So, summer is officially over – such as it was. Bit disappointing, but no matter because now Autumn is here, and we’re ready for lots of cheese, red wine, gravy, roasts and all the good things that come out of the kitchen once the weather gets a little bit cooler.
September in Manchester also brings a host of new bar and restaurant openings, with some of the year’s most hotly-anticipated new venues throwing open their doors.
Must-visits this month include Media City’s giant new food hall Kargo MKT – soon to be home to a lovingly curated collection of 20 different food traders – as well as Manchester’s only 2D Japanese cartoon cafe, Waku Waku, and new station-side craft beer bar Victoria Taps.
Add to that a new Irish and Scottish cafe in Levenshulme serving up classic frys, the arrival of world-famous coffee roastery Allpress Espresso at NOMA, a new dive bar on Oldham Street and a gorgeous new gelato parlour in Heaton Mersey, and we’d say there’s plenty to be getting excited about.
Keep reading to discover the best new food and drink openings in Manchester this September.
ADVERTISEMENT
Kargo MKT at Central Bay, Media City
Rio Mex will be moving into Kargo MKT serving up delicious tacos and burritos. / Image: The Manc Eats
Ad Maiora is moving its epic schiacciata butties out of its Northern Quarter flat into a shiny new kitchen in Media City. / Image: The Manc Eats
This might just be one of the most exciting new openings of the whole year, and we don’t say that lightly.
ADVERTISEMENT
With 20 independent street food partners, a 2,000 sq ft outdoor terrace, five waterside shipping container kitchens, and a shipping container bar run by Salford’s booziest family (Seven Brothers Brewery and Four Sisters Distillery), Kargo Mkt will be the largest venue of its kind in Greater Manchester.
Traders moving in include Ad Maiora, Bab K, Baity Palestinian Kitchen, Boba Cha, Chuan Chuan, FEED, Hot & Wild, House of Habesha, Jerk Junction, Leopard Pie, Locale Coffee, Nila’s Burmese Kitchen, Nori, Rio Mex, Rottu Kadai Dosa, Tang Hot Pot, Tzatziki, Vnam, What’s Your Beef and Wong Dumplings.
Victoria Tap
Victoria train station is about to get a new beer bar. / Image: The Manc Eats
Victoria Tap is set to open at the end of September. / Image: The Manc Eats
Finally, Manchester Victoria is going to have a decent beer bar – and we honestly cannot wait.
ADVERTISEMENT
The team behind Piccadilly Tap and Euston Tap are at last gearing up to open their new taproom at the city’s original train station, and are promising commuters their arrival will mark a new chapter with ‘no more £7 pints’.
Whilst an official opening date is still to be set, we have it on good authority that this will be opening sometime in September. Keep an eye on their socials for more updates between now and then.
Outside Italiana Fifty Five in Didsbury Village, formerly home to Croma pizza. / Image: The Manc Eats
A carbonara at Italiana Fifty Five in Didsbury Village. / Image: The Manc Eats
Following its rebranding from Cibo to Italiana Fifty Five, the Manchester Italian restaurant group has opened a third site in Didsbury Village.
ADVERTISEMENT
Taking over the former Croma site, on the menu you’ll find a large selection of traditional pasta and pizzas, mains and desserts, as well as some dramatic extra touches – such as flaming parmesan wheels.
To celebrate the new opening, the team is also offering 50% off food until the second week of September.
The full Irish fry-up at Bia. / Image: Bia via Facebook
White pudding at Bia. / Image: Bia via Facebook
Formerly home to the much-loved Aunty Ji’s, it’s all changed in Levenshulme as Bia moves into the empty unit serving delicious Irish and Scottish cafe-style breakfasts throughout the day with freshly-baked soda bread available to takeaway.
By night, things change again with tapas-style small bites and drinks into the evening.
Open now
Finders Keepers
ADVERTISEMENT
This new bar at New Islington comes from the teams behind Didsbury Gin and ARLU rum, so, as you might expect, there’s a big focus on high-end spirits and cocktails.
