Eats

Massive queues as NQ brunch favourite 19 Cafe Bar reopens after refurb

Fans of the hit brunch spot queued up in their droves as the cafe reopened its doors

Georgina Pellant Georgina Pellant - 13th March 2023

Massive queues formed up the street this weekend as fans flocked to the newly-reopened Northern Quarter brunch favourite 19 Cafe Bar.

This blink-and-you’ll-miss-it spot has become an absolute go-to over the years for all-day breakfasts and naughty pancakes, thanks in part to its chocolate bar-laden menu.

It has been closed for several weeks whilst undergoing a refurbishment but reopened its doors on Saturday with a brand new look.

Tucked away on Lever Street in the shadow of Piccadilly’s bus stops, if it wasn’t for the huge queues stretching down the road this weekend it would be very easy to walk on by.

The cafe is worth seeking out though, with its Biscoff and Kinder Bueno pancakes both big draws amongst its fans.

ADVERTISEMENT
Image: 19 Cafe Bar
Image: 19 Cafe Bar

Loaded with the likes of Biscoff crumb and spread, banana, ice cream and salted caramel sauce, or homemade Kinder sauce, Bueno, chocolate sauce, roasted hazelnuts and vanilla ice cream, if you’re in the mood for a treat this is where to find it.

There are healthier pancake options too and a strong list of brunch cocktails available from the bar, with pornstar and espresso martinis, Aperol spritz, bloody marys and mimosas all on offer from 9am.

ADVERTISEMENT

On the drinks front, you’ll find special hot drinks like gingerbread lattes and Terry’s hot chocolate served alongside proper builder’s brews, chai lattes, hot Biscoff, coffees and more.

Read more:

Image: 19 Cafe Bar
Image: 19 Cafe Bar

Elsewhere on the menu, you’ll find traditional English and Irish fry ups, a bacon and black pudding benedict, salmon and avocado bagels, indulgent French toasts and loaded breakfast brioche buns.

ADVERTISEMENT

Extras are available to add on from £1.50, with options like fried eggs, toast, Bury black pudding, smoked salmon, hollandaise and halloumi all on offer.

Read more: Lizzo raves about Manchester bakery Gooey whilst visiting on UK tour

The cafe is reopened now with a brand new look, serving its hit all-day breakfast menu from 9am to 5pm seven days a week.

Feature image – 19 Cafe Bar

Eats

Inside Popeyes as fried chicken restaurant opens its first Manchester drive-thru

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson

Popeyes is ready to open its first-ever Greater Manchester drive-thru restaurant, where you can pick up its legendary Louisiana-style fried chicken and shakes.

To celebrate its launch, Popeyes will be giving away free chicken sandwiches for a year to the first people in the queue – and when it launched at Piccadilly Gardens, someone waited outside for 16 hours.

People really love this chicken…

In the blink of an eye, the colourful orange and blue building has taken shape on Bury New Road, where hungry diners can pick up meals in the drive-thru or order ahead for curbside collection.

Customers dining in can order through a QR code or touch-screens, before sitting down at one of the many orange booths to tuck into trays piled high with sandwiches, tenders, mac and cheese, and more.

There are 72 indoors plus an outside dining area, dual-ordering lanes, and designated bays for pre-orders.

Popeyes is famed for its viral ‘shatter crunch’-coated fried chicken, its Southern US biscuits and gravy, and its brekkie menu where British classics are given a New Orleans twist.

Inside Greater Manchester's new Popeyes drive-thru
Inside Greater Manchester's new Popeyes drive-thru
Inside Greater Manchester's new Popeyes drive-thru
Inside Greater Manchester’s new Popeyes drive-thru

The doors and lanes to the new chicken shop will officially open on Friday 26 April at 11am.

The first three people queueing both on foot and in cars will win free chicken sandwiches for a year, and the first 25 in both queues will get a free chicken sandwich and exclusive merch.

