Roxy Ballroom set to take over Birdcage site as games bar confirms second venue
Half a dozen bowling lanes, beer pong tables, Olympic standard ping pong tables, shuffleboard, and arcade machines have all been installed at the Withy Grove site, as well as a 12-hole 'crazy pool' game on a mezzanine level.
Roxy Ballroom has confirmed it will open a second venue in Manchester – taking over the old Birdcage building on Withy Grove.
The games, booze and grub brand has enjoyed enormous popularity with the local nighttime crowd since setting up shop on Deansgate – having branched out nationwide following initial success in Leeds.
Seven years after opening its first site, Roxy has confirmed the addition of another location right here in Manchester.
The new Manc venue will have all the classic graffiti-style decor, as well as the wide selection of games that has made the brand famous.
Roxy BallroomRoxy Ballroom
Half a dozen bowling lanes, beer pong tables, shuffleboard, and arcade machines have all been installed at the Withy Grove site, as well as a 12-hole ‘crazy pool’ game on a mezzanine level.
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The 17,000 sq ft building will also have a wide range of booze and cocktails available.
American-style food – such as nachos, wings, burgers, and pizzas – will provide fuel for the engine during gaming.
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Roxy has said that the new venue features “some of the games our existing customers have already come to know and love, with a few new additions that you won’t be able to get anywhere else.”
Roxy Ballroom
Bookings must be made in households or support bubbles, with Roxy operation 3pm-10pm during the week and 12pm-10pm at the weekend.
Players can order food and drink using a QR code on each gaming table.
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The new Roxy Ballroom will officially open its doors on October 2.
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.”
The Manc -
29th September 2020 
