The new restaurants and bars opening in Manchester this month | April 2023
From a dedicated apple crumble stall with unlimited custard refills, to a stunning new contemporary Chinese restaurant on the edge of the Gay Village, there's so much to discover this April.
Spring has arrived, and with it, Manchester has ushered in a whole host of new restaurant and bar openings in April.
From a new pasta concept over on Peter Street from the brains behind Gooey to whole loaves of sourdough filled with Full English fry ups in Ancoats, plus a stunning new contemporary Chinese restaurant on the edge of the Gay Village, there are so many new places popping up in the city centre to try this month.
Further afield, Hatch on Oxford Road welcomes three new traders whilst in Chorlton the family behind Barlow Moor Road’s Progress Convenience expand to open their first cafe, and over in Didsbury Village the former Botanist site reopens as new gastro pub The Wishing Well.
Keep reading to discover the best new restaurants and bars opening in Manchester this April.
Knoops
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Image: Knoops
Image: Knoops
Artisan chocolate cafe Knoops is opening in Manchester this month, bringing a huge range of chocolate milkshakes, iced chocolate, hot chocolates and mochas with it.
With twenty different percentages of chocolate to choose from, options will range from a 28% cocoa white chocolate to a 100% extra dark variety with a menu featuring single origin blends from Peru, Congo, Tanzania, Uganda, Ecuador, Venezuela, Columbia, The Solomon Islands and Mexico.
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Customers will be able to select their preferred chocolate style, choosing between a variety of white, milk and dark chocolates, then watch as it is made into their drink of choice right there and then.
From iced chocolate to indulgent milkshakes made with Knoops ice cream, there really is a chocolate drink for everyone – vegans included.
21 April
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EL&N Cafe
Image: EL&N
Image: EL&N
A new all-pink cake cafe with branches around the globe is set to open its first north west site at Manchester’s Trafford Centre this April.
EL&N (which stands for Eat, Live, and Nourish) is as famous for its elaborate interiors as it is for its intricately beautiful cakes, already boasting successful sites around the world in locations like Milan, Dubai, London, Paris, Doha and Edinburgh.
It has eleven sites in the UK as well as six international locations, all serving up the likes of gorgeous afternoon teas alongside drinks such as speciality hot chocolates, flowering and iced teas, hot coffee and cold brew cans.
21 April
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Bread and Bowl at Ancoats General Store
Image: The Manc Eats
Image: The Manc Eats
This week Ancoats General Store has welcomed a new kitchen takeover from Bread and Bowl – home of one of Manchester’s naughtiest fry-ups.
Filled with fry-up favourites like high-grade local sausages, crispy streaky bacon, beans, cheese, mushrooms, grilled tomatoes and hash browns, they are seriously impressive.
Alongside Charlotte’s famous Full English bread bowls, you’ll also find a brand new sandwich menu featuring breakfast burritos and all-day butties like the brilliantly-named ‘Meat Sweats’.
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Onda at Exhibition
Image: The Manc Eatsa
Image: The Manc Eatsa
From the team behind Gooey and Michelin-trained chef Sam Astley-Dean (formerly of Rise pizza), new pasta concept Onda arrives inside Exhibition – taking over the space left empty by Great British Menu chef Caroline Martin’s recent departure.
Serving up a core menu of pasta small plates from £6 alongside starters of arancini, mixed vegetable fritti, and proper crunchy garlic bread with parsley butter, you’ll also find some giant family-style sharers on the menu here – not least, a huge plate of lumache alla vodka.
Onda’s arrival heralds an overturn to the dining concept at Exhibition, with new ‘approachable’ revised menus also on offer from neighbouring kitchens Baratxuri and Osma. Food is served until 9pm.
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Read more:The team behind Gooey has launched a new pasta concept on Peter Street
Rio Mex at Hatch
Tacos at Rio Mex inside Hatch. / Image: The Manc Eats
Michelin-trained Great British Menu chef Caroline Martins. / Image: The Manc Eats
Having previously wowed Mancs with her fine-dining Sao Paulo Project menus at Blossom Street Social, not to mention starring in the north west heat of the BBC show Great British Menu, Martins is now also dabbling – eloquently, might we add – in the world of street food.
Inspired by her passion for the food of her home country of Brazil, combined with the time she spent living in Texas, Rio Mex sees one of Manchester’s most exciting chefs reflecting two of her favourite cuisines.