This new Popeyes marks the brand’s 11th opening in 2024, and 47th since launching in the UK in 2021.

You’ll find it at 288-292 unit Bury New Rd, M7 2YJ, right next to the McDonald’s and Tim Horton’s on the border of Prestwich.

Read more:

For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images — The Manc Group

Eats

Skof, Manchester’s most hotly-anticipated restaurant, confirms opening date and menu prices

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson Tom Barnes with the team outside Skof, a new restaurant opening in Manchester in May. Credit: Supplied

A restaurant with a serious Michelin pedigree is set to open in Manchester very soon, as chef Tom Barnes readies to launch Skof and gives a glimpse into its menu.

Tom’s impressive CV includes time spent at L’Enclume, the three-Michelin star Lake District restaurant widely considered one of the best in the world, and he’ll bring that same farm-to-table ethos to the city centre with his debut restaurant.

Skof will be taking over a historic building in the NOMA neighbourhood, right by Manchester Victoria, with an official opening date now locked in.

Skof is set to launch on Wednesday 29 May, with bookings going live today and tables available all the way through to 14 September (and likely to fill up fast).

Tom Barnes has also teased what’s to come on his menu, with two different tasting menus available.

Skof will have a 12-course tasting menu priced at £120, and a 15-course menu for £165 – plus a £50, four-course lunch offering.

The restaurant will be owned and operated by Tom but falls under Simon Rogan’s UMBEL Restaurants group, and he’ll be weaving in new suppliers as well as using daily deliveries of produce grown specifically for him from Simon Rogan’s Our Farm in the Cartmel Valley.

He’ll be using small-scale suppliers such as Cinderwood Market Garden in Nantwich and Lake District Farmers to fill his exciting menu of home-grown dishes.

The first set of menus will include dishes like roasted Sladesdown duck, peach leaf, Ibis celeriac, and wholemeal bread; Berkswell cheese sable biscuit, crushed broad beans, whipped roe, and bronze fennel; and a lightly set custard, served with Hen-of-the-Woods mushrooms, truffle, and mushroom dashi.

Tom Barnes with the team outside Skof, a new restaurant opening in Manchester in May which has confirmed its launch date and menu prices. Credit: Supplied
Tom Barnes with the team outside Skof, a new restaurant opening in Manchester in May which has confirmed its launch date and menu prices. Credit: Supplied

There’ll be a lot of thought that goes in to the drinks pairings too, working with restaurant manager Sean Oakford and assistant restaurant manager Max Lawrence (both ex-L’Enclume), on a range of drinks options to include alcohol-free or mixed-alcohol pairings, or matching wines to go with the menu.

Tom has also collaborated with Manchester brewery, Track to create Sidney, a light and refreshing beer intended as an alternative to kick off the meal.

Tom Barnes said: “It’s been a long time coming, so I’m excited to be able to finally release our reservations. I can’t wait to share what we’ve been working on and to return some of the incredible hospitality I’ve received from the people of Manchester.

“With Skof, my purpose is to create an incredible experience that focuses on great quality ingredients but above all, puts a smile on peoples faces.”

Skof will open in Manchester’s NOMA district on Wednesday 29 May.

Read more

Featured image: Supplied

More Eats

free popeyes fried chicken sandwiches manchester drive-thru opening date

Bury

Popeyes is giving away FREE chicken sandwiches to celebrate the opening of their second Manchester site

Sacha Lord calls Kala the best Sunday roast he's had in ages

City Centre

Sacha Lord hails Manchester restaurant for serving up ‘the best Sunday roast’ he’s had ‘in ages’

Amma's Canteen in Chorlton has closed

Eats

Beloved Chorlton Indian restaurant Amma’s Canteen announces sudden closure

Audio

Clint Boon takes us around Manchester's iconic Deaf Institute

Eats

We go meatballs deep with Mira's traditional Neapolitan sandwiches