Lina Stores is set to open its very first restaurant in Manchester early next year, taking its beloved mix of handmade pasta and deli food outside of London for the first time.
80 years after opening for the first time in Soho, Lina Stores is heading north to open a 150-cover restaurant.
Blending coffee shop, delicatessen, restaurant, and bar, the new space will be styled in traditional Lina Stores shades of pastel green hues, warm timber woods, and terrazzo and timber flooring.
You’ll find bespoke marble tables, original vintage Bentwood chairs, dark green booth seating and opaline globe lighting inspired by the original Brewer Street delicatessen.
Diners will be spoilt with an Italian-inspired breakfast menu, featuring dishes like truffle scrambled eggs with toasted sourdough, Greek yoghurt with Italian Macedonia fruit salad, and a selection of breakfast panini.
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At lunchtimes and dinner there’ll be antipasti such as ricotta and herb gnudi fritti with Calabrian chilli marmellata, and tuna crudo with capers, pink peppercorn and salsa verde.
Lina Stores Manchester will have the brand’s beloved pasta dishes, such as the 30-egg yolk taglioni with black truffle, and lamb sausage ragu pappardelle, plus new options like lemon sole and potato raviolo.
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For secondi (because this is Italy darling, you can have two mains!) there are dishes like chicken Milanese and Luganega fennel sausage.
And for dessert, it’s set to be a feast of Sicilian cannolo (filled with ricotta, pistachio and chocolate) and tiramisu.
Lina Stores – Italian deli restaurant serving homemade pasta and more is heading to Manchester. Credit: Rebecca Hope
In the open-plan delicatessen, you’ll be able to grab filling salads, freshly-made panini, and delicate cakes and pastries.
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Shelves will be stocked with Lina Stores Collection pantry essentials, from olive oil to traditional biscotti.
And just next to that will be Bar Lina, serving classic and modern Italian cocktails for aperitivo hour until late at night.
Expect favourites like the bloody martini, Rinomata americano, and the basilico with gin, vermouth, basil and lemon.
The bar will have a versatile wine list from all corners of Italy, including the brand’s own signature collection.
Lina Stores Manchester will be located on Quay Street in the recently-refurbished Quoin building, right opposite the Opera House theatre.
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Masha Rener, Head Chef of Lina Stores, said: “We’re extremely excited to be opening in Manchester this spring.
“The city feels like a natural home for us considering the area’s rich history, vibrant culinary scene and lively nightlife, and look forward to sharing our passion of great Italian food and produce with the Manchester community.
“Quay Street is the perfect location for us to do so, sitting right in the trifecta of Spinningfields, St John Street and St Peter’s Square.”
There’s a non-alocholic pairing dinner coming to Manchester this Dry Jan
Thomas Melia
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A one-night-only pairing of two dining out staples from the food and drink world is coming to Manchester next month, and it also happens to be non-alcoholic for anyone doing Dry January.
Taking place at the wonderful Maray over on Lincoln Square, each dish served throughout the night will be expertly paired with a non-alcoholic drink from zero-per cent experts, Lucky Saint.
This Middle Eastern eatery is always surprising its diners, last September they made their infamous roasts free for one day only, and this upcoming event is sure to be as exciting with its unique tastings.
Lucky Saint came to fruition after partnering with a historical brewery in Bavaria who’ve produced beer for over 400 years, creating a non alcoholic alternative which greeted UK drinkers in 2020.
Lucky Saint will be readily available and paired with every meal.Diners can expect some sensational food as always from Maray. Credit: Publicity Picture (Supplied)
Titled ‘The Official Beer Of Dry January’, supplying IPAs and lagers to a host of stockists, not only are their products fully non-alcoholic but they’re also entirely plant-based – meaning they’re the perfect tie-in with Veganuary.
If their website is anything to go by, diners are set to enjoy refreshments such as their unfiltered lager and a 0.5% ‘Hazy’ IPA which contains juicy tropical notes. Don’t mind if we do.
Although it’s hard to say what the food offerings may be, it’s guaranteed that anyone who attends is in for a treat as this site has even served famous faces like Dua Lipa back in 2022 while she was on tour.
Their vegan menu features some meat free feasts like a falafel sharer and a delicious oyster mushroom shwarma, it’s a well-loved restaurant.
Vegans are certainly catered for at this event as it’s not only the free-flowing drinks that contain no animal products, there will also be an entirely vegan menu on hand.
Maray have multiple locations but anyone who couldn’t get enough of the flavours the first time in Manchester can attend their Liverpool pairing dinner which is happening the very next day.
The Maray x Lucky Saint Dry January Pairing Dinner is coming to Manchester on Wednesday, 15 January from 7-9:30pm with tickets live HERE.
And if you’re looking for other places to enjoy a guilt-free drink in the city centre this month, we’ve got a few suggestions for you:
Doing #DryJan doesn't have to mean staying in or saying goodbye to the pub. 🍹
‘That’s the end’ – Gary Usher announces shock closure of one of his bistros
Daisy Jackson
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Celebrity chef Gary Usher has announced the closure of one his award-winning restaurants.
He’s shared today that Burnt Truffle, part of his Elite Bistros enterprise and the restaurant that launched his Crowdfunding business model, has ‘closed for good’.
The acclaimed restaurant opened almost a decade ago, with hundreds of prospective customers investing in the business in exchange for vouchers to spend when the doors opened.
Following the success of that, Gary Usher went on to run Kickstarters for several other restaurants, including Kala in Manchester city centre and Hispi in Didsbury.
The group’s most recent opening was The White Horse in 2023, its first venture into the world of pubs.
Elite Bistros has been a rare example of a neighbourhood restaurant that’s managed to weather the sh*tstorm of rising costs that has hit hospitality since 2020 – until now.
Burnt Truffle has closed with immediate effect, with Usher saying he’s ‘never been able to make it work here’.
He stressed that all suppliers, VAT and rent is paid, that the staff who have sadly been made redundant have also been paid, and that anyone with vouchers to spend can do so at the remaining Elite Bistros sites.
Gary Usher announcing the closure of Burnt Truffle today. Credit: X, GaryUsher_Burnt Truffle has closed with immediate effect. Instagram, @burnt_truffle
He said: “I need to share some news with you and unfortunately it’s not great news. I’m sat here in Burnt Truffle and we are now closed. We’re closed for good.
“I had a 10 year lease and that lease has come to an end. I could have renewed that lease but the honest truth is I’ve never been able to make it work here.
“I’ve been quite vocal about how difficult the government have made it over the last few years, but ultimately I’ve never been able to make it work here, so the best business decision for us is to close.”
Some news.@BuRntTruffle is now closed. Thank you to all the team & all the guests over the last 10 years. Our lease has come to an end & we have decided to part ways. All our bills are paid & all vouchers will be redeemed. From all of us at Burnt Truffle, Thank you & good night. pic.twitter.com/r9eisksJwb
He continued: “It’s a sad day, it really is. You know, when I think back to when we opened here, we had the likes of Jay Rayner and Lisa Markwell coming, and we got two rosettes quite quickly too.
“We were the first crowdfunded restaurant in the UK with non-investment crowdfunding. So that started our journey with crowdfunding, actually.
“So what does it mean for the business moving forward? Well, we carry on. We just keep going, we keep trying, and we keep innovating to get through these tough times. And, and that’s it really.
“Thank you to everyone that came, thank you to all the team. Thanks to all the guests. We’ve loved being in Heswall. We’ve loved being in Burnt Truffle, but that’s the end.”
Daisy Jackson -
5th September 2024 
