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…
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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.
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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!”
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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.
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Tickets for Katie Hopkins at Karen’s Diner are available here.
Major pop star crowns humble rice and three cafe as ‘Jewel of Manchester’ ahead of sold-out gig
Thomas Melia
A beloved city centre takeaway has been given the title of ‘Jewel of Manchester’ by chart-topping UK singer Sam Smith.
Known for hits like ‘Stay With Me’, ‘I’m Not The Only One’ and more recently ‘Unholy’, UK pop-ballad act Sam Smith also likes to drop a food review every once in a while.
Currently on the road with a run of shows in Manchester and London for their ‘To Be Free’ live shows, Sam Smith is stopping off at some of our city’s much-loved spots.
On their food-reviewing account titled ‘Sam Served’, where they adopt the aptly-fitting nickname ‘Ham Smith’, Sam has visited restaurants across the globe – and most recently turned their attention to Manchester’s own This & That.
Smith decided to pop in and grab a cheeky rice and three from long-standing backstreet food business This & That, and it certainly went down a treat.
After sampling their amazing selection of meat, vegetable and vegan curries, the musician crowned this family-run Indian takeaway a ‘Jewel of Manchester’.
The hitmaker described this Northern Quarter Indian eatery as ‘Everything food should be’ and definitely enjoyed all the curries on offer ‘leaving belly and heart full’.
This & That prides itself on affordable and comforting food with its ‘Rice and Three Curries’ starting from just £6 – not bad for a city centre foodie spot.
Sam has racked up an impressive 490k followers via their ‘Sam Served’ profile, with famous faces like Lily Allen, Denise Welch and CMAT all wanting to know the superstar’s foodie thoughts.
After enjoying a curry or three, Sam Smith also made sure to feed their soul to by venturing down to Afflecks and getting lost in the music at Mars Tapes.
Recognised as one of the UK’s only cassette and tape shops, Mars Tapes lets you flick through their crates of physical media and even preview tracks before you buy with its dedicated listening areas.
It’s safe to say that Smith has ‘Latched’ onto Manchester’s independent business scene and we’re here for it.
The London-born artist has just released their latest album Hazel Eyes and is currently amid a UK residency tour with two dates in Manchester’s Albert Hall and eight shows set for London Coliseum.
Acclaimed Manchester cocktail bar shuts down after a decade due to ‘persistent water issues’
Daisy Jackson
An acclaimed cocktail bar in Manchester has announced its closure after more than a decade in the city centre.
Wood & Company, which opened in a time when ‘secret’ and ‘hidden’ bars were all the rage in the city, has confirmed it’s closing down for good.
The bar has said that ‘persistent water issues in our old basement building’, along with rising costs, has led to them taking the touch decision to call it a day.
And the announcement comes just one week after Manchester bid farewell to another of its leading cocktail bars, when Red Light shut down.
Wood & Company is tucked away off Cross Street, disguised behind an almost completely anonymous door reading ‘Goods entrance, keep clear’.
The bar first opened in April 2016 on South King Street, taking over the former 39 Steps site, and was the work of the team behind fellow Manchester bars NoHo and Dusk Til Pawn.
From the outset, Wood & Company deliberately kept things low-key. There was no grand launch or flashy frontage – instead, drinkers had to find the unassuming entrance and head downstairs into a dark, intimate basement, where the focus was firmly on cocktails.
It quickly established a reputation for doing the basics exceptionally well, with a menu mixing classics with more inventive creations and bartenders who knew their stuff. While the ‘hidden bar’ trend eventually became something of a Manchester cliché, Wood & Company managed to outlast the fad and build a loyal following of its own.
Manchester cocktail bar Wood & Company has announced its shock closure
Over the years, its understated, New York-inspired atmosphere and serious approach to cocktails made it one of the city’s more enduring independent drinking spots.
But sadly, it’s now the end of the road.
Wood & Company said in a statement: “It is with a heavy heart that we announce this news.
“Unfortunately, due to persistent water issues in our old basement building and rising costs, we have made the difficult decision to close our doors for the final time after 10 years.
“Thank you to everyone who visited, many great nights were had.”
Daisy Jackson -
10th February 2024 
