Celebrity favourite Tattu is opening a new Greek restaurant in Manchester this November, bringing Mykonos to Manchester with a whole new dining concept.
For years, its sakura-drenched Spinningfields restaurant has been a dining destination for Manchester’s glitterati crowd.
Now, fans will have somewhere new to check out as the team gears up to launch a brand new venture, bringing high-end contemporary Greek-Mediterranean food to Spinningfields.
Following on from the award-winning design of Tattu, diners will also be enveloped in a space subtly created to tell the mythological story of a phoenix rising from the ashes.
The bar, fitted with rich, dark wooden dining tables, sits beneath a canopy of dense, gold fauna, whilst the restaurant space is reminiscent of a Grecian beachside resort with ash-toned driftwood dining chairs paired with decadent marble tables and refined tableware.
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Designed by the acclaimed Fabled Studio, the dining experience combines magnificent interiors, live sounds and cutting-edge light technology which mimics the setting sun and rising moon across the Greek isles.
Image: Supplied
Throughout the day, this innovative lighting of the space transforms the restaurant from an idyllic, glowing daytime retreat, through to a romantic, moonlit paradise each evening.
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Set to launch in November this year, the group has recruited two celebrated Greek chefs to lead the team.
Executive Head Chef Ippokratis Anagnostelis has built his reputation across a wealth of fine dining establishments in Athens and Mykonos, bringing modern techniques together with traditional ingredients and flavours at the likes of Jackie ‘O, Scorpios and Kensho Mykonos, Kiku, and Michelin Star destination Hytrain.
Working alongside his long-time collaborator and Head Chef, Zisis Giannouras, Anagnostelis has created a sharing-concept menu designed to take customers on a journey of ‘Greek discovery’.
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From fresh pita served with grilled aubergine, tomato confit and feta espuma, to hummus and a smoked taramasalata with fresh white fish roe cream, dishes will focus on innovative plates inspired by Greek traditions alongside Mediterranean flavours.
Image: Supplied
Image: Supplied
Elsewhere, diners will find hearty portions of spiced beef meatballs, grilled octopus with Aegean fava beans, shrimp ‘Saganaki’, and Wagyu beef dumplings.
Showcasing the best fresh seafood and locally sourced meats, dishes will be flamed live in front of diners on a spectacular charcoal-fired grill in the heart of the new restaurant.
Pasta and rice dishes will also feature in abundance, including a ‘Raw’ menu with Sea Bass ceviche and steak tartare, clay pot roasted leg of lamb folded in vine leaves, Tiger prawns with yuzu sauce, and a speciality Aegean white grouper poached in olive oil and served with lemon beurre blanc and dill emulsion.
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A wine list, meanwhile, will focus on the variety of produce from Greek and Cycladic vineyards – promising expressive and complex characters and a smooth, mineral finish, perfect for pairing with smokey, charred meat, fish and vegetables from the central grill.
Elsewhere, the cocktail menu at FENIX will feature sixteen unique creations from Will Meredith, Group Head of Bars, celebrating the four elements: water, earth, air and fire.
Signature concepts include ‘Sirens Call’, a combination of vodka, strawberry leaf and sweet tomato delivered in a seashell vessel, and ‘Whirlpool Fizz’, inspired by the mythical Charybdis sea monster, combining Gin with a silky backbone of stone fruit and tonic.
Other must-tries include the ‘Fenix Nest Sour’, a velvety and rich blend of Metaxa 12 Star and roasted cashew encased in a smouldering nest serve.
To celebrate its upcoming launch in November, FENIX is thrilled to announce an exclusive competition that gives hopeful entrants the chance to experience this one-time offering before anyone else has stepped foot in the beautifully designed building.
FENIX Competition Details: Find, Scan, and Win
To be in with a chance, FENIX have created an interactive competition right in the heart of busy, buzzy and beautiful Spinningfields.
Passers-by are invited to participate in a thrilling challenge: identify three hidden words cleverly concealed among Greek letters. Entrants are then invited to scan the accompanying QR code and enter the uncovered words for their chance to enter the competition and be added to the exclusive soft launch list!
Spot the three secret words cleverly hidden among Greek letters at the designated activation area.
Using your smartphone to scan the QR code provided, which will lead you to the competition entry page.
Enter the three words you’ve discovered and your email address.
Be amongst the first to experience FENIX
Featured image – Tattu
Eats
Lavish Spanish restaurant backed by Pep Guardiola announces shock closure
Daisy Jackson
Tast, the luxury Spanish restaurant in Manchester that was launched with the backing of Pep Guardiola, has announced its sudden closure.
The beautiful restaurant in King Street, led by acclaimed executive chef Paco Pérez, said that it’s taken the ‘difficult decision’ to close the doors for the ‘very last time’ this week.
Tast opened back in the summer of 2018, taking over the site that was previously home to restaurants like Quill and Suri.
It had a much better run of things than those previous occupiers, thanks to its menu of Catalan-style rice dishes and traditional but refined tapas.
Sadly, Tast Cuina Catalana has now decided that it’s reached the end of the road, and will be closing its doors for good on Saturday 20 December.
