May, the month of innumerable Bank Holidays, is upon us at last – and we have some cracking new restaurants and bars for you to check out in your free time.
From a suntrap ice cream parlour and Dutch pancake house, to waterside beer gardens, a Malibu beach club, there might only be a whisper of summer in the air right now but the Manchester hospitality gods are already starting to deliver.
Add a new sushi and tonkotsu ramen spot, a boozy pasta restaurant and a Hong Kong-style restaurant in Chinatown serving spam and noodles on its breakfast fry-up, and we think you’ll agree there’s a lot to look forward to.
Keep reading to see which new Manchester restaurants and bars to put on your list this month.
Sweet!
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Image: The Manc Eats
Image: The Manc Eats
This new ice cream parlour and dessert shop comes from the Northern Quarter bar bosses behind Hula Tiki, The Fitzgerald and The Quarter House,
Housed on Stevenson Square, inside you’ll find an array of locally made ice creams from a farm on the Ribble Valley in flavours like Vimto, mint choc chip, salted caramel, bubblegum, raspberry ripple and chocolate.
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Arriving at a suntrap corner of the square just in time for the summer, Sweet! offers cones and tubs, milkshakes and slushies.
Open now
Papa Dutch
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Newly opened on Altrincham’s Goose Green is family-run traditional Dutch pancake businesss Papa Dutch.
New to the neighbourhood, it’s said to be a favourite of Manchester United’s Erik Ten Haag and his wife Bianca ever since the duo were treated to freebies whilst cycling past last year.
On the menu, you’ll find traditional Dutch min pancakes topped with the likes of chocolate and fruit, plus sugary sweet stroopwafels and other lovely treats.
First opened by chef founder Teddy Lee in 2015, May sees Scottish-born sushi and noodle restaurant Maki and Ramen open its doors in Manchester.
Set to open just off Piccadilly Gardens on York Street later this month, it will be the chain’s first north west site.
Diners can expect to find various tonkotsu-based ramens, an array of nigiri and maki rolls, and large sushi sharing platters on the menu, plus the likes of gyoza, teriyaki, pumpkin croquettes and karaage chicken.
TBC
Malibu Beach Club
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Image: Supplied
Image: Geograph
Coconut rum brand Malibu is launching a pop-up beach club at the Great Northern Warehouse this May, bringing palm trees and colorful deck chairs to the square in time for summer.
Promising frozé cocktails, bottomless brunch,es and all the Malibu you can muster, Malibu will team up with retro gaming bar Pong & Puck in a two-pronged takeover running from 5 May to 30 September.
Expect live DJs playing breezy summer tunes on the heated and covered terrace and buzzing bottomless brunches on weekends featuring 90 minutes of frozé cocktails, selected house cocktails and more.
5 May
Dragon Oriental
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Image: The Manc Eats
Image: The Manc Eats
This new eatery in Manchester’s Chinatown hasn’t been open long, but it’s already become popular amongst the city’s Hong Kong community.
Serving up favourites like roasted meats and … , the thing that really caught our eye when browsing the laminated menu outside was a full Hong Kong fry up complete with spam, noodles and …
Rumour has it they’re considering changing the menu to something more Anglicised to draw in an English crowd, so I’d get down quickly if you want to sample the current offering.
Nonna’s might have been at Deansgate Square since October last year, but it’s recently been elevated from boozy pasta pop-up to permanent restaurant. With that in mind, we felt it deserved another mention.
For those who’ve not been, Nonna’s has become famous for its boozy ‘Nonna Hadid’ Rigatoni Alla Vodka alongside other alochol-infused pasta dishes.
Sporting a new menu for the summer, head down to sample the likes of truffled short rib ragu pappardelle, lobster carbonara, and a sharer of lasagne spirali designed for two.
Oh and if you’re feeling adventurous, there’s also a fried chicken ‘pizza’ topped with marinara, mozzarella and pesto using buttermilk chicken its a base.
Runaway’s new waterside taproom sees the brewery up sticks from its Dantzic Street home in Manchester city centre over to the flourishing suburbs of Stockport.
