A new bar is set to open on Deansgate soon, promising an intoxicating combination of ‘cocktails, dreams and disco’.
This is Simmons, a wildly successful name from down in London, and it’s finally making its way up north to Manchester.
You can’t miss the location – they’ve slapped a gigantic mirror, daubed with neon pink writing, outside the site where the bar is being built.
Now the capital’s go-to party palace, Simmons will bring the ‘biggest happy hour’ in Manchester to Deansgate when it opens its 400-capacity venue.
That means two-for-one cocktails, £2.50 spirit and mixers (or £5 doubles), £3 beer and wine, and £12 bottles of wine, plus cocktail teapots for £15.
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The Simmons happy hour runs until 9pm Sunday to Friday, while on Saturdays it’s two-for-one cocktails and £15 teapots until 9pm.
The brand is famed for its kitsch, colourful interiors, with hot pink neon lights, bold wallpapers, and always a disco ball.
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There are already 22 locations across London but this will be the first Simmons bar to open outside the capital.
An existing Simmons bar in London before it heads to Manchester. Credit: Simmons
On their website, Simmons says: “Hi my name’s Simmons, I’m well known for being the best bar group in London (and probably the world).
“I’m a late night cocktail bar offering you the perfect place for after work drinks or a cheeky dance, people like me because I look real good and sell nice drinks.
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“People say I am sexy and good looking but I just shrug it off and don’t let my ego get too big, no one likes a show off.
“I am located in lots of different places across London, I can be hired out for private parties and I have a notoriously eclectic musical taste; ranging from hip-hop, to disco, to funk, to 80’s, to 90’s to classic party bangers!
Simmons happy hour deals in Manchester. Credit: The Manc GroupInside another London Simmons. Credit: Simmons
“Come check me out, sip on a cocktail in a teacup and play on my SEGA Megadrive.”
Owner Nick Campbell said: “Manchester leads the way when it comes to nightlife, and we’re excited to be able to be a part of it.
“We are keen to launch as we mean to go on, with a series of high-energy parties, including our famous free bar, which is first come, first served.”
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Sneak peeks of the work taking place in Manchester show that the former Botanist site will be transformed with Deansgate’s biggest dance floor, surrounded by raised stages for dancing.
If you head down to Deansgate and scan the QR code outside the bar (or, you know, just click this link) you can secure your spot on the list for their free bar launch parties.
Yeah, we said free bar.
Simmons will open on 24 October on Deansgate in Manchester city centre.
Bangkok Diners Club moves out of Ancoats just months after Michelin Guide win
Daisy Jackson
Bangkok Diners Club, the critically-acclaimed restaurant above the Edinburgh Castle pub, has closed its restaurant space.
The Thai restaurant was added to the Michelin Guide last October, not long after taking over the upstairs of the popular pub.
It also received a rave review in The Guardian from restaurant critic Grace Dent, who said it would be ‘one of Manchester’s hottest dining tickets’.
But now Bangkok Diners Club has decided its time in Ancoats is up, and has closed its beautiful restaurant space with immediate effect.
In an email sent to customers with reservations, they wrote that Bangkok Diners Club ‘sadly won’t be returning to Edinburgh Castle’.
Owners and husband-and-wife team Ben and Bo Humpheys aren’t leaving things there though, announcing plans to move into the Exhibition food hall on Peter Street.
Co-owner Ben Humphreys outside Bangkok Diners Club. Credit: The Manc GroupThe food earned them a place in the Michelin Guide. Credit: The Manc Group
They’ll be joining MoreJoy and pasta concept Anatra in the space, but bidding farewell to their own dedicated restaurant for now.
The email sent to customers reads: “We have just noticed that the system has allowed you to make a reservation during a time that we are closed. We apologise that this has happened.
“Ben and Bo are cooking at Exhibition during 2026 and Bangkok Diners Club sadly won’t be returning to Edinburgh Castle.
“Sincerest apologies for all the inconvenience caused.”
Doux Chaton debuts in Manchester: Vietnamese and French cuisine meets the North West
Danny Jones
Regardless of our rivalry, the Scousers have given us a lot: The Beatles, two Premier League football clubs for us to get regularly riled up against, even the Bold Street brand – and now it’s the turn of Doux Chaton, who just landed in Manchester.
Vietnamese food right in the heart of town, but like you’ve never had it before, Doux Chaton is the Southeast Asian spot with a European twist that’s already turning heads.
In fact, despite quietly opening on the main Deansgate strip over the festive period, there was already plenty of passion for this place down the Mersey, as this Liverpool-founded business has developed a foodie favourite following here in the North West.
Run by owners Jimmy and Jennifer Ly, whose parents Ko and Linda moved to the UK back in the 70s, this place might be regionally born and bred, but it’s still deeply rooted in the rich heritage of two ex-pats helping bring some seriously incredible flavours to our shores.
Walking past the old unit on the ground floor of Great Northern Warehouse – during a real ghost town period for the city centre this past Christmas – we saw a team hard at work putting together their first Manc venue.
This was at around 10/11pm from memory, as we saw a man on ladders finishing the hand-lettered sign by lamplight; this is all relevant because, before anything, it’s worth noting that this place from 9am until 9pm all week round.
Yes, as in every single day.
Since they’re still relative newcomers, we’re not entirely sure when they take any time (if, indeed, they do at all), but one thing we can already vouch for is that hard work can well and truly be tasted in the food and drink they put out.
Expanding their traditional Vietnamese menu in Merseyside, Doux Chaton Deansgate has seen them create a whole new selection of sweet treats, doubling not only as a neo-French patisserie but as a platform to showcase both traditional and modern bakes from their home country.
There is a long history of their national cuisine being deeply influenced by the classical culinary culture in France, but when we tell you their bahn mi sandwiches and clever take on a sausage ‘pho’roll were even tastier than their decadent croque monsieur croissant, you know you’re on to something special.
And then there are the bowls of broth and noodles themselves; we tried plenty of pho in and around Greater Manchester, with plenty purporting to be ‘authentic’ – and many of them are – but there can be a question about this first and second generation team.
Taking ‘Mama Hong’s treasured recipes from the streets of Hanoi and elevating them ever so slightly in certain spots, whilst still letting the flavours, textures and smells speak for themselves, it’s comfortably some of the best Viet scran we’ve had in these parts.
The cute little cat in a bowl logo almost feels like the most warm and fitting welcome you could hope for.
Service with a smile, simply fantastic food, a bloody GREAT cup of stylish drip coffee and a big chalkboard where you can even leave your own message, not to mention unrelenting opening hours – this could be our new go-to at any given time of day.
Daisy Jackson -
27th September 2024 