Must-try taco fillings include baja fish with biquinho pepper mayo and lime sour cream, ground pork al pastor with pineapple salsa, a five-hour chilli con carne with beef and black beans, and a melt-in-the-mouth barbacoa with cheddar sauce and house pickles.
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Open now
Home Contemporary Chinese
Crispy Brown Rice Cheung Fu. / Image: Home Contemporary Chinese
Image: Home Contemporary Chinese
Newly opened on the edge of Manchester’s Gay Village, Home Contemporary Chinese takes over the old Jasmine Lebanses restaurant space and is serving up exactly what its name suggests.
The menu is large, with a strong focus on Cantonese dishes. Think roasted meats, plenty of dim sum (all freshly-made on site), plus heaps of congee, soups and hot pot, and some interesting twists such as a ‘volcano omlette’.
On the bar, meanwhile, you’ll find a strong wine list featuring several Chinese bottles alongside crowd pleasing favourites, plus a mix of softs and other beverages.
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Archie’s
Image: The Manc Eatsa
Image: The Manc Eatsa
Not exactly a new opening but certainly a new look, Archie’s has just reopened after revamping its Oxford Road restaurant to include an all-pink subway carriage.
The beloved burger and shake bar has just unveiled a ‘subway station’ in the basement as part of the Oxford Road site’s £1m transformation.
Diners can now tuck into their smashed burgers, wings and tater tots from their own train booth.
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Progress Caribbean, Chorlton
Image: Facebook
Image: Facebook
Chorlton’s Afro Caribbean and European convenience store Progress has just opened its own takeaway shop and cafe, building on the success of its popular in-house hot food offering.
Locals are already raving about the dishes, which include plates of oxtail, fried chicken and curried chicken from £5.50 and patties from £2.
Open now
Crumbled at Hatch
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Image: The Manc Eats
Image: The Manc Eats
Crumbled has opened at Hatch underneath the Mancunian Way selling pots of apple and rhubarb crumble with unlimited custard.
Opened by Manchester-born fashion model Chloe Peers, the stall offers two different types of crumbles with some eye-popping toppings including edible glitter, rose petals, Biscoff crumb and huge scoops of ice cream.
Customers can also opt to pay an additional £1 to enjoy unlimited custard refills, something that is well worth it when you find yourself halfway down the pot.
Open now
Suki Sukiat Great Northern Warehouse
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Image: The Manc Eats
Suki Suki co-owner Raushan Kumar. / Image: The Manc Eats
A new pan-Asian eatery and bar has opened inside the Great Northern Warehouse from the same family behind Manchester restaurant Namaste Nepal serving up bao, dumplings and steaming bowls of ramen noodles alongside fun cocktails and a selection of craft beer.
Called Suki Suki, it is split over three floors: housed within an exposed brick archway and delicately decked with Herringbone booth seating, high bar stools, ambient lighting and rattan finishings.
Open now
The Wishing Well
Outside The Wishing Well. / Image: The Manc Eats
Fish and chips at The Wishing Well. / mage: The Manc Eats
Taking over the former Botanist site in Didsbury village, brand new gastro pub The Wishing Well is bringing traditional British classics to the neighbourhood.
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Think big plates of fish and chips, ham, egg and chips, and a steak pie with proper mash, plus traditional roasts every Sunday in cosy settings with big wooden tables and industrial fittings.
Open now
Pelican
Image: The Manc Eats
Image: The Manc Eats
Manchester brewery Squawk has opened a new bar in the Northern Quarter this week, taking over the former Beatnikz taproom site.
Called Pelican, it is the first bricks-and-mortar site for the indie brewery favourite which first launched in Manchester ten years ago.
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Now, fans of Squawk’s locally-brewed beers will be able to head down to Dale Street for a taste of its famous fruity IPAs, light lagers and punchy sours.
Open now
Phukt at Hatch
Loaded masala fries at Phukt. / Image: The Manc Eats
The butter chicken burger at Phukt. / Image: The Manc Eats
Phukt completes the lineup of new food traders at Hatch this March, promising a ‘feast from the East’ with its tandoori gyros and biryani burritos, chaats, salads, dirty burgers and more.
Must-tries at Pakistani and Indian fusion spot Phukt include the butter chicken burger (served with its own pot of incredible ‘secret’ sauce) and loaded masala fries.
