Eats

Inside MAYA, Manchester’s stunning new three-storey canalside restaurant

Stunning.

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson - 7th March 2024

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.

The brasserie will be serving a modern-European menu of classics, in a bright and open space.

Maya is a new restaurant and bar on Canal Street in Manchester. Credit: The Manc Group
Maya is a new restaurant and bar on Canal Street in Manchester. Credit: The Manc Group
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.

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.

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.”

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.

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Featured Images – Supplied/The Manc Group

Eats

Manchester tapas spot Maricarmen open second city centre site

Danny Jones Danny Jones Maricarmen opening second site in Manchester

Affordable Manchester tapas spot Maricarmen has just finished launching its second site in town, doubling its city centre presence with the official opening on Thursday, 4 September.

Maricarmen launched on Great Ancoats Street back in June 2023 and quickly became a firm Manc favourite, famous for their £3.50 dishes

When it comes to their small plate approach, they serve up some of the best tapas in Manchester, and even the shopfront seats at their popular roadside location are regularly full regardless of passing traffic.

However, if there’s ever been one gripe we’ve had with the place, it’s that the outdoor area isn’t the most peaceful, even if it is a stunning suntrap on a warm day – that’s where the new restaurant comes in.

tapas in ancoats
Ancoats…
tapas in nq
… vs NQ
New but familiar (Credit: Supplied/The Manc Eats)

We’ve been semi-regular visitors of Maricarmen ever since it started out life as a pop-up just around from Cutting Room Square, and they’ve gained speed and reputation ever since.

Known not only for authentic, value-for-money tapas, but welcoming plenty of punters for a simple drink as one of the best places for a sangria in central Manchester, they’ve managed to stay relatively just not just when the weather is bright but throughout most seasons.

Overhauling the old 63 Degrees bistro in the Northern Quarter, which sadly had to shut its doors back in February, we’re glad to see that the building has now been reborn.

While the Ancoats restaurant is known for the aforementioned roving ‘El Tableo’ style of service inspired by southern Spain, the newest location will be slightly different, revealing not only lighter colours and Alicante beach influences with a focus on alfresco eating, but lots of new specials.

All we’ll say for now is bring on the pintxos, pints, patatas bravas and pretty much anything we had for their first birthday celebrations.

Created by Marian Diaz and Jose Nunez, who previously owned a tapas restaurant in Madrid, La Porcineria, which was sadly curtailed by Covid.

On the bright side, Manchester has been the greatest beneficiary of their fresh start, and we can’t wait to see what venue number two delivers.

Co-founder, Diaz, said of the new opening: “Maricarmen is about compassion, hard work, strength, reinvention, opening our minds & hearts and connecting with people. It’s more than just food, for us, it is the beautiful moment when we see our customers and our coworkers smile because they are here.” 

She went on to add, “To us, Manchester signifies the ability to reinvent and grow. The people here support you without expecting anything in return. It’s really beautiful. I have never felt this before in my life. […] We’ve built up such a loyal customer base of locals – many have become dear friends. 

“And to be in a position to open a second site within two years and share our love of good food and great times with Manchester’s Northern Quarter is quite unbelievable.”

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There really is a Costa Blanca beach house vibe to this bright, new yellow-accented corner of NQ and having tried some of their dishes, we can’t wait to get stuck in.

Be sure to follow them on socials too, not only for more announcements and updates but because it’ll give you an even better flavour of the vibes over there.

For now, best get building your appetite.

21 of the best tapas places in Manchester city centre and beyond
Yes, of course, they featured on the tapas round-up, and we’re sure the second Maricarmen site will too.

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

Featured Images — Maricarmen (supplied)/The Manc Group

Eats

Popular Manchester cafe and bakery Gooey brilliantly responds to ‘2/10’ TikTok review

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson Popular Manchester cafe and bakery Gooey brilliantly responds to '2/10' TikTok review

Gooey, easily one of Manchester’s busiest bakeries and brunch spots, has clapped back at a negative review on TikTok with a refreshingly honest statement.

The local business shot to fame initially with its chunky, gooey cookies, but has since expanded from its hatch to have its very own cafe, famed for its enormous French toasts and its sandwiches made with baked-in-house Shokupan bread.

Generally, Gooey gets an incredibly good rap, with queues that speak for themselves stretching from its doors down High Street.

But one TikToker has shared a less favourable video review of the business, slamming it as ‘one of the most disappointing food experiences I’ve ever had in my life’.

The reviewer in question specialises in finding places you could eat comfortably as a solo diner, and ranked Gooey an overall 8/10 – but slated the food at a 2/10.

And now Gooey has shared their side of things, defending themselves against the reviewer’s claims that the food is ‘expensive’ and ‘tastes like it could have been made at Greggs’.

“Not everyone is going to like what you do and that is absolutely fair enough,” they wrote in a statement.

Gooey continued: “We’re not usually in the business of responding to negative reviews.

Gooey clapped back at the review that said its sandwiches were 'too expensive'
Gooey clapped back at the review that said its sandwiches were 'too expensive'
Gooey clapped back at the review that said its sandwiches were ‘too expensive’

“What has made us respond to this review is how often I’m seeing local businesses like ours targeted on costs.”

The cafe then justified the £10.90 cost for a bacon and egg sandwich, pointing out the bacon is cured in-house and cut thick every day by hand; the bread is also baked in-house daily; even the ketchup and brown sauce are made from scratch.

“With all that said, yes, we do have to charge more than you would pay for a bacon butty at Greggs.

“Listen, I understand this criticism. I used to get a bacon and egg butty before college for £1.95 from my local butty shop.

“We cannot do that here. We are paying Manchester City Centre rent. We employ a team of chefs, bakers, front of house, and more.

“And we are trying to make the best version of a bacon sandwich that we could.”

Chunky cookies at Gooey
Chunky cookies at Gooey
Popular Manchester cafe and bakery Gooey brilliantly responds to '2/10' TikTok review
The Gooey French toast that the review claimed was ‘too sweet’

As for the complaints that the French toast is ‘too sweet’, Gooey clapped back: “Yes, our French Toast is sweet. It’s filled with dulce de leche and topped with maple syrup.

“We personally love it and it’s our most popular item but if you don’t like sweet things, you might not like it!”

Finally, in defence of rising prices across the hospitality industry, they signed off with this brilliant piece of insight.

“Every single independent cafe, restaurant and bar across this country is charging more than they would like to be doing for their dishes.

“In 99.99% of cases, this is not greed, or us being thick, or trying to rip people off. It is simply the only way to survive with the costs we are facing.

“Even then, many of us are struggling to make it work.”

Anyone fancy meeting at Gooey for a bacon sandwich later then?

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Featured image: The Manc Group

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