In another gutting bit of Manc hospitality news, local favourite pizza spot PLY has sadly announced that it will be shutting down its long-standing location in the Northern Quarter.
Having grown to become a foodie and nightlife institution over on Lever Street and remaining one of the most popular pizza places in town pretty much since day one, PLY has been a mainstay on the Manchester culinary scene for nearly a decade.
Known for enticing mid-week deals that always welcomed back a regular crowd, great deals and discounts for students that always ensured it had an atmosphere well into the evenings, and serving up consistently delicious pizza and welcoming other independent traders, it’s a tough one to take.
PLY confirmed the gutting news in a lengthy post on their social media pages on Wednesday, 19 June, revealing that this will be the last week for people to visit their original NQ home.
The emotional statement confirming PLY’s closure reads as follows: “With a heavy heart, after nearly 10 years at Stevenson Square, this is our FINAL WEEK.
ADVERTISEMENT
“Opening back in March 2015, PLY, originally born as Neapolitan Pizza Joint, dazzled customers with its trendy art and giant Mirror Tiled Pizza Oven. A staple of the Northern Quarter food and drink scene throughout the years. Most recently, with the introduction of Independent food traders including Mickys, Cardinal Rule and Lazy Tony’s.
“Unfortunately, after 10 years, our home at 26 Lever Street is in need of some major TLC and renovations that are sadly out of our hands, which is why the decision to close our venue has been made…
ADVERTISEMENT
“We would love to say a huge thank you to our amazing staff, a team we are so proud of and know for sure will all go on to smash it. You truly are all (past and present) Amazing.
“Our wonderful independent traders Mickys, Cardinal Rule and Lazy Tony’s, our fantastic suppliers and contractors, our security team [and] everyone that has run an event at PLY over the years.
PLY Northern Quarter is closing after being a go-to pizza spot for the best part of 10 years. (Credit: The Manc Eats)
“The legend that being is Brian (if you’ve been fortunate to have ever met Brian you will know how much of a rock he is to all of us at PLY), you have all made this a truly wonderful ride, so thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
ADVERTISEMENT
“Most of all, YOU, our fantastic customers and supporters, our regulars and now friends that have joined us for a pint, a birthday or even a wedding reception throughout the years, to you we say thank tou.
“But for now, we hope to see you all over this final week at PLY to say one final farewell. Come drink the place dry on Saturday (there will be big discounts).
As mentioned, the PLY brand as a whole will survive through the remaining locations in King Pins at Manchester Arndale Arndale, Trafford Palazzo, New Century and The Dockyard over at Barons Quay in Northwich, so at least it’s not goodbye completely.
ADVERTISEMENT
They also revealed that new tenants are set to move in and transform the space very soon, so the place you spent all those nights scanning slices isn’t gone forever and we eagerly await to see who takes over the reins.
Nevertheless, rest in peace to the original PLY and thanks for the memories.
A Withington boozer has been named ‘Pub of the Year’ in South Manchester for 2026
Danny Jones
A pub in Withington has just been named the best pub in the South Manchester area for 2026, as the area continues to back CAMRA and proper boozers.
It’s not the first time they’ve picked up this kind of gong either.
Technically, it’s picked up the award for ‘Pub of the Year for Stockport and South Manchester’, but the venue itself sits on the edge of Withy and the outskirts of Fallowfield.
Operated by legendary local business, Hydes Brewery, they claim the trophy after having just missed out on the top spot in 2025, coming second behind The Crown in Heaton Mersey.
Not this time, though, as the Hydes pub located along Wilmslow Road won this year’s prize by some distance, in fact.
The Salford-born beer makers obviously have lots of sites all over Greater Manchester, many of whom regularly pick up monthly Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) awards – not to mention collecting a fair few annual ones – The Vic in Withington is one thought to have been long overdue for the grand prize.
Beloved by regulars and other nearby residents in and around the borough alike, the local community believe this place to be much more than just another watering hole.
For example, it’s been celebrated for its diversity and grassroots work throughout the area, with the team receiving praise for their extensive charitable efforts, such as with the Mero’s World Foundation.
The organisation was established by native Manc mum, Kelly Brown, in memory of her son Rhamero West, who was tragically stabbed to death in Manchester in 2021 at the age of 16; the charity aims to combat knife crime and support youth in the community through various initiatives.
As for The Vic, they’ve helped support the cause for many years, raising vital funds through their New Year’s Eve ticket sales, raffles, and with the management team taking on multiple athletic and endurance challenges on behalf of the cause.
Put simply, husband and wife landlords, Alyson and Paul Mitchell, are absolute legends.
Commenting on the win, Alyson said in a statement: “We’re so proud to win this award, and it is a real honour to be named the best pub in the region by CAMRA. We love what we do, but we couldn’t do it without our amazing team and the incredible support and top-quality ales we receive from Hydes.
“The Victoria is a truly special place for us, and we genuinely have the best customers you could ask for, from students to our local regulars. Winning this year after coming so close previously proves that our collective hard work has really paid off.”
Aside from serving a regular lineup of five or five Hydes cask beers, showing all the games on the box, and generally becoming a bit of a cornerstone of the community, Vic customers also helped raise £1,000 for the Withington Civic Society to install a much-needed community defibrillator outside the premises.
These are the kinds of things we want to hear happening in public houses across the ten boroughs, and it’s yet another instance of South Manchester, specifically, enjoying its moment in the sud-soaked sun.
Manchester’s own egg butty shop Egg & Co opens on Deansgate – right near rival Eggslut
Daisy Jackson
Manchester-born Egg & Co has hatched a new opening for us, launching their first restaurant and takeaway on Deansgate.
It’s a familiar name to a lot of us already thanks to their recent residencies at Ancoats General Store, Stretford Foodhall, and Kargo in Salford.
But now it’s time for Egg & Co to crack open the doors to their first bricks and mortar, stand-alone site.
From here, you’ll be able to grab their unbeatable breakfast sandwiches, where soft scrambled egg is piled into warm brioche buns.
There are a dozen or so breakfast butties on the menu here (yes, they do all feature egg), with other fillings ranging from beef patties to turkey bacon to caramelised onion.
Manchester’s own egg butty shop Egg & Co opens on Deansgate / Credit: The Manc Group
And there’s more – sides here include truffle hash browns, curly fries, and chicken bites, with whisperings that banana pudding might be making the menu before too long.
And new for this location are the drinks – coffees, fruit juices, matcha, and a full fridge of soft drinks.
The space itself opens this week on Deansgate and is a clear homage to eggs in general.
From the butter yellow frontage to the yolk-bright tiles inside, along with egg-shaped table numbers and oval cut-outs for the bins, it’s like sitting inside an actual egg.
Even the self-service menu board is housed inside a giant egg structure.
You’ll be able to grab unbeatable breakfast sandwiches / Credit: The Manc Group
Egg & Co will open on the same street and within a few minutes’ walk of Eggslut, the cult London takeaway that took its first foray into Manchester earlier this year.
But Egg & Co’s menu significantly undercuts Eggslut’s, and it was founded right here in Manchester – we’ll leave it up to you where to spend your money.
Danny Jones -
19th June 2024 