Located on Keepers Quay (get it?), peruse the signature list or, if you’re feeling like a classic, don’t be afraid to ask – the bar staff here known their Gibsons from their Martinis, having come from some of the best cocktail bars in town.
Open now
Waku Waku
Image: Waku Waku
Image: Waku Waku
A new addition to Manchester’s Chinatown district, Waku Waku brings something entirely fresh to the city’s dining scene as Manchester’s first-ever 2D Japanese Cartoon cafe.
ADVERTISEMENT
Its owner, Chris Lui, painstakingly drew the artwork inside the cafe himself by hand over the course of four months using over 150 pens – and the results are mind-blowingly impressive.
Of course, it’s not all about the art and something has to be said about the food here too. The signature dish here is the omelette rice, but other dishes worth trying include the katsu bowls, udon soup, Japanese fried chicken and seared sushi.
Open now
Allpress Coffee, NOMA
Allpress is teaming up with Oatly to give away 500 free tubs of soft serve on its opening day. / Image: Supplied
Allpress roasts coffee for some of the best cafes in the world. / Image: Supplied
Known for its speciality coffee, Allpress Coffee already roasts beans for some of the best cafes in the world – now it’s opening its own in Manchester.
ADVERTISEMENT
Located at NOMA opposite Cloudwater pub The Sadler’s Cat, the team at the new Northern hub has collaborated with Oatly to create a special espresso-flavoured soft serve which they’ll be handing out on opening day to the first 500 through the door after 11am.
TBC
Archies, Trafford Centre
Archie’s has opened a new burger spot inside the Trafford Centre. / Image: Archies
It serves breakfast as well as an all-day menu of burgers and shakes. / Image: The Manc Eats
For Mancs that love their burgers, this hot pink fast food institution needs no introduction.
Having begun life in a car wash, today Archie’s is one of the city’s best-loved indie burger brands – just as popular for its naughty breakfast offering as it is for its late-night curly fries, Peri Peri burgers and celebrity-inspired milkshakes.
ADVERTISEMENT
The team has just opened a new site inside the Trafford Centre in August – perfect for a stop-off when you’ve done a shop and feel ready to drop.
Open now
Macari’s Gelato
Gelato doesn’t get much better than this. / Image: Macari’s
Macari’s gelato parlour is opening in Heaton Mersey this September. / Image: Macari’s
Heaton Mersey is about to get a new gelato spot, just in time for the end of summer – but who says it’s only a warm weather treat?
Traditional to the max, this spot is showing locals how it’s done in Bologna – storing its precious gelato (aka ‘the Don Corleone of Ice Cream’, as one local has put it) inside a Pozetti to ensure that every spatula is just as perfect as the first.
ADVERTISEMENT
Expect a range of different flavours when it opens its doors on 2 September.
2 September
HOP Vietnamese, Trafford Centre
Image: HOP Vietnamese
Image: HOP Vietnamese
A new Vietnamese restaurant promising super fast food service is opening in Trafford this September.
Called HOP Vietnamese, it is already a huge hit in London and is famous for its super speedy service – promising to have you in, ordered and out with your food in three minutes.
ADVERTISEMENT
Now, having conquered the capital, the team has its sites set on Manchester as owners gear up to open the first HOP Vietnamese site up north inside the Trafford Centre this September.
Choices on its London menus include traditional bahn mi baguettes stuffed with Asian pickles and meats like duck, chicken and pork, alongside a range of ‘HOP Boxes’ that combine various proteins with crunchy Vietnamese salad and rice.
13 September
Bondi Bowls
Image: Supplied
Image: Supplied
Bondi Bowls will open its first permanent base at Kampus this September, offering healthy choices to residents and visitors alike.
ADVERTISEMENT
Bondi Bowls first began life as a delivery-only service during the pandemic before taking on residencies at street food markets Hatch and Freight Island.
Set up by founder Jamie Tones, a chef who has worked in kitchens around the world, the menu takes inspiration from his time in Sydney with a selection of different açaí and poké bowls.
