Beloved London chophouse Blacklock is set to open their latest restaurant and first outside of the capital later this year, and it’s set to land right here in Manchester.
Officially announcing the new site on Monday, 11 March, the team behind Blacklock are set to bring their steak-centric expertise and loyal following of meat lovers to the city centre in the autumn and safe to say the news is already causing plenty of buzz amongst the local foodie community.
Blacklock Manchester will be opening their new and flagship Northern restaurant in a Grade II listed building, previously home to a textile merchant, on Peter Street — a lively street with plenty of other food and drink offerings which makes it the perfect location for their first foray outside of London.
Marking their sixth restaurant all told, and first outside of Britain’s foremost culinary hub, it only makes sense for the popular chophouse to open up shop in the city with the next biggest dining scene — yeah, we said it.
There’s always a healthy spreadTheir famous Sunday roastCredit: Blacklock
Renowned thanks to their modern take on the Great British chophouse, guests can expect a range of chops and high-quality steaks cooked over charcoal, not to mention plenty of cocktails created in line with their sustainable ‘pip-to-peel’ philosophy and wines on tap to wash it all down.
ADVERTISEMENT
Adored not only for catering to carnivores but to those with a sweet tooth as well courtesy of their signature pudding, an almighty white chocolate cheesecake served tableside and straight from the dish, complete with a loving ‘say when’ approach to portion sizes. Oh yes.
Their first restaurant opened up from a Soho basement and former brothel back in 2015 and the brand hasn’t stopped growing since. Founded by ex-lawyer Gordon Ker, he said of the announcement: “It’s long been a dream of mine and the team to open Blacklock in Greater Manchester given its vibrant and bustling culture and brilliant food scene.
ADVERTISEMENT
“It’s so important for us to be in buildings with character and history, and this part of Manchester has that in spades. I absolutely love the architecture in Manchester; the tiled basements, lightwells and stone frontages feel very us, and when a landlord asked what we thought of a basement hiding in plain sight beneath the bustle of Peter Street, I knew we’d found our perfect Manchester home.”
State of this naughty little number. Well, not little…
Quality produce and exceptional value are at the forefront of Blacklock’s mission, with all of their sustainably sourced meat coming from award-winning Cornish family farmers and butchers, Philip and Ian Warren.
Boasting an almost decade-long relationship with sustainable, regenerative farming and a no-waste approach to every facet of the business also helped earn them B Corp certification in 2023, and the franchise will be collaborating with new Northern suppliers to help champion the best local produce.
ADVERTISEMENT
And that’s one of the best parts: there’ll be brand new dishes debuted on the Manchester menu as well as their award-winning Sunday roast, with whole roasted joints roasted cooked over open coals, big Yorkshire puddings, duck fat roasties, plenty of veg and an unsparing amount of Blacklock gravy.
Exciting times indeed and they’re not the only southern exports soon to arrive on 0161’s doorstep, including another star steakhouse and one of London’s most popular restaurants right now.
Manchester’s viral sandwich shop Ad Maiora is selling HUGE butties for only 9p through Deliveroo
Daisy Jackson
Ad Maiora, the Italian sandwich shop that’s loved by Manchester City stars (and everyone else who’s sunk their teeth into one), is selling butties for only 9p this week.
The local business is famed for its authentic sandwiches filled with quality imported Italian ingredients, and for its super-sized versions of its delicious lunches.
And this week only, you’ll be able to pick up a hefty sandwich, called the Scran-wich, for only 9 English pence.
The limited-edition Schiacciata will have nine different components and weighs in at a whopping 500g (though it’s nothing on their 1kg beast we’ve tried before…)
Owners and couple Enrico and Daniela have spent weeks developing the perfect balance of flavours.
Each ingredient is sourced in Italy but inspired by places and sayings from Manchester.
So you’ll find spicy ‘supersonic’ salami, nowt better N’duja, mozzarella ‘footballs’, sliced Haçienda heritage tomatoes, ‘r kid Italian wild rocket, 0161 olives, lashings of mad fer it mayonnaise, ‘buzzing bee’ basil leaves and ‘let’s ave it’ red onions – all sandwiched between fresh homemade Scran-worthy Schiacciata bread.
