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.
New croissants-by-day, pizza-by-night cafe and bar opens in Altrincham
Daisy Jackson
A new food and drink concept is opening its doors in Altrincham today, serving perfect personal-sized pizzas by night, and coffee and croissants by day.
The much-loved Irish Deli has sadly closed its doors, but the team are immediately rolling in a brand-new concept for the town.
Under one roof, Paddy’s will be the new home of Flakey (famed for their enormous, filled sweet and savoury croissants) as well as a pizza and cocktail bar.
The two concepts will share the cosy space beside Kennedy’s Irish Bar, right in the heart of Altrincham.
Customers will be able to pop in Monday to Sunday to pick up Flakey’s stuffed croissants, along with speciality coffee and matcha.
There’ll be savoury fillings like the Buff Italian (vegetable caponata, buffalo mozzarella, and pesto) and the New Yorker (Emmental, pastrami, sauerkraut and pickles), plus sweet options like the Sticky BC (vanilla Basque cheesecake and Biscoff).
Speciality drinks and stuffed Flakey croissantsThe team outside Paddy’sAn individual pizza with Paddy’s Punch frozen cocktail
By night, Paddy’s will take the stage, named after the former Irish terrier of the owner’s grandmother.
These individually-sized, handcrafted pan-pizzas will be loaded with toppings like the Paddy’s Pep with chilli and burrata, and The Dubliner with Irish sausage and pickled red onion.
During opening week (30 July – 2 August) Paddy’s is offering 50% off all pizzas for guests at Kennedy’s between the hours of 3pm-5pm.
Owners, Dan Mullen and John Kennedy said: “We’ve designed it to evolve throughout the day – start with coffee and croissants, come back for pizza, and stay for a pint or a cocktail. It’s one site, two distinct food experiences, and neither compromises the other.
“Two brands sharing one building with completely different moods, and we think Altrincham is going to love both. Our goal is to create a venue that’s full of life from open til close.”
Ahead of opening, Paddy’s is hosting a pizza hunt, where twenty branded Pizza-Pan boxes will be hidden around Altrincham, each containing a voucher, t-shirt, drinks voucher or – for the lucky few – a “pizza for life” keyring. Clues will be revealed daily on Instagram, with finders posting under #PaddysPizzaHunt to claim their prize and a free pizza on opening night.
Manchester institution Salvi’s announces closure of original city centre restaurant
Danny Jones
One of Manchester’s oldest and most loved Italian restaurants, Salvi’s, has sadly announced that they are closing their original restaurant after more than a decade and a half.
Having served authentic recipes from Naples and been at the forefront of the cuisine in this city for well over 15 years, it can be hard to remember a time before Salvi’s.
With that in mind, we’re gutted to hear that their OG location over in the Corn Exchange is now shutting its doors imminently.
But fret not: it’s not all doom and gloom, as they promise this isn’t the last you’ll see of them.
Often considered the first true Manc-Neapolitan eatery, which turned from a small counter and deli into, at one point, a big and beloved group of local independent restaurants with multiple locations, most people know the name and the sign, and plenty have patronised them since day one.
Sharing an emotional message in the caption of the post above, founder Maurizio Cecco and his wife Claire said: “For sixteen years, Salvi’s has been part of Manchester’s story. We’re incredibly proud of everything we’ve built together.
“As the city changes, independent businesses have to change too. Today will be our last day of trading at Corn Exchange. Thank you to everyone who has been part of our journey all these years.
“This isn’t the end of our story; it’s the beginning of a new chapter – stay tuned. Grazie Mille.”
Unsurprisingly, the reaction to the news has been bittersweet, with people obviously saddened to hear of this latest closure but also looking back fondly on its past.
One person wrote in the comments: “I remember launching this amazing place all those years ago and have continued to watch you thrive!! Best of luck for the future!” Another added: “Will miss Salvi’s great food, great staff, not forgetting the Italian festival. All the best, Maurizio and family in your new adventure
As mentioned, it’s also worth noting that Maurizio and Claire are also behind the equally famous Festa Italiana, which draws crowds of tens of thousands across a full weekend every single year.
Having been regulars and firm fans of both their first family-owned flagship site and the aforementioned festival for many years, we’re equally gutted to see it go.
But as they made clear, this is not a definite ending for the brand, and it’s safe to say we’ll be eagerly awaiting whatever comes next.
Thanks for the memories and all the incredible food and drink you’ve served us – we hope we hear from you again sometime very soon.
Daisy Jackson -
7th March 2024 
