Manchester’s beloved bakery and brunch spot Gooey has opened its second location in Manchester city centre.
The bakery is famed for its chunky freshly-baked cookies, its pillow-soft doughnuts, and its sticky, icing-topped cinnamon rolls, as well as viral brunch dishes.
And now it’s expanded with a second cafe of its own, down at Circle Square on Oxford Road.
For the first time ever, you’ll be able to get your hands on a Gooey meal deal – a homemade sandwich to go, one of their famous cookies, and a drink, for £10.50.
Take out sandwich fillings include chicken Caesar, deli classics, and egg salad.
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And exclusive to this new location are speciality drinks, like French toast iced lattes and strawberry matcha.
That’s alongside all the brunch favourites such as gigantic cubes of French toast stuffed with dulce de leche, gooey egg sandos on toasted Shokupan bread, avo on toast, and perfect hash browns.
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Gooey has taken over the old Doug’s site, a burger joint which has quietly departed the city in the last year.
The new Gooey siteGooey on Oxford Road, ManchesterThe new Gooey meal dealGooey’s viral French toast and cinnamon bunsDoughnuts and cookiesThe exclusive new iced specialty drinksGooey is now open at Circle Square
It joins a thriving local food and drink scene at Circle Square that includes Onda, Federal, Hello Oriental, Half Dozen Other, and Monkey Trio.
This is Gooey’s biggest site yet at 70 covers, joining its existing cafe in the Northern Quarter as well as its kiosks across the North West (Manchester Airport, Ducie Street Warehouse, Selfridges Trafford Centre, and in Liverpool).
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To celebrate their opening, Gooey will be giving away 100 free sandwiches,100 free iced matcha and 200 cookies from midday on Thursday 14 May.
Charlotte Wild, associate retail director at Bruntwood SciTech, said: “The Gooey kiosk was a huge success in Circle Square and we are pleased that the team is now moving to a bigger unit to bring even more sweet baked treats to Circle Square.
“The new cafe looks great and the increased capacity will ensure even more customers can enjoy the delicious menu. We are delighted to support the success of a local home grown brand as it continues its expansion.”
Gooey is open daily seven days a week, from 8am to 5pm, at No.1 Circle Square on Oxford Road.
40-year-old Chinatown restaurant warns ‘we won’t last another decade’ in defiant statement
Daisy Jackson
There are some businesses that feel so much a part of the fabric of Manchester, it’s hard to imagine the city without them.
But a defiant statement from Happy Seasons, a decades-old family-run restaurant in Chinatown, has said that it’s ‘not sure how businesses like ours will survive in this new world’.
They wrote that is ‘feels like everything is stacked against small businesses’ and said ‘we won’t last another 5-10 years’.
Happy Seasons has been a cornerstone of Chinatown for more than 40 years, famed for its roast meats (proudly hung in the windows) and traditional Cantonese dishes.
Everyone who works in the restaurant has been in the trade for more than 20 years, they wrote, adding ‘it’s all they’ve ever known’.
Happy Seasons has said that their type of business – where everything is made fresh, from scratch, daily – is ‘slowly fading’.
They wrote: “Younger generations are slowly stepping away from hospitality. The government continues to increase costs on our industry, while bills, rent, and even basic stock keep rising. Sometimes it feels like everything is stacked against small businesses.”
Roast meats in the windows of Happy SeasonsHappy Seasons has been in Chinatown for more than 40 years
The restaurant added: “We don’t think places like ours will last another decade if things continue the way they are.”
But in their defiant video shared to customers, the Chinese restaurant said: “We’re not going to let that stop us.
“We’re still going to put the hours in. We’re still going to make everything fresh. We’re still not going to cut corners.
“From our sauces and roasted meats to our soy sauce and sweet and sour sauce, so much of what we serve is made from scratch. The time, effort, and cost that go into these everyday dishes are much higher than they used to be.
“Even though it’s costing us more and more to operate, we’re going to do our best to stick around for as long as we can. Because there may come a day when traditional Chinese food, made the old fashioned way, becomes much harder to find here in the UK.
“So let’s make this one hell of a decade. Thank you for all the support over the years. It truly means the world to us.”
It’s since expanded, launching in Sheffield earlier this year – and now Forbici has set its sights on the Trafford Centre.
The Neapolitan pizzeria will be taking over the former Franco Manca site in The Orient, bringing its biga dough and biga crusts with it to its third location.
Pizza dough here is slow-fermented to create a light, risen crust, before being topped with quality ingredients like San Marzano tomatoes and Italian produce.
Forbici will be bringing their Manchester special, the Lancashire Hotpot, to the Trafford Centre – a pizza topped with crisps.
Other signatures include the Provola e Pepe (topped with San Marzano tomato, smoked provola, black pepper and fresh basil), as well as indulgent white-base pizzas such as the Porcini e Tartufo, loaded with Fior di latte, porcini mushrooms, Italian truffle sauce and chives.
Forbici translates as ‘scissors’ in Italian, and pizzas here are always served with scissors rather than a knife and fork – diners are encouraged to snip their dinner into quarters for the ultimate pizza experience.
Toni Dennan at Forbici said: “We don’t believe pizza should ever be ordinary. Forbici is rooted in the traditions of Naples, made with real craft and precision, but it’s also built with the energy, creativity and ambition of the cities and locations we call home.
“Every detail matters to us, from the dough and ingredients to the atmosphere in the pizzeria. Opening at Trafford Centre gives us the opportunity to bring that experience to even more people and show that pizza, when it’s done properly, can still surprise, delight and create a real sense of occasion.”
Simon Layton, Centre Director at Trafford Centre, said: “We’re delighted to announce that Forbici will be joining us at Trafford Centre, adding to our ever-evolving range of fantastic restaurants.
“As a local success story, we’re thrilled to be championing another Manchester success story, and look forward to sampling some of their delicious pizzas when they open this summer.”
Forbici will open at The Orient at the Trafford Centre this summer.
Daisy Jackson -
13th May 2026 