With a beer garden overlooking the river Mersey, the new taproom’s central Stockport location promises super fresh pints on tap and cask, plus a bottle shop with bottles to take home and wood-fired pizza courtesy of Honest Crust.
Soak up some rays in the courtyard garden and enjoy.
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Open now
Red Light
Image: Supplied
Image: The Manc Group
Set to open on Little David Street at Kampus this month is new queer cocktail bar Red Light, which will be serving dirty martinis under dim lights.
The brainchild of Deana Ferguson, an adopted Manc originally hailing from Belfast, the inclusive, queer space will serve a menu of refined cocktails, natural wines and locally-brewed ales.
Soundtracked by disco beats, the laid-back lounge will feature an imposing bar set against a red-brick backdrop, queer art and low-lit, intimate corners for lovers and friends to sequester themselves in.
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TBC
Three Little Words garden terrace
Image: Supplied
Image: Supplied
This month sees the team behind Three Little Words launch their outdoor canalside bar and terrace at Kampus.
Serving up delicious spirits, spritzes and cocktails all made up from their portfolio of multi-award-winning spirits from The Spirit of Manchester Distillery, everything on offer is created by their team right in the heart of the city.
Open now
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Madre
Image: Madre
Image: Madre
This new taco joint will bring the spirit of Mexico City to Manchester when it opens at Kampus this May.
With a menu made up of mouth-watering tacos, wood-grilled seafood and steaks, plus fresh oysters and ceviche straight from a huge ice counter, and a drinks list celebrating agave, this is a new opening you don’t want to miss.
Evolving from a lunch spot to a buzzing bar with Mexican party vibes as the sun goes down, expect a destination that celebrates Mexico City’s cuisine, culture and personality in equal measure.
TBC
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Bohemian Arts Club
Chic and intimate cocktail bar Bohemian Arts Club will open on Lower Hillgate, Stockport this month.
With an entrance hidden on the cobbled street of Coopers Brow, the new bar takes inspiration from speakeasies owners Tom and Katie Ogden have visited across the globe.
The second site for much-loved Hazel Grove brand Bohemian, expect a stylish and bohemian space with beautiful surroundings.
TBC
Featured image – Maki & Ramen
Eats
One of Manchester’s best restaurants is opening a ‘bread kitchen’ in Exhibition food hall
Daisy Jackson
A Michelin guide restaurant in Manchester is branching out with a new project, and this time it’s all about bread.
The team behind Another Hand will be taking over one of the kitchens in food hall Exhibition, launching Jaan, which will specialise in Persian cooking.
The new bread kitchen will focus on Wildfarmed House Flatbreads, which will come with an array of seasonal toppings.
And a lot of the produce heading to the Jaan kitchen at Exhibition will be taken from what’s not used at Another Hand around the corner.
For example, a whole sirloin that’s used for Another Hand’s ex-dairy sirloin dish will provide meat trimmings that will be turned into Jaan’s beef tartare.
The tail and trim from Another Hand’s seared trout will head to Jaan to be used in a fire-roasted sea trout fatoush salad.
And the two restaurants will share other bits of produce too, like a squash that will go into both a Winter Squash small plate at the main restaurant and a scorched summer squash dish at the food hall.
Another Hand’s famous flatbreads will be the staple on the menu at Jaan, which is moving into the beautiful kitchen on Peter Street hot on the heels of the departure of Rigatoni’s.
Jaan is a new Persian bread kitchen from the team behind Another Hand restaurant in ManchesterJaan will specialise in flatbreads
Since it launched in 2022, the restaurant’s become known as one of Manchester’s best, even earning a place in the Michelin guide.
It’s famed for its sharing plates, as well as the team’s efforts to drive sustainable practices, sourcing produce from across the north west.
Most ingredients used in the restaurant have travelled no more than 40 miles, and the bread comes from Holy Grain while the chocolate comes from Dormouse, both right next door.
Jaan will be moving in to the Exhibition food hall in Manchester
They hope that Jaan will help their sustainable credentials even more, allowing them to use up almost every scrap of produce.
