The home of the now-famous 22” pizza pies and slices is opening a new restaurant at the corner site of Manchester’s newest city centre garden neighbourhood.
Serving up its much-loved and best selling Original Cheese, Do You ‘Roni Honey?, and Vegan Deluxe pizzas to hungry Mancunians, Nell’s at KAMPUS will feature a restaurant where you can make bookings for groups of all sizes, a bar, and also stand-alone ‘Slice Bar’, so people can pop in for a quick slice on-the-go all day and late into the evening.
Of course, while the best-sellers are on the menu, there’s also some new additions to the new restaurant site, including a range of snacks and signature cocktails to join the pizza line up.
Famous for the attention-to-detail in the dough, and not content with just repurposing the 48-hour dough used for their pizza, Nell’s founder Jonny Heyes went back to the mixer and developed a new focaccia-style dough, baked and topped with either Nell’s signature marinara, extra garlic and basil or with rocket, burrata and crushed pepper.
The home of the now-famous 22” pizza pies and slices is coming to KAMPUS / Credit: Instagram (@nellspizza)
Nell’s new location at KAMPUS will keep its title as one of the best beer slinger in the city with 17 lines pouring a selection of house beers, rotating specials from visiting breweries, and some local favourites, as well as a wine list that’s made up entirely of wines you just want to drink, in large glasses, all night.
The Nell’s team has even developed a new cocktail menu for the KAMPUS opening too, with three signature cocktails – Nell’s Sbagliato, Nell’s Spritz, and Nell’s Sour.
And if you’re really looking to get the full Nell’s experience, then make sure to keep Sunday free in your diary, as Sundays will be all about bottomless slices, bottomless drinks, and DJs, as part of the launch of ‘Sunday Pizza Social’.
Bookings for this can be made online or in house, with tables for large groups available.
Nell’s NY Pizza & Bar opens at KAMPUS on Friday 5 November / Credit: KAMPUS
Nell’s at KAMPUS takes the place of Cornerstone – the pub which owners Jonny and Charlotte Heyes had planned initially for this space – and to give a little more insight into the change of plan, Jonny said: “We decided to make a change from our original concept for KAMPUS – it wasn’t an easy decision, but we felt like so much had changed since we began this project at Kampus and Cornerstone started to feel like a ‘pre-COVID’ idea, which of course it was.
“KAMPUS had been intended as the first ever Nell’s, but in fact we’re already now operating at two sites.
“So much of our focus over the last year has been on Nell’s, so we thought it didn’t make sense to have it playing second fiddle to Cornerstone.
“Now felt like the right time for Nell’s to step out of the shadows and have a place of her own.”
Bar Shrimp announces opening date as Higher Ground team gear up for new project
Daisy Jackson
Bar Shrimp, a new seafood and cocktail bar in Manchester from the team behind Higher Ground, has officially got itself an opening date.
The hotly-anticipated newcomer will be serving cocktails, beers, and British seafood and snacks from its spot on New York Street.
As well as confirming an October launch date, the team have also shared a glimpse of the menu Mancs can expect from next month.
Bar Shrimp will be offering an Oyster Happy Hour every weekday, as well as caviar with house-cut crisps, devilled eggs, and Sussex smokie fritters.
Expect shellfish over ice, Cornish crab cocktail, bar snack classics and even beef burgers.
It comes from the same team behind Higher Ground and Flawd, headed up again by hospitality dream team Joseph Otway, Daniel Craig Martin and Richard Cossins.
And they’ve partnered with Stockport-based MasterSounds, to install a state-of-the-art custom-designed sound system with music director Lukas Stankunas curating the music programming on a weekly basis.
They say the venue will be a ‘dynamic space where the music and energy evolves throughout the evening’.
The team behind award-winning Higher Ground are opening a new seafood bar, Bar Shrimp, in Manchester
Inside, it’ll be decorated with plush-red banquettes, floor-to-ceiling drapes, and table service throughout.
Matt Pazos, Bruntwood SciTech Retail Commercial Manager, said of the announcement: “Bar Shrimp promises to be another big success for the team and we can’t wait to welcome them to Faulkner House.
“This exciting new concept, bringing together the team’s exceptional knowledge and experience of food and hospitality combined with their passion for music, will further complement the thriving community in this part of Manchester city centre.”
Walk-ins will be welcomed for drinks but reservations are encouraged for dining.
Reservations for Bar Shrimp have gone live today ahead of its official launch on Wednesday 22 October – sign up HERE.
A long-standing Italian restaurant in Trafford has sadly announced its imminent closure
Danny Jones
Another day, another bit of unfortunate hospitality news, as long-standing Greater Manchester restaurant, Little Italy in Timperley, has announced it is closing permanently very soon.
The Trafford favourite, which has been serving locals for nearly 20 years, has informed regular diners that it will sadly be closing its doors for good, with Little Italy’s final service set for later this month.
Having earned plenty of praise in its time, including being one of the few spots in and around the Altrincham area to have won a TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence in 2015, before the borough saw its foodie boom begin.
But fast forward a decade, and the Timperley institution is yet another culinary casualty to be confirmed of late, with Little Italy sharing a tear-jerking statement online.
Sharing the tragic news on social media this Friday (5 Sep), the restaurant wrote: “To all our lovely customers, it is with a heavy heart that we share some news with you all. After over 18 years of serving you all in Timperley, we will be closing our doors later this month.
“This has not been an easy decision. Unfortunately, rising costs and a significant increase in rental [costs] have made it impossible to continue in a sustainable way. As much as we love what we do, the reality is that it has become too difficult to maintain under these circumstances.
“Over the coming weeks, we will continue to cook with love and serve with the same passion as always. We would love to see you all and share one more meal, and raise a glass together.”
Safe to say that the post has been met with an outpouring of condolences and support from natives nearby and those who have travelled to enjoy their food.
Little Italy went on to add that they will detail more about their final week of business as soon as possible.
They can’t be accused of not keeping up with times and not trying to promote via social media either, as they small family-run team – headed up by Sam Cauchi, who bought the site back in 2008 – have always given things a go besides the day-to-day operation of the restaurant.
Being one of many saddened customers to respond underneath the announcement, we couldn’t possibly sum up things better than local Vanessa Nice, who said: “Look at all these amazing comments – you certainly made your mark as a home from home for the residents of Timperley.
“The end of an era will always be sad, but sometimes life and families have to move on.”
As for Cauchi and co., they signed off by simply adding: “From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for your support, kindness and friendship over the years. Timperley has been our home, and you have all been our family.
“Love from all the team at Little Italy.”
It goes without saying that we’re gutted for the gang and our thoughts are with everyone involved at this difficult time. For now, we can only say thank you to the countless Greater Manchester locations that continue to fall foul in the face of the rising pressures industry-wide. Case and point…
Emily Sergeant -
20th October 2021 
