon the dish, rather than Lucky Mama’s chosen branding.
But essentially it’s a helping of fresh pasta that’s folded into the bubble crust of the pizza, like a half-calzone.
Lucky Mama’s started life when founders Mamadou Dhiam and Gaby Santos set up a trailer in their backyard in Eccles in the depths of lockdown.
But thanks to a formidably loyal following that’s spread the word of Lucky Mama’s far and wide, it now has two pretty pink restaurants in Greater Manchester.
Back in 2022, they threw open the doors to their Chorlton restaurant, before returning back to home turf for spot number two in Monton in 2024.
The recipes are fresh and pretty authentically Italian up until the last step, when they throw a curveball by loading their pasta into unconventional vessels.
‘Pregnant’ pizzas at Lucky Mama’sTraditional Roman pizzasLucky Mama’s pink restaurant in Chorlton
Their pasta pizza bowls are what they’re best known for and they fly out of the kitchen – this is where pizza dough is placed around a metal bowl before being baked in an oven.
Then it’s piled high with freshly made pasta, with popular flavours like cacio e pepe, mushroom alfredo, and rasta pasta.
Pasta is available in a regular ceramic bowl too.
You’ll find Lucky Mama’s at 565 Barlow Moor Road in Chorlton; and 217 Monton Road in Eccles.
Daisy Jackson -
10th February 2024 