The Scran-wich and its 9p sale have been created to celebrate Deliveroo’s ninth birthday, and there’ll be 300 available to order through Deliveroo.
The limited edition 9p ‘Scran-Wich’, available at Ad Maiora in Manchester through Deliveroo. Credit: Deliveroo/Dominic LipinskiAd Maiora is one of Manchester’s best sandwich shops and loved by celebs and locals
Enrico and Daniela, owners of Ad Maiora, said: “We’ve had so much support from the local community since we launched, so we were very excited when Deliveroo asked us to create a special Ad Maiora sandwich dedicated to the city of Manchester in celebration of their 9th birthday.
“We hope our customers love the limited-edition ‘Scran-wich’ – we’ve really enjoyed creating a sandwich that celebrates our city which makes this SUPER limited edition and special!”
Steffi Morel, Deliveroo city manager for Manchester, said: “It has been an absolute honour connecting Manc foodies to the best local restaurants at the click of a button for the last nine years.
“To celebrate, we’ve partnered with one of Manchester’s new local favourites, Ad Maiora, who’ve created the ultimate birthday ‘Scran-wich’, which pays homage to the city with every delicious bite! Deliveroo customers will need to be quick, as there are only 300 available!”
Ad Maiora’s Scran-wich is available for just 9p from Tuesday 30 April until Thursday 2 May through Deliveroo.
Medlock Canteen receives rave Guardian review from Jay Rayner just one month after opening
Daisy Jackson
Medlock Canteen, a new Manchester restaurant, has received a rave review in the Guardian just weeks after it opened.
National critic Jay Rayner has heaped praise upon the restaurant at Deansgate Square, describing it as ‘so special’.
The restaurant only opened its doors at the end of March, taking its inspiration from opposite sides of the pond – the laid-back style of American diners and the hospitality of Parisian bistros.
Rayner said it’s ‘a welcome haven for all’ and applauded its menu packed with ‘appealing, familiar dishes that are the best versions of themselves’.
Medlock Canteen comes from the team behind Madre (the Mexican restaurant at Kampus) and Belzan (one of Liverpool’s top restaurants).
But unlike those two restaurants, things are much simpler at their newest venture – this is a restaurant where you can order a fried egg with any meal, drink bottomless coffee, and even order the day’s ‘staff dinner’ for just a tenner.
Rayner dedicated almost an entire paragraph of his review to Medlock Canteen’s gravy (‘dark and sticky and deeply savoury’), which he said is so good you should just ‘order that and pour it over everything. Pour it over a friend’.
He also waxed lyrical about their rotisserie chicken (there are rows of the things rotating in the city’s first in-restaurant rotisserie chicken oven), of which he said: “It is everything those words promise and don’t always deliver. No special rubs or sauces. Just roast chicken, rested long enough for the meat to start shrugging itself off the bones. The skin is crisp and salty.”
Inside Medlock Canteen in Manchester, which just received a rave review in The Guardian. Credit: The Manc Group
Other dishes that were celebrated in the Guardian’s review of Medlock Canteen included a rhubarb pie, charcoal-grilled fish of the day, duck rillettes and pistachio frangipane tart.
The restaurant itself said there were ‘happy faces’ after the review was published over the weekend.
Medlock Canteen wrote on Instagram: “Manchester may be grey this Sunday, but let us tell you, there are a few happy faces both on and behind the scenes as we enjoy our morning brew, reading through the kind words of @jayrayner1 in the @guardian.
“Thanks go to our team and our guests for all the hard work, dedication, and pure passion that has made Medlock Canteen ‘a welcome haven for one and all.’
“Anyway, enough of that. Just another day. Just another ‘set of appealing, familiar dishes that are the best versions of themselves.’
“Caution: gravy jus may be thrown. Let Sunday service commence.”
Danny Jones -
11th March 2024 