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Open now
Featured image – The Manc Eats
Eats
The lost but still much-loved Greater Manchester food and drink spots that Mancs miss the most
Danny Jones
Unfortunately, these days, it feels as if we read about another place closing across the Manchester boroughs almost every week at this point – in fact, many of you might find out about those very closures right here on The Manc.
But, like anyone, we often just sit thinking back on some of our favourite bars, restaurants, takeaways and more that have sadly closed over the years.
10 of the most missed restaurants, bars, cafes and clubs in and around Manchester
1. Danish Food Centre
Starting off with the one we saw the most in the comments is the Danish Food Centre on the shopfront of the Royal Exchange on Cross Street, before sadly closing during the mid-1980s.
Exactly what it sounds like, this old Scandinavian spot first opened back in 1965 and was even known for a traditional sarnie known as ‘The Danwich’, as well as an interior lounge dubbed ‘Copenhagen Corner’.
That being said, many people used to nip here on their dinner break, to meet friends for lunch and a brew, or even to buy things to take home. It was eventually shut down by the Danish government, and we still envy those who got to experience it; still, without the original, we’d never have the likes of KRO Bar.
2. Horts/Ronnie’s Cafe Bar
Another one that popped up plenty in the long list of replies was Horts that used to sit on St. Ann’s Square and the attached Ronnie’s.
The former was more of a wine bar and the latter your standard cafe, but together, they were an ideal city centre favourite that served locals day and night.
By the late 80s, both had sadly disappeared, but people still reminisce about “the grand piano sat under a gorgeous glass dome” and how much they “loved the comfy leather Chesterfield sofas.”
Also up there in the trio of most-mentioned places below the post was the legendary Dutch Pancake House – no, not the one that rears its head at the Manchester Christmas, but at least you can still look forward to your annual fix.
The one we’re talking about was the busy corner of Elisabeth House (now 1 St Peter’s Square), which served a giant menu of sweet and savoury pancakes.
We lost it in the 2000s after developers bought the building, and lots of people are still angry about it.
Number four is Blinkers French and Bistro, which held that border between Salford and Manchester, and was owned by Cheshire-based millionaire, Selwyn Demmy.
The Wilmslow-born businessman may have been known for his famous ‘Hunter’s Moon’ in Wilmslow, but he was also the man behind the bar, restaurant and club which used to be on King Street West.
Before that, it was called the Le Phonographe, and it’s also not to be confused with the modern-day Blinker Bar now serving up top-notch cocktails over on Spring Gardens. By all accounts, it was a real ‘if you know, you know’ kind of gaff…
Next up is the old Grinch bar and grill, which used to be on Chapel Walks just off Cross St, and sadly closed back in 2016 after more than two decades.
More than a few Mancs said they “loved” either visiting and/or working here back in the day, and another cited that “their fried chicken was amazing”.
There’s plenty still open around there these days – including the likes of 10 Tib Lane, New Wave Ramen and the ever-reliable Town Hall Tavern – but evidently, there’s still plenty that really miss it. These days, it’s a pretty good Korean place called Annyeong.
6. Dry Bar/’Dry201′
This next one is a location that does still exist and is technically still a very busy bar most evenings, weekends and sunny afternoons if you can get a seat in the window.
However, many will argue that nothing quite compares to the old Dry Bar, a.k.a. Dry201/’FAC 201′, over in the Northern Quarter.
Nowadays, it’s home to the new and improved Freemount, which moved from its previous venue on Oldham Street; nevertheless, countless people still recall the watering hole in “the original format” as one of the best bars in town.
Their social presence still exists. (Credit: Dry Bar via Facebook)
7. UCP
One we’ve heard tales of now and again over the years, but still slightly wince whenever we hear the full name. In case you’re unaware, UCP is an abbreviation of United Cattle Products, which was the name of a company that had a big presence here in Greater Manchester.
To be fair, it was a pretty familiar brand across the region and the North as a whole, but their flagship four-storey shop over at Market Street/Pall Mall was the go-to place for lots of meat products.
We’ll say it, one of the main things people would go there to seek out was that word that still makes lots of people squirm: tripe – but remember, for generations this was a very common ingredient in various meals and for some, still is.
8. Croma
Ok, this one is more of a recent one that we’re sure lots of you still remember like it was yesterday, because in relative terms to most of this list, it kind of was.
Croma in Manchester city centre shut in 2022 after the pandemic, their Didsbury restaurant closed by March 2023, and the Chorlton site followed suit just last year.
