There are a lot of great beer gardens in Manchester. There are also a lot of places that claim to be ‘hidden gems’. But then, everything is a hidden gem if you don’t know where to look.
So allow us to introduce you to arguably the city’s best beer garden (more of a terrace really) with arguably the best view of the lot.
And I suppose it IS a hidden gem, in that it’s tucked way down the stairs below the Bridgewater Hall, not even visible from street level.
This is Society, a food hall and beer bar that crept into the city on the tail of Covid lockdowns.
Its outside space is pretty simple, just a few tables and benches, a handful of thriving planters, a string of fairy lights.
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But its setting is a stunner, right on the water’s edge of the Rochdale Canal, but that bit that calls itself a ‘lake’ and has a huge fountain.
Chaat Cart chicken at Society Manchester. Credit: The Manc GroupThe beer garden at Society Manchester. Credit: The Manc GroupVocation beers at Society. Credit: The Manc Group
The Society beer garden can officially call itself a sun trap too, thanks to its sunken position that shelters it from the blustery Manchester winds.
The beer is probably what the venue is best known for. It’s all operated by Vocation Brewery, with a whopping 44 lines of beer to work your way through, usually featuring a few rotating specials.
If beer’s not your thing, you’ll find a decent cocktail menu too, including a summer-ready limoncello spritz and a bright blue margarita.
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And then there’s the food. Society has a whole host of briliiant northern operators in residence in its kitchens.
There’s Chaat Caart, serving South Indian street food like masala chicken wings with gunpowder fries, hearty curries, and kebabs served on sourdough flatbreads.
Society is also home to Manzoku, where you’ll find katsu curries, bao, sushi, and wings.
Completing the food line-up are Noi Quattro with Neapolitan-style pizzas, Slap & Pickle with their legendary burgers, and Korean restaurant Yoki.
Family behind Salvi’s launch new concept, weeks after iconic restaurant closure
Daisy Jackson
Just weeks after the closure of its iconic, 16-year-old Italian restaurant in the Corn Exchange, the family behind Salvi’s have revealed a brand-new concept.
And this time, the reins are being handed over to the next generation.
Salvi’s founder Maurizio Cecco has helped to shape Amò, but it’s all the brainchild of his daughter, Sienna.
Sienna will run the business out of a unit up on Deansgate Mews, serving fresh pasta dishes, pizza sandwiches, tubs of tiramisu, and two-for-£10 spritzes.
The deli aspect of the original Salvi’s has been carried over to Amò too – you’ll find shelves almost to the ceiling filled with Italian pasta, wine, olive oils, pistachio spreads, and more.
Sienna has grown up in restaurants, with her parents launching Salvi’s when she was just two years old.
She said she wants the space to be a livelier, fresher version of the Italian restaurant that has been so loved by Mancs for so many years.
Sienna outside AmòFresh pasta dishesInside Amò by Salvi’sTheir viral frozen crema di caffeLemon granitaInside Amò by Salvi’sTiramisu pots
Amò, which is Neapolitan slang for ‘my love’, will have loads of fresh Italian dishes, including arancini, gnocchi, and hearty pasta plates.
At lunchtimes, guests can order from a £10 lunch menu, with dishes changing daily depending on the best produce the kitchen can get – it could be a pizza sandwich with proscuitto and tomato, a spicy pasta, or a gnocchi bake, always served with your choice of soft drink.
With its position on Deansgate Mews, Amò basks in the sunshine at lunchtimes.
And while it’s definitely a different concept to the original Salvi’s, Amò looks set to carry the family’s Italian food legacy into its next generation.
Award-winning Didsbury bakery La Chouquette reveals incredible new site
Daisy Jackson
La Chouquette is one of Greater Manchester’s top bakeries – an award-winner, with queues down the street every weekend for its authentic French pastries and loaves.
And now they’re ready for a new chapter, revealing a major expansion today.
Owners Catrina and Flo have painstakingly expanded the bakery into the unit next door, creating what feels like a true French bakery.
And in the midst of this huge renovation project, they’ve welcomed a tiny new baby boy – quite the summer for the couple.
Catrina and Flo launched La Chouquette in lockdown, and in a time where people could only get their hospitality fix from takeaways, immediately became one of the most popular spots in the region.
Their success has been so great, you’ll still consistently find queues down the street every weekend, for their top sellers like their authentic almond croissants.
Then in October 2024, they grew the business and launched Piqniq, a new deli in Didsbury village, serving freshly-baked baguette sandwiches, breakfast butties, toasties, tiramisu pots and their legendary pastries.
The new-look La Chouquette features beautiful details like mosaic floors, rich blue walls, wooden shelves, and brass light fixtures.
La Chouquette’s best-selling almond croissantsInside the stunning new La Chouquette in DidbsuryNew savoury bakesThe chausson aux pommesThe counter stuffed with artisan French bakesChocolate chip cookies and cinnamon buns
The huge new counter displays more pastries and breads than ever before, like a hearty chausson aux pommes filled with apples that will be perfect for autumn, plus seasonal treats like a rhubarb creme brulee pastry, and homemade quiche.
Speaking at the grand relaunch today, Catrina said: “The layout has changed, it looks so much more chic, it looks like a traditional French bakery. We’re really excited about it.”
As for what’s on the counter, Flo reassured fans that their beloved almond and pistachio croissants remain, but with some new savoury editions, like a truffle croque monsieur made with croissant dough.
La Choquette has reopened today, and will be open seven days a week from 7am until 5pm.
Daisy Jackson -
6th May 2023 
