Teacup Kitchen has undeniably been a beloved hangout for many visitors to the Northern Quarter over the last 10 years.
Founded by local DJ, producer and artist Mr Scruff all the way back in 2011, and famous for its wide-ranging food and drinks menu – with more teas than you can name, an ever-changing lineup of freshly-baked cakes and sweets, traditional afternoon teas, and so much more – Teacup Kitchen has been a city centre staple for the best part of a decade.
But unlike other surrounding hospitality businesses, it never fully reopened after first being forced to close amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic back in March 2020.
And now, to the shock of passers-by and without saying a final farewell, the long-standing licensed venue appears to have vanished.
The Thomas Street site where it once stood has now been gutted.
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Not only that either, but the cafe’s dedicated website has also been deactivated and its social media platforms have also fallen silent, with the last post on its Instagram page dating back to 22nd March 2020.
The post directed to loyal customers and followers read: “Unfortunately, due to current circumstances, we will be closing the doors at Teacup until this all blows over.
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“Hopefully we should be back soon [but] in the meantime, keep safe, ride through and do your bit”.
According to emerging reports, the large Thomas Street site where Teacup Kitchen once stood won’t be staying vacant for long though, with Mancunians and visitors to the Northern Quarter set to see a new resident take over once the country emerges from lockdown restrictions in due course.
Jobe Ferguson and Anthony Fielden – both of the nearby Northern Quarter restaurant TNQ – have recently taken over the unit.
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Teacup Kitchen
The pair are said to be launching a new bar and restaurant in Teacup Kitchen’s place in the coming months.
Jobe is also a director at Liar’s Group, the company behind several of Manchester’s most popular bars, including Black Dog Ballroom, Cane & Grain, Science & Industry, Crazy Pedro’s and The Liars Club.
Teacup Kitchen is yet to publicly comment on the final closure of the venue.
Eats
Pizza Pilgrims is finally coming to Manchester with a bold new Neapolitan pizzeria
Daisy Jackson
One of the UK’s fastest-growing pizza restaurant groups (nope, not Rudy’s) is finally set to touch down in Manchester.
Signs have appeared on Deansgate for the city’s first Pizza Pilgrims site, taking over the now-closed tapas restaurant La Vina.
Pizza Pilgrims has been operating since 2011, and now has 25 restaurants right across the UK – but hasn’t made it to Manchester until now.
Their restaurants are famed for their colourful and maximalist interiors, with Italian-inspired decor dripping off every surface.
Expect checkered tablecloths, giant lemons hanging from the ceiling, retro posters, colourful shutters and even washing lines hung with Italian football shirts.
At their site in Leeds, which opened in 2023, there’s even a giant pink flamingo pedalo that’s been turned into a self-serve gelato stand for customers to create their own sweet treats.
On the menus, Pizza Pilgrims is all about double-fermented dough bases, cooked at 500 ̊C to give a light, chewy and charred crust, just like in Naples.
Highlights from their menus include an eight-cheese pizza, a carbonara-inspired pizza, and the ‘You’ve Got Maiale’, topped with nduja, Italian sausage, pepperoni, and a balsamic glaze.
They also serve irresistible fried cacio e pepe balls, stuffed with spaghetti, pecorino cheese and black pepper.
Pizza Pilgrims will open on Deansgate in Manchester later this month – you can find out more and sign up for freebies when it launches HERE.
Featured image: The Manc Group
Eats
Hawksmoor issues statement after ‘kicking out’ Tommy Robinson from one of its restaurants
Daisy Jackson
Hawksmoor has issued a statement after a viral video captured far-right activist Tommy Robinson being asked to leave one of its restaurants.
In the video, staff at the acclaimed British steak house told Robinson – real name Stephen Yaxley-Lennon – that he would have to go because members of staff feel uncomfortable serving you’.
The supervisor then politely told the party not to worry about the drinks and that they had been paid for, also handing over a business card for Hawksmoor CEO Will Beckett in case they wanted to discuss the matter further.
Robinson was dining in one of the group’s London restaurants with former prominent EDL member Guramit Singh Kalirai who challenged the staff and asked: “Is it because of the colour of my skin?”
The supervisor responded: “No, no, no. We have a duty of care to our members of staff. We like to look after our people, as I’m sure you can understand.”
After the video went viral on X, Hawksmoor went on to share a statement in response, saying that guests and staff ‘felt uncomfortable and complained’.
The statement, signed by CEO Will Beckett, added that the Hawksmoor team has faced ‘a huge amount’ of ‘quite concerning’ fallout from the Tommy Robinson incident.
He added that ‘this was not about politics or beliefs’.
Hawksmoor’s statement reads: “Our focus is always to give the best restaurant experience to the most people possible.
“On Thursday, a public figure was asked to leave one of our restaurants because guests and staff felt uncomfortable and had complained. The party left peacefully and politely on request.
“This was not about politics or beliefs. Hawksmoor is not a political organisation; we’re a group of restaurants. We want to welcome as many people as possible, regardless of background or views, to our teams or as our guests.
“We’re not trying to engage in a public debate. The team has had to deal with a huge amount of fallout from this, some of which is quite concerning. We would like to get back to focussing on looking after those people, and our guests. Thank you to them, and the many of you who have been so supportive.”
Emily Sergeant -
24th February 2021 