Small plates will all be served with house flatbreads, and toppings will include smoked aubergine, whipper butterbean, black garlic cheese bread, ex-dairy beef tartare, and ras el hanout spiced lamb.
And larger plates will include slow-cooked lamb shank with ancient grains, grilled octopus and nduja, and chermoula chicken rice.
Chef patrons Max Yorke and Julian Pizer said: “We feel extremely privileged to be offered the opportunity to cook alongside Osma and Baratxuri at Exhibition Manchester.
“Over the last few years our small 24 cover restaurant has generated a large waitlist and we are excited to showcase our new concept to a wider audience.
“Most importantly, as we make more steps to improve our environmental standards, our food waste systems showed an obvious area in which we could develop.
“By opening a second kitchen in such a fast paced venue we can take unused produce from Another Hand and even further reduce, and hopefully eradicate, our wastage.”
Jaan Persian Bread Kitchen will open within Exhibition on 8 May, joining Osma and Baratxuri on the venue’s restaurant floor.
Gary Neville lines up Michelin star chef for his Stock Exchange Hotel restaurant
Daisy Jackson
Gary Neville has announced a new restaurant within his five-star Stock Exchange Hotel, which will open almost a year after the previous eatery announced its shock closure.
The magnificent dining room at the heart of the hotel was previously home to Tom Kerridge’s The Bull & Bear, which closed at the end of 2022.
It was then replaced by Stock Market Grill, a restaurant by the award-winning Schofield brothers (who operate officially the best bar in the UK) – but that was open for only a matter of months.
Thankfully, the Manchester United legend and property mogul now has grand plans for the Stock Exchange’s restaurant offering, roping in two-time Michelin star chef Niall Keating.
Niall will be launching Tender this summer, a luxury dining experience ‘named after the tender care put into crafting each dish’.
There’ll be gourmet food for everyday dining within the hotel’s historic dining room, which will undergo a renovation before Tender’s launch.
Its menu will offer weekday brasserie lunches, a la carte dinners, afternoon teas, Sunday roasts, a chef’s table and a special tasting menu.
The Stock Exchange Hotel is home to one of Manchester’s most beautiful restaurant spaces. Credit: The Manc GroupThe Stock Exchange Hotel is home to one of Manchester’s most beautiful restaurant spaces. Credit: The Manc Group
Niall Keating at just 33 years old has already earned two Michelin stars, making him one of the youngest two-time Michelin star chefs in the UK.
His CV has included stints in kitchens at the best restaurants in the world, including Restaurant Sat Bains and Benu in San Francisco (a three Michelin-star spot).
He then headed to The Dining Room at Whatley Manor Hotel, where he earned his first star in 2017 and a second in 2019, as well as a prestigious Green Star in 2021 which recognises sustainability practices.
Speaking about today’s announcement, Gary Neville, owner of Stock Exchange Hotel, said: “We couldn’t be happier to be partnering with Niall Keating for Tender and bringing his culinary expertise to the hotel.
“His vision to create versatile and accessible dining options is exactly what we’ve been looking for, to allow everyone visiting Tender to find the right experience for them.”
Niall Keating added: “From when I first walked through the doors of the hotel into the dining room, I knew this was the place for me and that we could create something really special.
“I immediately felt connected to both Gary and General Manager, Tracy Harrison, and I knew what I wanted to create at the hotel and restaurant. I want a space that feels vibrant, warm and energetic, that brings to life the history of the stock exchange roots of the hotel, while providing an upscale and comfortable brasserie dining experience.
“In addition to the main dining room, we will also be opening ‘The Bank’, which is a beautiful private space for up to 12 guests, where we will be providing a truly exceptional dining experience.”
Gary added: “We will also shortly be announcing a series of events and live music experiences, including a weekly music plan, within Tender, that will really bring the venue to life, making it the heart of Stock Exchange Hotel.”
Tender restaurant at the Stock Exchange Hotel will officially open on 5 June.
Its opening hours will be Wednesday to Saturday, midday to 10pm, and Sundays midday to 7.30pm.
Georgina Pellant -
28th April 2023 
