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Northern Quarter pub Lamb of Tartary has suddenly closed after only six months

It had JUST rebranded, too.

Daisy Jackson - 3rd September 2024

The Lamb of Tartary, a smart new British pub in the heart of Manchester, has suddenly closed only six months after opening.

The beautiful pub came from the same team behind the successful Edinburgh Castle over in Ancoats.

It took over the former Cottonopolis site on the corner of Newton Street and Dale Street and transformed it into a restaurant space filled with ornate panelling and leafy green plants.

The team decorated the huge dining hall with a beautiful terracotta-painted ceiling, faux windows with linen curtains, and quartz-patterned booths. It was, by all accounts, a looker.

Then just weeks ago, the Lamb of Tartary rebranded itself as L.o.T.

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Along with its rebrand came a new menu filled with small plates and other dishes inspired by the Silk Road.

It also overhauled its brunch offering and Sunday feast menu and launched a new cocktail menu.

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It’s been only a few weeks of this new offering but it appears that Lamb of Tartary has called it a day.

Its Instagram page has been deleted and website has gone dark.

The Manc has reached out to the Lamb of Tartary for comment.

The Lamb of Tartary in Manchester has closed. Credit: The Manc Group

The Lamb of Tartary in Manchester has closed. Credit: The Manc Group

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Featured image: The Manc Group

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Legendary city centre boozer named one of the best beer gardens in the UK

Sinclair's Oyster Bar in Manchester has been named as one of the best beer gardens in the UK

No phones, cheap pints, and bags of sunshine – that’s the USP of Sinclair’s Oyster Bar, and now it’s earned itself the title of being one of the UK’s best beer gardens.

This legendary local pub has placed in an impressive eighth place on a new list of the nation’s top outdoor watering holes, beating beachside boozers and countryside pubs.

Sinclair’s Oyster Bar is the only Greater Manchester pub to make the new list published by Big 7 Travel.

They celebrated it for its ‘old-school pub characteristics’, which is a pretty fair summary of this local legend.

As well as a strict no-phones policy, encouraging its inhabitants to keep devices in their pockets and have a chin wag over a Taddy Lager instead, the pub is also serving pints at some of town’s most old-school prices.

This is one of the few places in town where you can still get a pint for less than a fiver, with its humble selection of beers and stouts priced from £3.50.

It’s also cash-only, and housed in a fascinating building that dates back to the 18th century – though it didn’t always stand in its current location on Exchange Square.

The pub has actually been rebuilt twice – once in the 1970s, being raised up by five feet to match new street levels during the construction of the Arndale Centre; then again in 1996 after the IRA bomb.

The 3000-pound bomb that changed the face of Manchester left the little pub with only minimal damage, but left it (and its neighbour, the Old Wellington) in need of a new home.

Sinclair's has been named as having one of the best beer gardens in the UK — Sinclair’s in Manchester has been named as having one of the best beer gardens in the UK

So these centuries-old buildings were popped up on stilts and moved 300m down the road, meticulously reassembled over 11 months like a giant LEGO set to form the new square beside Manchester Cathedral.

You can read more about Sinclair’s Oyster Bar’s fascinating history HERE.

As for the present day, the pub’s suntrap outside terrace is forever heaving on match days, when football fans from across the globe pack around its picnic tables.

Big 7 Travel wrote: “Known for its old-school pub characteristics, including being cash-only and a no-phones policy, this historic pub – whose origins date back to the early 18th-century – is well known for serving cheap and easy-drinking Sam Smith’s beer, making it the perfect spot to socialise with friends in the city.

“The beer garden is also a complete suntrap, so when the sun’s shining in Manchester, there are few better places to spend an afternoon than Sinclair’s.”

It has placed in the top 10 of the guide’s list of 30 beer gardens in the UK, which has also named a couple of spots in the Lake District and Peak District.

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Featured image: The Manc Group

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Lavish Gay Village restaurant MAYA has announced its closure after just two years

Lavish Gay Village restaurant Maya has announced its closure after just two years

MAYA, a restaurant that was delivering refined dining in the Gay Village in Manchester, has announced its closure after just two years in the city.

The luxury three-storey restaurant opened in 2024, transforming a former warehouse building on the corner of Chorlton Street and Canal Street.

MAYA made its way into the Michelin Guide just two weeks after opening – though subsequently dropped off the prestigious list.

But now it’s the end of the road for this ‘bold and ambitious project’, with owners confirming today that its final service will be this weekend.

They wrote that ‘this has not been an easy decision’ but the restaurant is faced with an ‘increasingly challenging backdrop’ that is making the outlook for an independent businesses like MAYA ‘increasingly difficult’.

Inside the ground-floor brasserie, diners had beautiful views down the iconic cobbled canalside street.

Then downstairs below ground level lay the main dining room, filled with luxury touches like blue velvet and brass, plus a huge central marble-topped bar.

There was even a ‘secret’ hidden lounge bar below the main dining room too, with a strict no-photos policy.

MAYA Manchester has announced it closure

The Canal Street restaurant opened in 2024 — MAYA Manchester has announced it closure

MAYA’s full statement reads: “After careful consideration, we have made the difficult decision to close MAYA Manchester, with our final service taking place this weekend.

“This has not been an easy decision. Over the past year, and especially in recent months, we have made strong and encouraging progress, but against an increasingly challenging backdrop for hospitality and small, independent brands.

“It has become clear that, looking ahead, the outlook for businesses like ours is increasingly difficult and not sustainable in its current form.

“Our immediate focus is on our team, and they have been kept updated throughout this process so they can consider their options and make necessary plans. Our focus now is on supporting the team through the coming days and ensuring everyone is paid properly. We want to thank every member of our team, past and present, who helped shape MAYA and contributed to its story.

“We would also like to thank our guests, collaborators, performers, DJs, suppliers and wider Manchester community who supported MAYA over the last two years. Whether you joined us for coffee, cocktails, celebrations, late nights or something in between, thank you for being part of it.

“MAYA has always been a bold and ambitious project. We have been proud to see it evolve, particularly in recent months, and we are proud of the moments, friendships and memories created within our walls.

“As we approach our final few days, we remain focused on giving our guests and community the experience they know us for. We hope many of you will join us before our final service, as we celebrate this chapter together.”

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Featured image: The Manc Group