Diners will find an all-day brunch offering from morning to night with global flavour inspirations from the likes of India, Mexico, and Australasia.
TBC
Mean Eyed Cat
ADVERTISEMENT
Cocktails being made at The Mean Eyed Cat bar in Leeds. / Image: The Mean Eyed Cat
The Mean Eyed Cat is known for giving out free pizzas with every drink. / Image: The Mean Eyed Cat
Part Deep South-inspired dive bar, part underground Tiki bar, Leeds’ favourite party bar Mean Eyed Cat will take over the former District unit on Oldham Street when it opens later this month.
Known for giving out free pizzas with every drink, the new bar will open until 3am during the week and 4am on weekends with full on party vibes allowing customers to ‘roll the dice’ for free (or discounted) shots,
Pizzas, meanwhile, come in a host of Deep South-inspired flavours including Texas BBQ and smoky chipotle, and are included free with any drink ordered before 9pm, whilst must-try drinks include the house signature Mean Marg cocktail (where margarita meets Corona).
28 September
Manchester Urban Diggers (MUD) cafe
ADVERTISEMENT
Image: MUD
Image: MUD
Manchester Urban Diggers (MUD) are an urban community of market gardeners based in Greater Manchester, who host a weekly brunch and farmers market down at Plattfields Market Gardens.
Later this month, the team will open a new kitchen in Fallowfield focusing on sustainable, seasonal produce and cooking with fire – serving lunch from Fallowfield, as well as catering for various events.
End of September
Things to do and try in September
Block Steak Shop bottomless brunch, 2 September – The team at Block Steak Shop has launched a new bottomless brunch, running every weekend starting from September. Think steak and eggs, breakfast bagels with black pudding, unlimited pints, spritzes and glasses of prosecco, for £32 a head.
Bloody Mary and Oyster Partyat Henry C, 3 September – From 2pm, Henry C will be opening up the kitchen and serving fresh seafood in collaboration with the chefs at their sister site 10 Tib Lane alongside a sexy selection of Bloody Marys.
Sip and Shop at Kerb, 3 September – Local Manchester maker July Child Jewellery and women-led store Neon Rose will both pop up inside Ancoats wine bar Kerb this month for a special ‘sip and shop’ event, running from 1.30-6.30pm.
Whiskey Festival at The Whiskey Jar, 3 September – Tariff Street favourite The Whiskey Jar hosts a celebration of all things whiskey from 12.30-7pm on Sunday with live music, cocktails and some top-shelf whiskey brands. Tickets cost £20 and include 5 measures of whiskey.
Trade wine tasting at Flawd and Erst, 11 September – One for the industry heads, two of Ancoats’ best wine wine bars Flawd and Erst will host a large trade tasting from 10-4pm featuring new arrivals and delicious wine from the likes of Wayward Wines, Beattie & Roberts and Under the Bonnet Wines.
David Bailey//Bathe Daily Exhibition, 14 September – David Bailey launches a brand new exhibition of work at Port Street Beer House this month, and is throwing a party where you’ll be able to grab free slices of Nell’s Pizza, a big old set from SebMakingSense and the launch of “The Sparkler” PSBH’s three-way collaboration attempt at a modern rework of the Northern Classic, Boddingtons, brewed with Dave Bailey and BlackJack Beers.
Featured image – Kargo MKT
Eats
Inside the underground Manchester noodle bar serving Chinatown’s spiciest scrans
Georgina Pellant
Over in Chinatown, there’s a relatively new little noodle bar that’s been making a big, spicy stamp on the city’s dining scene.
Its owner, Wendy Ren, hails from the Chinese province of Sichuan – a region that’s home to giant pandas, traditional Sichuanese opera, and some of the spiciest food going, thanks to its famous Sichuan pepper.
Also known as the Chinese prickly ash, the citrus-like peppercorn leaves a tingly numbness in the mouth and on the lips that you’ll either love or hate.
