Eats

Upcoming Manc food hall House of Social confirms final kitchen ahead of opening

And that's the last puzzle piece slotted in.

Danny Jones Danny Jones - 3rd July 2025

House of Social, another new food hall in Manchester city centre, has confirmed the latest and last edition ahead of its launch this summer.

The soon-to-open student block and its upcoming culinary offerings will be here before you know, and now, just over a month out from the grand unveiling, the fifth and final foodie resident has been revealed.

We’ll give you a hint: it’s pizza… very pretty-looking pizza.

Courtesy of Dough Religion (DR), a new Manc pizza restaurant, they’ll soon be slinging out stonebaked pies that already have a strong reputation and a very cool backstory in the local area.

Co-conceived by Chef Chris Edwards, who first began his venture during quarantine from the cult lockdown project dubbed ‘The Waltzing Matilda‘ – a floating pizza place serving slices from a cute little canal boat – and Matt Butcher, who created Dough Religion, the brand and idea have grown much bigger.

Teaming up with House of Social’s Jake Atkinson, who is heading up food and drink at the building,

Waltzing Matilda can be found cruising around Greater Manchester, Macclesfield, the Peak Forest Canal, other parts of Cheshire and out into the North West, but now that established, wood-fired spirit Chris set up with his dad, Paul, is being translated into a proper brick-and-mortar venue here in the city centre.

Dough Religion will serve up giant 18-inch pizzas, whole or by the slice, alongside a full lineup of house-made subs, bagels, and a rotating lineup of desserts and bakes.

Those eating at House of Social (HoS) can expect burrata-topped slices, vodka sauce pizza and fried-chicken Caesar hoagies; New York-inspired bakes, showstopping cheesecakes, standout ingredients from the UK and imported from Italy, as well as plenty more.

Its arrival comes after a Mexican and LA street food spot was named as the fourth tenant at HoS.

A new ‘Mexicali’ food concept is the latest vendor confirmed for the upcoming House of Social food hall
The House of Social food lineup is looking stacked.

Speaking on the announcement, Edwards said: “This dough’s been years in the making – tested, tweaked, and obsessively perfected. The pizza is a hybrid of Neapolitan softness and New York chew and crisp; we’re focusing on long fermentation and the best flour available to really maximise the dough.

“The boat was magic, but it had its limits. With Dough Religion, we’ve got the space, the kit, and the crew to go all in. This isn’t going to be your traditional pizza place– it’s bold, loud, and built to share.”

With Dough Religion completing things on the kitchen front, House of Social’s hospitality lineup promises plenty of variety and quality. Roll on August, we say.

The team are hoping for it to become a go-to destination for diners throughout Manchester and beyond, with the food hall craze not showing any signs of slowing down. Case and point:

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Featured Images — Press images (supplied)

Eats

Manchester favourite Nell’s to open new site for New York-style pizza, karaoke and shuffleboard

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson Nell's is set to open in MediaCity in Salford

Much-loved New York-style pizza joint Nell’s has announced big plans for a brand new location – they’re heading to MediaCity.

Nell’s are stepping things up a notch with the move, adding in private karaoke booths, shuffleboard tables, and a huge outdoor terrace in their new site.

Nell’s MediaCity is set to open this autumn, promising 22-inch New York-style pizza (also served in gigantic slices), frozen margs, and ice cream sandwiches.

There are already several spots around Manchester where you can get a slice of Nell’s, including their restaurants at Kampus and in Altrincham, the OG Northern Quarter site in Common, and at The Beagle in Chorlton.

And now it’s Salford’s turn, with plans unveiled for the team to expand over to MediaCity’s quayside Orange Building.

Nell’s co-founder Jonny Heyes said: “We’ve been thinking about MediaCity for a long time, it’s such a great area and we’ve seen what brilliant operators like Kargo have achieved so when this space came up, we jumped on it!

“The venue is huge which has given us the chance to really play with the experience.

“This idea of karaoke and shuffleboard accompanying our made-for-sharing pizzas and great cocktails feels like a natural next step for us as a brand.”

Nell’s have also partnered with Deliveroo and Slerp to send 14-inch and 22-inch pizzas far and wide.

The new opening is expected to create more than 35 new jobs, and as Common & Co has twice been named in the Times 100 Best Places To Work list, you might want to check those out HERE.

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Featured image: The Manc Group

Eats

A Greater Manchester dessert bar is selling Dubai pistachio Labubu-topped chocolate strawberries

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson Sweet Dreams in Prestwich has launched Dubai pistachio Labubu chocolate strawberries

We’re in an era obsessed with novelty – and this dessert bar in Greater Manchester has found a way to cash in on every viral food craze at once.

Presenting… a Dubai pistachio chocolate Labubu, perched atop a mountain of chocolate strawberries with more pistachio kunafa on top.

There’s a sentence that wouldn’t have made sense a year ago…

Sweet Dreams, which has a spot in Whalley Range as well as a new dessert bar in Prestwich, has tapped into three major online trends at once.

If you have a busy life and aren’t as chronically online as the rest of us, allow me to explain.

Up first, what the heck is a Labubu?

These viral sensations are a plush toy created by Hong Kong-born, Netherlands-raised designer Kasing Lung, who drew inspiration from his love of fairytales to create a character with bunny-like ears, large eyes and big smiles.

They’re swinging off handbags all over the UK at the minute and people are queueing for hours for the latest Labubu drops.

At Sweet Dreams, they’re making edible chocolate Labubus using a special mould flown in from Japan.

Each one has a pistachio kunafa filling and is painstakingly painted by hand.

And that brings us neatly to the next viral craze at play here – Dubai pistachio chocolate.

Sweet Dreams in Prestwich has launched Dubai pistachio Labubu chocolate strawberries
An army of pistachio chocolate Labubu
Sweet Dreams in Prestwich has launched Dubai pistachio Labubu chocolate strawberries
Inside a chocolate pistachio Labubu

Kunafa is a staple in Middle Eastern bakes and pastries but hit the global mainstream last year when thick chocolate pistachio bars stuffed with it went viral online, spawning countless dupes and inspired specials.

And finally, chocolate covered strawberries – hardly a new invention, but this simple dessert has rocketed in popularity especially in food hotspots like Borough Market in London.

Head into Sweet Dreams and you can build your treat from the base up – choose white or milk melted chocolate for your strawberries, layer on pistachio kunafa, then top with either a milk or white chocolate Labubu.

A slightly daft novelty? Yes. But that doesn’t stop them being delicious.

This is the only place in the UK currently selling Dubai pistachio chocolate Labubus.

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