Sud, the pasta kitchen formerly known as Sugo, has announced a new chapter after saying it would be closing all four restaurants in their current guise.
The much-loved local Italian spot has said that Sud will cease to exist in Ancoats, Altrincham, Sale, and at Exhibition, from the end of this year.
But it’s not totally curtains for the restaurant group, with new plans for a brand new concept now confirmed.
The new restaurants will be called Rigatonti’s, and will serve hearty bowls of house-made Rigatoni from just £7.50.
The founders of Sud and Rigatoni’s say they want to bring ‘pasta to the masses’, with pasta made fresh daily at each site.
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The pasta will be extruded through a bronze die, lending it a rough texture for sauces to cling to, ‘asciutta’ style.
Sauces to go with the rigatoni include nduja meatballs in Amatriciana (£13.50), brown crab in vodka sauce (£12.50), and Fazool white beans with garlic, fresh chilli and parm (£9.50).
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Or to keep it cheap and easy, there’s a simple extra virgin olive oil, salt, pepper and parm rigatoni for £7.50.
For appetisers, there are dishes including a £6 fried mozzarella and pesto sandwich, salami and potato crocchette, and chickpea fritters, plus foccaccia toasts with toppings including Gorgonzola whip and hot honey, grated tomato and garlic, or black olive and caper.
Sud’s new venture in Manchester will be called Rigatoni’sSud’s new venture in Manchester will be called Rigatoni’s
The new restaurant will still be fronted by the Manchester-born brothers behind the original Sugo Pasta Kitchen, which launched in Altrincham way back in 2015 and expanded fast across Greater Manchester.
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Alex de Martiis, co-founder, said: “Change has been a regular thing for us recently – that stops with Rigatoni’s. We want to build a sustainable business that allows us to serve the customers in our communities for years to come.
“The next chapter in our journey is all about creating an accessible, uncomplicated menu that makes Rigatoni’s somewhere that people come to time and time again.
“Whether it’s a quick lunch on a Tuesday, or a Saturday night with mates, pasta shouldn’t just be for occasions.”
The launch dates for each restaurant will be announced on Rigatoni’s social channels, with bookings open in January. For more information or to sign up to hear more visit www.letsrigatoni.co.uk.
Manchester’s viral sandwich shop Ad Maiora is selling HUGE butties for only 9p through Deliveroo
Daisy Jackson
Ad Maiora, the Italian sandwich shop that’s loved by Manchester City stars (and everyone else who’s sunk their teeth into one), is selling butties for only 9p this week.
The local business is famed for its authentic sandwiches filled with quality imported Italian ingredients, and for its super-sized versions of its delicious lunches.
And this week only, you’ll be able to pick up a hefty sandwich, called the Scran-wich, for only 9 English pence.
The limited-edition Schiacciata will have nine different components and weighs in at a whopping 500g (though it’s nothing on their 1kg beast we’ve tried before…)
Owners and couple Enrico and Daniela have spent weeks developing the perfect balance of flavours.
Each ingredient is sourced in Italy but inspired by places and sayings from Manchester.
So you’ll find spicy ‘supersonic’ salami, nowt better N’duja, mozzarella ‘footballs’, sliced Haçienda heritage tomatoes, ‘r kid Italian wild rocket, 0161 olives, lashings of mad fer it mayonnaise, ‘buzzing bee’ basil leaves and ‘let’s ave it’ red onions – all sandwiched between fresh homemade Scran-worthy Schiacciata bread.
The Scran-wich and its 9p sale have been created to celebrate Deliveroo’s ninth birthday, and there’ll be 300 available to order through Deliveroo.
The limited edition 9p ‘Scran-Wich’, available at Ad Maiora in Manchester through Deliveroo. Credit: Deliveroo/Dominic LipinskiAd Maiora is one of Manchester’s best sandwich shops and loved by celebs and locals
Enrico and Daniela, owners of Ad Maiora, said: “We’ve had so much support from the local community since we launched, so we were very excited when Deliveroo asked us to create a special Ad Maiora sandwich dedicated to the city of Manchester in celebration of their 9th birthday.
“We hope our customers love the limited-edition ‘Scran-wich’ – we’ve really enjoyed creating a sandwich that celebrates our city which makes this SUPER limited edition and special!”
Steffi Morel, Deliveroo city manager for Manchester, said: “It has been an absolute honour connecting Manc foodies to the best local restaurants at the click of a button for the last nine years.
“To celebrate, we’ve partnered with one of Manchester’s new local favourites, Ad Maiora, who’ve created the ultimate birthday ‘Scran-wich’, which pays homage to the city with every delicious bite! Deliveroo customers will need to be quick, as there are only 300 available!”
Ad Maiora’s Scran-wich is available for just 9p from Tuesday 30 April until Thursday 2 May through Deliveroo.
Medlock Canteen receives rave Guardian review from Jay Rayner just one month after opening
Daisy Jackson
Medlock Canteen, a new Manchester restaurant, has received a rave review in the Guardian just weeks after it opened.
National critic Jay Rayner has heaped praise upon the restaurant at Deansgate Square, describing it as ‘so special’.
The restaurant only opened its doors at the end of March, taking its inspiration from opposite sides of the pond – the laid-back style of American diners and the hospitality of Parisian bistros.
Rayner said it’s ‘a welcome haven for all’ and applauded its menu packed with ‘appealing, familiar dishes that are the best versions of themselves’.
Medlock Canteen comes from the team behind Madre (the Mexican restaurant at Kampus) and Belzan (one of Liverpool’s top restaurants).
But unlike those two restaurants, things are much simpler at their newest venture – this is a restaurant where you can order a fried egg with any meal, drink bottomless coffee, and even order the day’s ‘staff dinner’ for just a tenner.
Rayner dedicated almost an entire paragraph of his review to Medlock Canteen’s gravy (‘dark and sticky and deeply savoury’), which he said is so good you should just ‘order that and pour it over everything. Pour it over a friend’.
He also waxed lyrical about their rotisserie chicken (there are rows of the things rotating in the city’s first in-restaurant rotisserie chicken oven), of which he said: “It is everything those words promise and don’t always deliver. No special rubs or sauces. Just roast chicken, rested long enough for the meat to start shrugging itself off the bones. The skin is crisp and salty.”
Inside Medlock Canteen in Manchester, which just received a rave review in The Guardian. Credit: The Manc Group
Other dishes that were celebrated in the Guardian’s review of Medlock Canteen included a rhubarb pie, charcoal-grilled fish of the day, duck rillettes and pistachio frangipane tart.
The restaurant itself said there were ‘happy faces’ after the review was published over the weekend.
Medlock Canteen wrote on Instagram: “Manchester may be grey this Sunday, but let us tell you, there are a few happy faces both on and behind the scenes as we enjoy our morning brew, reading through the kind words of @jayrayner1 in the @guardian.
“Thanks go to our team and our guests for all the hard work, dedication, and pure passion that has made Medlock Canteen ‘a welcome haven for one and all.’
“Anyway, enough of that. Just another day. Just another ‘set of appealing, familiar dishes that are the best versions of themselves.’
“Caution: gravy jus may be thrown. Let Sunday service commence.”
Daisy Jackson -
20th December 2023 
