Eats

The new restaurants and bars opening in Manchester this January 2023 

Loaded baos, new cocktail bars, TWO new taprooms and more to look forward to.

Georgina Pellant Georgina Pellant - 2nd January 2023

We know the new year has just landed, but already we’ve plenty of new restaurant and bar openings to look forward to in Manchester.

Following on from the opening of a new Jane Eyre restaurant and bar in Chorlton in December, this January we see a few more additions in the suburb – including a cosy new neighbourhood cocktail bar from the Tariff & Dale team and the arrival of delicious vegan dumplings at 99 Reasons.

Elsewhere there are several new taprooms to look forward to, a new bar and kitchen in the Northern Quarter, stuffed bao at Circle Square, plus the promise of more new openings around the corner in the form of Higher Ground, Treehouse Hotel and more in early 2023.

Keep reading to see where to put on your list this month.

97, Chorlton

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Image: 97
Image: 97

A cosy new neighbourhood cocktail bar from the team behind The Lead Station and Tariff & Dale, 97 is expected to open on Chorlton’s Beech Road at the end of January.

With room for just 35 covers, drinks will combine innovation and progressive mixology with legendary classics, offering signature serves alongside timeless classics with a twist.

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TBC

Desert Island Dumplings, Chorlton

Having just completed a residency at Ancoats General Store, vegan eatery Desert Island Dumplings has revealed plans to take over the kitchen at 99 Reasons Chorlton this January.

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With a tempting salt and pepper margarita dumpling sharer on the cards, for those thinking they might do dry January this is enough to make you cancel your vow (or so we hear).

Open now

Disorder, Northern Quarter

Image: Disorder
The burger is made with beef and black pudding, the team call it ‘the Manc-hi topped with Japanese mustard mayo and apple Sause’ / Image: Disorder

Opened by Stockport friends Sam and James inside the old Walrus venue (more recently Man With The Fish), Disorder is tipped to open at 78 – 88 High Street at the end of January.

Its ground floor will host an eatery with Asian-inspired street food alongside lagers and sour beers from around the world, whilst below ground the bar will offer more of a speakeasy, dive bar feel with live music from bands, DJs and rap artists.

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On the menu, Japanese sandos will be given a twist with the addition of black pudding whilst cocktails include an Asian-inspired Japanese slipper.

TBC

Read more: All the January Manchester restaurant deals, discounts and offers you need in 2023

Temperance Street Brewery & Tap

Image: Temperance Street Brewery
Image: Temperance Street Brewery

When popular taproom Beer Nouveau announced its closure in 2022 drinkers were sad to see it go indeed, so we expect many will be delighted to hear the space is being brought back to life under new ownership.

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Now set to be known as Temperance Street Brewery & Tap, owner Katie Sutton – who also works full time in the NHS but fell in love with beer thanks to encouragement from her CAMRA stalwart father Dave Hannan – will initially open the bar on Fridays and Saturdays with support from Matt Gibson of Temperance Street Cider.

Open now

North Taproom

Image: North Taproom
Image: Little Bao Boy

With eighteen different keg lines, one cask, plus cocktails on tap and stuffed bao from Leeds favourite Little Bao Boy, we’re very excited for the arrival of North Taproom in Manchester.

Opening at Circle Square this month, North Taproom will see popular beers from its core line poured alongside an ever-changing line-up of beers, wines, cocktails, ciders, and spirits.

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North Taproom will feature 24 draught lines, including eighteen lines of keg beer and one cask, all pouring North’s ever-evolving range of classic beers, specials and collabs with seating for 100 inside and 30 outside.

TBC

Feature image – North Taproom

Eats

The Head Of Steam to move into site of short-lived Northern Quarter gastropub

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson The Head Of Steam to move into site of short-lived Northern Quarter gastropub. Credit: Supplied

Well-known pub group The Head Of Steam has revealed plans to take over a prominent Northern Quarter site.

The craft beer brand will move into the Grade II-listed building that was (very briefly) home to the Lamb of Tartary gastropub, which sadly shut down after just six months.

Prior to that, the landmark building was the home of Cottonopolis.

It’s been empty since Lamb of Tartary shut down more than a year ago, but now The Head of Steam is swooping into Manchester city centre to bring it back to life.

Their plans include 30 beer lines (24 keg and six cask), augmented reality darts, live sports across six screens, and a dedicated pop-up kitchen from a local operator, also making its debut in Manchester City Centre.

Spanning 2,800 sq ft, there’ll be space for 180 guests, with a design that will mix ‘industrial character and Northern warmth’.

It sounds like there are changes in store from the Lamb of Tartary days – there’s talk of a striking circular central bar, surrounded by exposed brickwork and restored original features.

Behind that bar you’ll be able to enjoy a UK craft beers, plus a vast collection of Belgian beers, alongside a rotating selection of cans and bottles, as well as a fresh cocktail menu and quality spirits range.

The Head Of Steam to move into site of short-lived Northern Quarter gastropub. Credit: Supplied
The Head Of Steam to move into site of short-lived Northern Quarter gastropub. Credit: Supplied
The Head Of Steam to move into site of short-lived Northern Quarter gastropub. Credit: Supplied

The Head of Steam was established back in 1995 and is part of Camerons Brewery. The group already has 15 venues across 13 cities, including an existing Manchester pub out in Didsbury.

