Beloved Manchester breakfast, butty and late-night boozing spot Bowlers Cafe has quietly closed and is set to be turned into a tapas and pintxos bar next month.
News of the cult favourite closing went under the radar but posters in the window of the now former Bowlers site went up over the weekend, confirming that the popular city centre lunch spot is set to receive a Spanish makeover.
Although the exact September opening date is still unconfirmed, the new small plates and snack bar located just off Albert Sqaure will be called El Kabron and is set to be operated by well-established local restaurant, La Bandera.
Now open for a decade, La Bandera is categorically one of the go-to Latin establishments in Manchester, picking up countless awards including the best Spanish restaurant in the city and being voted among the top three best tapas places in the UK by The Times.
The posters for a new Manchester city centre tapas bar are up. (Credit: The Manc Group)
While the same Spanish-Canarian influences will no doubt be in the mix, you can most likely expect El Kabron to be a more pared-back concept than its parent brand.
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Said to be “inspired by the northern Spanish taverns”, the poster only gives away that there’ll be tapas, pintxos – pronounced ‘pinchos’ in case you were wondering – bocadillo-style sandwiches and lots of lovely cured meats. Give us all the Jamón (ham), por favor y gracias.
Naturally, as a tapas bar, there’ll also be lots of imported beer, sangria, wine cocktails and other boozy options when they soft launch to the public very soon.
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As Bowlers was also known for regularly staying up in the evenings to host live music and entertainment, it no doubt comes as welcome news that the replacement will carry on the late-night culture.
From this……to something more like this.Credit: Bowlers Cafe (via Facebook)/La Bandera (via Instagram)
It remains to be seen whether the new opening will carry on any kind of breakfast service like their predecessors but we can smell a lovely Spanish lunch deal coming winging its way to us very soon.
In the meantime, La Bandera themselves have extended their current 50% off until mid-September, meaning you can make the most of their discounted food and get a better idea of what might be to come from El Kabron.
Bakery chain Gail’s is attempting to win over Prestwich after spelling mishap
Daisy Jackson
Gail’s has announced a plan to try and make amends with Prestwich after spelling the village’s name wrong on the new bakery’s signs.
The massive bakery chain finally confirmed that it would be moving into the suburb on the fringes of Bury and Manchester, but made a fatal flaw at the first step.
The huge posters are missing the letter ‘T’, instead saying ‘Hello Preswich’.
More than a few eyebrows were raised locally, with people saying it’s ‘not a great first impression for the locals…’.
And now Gail’s is attempting to put things right by offering free tea to Prestwich residents.
In new material released today, they wrote: “Oops… people of Prestwich, we owe you a ‘T’.
“You may have seen how we missed out a ‘t’ in our new bakery signage.
“We’re sorry for the mistake, and to make up for it we’d like to brew you a tea when we open.”
The new advertising has a QR code which people can scan to claim their free cuppa.
Gail’s has also passed its thanks on to ‘local resident Clair’, who actually came up with the suggestion on The Manc’s LinkedIn post here.
With this development, Gail’s has now confirmed it’ll be opening in Prestwich – directly opposite the new Rudy’s – in early 2025, with free tea served then to those who scan the QR code.
Gail’s will hand out free tea in Prestwich to apologise for spelling the village’s name wrongHuge bakery chain Gail’s confirms move to Prestwich – but spells village’s name wrong in signage
Salon Madre – A new tequila bar and pool hall is opening in Manchester
Daisy Jackson
A new tequila bar and pool hall is set to open in Manchester in a couple of weeks, from the same team behind Madre.
The huge new space, Salon Madre, will be serving up the tacos and burritos that have made the Mexican restaurant at Kampus so well-loved.
And all that’s alongside a drinks menu that centres around tequila, including frozen, classic and flavoured margaritas and palomas.
Can’t stomach tequila? There’ll also be wines on draft, Corona and local beers.
The food menu will show off signature dishes like al pastor tacos, with daily rotating specials, plus Gringas, nachos and Madre’s huge burritos.
Salon Madre has taken over a spot just off Kampus’s lush garden that was previously home to a Seven Brothers taproom, right next door to Madre itself.
Salon Madre is a new Mexican pool hall and tequila bar in Manchester. Credit: The Manc GroupSalon Madre is a new Mexican pool hall and tequila bar in Manchester. Credit: The Manc Group
As well as all the Mexican food and drink goodness, the bar will have four pool tables and will be screening Lucha Libre (Mexican wrestling) and American sports.
The dream is to bring the fun and liveliness of a Mexican pool hall to the heart of Manchester, in this beautiful spot right near Piccadilly and Canal Street.
Salon Madre will open on 6 December at Kampus, with bookings for Christmas groups and parties now available.
Danny Jones -
27th August 2024 