It’s an acquired taste, by all accounts – but those who love it can’t get enough. In fact, on my visit during a packed-out Wednesday lunch service, Wendy stopped to chat with an Italian family holidaying in Manchester who had been in to eat three days in a row. Now that’s an endorsement if I ever heard one.
She’s opened the restaurant alongside her Cantonese husband, Ken Chen, but the recipes are all hers – and on our visit she laughs with us about how it has taken him some time to get on board with her spicy food, saying: “he found out pretty quickly that he either eats it or he doesn’t eat at all.”
For big fans of spice, this is fast becoming the absolute go-to spot in Chinatown – and for those who aren’t so tough, don’t worry, because Wendy’s put some things on the menu for you too (and possibly, also, for Ken).
Just taking a moment for the hand-rolled pork dumplings with sweet and spicy chilli oil and minced garlic. / Image: The Manc Eats
Noodle Alley is beautifully decked out in red and green with little nods to the famous wide and narrow alleys of Chengdu. / Image: The Manc Eats
Called Noodle Alley, the restaurant is tucked away underground on Faulkner Street and beautifully decked out in red and green with little nods to the famous wide and narrow alleys of Chengdu.
Formerly home to China City, a real old-school Chinatown legacy restaurant, the space has a special place in Wendy’s heart.
She tells me that she and her husband used to come and eat here “all the time” when they first started dating, so the location really means a lot to both of them.
Chinatown restaurants aren’t exactly known for their glamorous interiors, and China City, Wendy jokes, was one such place – with the same old carpet, and the same old tables that had been used for the past twenty years.
Now the space is her own, though, it’s markedly different – lovingly decked out in cheerful colours, with little green windows, hanging lanterns, and bamboo rattan paneling on the walls.
Hand-rolled dumplings stuffed with mince pork on their way to the kitchen at Noodle Alley. / Image: The Manc Eats
The end result – drenched in homemade chilli oil and topped with crispy garlic. / Image: The Manc Eats
Her story of getting into the restaurant business is something of an unusual one. Prior to opening Noodle Alley, she tells me, she spent nearly two decades working at The Marriott Hotel.
After seventeen years of service and the birth of her second child, she asked to go part-time but her request was refused – so she quit the very next day, and began building her own route to independence.
It was during the Covid lockdown, she says, that she really got into cooking group meals – making meals for her friends and spending hours in the kitchen busying away happily over her stove.
A friend with several restaurants in Chinatown suggested she start her own business, and the rest – as they say – is history.
Dan Dan noodles are out, apparently, and Su Jiao Mian are in. / Image: The Manc Eats
Burning noodles with preserved vegetables and crushed peanuts. / Image: The Manc Eats
Dish-wise, her menu spans a mouthwatering selection of dry noodles, soup noodles, street food, and small plates, including the likes of deep-fried wavy potato chips with chilli and Szechuan pepper and steamed beef strips wrapped with chilli paste, numbing Sichuan pepper, and five-spiced rice powder.
Dan Dan noodles, the Sichuan dish we probably all know the best, don’t feature – they’re a bit old news now, apparently, and Wendy has some cooler alternatives for us to try.
One is her Su Jiao Mian, a mixture of minced pork, sesame sauce, and house chilli oil, the other is the Wan Za Mian, a fiery mixture of spices combined with minced pork, soft yellow peas, and more chilli which Wendy says is “one of the most popular noodles in Sichuan.”
Apparently, if you’re eating with the cool kids in Sichuan, you should order this. Not one to argue, I dig in – and it’s safe to say her food is pretty damn exceptional. Almost immediately, I’m planning my next trip back.
Two of Noodle Alley’s signature dishes: Steamed beef strips wrapped with five spiced rice powder (back) and ‘saliva chicken’ served cold with special chilli oil, peanuts, and cucumber. / Image: The Manc Eats
Pork knuckle with butter beans in an umami-rich pork bone broth. / Image: The Manc Eats
Other signature dishes here include Wendy’s steamed beef strips, which can be eaten alone or dipped into one of her noodle soups, and a dish of ‘saliva chicken’ – a crunchy, cold, textural dish with steamed chicken, fresh chillis and ribbons of cucumber that sit swimming in a bath of homemade Sichuan chilli oil, so named because it literally makes your mouth water.
