A new underground tiki bar is opening in the Northern Quarter, it has been revealed.
Called Tiki Hideaway, it will move into the former District unit on Oldham Street alongside Deep South-inspired dive bar concept Mean Eyed Cat.
Brought to Manchester city centre by a group of Yorkshire operators, both Tiki Hideaway and Mean Eyed Cat have already proven incredibly popular over in Leeds.
Now, after 20 years of success in their hometown, bosses are trying their hand at entertaining a Mancunian crowd.
Below ground, Hawaiian-themed rum shack Tiki Hideaway will have a fun and friendly atmosphere with chilled-out Caribbean-inspired cocktails and its Flaming Zombie, which packs a punch.
Image: Tiki Hideaway
The ‘Dead Man’s’ cocktail sharing chest. / Image: Tiki Hideaway
Upstairs, meanwhile, the new dive bar Mean Eyed Cat promises free pizzas and serious party vibes as it looks set to challenge the likes of Junior Jackson’s for the approval of the NQ’s late-night party crowd.
Known for its rebellious spirit, wild party games with free drinks and great cocktails, Mean Eyed Cat’s free pizzas are available with every drink, every day from 5pm to 9pm, and come topped with the likes of Cheeseburger, Chipotle Fajita and Buffalo Cauliflower.
Drinks, meanwhile, include several Johnny Cash-themed cocktails including I Walk The Lime, a Key Lime Pie inspired creamy classic with Absolut lime vodka, apple juice, sugar syrup, cream, lime curd and a sprinkling of lime zest, and Ting of Fire, a zesty, fruity, vodka number with watermelon liqueur and Ting grapefruit juice, creating an easily chug-able cocktail.
Both The Mean-Eyed Cat and Tiki Hideaway are open until late in Leeds, and plan to have the same opening hours in the Manchester venue.
The venues are owned by independent hospitality firm Escapism Bars, which has bars in Leeds and Liverpool, and also plans to open venues in Birmingham, Nottingham, and Sheffield over the next two years.
Grant Dexter, Managing Director at Escapism Bars, said: “With many hospitality firms and venues feeling the pinch due to the energy crisis and cost of living, it’s exciting to be able to open these awesome venue, which includes not one but two incredible bars, in this popular area in Manchester which spans the NQ and Ancoats.
“We opened The Mean-Eyed Cat in Leeds back in 2004 and it has stood the test of time, attracting students, after work drinkers, party goers and anyone that likes to let their hair down. We can’t wait to see what Manchester’s legendary revellers make of the venues!”
Featured image – Tiki Hideaway
Eats
Hotel Chocolat to open viral chocolate Velvetiser Cafe in Manchester
Daisy Jackson
Hotel Chocolat is set to open a Velvetiser Cafe in Manchester city centre, and it’ll be absolute paradise for chocolate lovers.
The popular chocolate shop, which has stores across the UK selling delicious chocolate bars, boxes and more, is now preparing to branch out in town.
Hotel Chocolat then hit a new level of fame with its Velvetiser, an invention that creates velvety smooth hot drinks at the touch of a button.
They’ve been so popular, Hotel Chocolat is now opening Velvetiser Cafes across the UK – and Manchester is up next.
If it follows in the footsteps of the Meadowhall cafe in Sheffield, visitors will be able to customise their perfect hot chocolate from thousands of combinations.
There are 18 flavours, different milks, and a whole variety of toppings available.
Then you drink can be served hot, over ice, or as a choc shake.
Colourful hoardings for the Hotel Chocolat Velvetiser Cafe have now appeared on Cross Street, just next door to the new Joe & The Juice.
A planning application has also been lodged with Manchester City Council.
Drake-backed fried chicken brand Dave’s Hot Chicken is opening in Manchester
Daisy Jackson
The huge LA-based fried chicken brand backed by Drake is heading to Manchester for the very first time this summer.
Dave’s Hot Chicken is set to open in the Printworks this August – the first UK branch outside of London and Birmingham.
The cult chicken brand has said that its new venue will feature an ‘industrial design inspired by Manchester’s rave scene’ (if we had a pound every time a new venue used that design style, we’d be as rich as Drake…).
Dave’s Hot Chicken is famed for its signature Nashville-style hot chicken, which is served in seven different spice levels from No Spice to Reaper.
Expect sliders, tenders, ‘next-level’ top-loaded shakes and slushes.
It’s grown so quickly that in 2021, it caught the eye of none other than rapper Drake, who is a ‘significant investor’ in the brand.
The fried chicken spot will be moving into the large corner unit at Printworks, which has previously been Busaba Thai, and Floripa, with 139 covers.
Dave’s Hot Chicken is coming to Manchester
Inside, it will feature towering ceilings, exposed steelwork, and laser lights, claiming to be a ‘full-on sensory trip, where music, light and fried chicken will come together to create a high-voltage experience’.
There will also be custom graffiti inspired by L.A.-based street artists Splatterhaus and Dehm.
Dave’s Hot Chicken still has hour-long queues down in London, several months after opening on Shaftesbury Avenue – next up will be a Birmingham branch in July before Manchester opens later this summer.
And this is just the start of a nationwide expansion.
Jim Attwood, Managing Director of Dave’s Hot Chicken UK, said: “Printworks Manchester is the ideal setting for our next UK site – right at the heart of one of the country’s most exciting cities.
“The new restaurant pays homage to Manchester’s legendary warehouse rave scene, with an industrial-inspired design and bold, high-energy atmosphere to match our signature flavours.
“We can’t wait to bring something fresh to this iconic venue and its vibrant mix of entertainment, food and culture.”
Dave’s Hot Chicken will open at Printworks Manchester on 8 August.
Georgina Pellant -
21st July 2023 