They cited a number of factors leading to the closure, including ‘exceptionally challenging trading conditions’ and ‘increased costs’, stressing that the restaurant’s ‘shareholders and the dedication of our team’ have seen the restaurant through the last seven years.
Tast wrote in a statement: “We are proud to have been able to share some of Catalunya, our beloved country, with the people of Manchester.
Tast will close for good on 20 DecemberTast on King Street launched in 2018 with backing from Pep Guardiola
“Between now and our final service on 20 December, we look forward to welcoming you and celebrating what Tast has always been about: great food, great people and memorable moments shared around the table.”
Other restaurant owners in Manchester have been sharing their messages of support with Tast, including Beeswing, who wrote: “This is so sad to read. Such lovely food and thoughtful service — a real reflection of how hard things are for hospitality right now. Manchester will miss you.”
Mary-Ellen McTague, the renowned chef at Pip, said: “Really sad news! Sorry to hear it.”
Tasts’s full statement reads: “After much consideration, we have made the difficult decision to close Tast’s doors for the very last time on 20 December 2025.
“Tast has been built on the passion, talent and commitment of an exceptional team, and we want to begin by thanking every single person who has worked with us over the years. Your creativity, care and professionalism have been the heart of Tast.
“To our loyal customers: thank you for choosing to dine with us, celebrate with us and support us. Your belief in Tast has kept us alive for seven years and it has been a privilege to welcome you through our doors.
“We would also like to extend our sincere thanks to our suppliers, producers and partners. Your quality, reliability and collaboration have played a vital role in shaping what Tast stands for.
“Like many in the hospitality sector, we have faced exceptionally challenging trading conditions and increased costs. But the unwavering support of our shareholders and the dedication of our team have seen us through these past seven years.
“Above all, we are proud to have been able to share some of Catalunya, our beloved country, with the people of Manchester.
“Between now and our final service on 20 December, we look forward to welcoming you and celebrating what Tast has always been about: great food, great people and memorable moments shared around the table.
“Thank you for being part of our journey. With gratitude, Tast Team.”
Anyone with vouchers to dine at Tast will be automatically refunded if they can’t be spent in the next few days.
Tast will officially close on Saturday 20 December.
Inside Mollie’s Motel and Diner in Manchester as beautiful new hotel opens with rooms from just £109
Daisy Jackson
Mollie’s Motel & Diner has arrived in Manchester, with beautiful hotel rooms from just £109 plus a retro diner serving American classics.
The space has taken over five floors of the iconic Old Granada Studios down at St John’s, with interior design that celebrates the building’s history.
Mid-century modern details like dark woods, textured upholstery, and retro lamps abound in this stylish new opening for Manchester.
Soho House Design has worked on the build of Mollie’s Motel to preserve the modernist facade of Old Granada Studios and make playful nods to the building’s vibrant history.
This is particularly obvious downstairs in Studio IV, a cocktail bar with a live music stage, where vintage TVs have been inserted over the bar and guests sink into plush couches for pre-dinner drinks.
You can already check out Mollie’s Diner, which is open now (with a decent discount for its launch – more on that below), with the Mollie’s Motel bedrooms set to launch early 2026.
The hotel rooms at Mollie’s Motel Manchester
A bunk room at Mollie’s Motel ManchesterA Mollie’s Motel suiteAnd a tub with a viewThe bedrooms are all beautifully designed
Hotel rooms at Mollie’s Manchester start from an incredibly reasonable £109, with different size and spec bedrooms and suites for guests.
There are cosy bunk rooms where up to four guests can tuck into their own bunk pods, suites that have their own Peleton room, and cosy double bedrooms with gorgeous views of the southern side of the city.
Regardless of the level (or price) of your chosen room, you’ll have the same design detailing (dark wood panelling, terrazzo and aged brass finishes), plus rainshowers, a super king bed, Dyson hairdryers, GHD straighteners and Cowshed toiletries.
Mollie’s Diner in Manchester
Mollie’s Diner is open nowBreakfast dishes at Mollie’s DinerBurgers and fried chicken at Mollie’s DinerClassic thick milkshakes
The diner space itself looks like it’s been lifted straight out of Hollywood’s Golden Age, with deep burgundy leather banquettes, counter seating, and globe pendant lights.
It’s all been inspired by the interior of a vintage Cadillac, and has space to 110 diners plus private dining for 30.
As for food and drink, you can expect everything from waffles and French toast to huge burgers and steaks, with thick milkshakes to wash it down.
You can get 50% off food if you book Mollie’s Diner HERE.
The rest of the spaces in Mollie’s Motel & Diner, Manchester
Studio IV cocktail barStudio IV cocktail barThe library snug
As you enter this reimagined building, you’re plunged straight into its design-led vision, with couches and cosy corners everywhere.
The communal reception space has a library snug, coffee counter, and beautiful bar, but you head downstairs you’ll find the real treat – Studio IV.
This beautiful bar is built around a magnificent central bar, with retro TV screens above it and scalloped leather bar stools surrounding it.
There’s a mid-century-era stage, too, which will host live entertainment to a crowd gathered on couches before it.
You can get 25% off signature cocktails in Studio IV if you pre-book HERE.
Georgina Pellant -
13th September 2023 
