Enormous Manchester venue set to open (again) after brief rebrand

A huge, glamorous restaurant and bar space looks set to reopen just months after it closed down and attempted to rebrand. 

SakkuSamba announced back in June that it was closing for a short while to undergo a refurbishment. 

That news came after two years hosting all-you-can-eat sushi dinners and star-studded parties in Spinningfields, like an afterparty with Ne-Yo following his show at the AO Arena. 

They wrote at the time: “Exciting News! We will be closing our doors on June 2nd for an exciting refurbishment and upgrade. We’re sorry to be closing for a little while, but stay tuned for updates over the next couple of weeks as we begin this transition!

“We can’t wait to show you what’s coming next soon!”

But then SakkuSamba never reopened and the space instead became Raft, essentially Manchester’s most boujie buffet.

Raft had a huge dining room upstairs, a hidden club room, a ‘toilet disco’, 360-degree DJ booths, and a ‘coastal boozer’ on the ground floor.

Raft was only open for three months when it was suddenly bolted shut, with a forteiture notice in the window that was apparently linked to a ‘historic dispute’.

And now, in an unexpected twist in events, SakkuSamba has shared that it’s coming back to Manchester.

Keeping up okay? Let’s continue. 

In the first post since announcing the temporary closure and refurbishment of both of its restaurants (in Manchester and in Bradford), SakkuSamba wrote: “SakkuSamba 2025. Manchester keep your eyes peeled, major announcement coming soon.”

If it follows the same format it took previously, that means a fusion of Brazilian and Japanese cuisine together in a swanky all-you-can-eat setting.

And hopefully it’ll last longer than poor Raft did…

Read more

• Six By Nico launches tasting menu inspired by Christmas dinner
• The stalls causing massive queues at the Manchester Christmas Markets 
• Northern Quarter craft beer bar Fierce Bar announces sudden closure

Featured image: The Manc Group