We also opt for a dish of pork knuckle with butter beans in an umami-rich pork bone broth. Not one for the faint-hearted, even Wendy seemed a little cautious to recommend this one, but as fans of ‘the weird stuff’ we insist – and it really ends up being a highlight of the meal.
We end up needing a little help with it. It’s a slippery bugger and I end up wearing a fair bit of the broth. before she returns with a knife and fork to cut it up properly for us.
That broth it’s in, though, is so beautiful I could happily bathe in it. Some might say I did, to be fair. As for the soft, succulent pork meat? When sliced into tiny morsels and dipped into an extra special Sichuan chilli oil she retrieves from the kitchen, is something else entirely.
If this is Sichuan heaven, then I’ll happily stay here forever. From plump hand-made dumplings stuffed generously with flavourful pork and drenched in chilli oil, to chicken giblet soup noodles, there’s so much on the menu I will be coming back for.
And for those who really can’t handle the spice, I guess I’ll be recommending the scallion oil noodles with soy sauce and crispy egg. No matter what you order here, I don’t think you can go too wrong.
Featured image – The Manc Eats
Eats
Manchester Coffee Festival returns to celebrate all things caffeine
Daisy Jackson
The Manchester Coffee Festival, presented by Cup North, will make its grand return to the city later this autumn.
The renowned event celebrates all things caffeine and is a must-visit for anyone in the industry, or just anyone who’s a coffee fanatic.
You can connect with other coffee lovers from around the UK while doing your favourite thing – drinking loads of coffee.
Visitors can work their way around the vast event at the Bowlers Exhibition Centre, where there’ll be everything from a Markets Marketplace for shopping, a tasting room where you can sample loads of different coffees, workshops to have a go at, and talks and panels with industry experts.
As well as that, Manchester Coffee Festival will have live music featuring incredible local artists, and a fun and entertaining LGBTQ+ friendly family program in collaboration with Drag Queen Story Hour UK and The Proud Trust.
Cup North will be hosting the coffee competition, Extracted Development, over the two days of the event. Baristas and roasters from across the UK will be bringing the real life behind-the-bar scene on stage.
Unlike the usual competitions, attendees will be encouraged to interact with the competitors and get to taste their delicious competition coffee at a brew bar setting.
There’ll be more than 60 exhibitors joining Manchester Coffee Festival 2023, each bringing their unique coffee products, artisanal treats, and coffee-related products.
Traders at Manchester Coffee FestivalManchester Coffee Festival 2022The tasting room at Manchester Coffee Festival
And coffee fiends will find plenty of familiar names about, such as Oatly, La Marzocco, Stores, KeepCup, WaterCare and Brew-It Group.
This year, the festival will be going paper cup-free – attendees are encouraged ‘sip responsibly’ and to bring their own reusable cups.
KeepCup will be on hand with free cups you can borrow for the day too.
This year, the Manchester Coffee Festival will be partnering with Farmers’ Voice Radio as part of its Community Partner Program, which aims to support different charity organisations who share their ambition to make a positive contribution towards specialty coffee communities and the communities local to their events.
Farmers’ Voice Radio has a mission to transform the lives of millions of farmers and rural communities through the power of radio.
It is also working with The Proud Trust to build a more diverse and inclusive event for the local community.
6% of all ticket sales will be evenly donated to both organisations, who will be on site to chat to attendees too.
Festival co-founder Hannah Davies said: “The Manchester Coffee Festival is all about celebrating the vibrant world of specialty coffee and creating a welcoming community, not just for the industry but for all.
“We’re thrilled to be back, bigger and better than ever, with a program that showcases the very best of coffee, sustainability, and accessibility.”
Manchester Coffee Festival will return to Bowlers Exhibition Centre between 18 and 19 November. Tickets are now available to purchase online at manchestercoffeefest.com/tickets.
Georgina Pellant -
1st September 2023 
