As we speed ahead into July, we take note of some of the most exciting new openings in Greater Manchester this week.
From a crumble cafe selling glittery, shortbread-laden desserts, to an independently-run vegan fast food site in Piccadilly that’s giving us strong guilt-free McDonald’s vibes, as ever there’s plenty of exciting new things to try in Manchester this week.
Keep reading to discover our top picks.
Homemade crumble cafe Crumbled has just landed in Spinningfields / Image: Crumbled
A brand new crumble cafe with glittery toppings and all the custardyou can eat
New Manchester cafe Crumbled is dishing up the wholesome homely favourite with a variety of different fruity bottoms like rhubarb, strawberry and apple.
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Hand-baked with love and care, they are all priced at £5 with a choice of shortbread or crumble.
Opt for yours to be served ‘traditional’ or with added glitz – think glittery toppings, blow-torched marshmallows, rose petals and ice cream.
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Find Crumbled’s pop-up inside Wolf Italian Street Food on Spinningfields, Wednesday to Sunday.
The asparagus and pancetta lasagne from Casa Lasagne / Image: Casa Lasagne
A new authentic Italian lasagne spot, using a pasta recipe passed through generations
Due to open this Thursday 1 July, Casa Lasagne is cooking up everyone’s favourite home comfort food with the utmost authenticity. Think pistachio, pesto and besciamella lasagne, rich pumpkin and white ragu lasagne and four-cheese lasagne made with parmigiana and stilton, and you’ll start to get an idea of the variety on offer here.
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A family-run operation using a pasta recipe passed through the generations, they also plan to cook up deep fried Neapolitan croquettas and other Italian treats.
Order from their website or find them on Deliveroo or Uber Eats.
Vegan Shack owners Dimeji and Saffron first started Vegan Shack in their Flat Kitchen two years ago. Think ‘Vegan McDonalds’ / Image: Vegan Shack
Collyhurst’s Vegan Shack arrives in town, with a second site on Piccadilly Gardens
Starting from humble beginnings in a flat kitchen in 2019, Vegan Shack’s known for its loaded fries and delicious plant-based kebab creations.
From spending their last £30 on food for their dark kitchen concept in 2019 to opening a second site in Piccadilly Gardens this week, founding couple Dimeji and Saffron have had quite a journey.
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Head down for fast food favourites like burgers, wraps, fries and shakes.
Find them just off Piccadilly Gardens inside One Piccadilly.
Scandinavian-inspired cafe bar Lättsam has it all: Beatnikz beer, Grindsmith coffee, wine, cocktails and pastries / Image: Lättsam
A new Scandinavian-inspired cafe bar in Manchester’s business district
New cafe bar Lättsam is set to open this Thursday 1 July on the corner of Fountain Street and Spring Gardens. Minimalist in design with striking white and yellow tiles, this cafe/workspace/kitchen will also house a Beatnikz bar and miniature brewhouse.
Head down this weekend for Grindsmiths coffee and fresh pastries, beers, wines and cocktails – and keep your eyes peeled for a big street food announcement coming soon.
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Find them on the corner of Fountain Street and Spring Gardens from July 1.
Summer Beer Thing brings hundreds of tasty beers from Manchester and further afield into the city centre every year / Image: Summer Beer Thing
It’s been an emotional rollercoaster for fans of Common and co’s Summer Beer Thing. Cancelled last summer, it seemed unlikely to happen again this year after the team announced they’d be leaving the Pilcrow.
Now (thankfully) it’s going ahead again – this year on the waterside at KAMPUS.
Kicking off this Thursday 1 July, there’ll be eight rotating taps plus natural wines and ice cream sandwiches from Nell’s.
Hugely popular Manchester bakery The Flat Baker has announced plans to open its very first cafe.
The Brazilian-French bakery has become legendary in the city for its flaky croissants and pistachio-based treats.
For the last few years, it’s been operating out of a hatch in Ancoats, with queues often snaking down Radium Street from early in the morning on weekends.
And now The Flat Baker has announced an exciting next chapter in their journey in Manchester – their very first bakery and cafe.
The team will be taking over a unit on the same street, which will have space to house their baking operations as well as a sitting area to serve brunch and hot food.
They’ve announced that they’ll be retaining their much-loved hatch but expanding to a second site in the heart of Ancoats.
They hope this will drastically reduce any waiting and queue times and allow even more people to sample these incredible bakes.
In a statement shared on Instagram, they wrote: “We have been keeping a secret from you. This corner of Ancoats will never be the same, because it will be our new bakery, cafe and brunch!
“We have been dreaming of it for years – we almost closed a deal with another two locations in the past few years, but it didn’t work out.
“We were about to leave the plan of the new shop aside, we were very frustrated of how things were not working the way we planned it to…
“But everything happens for a reason! Who knew the building next door was just waiting for us…
“The two-storey building has just the right space for our baking operations, plus a sitting area and a space to serve brunch and hot food.
“Don’t worry, we won’t let our tiny hatch go, we will keep both locations. This will allow us a faster service, avoid the waiting times and long queues.
“For now we just want to share this great achievement. Growing a small business when you see many other places shutting is such a challenge. But if you never stop dreaming and work hard for it, the sky is the limit! We can’t wait for the next chapter to come. Matt and Deb x”
The Flat Baker Cafe is expected to open in Ancoats this summer.
Louisiana fried chicken chain Popeyes is set to giveaway 10,000 free hash browns across its Manchester locations.
Manchester may be known for rain, but this time, it’s not those little murky raindrops that will be falling into our hands, instead it’s the holy grail of the carb world – hash browns.
Once the madness of Parklife this weekend has been and gone, I don’t think anyone could’ve come up with a better solution for a two-day, dance-ridden, drink-fuelled weekender, than a lorry load of free Popeyes cajun hash browns.
Popeyes is known for serving up lots of tasty treats, including a range of signature sauces like ‘Bold BBQ’, ‘Garlic Parm’, and ‘Buffalo’.
Popeyes is giving away 10,000 FREE hash browns in Manchester / Credit: The Manc Group
Alongside putting Louisiana on the map thanks to its delicious chicken varieties, Popeyes is also known for its spice-infused sides, which are famously covered in cajun seasoning, and the hash brown is one of the best of them.
Popeyes’ cajun hash browns are taking centre stage across Parklife weekend, as from Saturday 14 June through to Monday 16 June, 10,000 of these glorious golden treats will be given away for free as Manchester celebrates its biggest festival.
“We know Parklife is one of the biggest weekends in the Manchester calendar,” commented Dave Hoskins, who is the Head of Food at Popeyes UK, “and being just down the road from the action, we wanted to help festivalgoers start their day right”.
Whether their cajun hash browns are your go-to breakfast feast, or you’re after your first taste of the Popeyes menu, then make to visit any of the two Manchester Popeyes sites, download thee app, and get there before 10am.
Anyone after sampling these breakfast breadwinners can do so by downloading Popeyes official app and registering for an account by 11:59pm on Friday 13 June 2025 HERE.
Georgina Pellant -
28th June 2021 
