Manc pizza favourites Nell’s have announced they are opening a new location in Altrincham later this year, meaning the Trafford market town will finally get a taste of their legendary 22-inch pizzas.
Best known for boasting the largest pizza in the city, ever inventive twists on their New York-style slices, equally popular ice cream sandwiches, great cocktails and more, Nell’s has got to be up there with one of the most universally loved foodie spots in Manchester.
And soon to unveil what will be their fifth location to date over in Alty, the brand is now expanding even further across Greater Manchester, with the latest Nell’s site scheduled for September 2024.
It seems crazy to think they first launched in lockdown and how far the brand has come since then, having revealed that they will also be opening another city centre location this autumn too.
With three existing locations – the OG one over at Common in NQ, the canal-side spot at Kampus and from the kitchens of The Beagle in Chorlton – this is the furthest Nell’s has ever ventured from the city limits and is yet another great addition to Altrincham‘s ever-growing hospitality scene.
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The new restaurant is set to pop up in the bustling Stamford Quarter’s new Foundation building and workspace on George Street, featuring a huge bar and outside area.
Better yet, this new space is literally spitting distance from the Altrincham Interchange, meaning those coming into the area will only have to trot across the road to get a taste of one of Manchester’s very best pizzas.
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If you’ve somehow never sampled Nell’s before, you can get their pizza by the slice, a perfectly sufficient 14″ pie or the frankly ridiculously 22″ (he says knowing full well he’s an entire one to himself on multiple occasions). Either way, it’s one of our absolute favourites.
Announcing the new location, founder Jonny Heyes said: “We’ve been hoping to open a Nell’s in Altrincham for years. We love the town, it’s so vibrant – it almost feels like coming on holiday when you head over here. We can’t wait to be part of it.”
With art and music having a huge influence on the brand as well as Bruntwood and Trafford Council‘s wider plans to revitalise the Altrincham high street, the new Nell’s will also spotlight a fresh set of work by multi-media artist Tara Colette, as well as local and emerging talent providing tunes at the weekend.
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It’s also a better time than ever to get on Nell’s hype train since they added new menu items not so long ago, including their ‘calzoneta’ filled with cheesy marmite, baked until crisp on the outside and stringy in the middle, as well as a fresh iceberg wedge salad with ricotta salata.
And don’t worry, the massive ‘za, cocky-Ts and ice cream sarnies aren’t going anywhere.
Featured Images — Nell’s (supplied)/The Manc Group
Eats
Live your Come Dine With Me dreams with this all-new dining concept
Thomas Melia
Across the world, one app has been uniting strangers in 235 cities, matching six lucky diners for an evening meal at a surprise restaurant table and now Manchester is the latest city to open its taste buds to this pseudo-Come Dine With Me concept. Only this one involves less cooking.
Guests are expected to partake in an evening of food, booze and plenty of interesting conversations between six total strangers, only with hopefully less drama than the hit Channel 4 show. Strictly no Jane’s spoiling anything…
The concept is being pushed by French entrepreneur Maxime Barbier and his company ‘TimeLeft’. He has a lengthy career in the nightlife industry behind him and now wants to further strengthen good food and good times via this app.
And it’s clearly working: according to the company’s official website, 96% of dining groups consider themselves compatible meaning their carefully selected pairings are pretty accurate.
All curious diners have to do is download Timeleft and take a personality test before they’re whisked away for a night of entertainment and lush catering picked out by the pioneering new app.
Fear not, there will be a ‘Break the ice’ game where you can get to know the like-minded and compatible strangers you’re spending the rest of the evening with.
Once the table fills up and the evening is well away, everyone round the table will receive a notification to continue the night at a nearby bar chosen once again by this new dining concept app.
This new mealtime experience is a really good way of making connections, especially for newcomers to the city who are looking to expand their friendship group and navigate Manchester with some similar fresh-faced companions. There’s crucially much less cooking involved too, by which we mean none.
Throughout their website, the company shares a range of blogs breaking down everything from ‘6 tips for smoothing over a heated conversation’ to ‘the ultimate guide to Timeleft’.
In a standout piece entitled, ‘The 10 types of strangers at your table‘, they discuss the different types of personalities that you may come across during your meal.
From the simpler and recognisable labels like the introvert and extrovert to the more complex like the contemplative and the humourist, these little excerpts are handy to anyone who may have any nerves ahead of the meeting.
So, anyone located in Greater Manchester who might be interested in this new dining concept can participate by downloading the TimeLeft app and seeing where the night takes them.
You might not go home with £1,000 in cash but you’ll certainly create some memories and come pretty close to living out your Come Dine With Me fantasy – there really is an app for everything.
The stalls causing massive queues at the Manchester Christmas Markets
Daisy Jackson
If you looked at our comment sections during the Manchester Christmas Markets you’d assume everyone hates them – but one look at the queues forming again this year proves that is FAR from the case.
The annual festive event is back with a vengeance for another year, with wooden sheds and pop-up bars all over the place.
Whether you’re after a traditional mulled wine and bratwurst, or a loaded mac and cheese and shimmery cocktail, you’ll find it.
And while the Manchester Christmas Markets always get busy, especially at the weekends, this year is looking especially lively.
Videos shared online show huge queues of gridlocked people on Market Street, in Piccadilly Gardens and on King Street.
The cause of one of the biggest queues is again The Flat Baker – the Ancoats indie debuted at the markets last year with huge croissants served with pots of dipping sauce including pistachio and dulce de leche.
For 2024 they’ve introduced hot chocolates served in an edible cookie cup.
It went viral last year, it’s gone viral again this year, and the queues have gone so wild there’s now actual fences, Disney-style, specifically to manage The Flat Baker crowds.
These wind all the way from their stall in Piccadilly Gardens to the outside of the markets, travelling along the Piccadilly Wall.
And while getting your hands on a Flat Baker croissant requires some grit and determination, it’s not the only spot where you’ll be facing a wait.
Molten dark, milk and even golden chocolate can be bought here in an edible chocolate cup, poured over brownies and strawberries, or used as a base for hot chocolates and affogatos.
The Flat Baker are at The Winter Gardens in Manchester Christmas Markets and causing big queuesWaffle Kart are back at the Manchester Christmas Markets 2024
The team here move fast but if you go at peak times you’ll still be looking at a queue.
Down on the King Street section of the Manchester Christmas Markets you’ll find Waffle Kart, a brilliant little business serving fun family recipes inspired by Hong Kong street food.
Expect fried chicken and waffles, waffle prawn toast and loaded waffle fries – and a bit of a queue that’s worth the wait.
And finally, the biggest queue of the lot is just Market Street in general.
This is Manchester’s main shopping street so ahead of Christmas it’s always busy, but now that there are stalls all the way down it luring shoppers in, it’s totally gridlocked.