A luxury three-storey restaurant is set to open in a former warehouse building, right in the heart of Manchester.
MAYA has confirmed it will open this month in the beautiful building that’s also home to the LEVEN lifestyle hotel, on the corner of Canal Street and Chorlton Street.
Diners inside the 20th-century warehouse building will have views down the iconic cobbled street from the ground-floor brasserie, while the main dining room is tucked away below ground level.
The new opening, which was first announced back in 2022, comes from the same team behind Isabel Mayfair.
They want MAYA to provide a new all-day dining experience in Manchester, all the way through to the early hours.
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The brasserie will be serving a modern-European menu of classics, in a bright and open space.
Stunning.Maya is a new restaurant and bar on Canal Street in Manchester. (Credit: The Manc Group)
But downstairs it’s much more moody, with a menu that changes regularly to show off the best of each season.
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There’ll be a secluded and hidden lounge bar below the main dining room too.
The final touches to the site are now taking place ready for its long-awaited opening later this month.
Guests can expect a contract of styles, from bespoke handcrafted furniture from Portugal to disco-inspired neon installations.
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Even more stunning food.
MAYA wants to approach its opening with a ‘dinner plus’ concept, where your dining experience evolves into last-night entertainment, with a roster of DJs all week.
The food side of things is all headed up by Mancunian chef Gabe Lea, whose CV includes Michelin-starred Le Manoir and The French at the Midland Hotel.
The brand itself is the creation of Scottie Bhattarai who, alongside MAYA, is the CEO of Isabel Mayfair and its sister brands. Bhattarai has previously led restaurant brands in the Soho House stable, as well as taking Petersham Nurseries to Michelin-starred recognition.
Scottie said: “The term ‘iconic’ is often overused, but the location of Maya can truly claim the label. As we eagerly anticipate its spring opening, we aim to write a fresh new chapter for the city’s vibrant and wonderful hospitality scene.
“The team’s ongoing work over the past 18 months is to be applauded; the care and craft that has gone into ensuring every part of what will make MAYA unique is something that I am incredibly proud of.”
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Joshua Senior, CEO & Co-Founder, LEVEN added: ”Myself and the LEVEN team are delighted to be joined by Maya in our iconic, heritage building here in Manchester’s Village neighbourhood.
“The opening will offer our guests and locals alike a brand new dining experience – whether that be a canal-side lunch for two, or an all-night-long celebration with friends – Maya’s unique spaces will mean guests can enjoy things on their terms, a perfect fit with our ethos here at LEVEN.”
Bookings for MAYA in Manchester are now open ahead of its official launch on 30 March.
Didsbury favourite Rustik has confirmed its will sadly be closing this month
Danny Jones
West Didsbury favourite Rustik has sadly announced it will be closing for food after a decade at the end of this month.
The beloved Burton cafe and bar has been a staple of the tight-knit foodie neighbourhood since 2015, but now the independent Irish eatery has confirmed that the business will be shutting down permanently in less than a fortnight.
Confirmed on Wednesday afternoon, 17 September, the casual Manc restaurant and hangout informed their loyal followers of the unfortunate news.
Unsurprisingly, their social media has been awash with condolences, collective sadness and support for the local institution.
Posting across all of their accounts, Rustik wrote: “After an unforgettable 10 years on Burton Road, the time has come to close our doors. It’s hard to believe how far we’ve come — never in a million years did we imagine Rustik would grow into what it became.
“From the bottom of our hearts, thank you to every single one of you who walked through our doors and supported us along the way. We poured everything we had — our time, our energy, our lives into making Rustik a space for everyone. And what a ride it’s been.
“From the chaotic, beautiful brunch shifts to late nights dancing on tables to ‘Wagon Wheel’, pushing through the challenges of COVID and helping our community with meals during hard times— we’ve done it all, together.
“To our amazing staff, past and present: thank you for your hard work, your dedication, and the love you brought every single day. You helped build something truly special, and we’ll never be able to thank you enough.
“To the incredible musicians who filled our space with life — keep doing what you do. The noise complaints? 100% worth the unforgettable nights.”
The team go on to detail that the official closing date is Tuesday, 30 September, reiterating that it is “business running as usual until then” and urging fans to “come down, grab your last Rustik fix, and raise a glass with us one final time.”
Signing off with an emotional farewell, they add: “Lastly, a message close to our hearts: please support your local cafes, bars, and independents. Hospitality is tough right now, and they need your support more than ever.
“Thank you for the most incredible decade of our lives. It’s over and out from us.”
It goes without saying that we’re gutted to see Rustik go and know how much it meant not only to the Burton Road community, but also to the Didsbury community, Chorlton and many other Greater Manchester natives.
A ‘saucy’ new Korean fried chicken restaurant is opening in the Gay Village
Daisy Jackson
A brand-new Korean fried chicken restaurant and cocktail bar is set to open on Canal Street this week.
CLUK is promising some big deals and amazing giveaways to celebrate its launch in Manchester, including free food and prize draws.
The newcomer in the heart of the city will specialise in Korean-style crispy fried chicken, but also warming ramen bowls, and salt & pepper classics.
Signature dishes will include Korean cheese-powder fried chicken, and Cheese Volcano Chicken.
CLUK will also serve dishes like kimchi cheese loaded fries, salt & pepper chicken, and huge sharing platters.
You can customise your Korean fried chicken order by size, choosing between wings and boneless and picking a flavour out of honey garlic, sweet and spicy, honey mustard, and honey and sour.
They promise it’ll all be ‘saucy, crunchy, and seriously addictive’.
That’s all washed down with ice-cold beers and creative cocktails, like martinis, spritzes and sours.
CLUK is now open in the Gay Village in ManchesterA spread of CLUK dishesInside CLUK ManchesterFried chicken with Korean cheese powderInside CLUK Manchester
The CLUK team are hoping to create a fun late-night dining option for this buzzing corner of the city centre.
To celebrate its launch on Thursday 18 September, CLUK have announced a whole heap of promotions.
This includes free chicken bao for the first 50 guests to visit during the first five days.
Over the two week launch period, visitors can spin the wheel whenever you spend £12 – spend £24 and spin twice.
And there are big prizes available – the top prize is a £100 gift card or £50 cash, with other prizes including free drinks, food and a £3 voucher as a consolation prize.
Plus, anyone who buys a gift card and tops it up with £100 will receive a free beer or cider.
When those two weeks are up, CLUK will run a £1,000 prize draw.
Daisy Jackson -
7th March 2024 