Mark Connor, Head of Operations & Brand for The Head of Steam, said: “We’re excited to be joining the Northern Quarter community and to bring our favourite UK brewers, alongside classics from our extensive Belgian range, to this vibrant part of the city.

“The location is incredible, and being able to offer something new and exciting to the area is fantastic for us.

“We can’t wait to open our doors later this year, meet our neighbours, and become a part of this iconic area of Manchester.”

The Head of Steam will open at 16 Newton Street in the Northern Quarter later this year.

Read more

Featured image: Supplied

Eats

Chorlton’s Horse and Jockey is reintroduced to the suburbs after stunning transformation

Danny Jones Danny Jones Horse and Jockey refurb Chorlton

The much-loved Horse and Jockey in Chorlton is back open for business following a major and marvellous refurb, which has seen the heart and soul of the pub restored to its former glory.

Opening just in time for the bulk of cosy boozer season, we’re about to spend A LOT of time in here.

As announced this past summer, the south Manchester favourite has been taken over by the impressive hospitality team behind the similarly revived Black Friar in Salford.

With an impressive culinary pedigree to boot, the ‘new and improved’ Horse and Jockey was always bound to be a hit with critics and natives alike, we just weren’t expecting them to knock it quite so far out of the park – or, in this case, Chorlton Green.

Giving the already gorgeous 200-year-old structure a new lick of paint and then some, the new Horse and Jockey looks set to reassert itself as one of the prettiest, cosiest and tastiest pubs you’ll find in central Manchester.

Benefitting from sitting just outside the city centre, you’ve still got plenty of footfall from those who have seen Chorlton become a foodie destination all of its own, and those who have lived there all their lives.

Yes, you’ll still find plenty of old boys sipping their well-deserved pints and dogs curling up on the carpets here.

Now boasting up to 82 covers outside in the familiar evergreen beer garden, with table service in the summer, you can see this being a go-to spot for grub and a reliable watering hole for all year-round.

It’s also worth noting that it’s a pretty roomy venue inside as well, with an entirely refurbished upstairs seating area and a dedicated private dining space now, too.

horse and jockey refurb
The Horse and Jockey is glistening once again ahead of reopening this month. (Credit: The Manc Group)

Other touches we especially liked are bringing Chorlton Pale Ale – which used to be brewed right here in the Jockey itself prior to Covid – back on draught. It may be made elsewhere nowadays, but we’re glad to see it being shipped back to and served out of its ancestral home.

And it just gets better.

As well as supporting the local art scene by sourcing works from Greater Manchester creatives, they really are aiming to make this a community cornerstone.

They’ve taken the holistic idea of a public house right back to its roots, providing not only a place to meet, eat and drink for regulars, but also a real social outlet right in the middle of the suburb.

It’s also about supporting and celebrating traditional British pubs and the Northern working-class culture that goes along with it.

There’s still a recognisable style and familiar feel to the Horse and Jockey refurb. (Credit: The Manc)

The majority of the furniture is even salvaged from the pubs we sadly lost up and down the country, not to mention other businesses that have unfortunately closed post-pandemic and the continuing struggles facing the industry.

We’re lucky to have people like this putting drinks in our hands and keeping our bellies full, so we’re glad that they’re doing what they can to pay homage to those who have come before them as well.

Perhaps most heartwarming is that not only have they kept pre-existing staff in post during the switch-over, but they’re all welcoming back familiar faces from the past. Once again, this is about championing the beauty of British pub culture in all of its facets.

This is a proper foodie pub at its core, boasting cosy vibes just in time for the colder months; they even restored three of the five original fires that used to burn through the autumn and winter back in the day.

Bookings are live already, and if you’ve tried the Sunday roast at The Black Friar, you expect this place to fill up just as quickly – we’d reserve our tables early if we were you…

The food offering is substantial, filling and full of flavour. (Credit: The Manc Eats)

This may be a big rebrand and transformation, but there are also still the same old Joseph Holt favourites on the taps for those who love the classic lineup, and they’ve even used their ‘Trailblazer’ stout glaze on one of their cheesecakes. Safe to say, they have our undivided attention with that one.

Owner Neil Burke, who formally acquired The Black Friar two years ago and now heads up the revamped Horse and Jockey, said of the reopening: “I have a personal history with the Horse & Jockey and it’s always held a special place in my heart.

“It’s such a beautiful building, but it hasn’t been shining the way it should in recent years. As a local myself, I felt Chorlton deserved a proper foodie pub – somewhere that delivers brilliant food in a setting that does justice to the building’s history.”

To top things off, they’ve got Michelin-trained head chef Paolo Bianchi leading things in the kitchen.

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“The Horse & Jockey is an iconic part of Chorlton’s history and I’m proud to be leading its kitchen with the brilliant Black Friar team”, says Bianchi. “After gaining years of experience in Paris, Dubai and London, it feels great to be rooted in Manchester, a city I’ve really fallen in love with.”

“My vision is simple, to serve British classics that people know and love, elevated with seasonal local ingredients, touches from my Italian heritage and international experience. The menu will be ever-changing, so guests can expect something fresh every time they visit.”

As for your job, it’s simple: expect great, hearty pub grub classics elevated to a gourmet level, with all the welcoming warmth of a traditional English pub.

This isn’t just a metropolitan boozer trying to be a country-style pub; the Horse and Jockey is a Chorlton gem reborn. It opens on Monday, 20 October, and you can guarantee you’ll be seeing us there.

For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images — The Manc Group

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