However, we still maintain we’ve had some of our best pizza nights in these places.
For our/your penultimate pick, a fair few people noted Henry’s, which also lay claim to being Manchester’s ‘first’ cafe bar back in the day – that, of course, is still up for debate.
The group behind this brand opened up a venue in our city centre back in 1986, near Parsonage Gardens, but only made it to 2007 despite remaining fairly popular for a long time.
It went on to be replaced by another chain in Revolution; however, they are also closing locations all across the UK. Gutting.
It was arguably better known in London, such as in Mayfair. (Credit: Ewan Munro via Flickr)
10. Cornerhouse
Last but not least, the legacy of the Cornerhouse cinema needs no explanation, really, but there’s a lot to be said for the lasting love lots of people had for their memories made in there and the joint bar next door, quite literally spitting distance away.
Still sitting like a bittersweet reminder on the (you guessed it) corner leading up to Oxford Road Station and Whitworth Street, the theatre itself is home to little more than gig posters and an ever-changing rotation of murals these days.
However, you will be glad to know that the bar and visual arts centre across the road is still Manchester Metropolitan’s Arts, Culture and Media Hub, so it’s still alive in some fashion.
We (well, I*) couldn’t wrap up this round-up without paying tribute to one of the best places this city has ever seen, let alone just NQ.
It might not be right at the top of your dream revival list, but we’re sure plenty of you will agree that, for a period of time, CBR+B was the place to be.
Featured Images — The Manc Group/Dry Bar (via Facebook)
Eats
The ‘secret’ cash-and-carry near Piccadilly that’s selling amazing Italian food for less than the supermarkets
Daisy Jackson
We all know the pain of finally settling on what you want to eat for dinner, only to Google a recipe and discover a list of ingredients that your local Tesco definitely won’t have in stock.
‘Where the f*** am I going to get guanciale from at this hour?’, you think.
Well, just a stone’s throw from Manchester Piccadilly, you’ll find a cash-and-carry that’s an Aladdin’s cave of Italian food – and a damn sight cheaper than a supermarket, too.
Amato is a name you might recognise, with their grey vans regularly trundling around Greater Manchester delivering top Italian produce to all your favourite restaurants.
But you don’t need a wholesale membership to take advantage of their massive range of pastas, sauces, drinks, meat, cheese, and just about everything else you can think of – or to make the most of the prices either.
Amato has given up a small section of its 20,000 sq ft warehouse to be a retail space, where you can pick up everything from fresh filled pasta to truffle oil.
There’s also a selection of produce from beyond Italy, like Kewpie mayonnaise and gochujang.
Part of the huge warehouse operates as a retail spaceBob Amato started the business more than 30 years ago
And they’ve honoured the prices given to wholesale clients too, with smaller retail sizing, meaning you can pick up affordable produce without needing to bulk-buy (or lug home a 25kg bag of flour).
The business was launched by Bob and Deloras Amato more than 30 years ago, getting top Italian ingredients to chefs across the North West.
But the retail side has really taken off since the Covid pandemic, Bob explains.
“It’s a bit of a secret place,” he says, “As we don’t tend to advertise it too much.”
It all began (as so many local businesses did) back in 2020.
He says: “During the pandemic, as we’re a wholesaler, we realised there was a big demand for flour, which we had plenty of. People were crying out for flour and we had absolutely tonnes of it in 25kg sacks.
A whole range of little pasta – or pastinaOne of two aisles dedicated to Italian pastaPasta shapes you won’t find in a supermarket
“So we got some of our staff to come in and to repackage it in smaller packages that we could sell to retail customers.
“From that, people weren’t allowed to go out and they wanted to make pizzas and pasta, so they wanted tomatoes and mozzarella and pepperoni and other products.”
As a customer now, you can pick up things like tinned San Marzano tomatoes, harvested in the foothills of Mount Vesuvius; fresh burrata from Puglia (or frozen, if you want it to have a slightly longer shelf life); and traditionally-cured meats like guanciale, speck, and prosciutto.
Essentially, there’s everything you need to make a hearty Italian feast from scratch, or you can grab a bag of homemade pesto and pasta, made fresh on site, from the fridges for an easier dinner.
Bob and his team are encyclopaedias of information about the food produced all the way across Italy, knowing the back story of every one of their 1,500+ products.
Cured meat including guancialeTrays of cannoli You can also pick up fresh filled pasta at Amato
He tells us about why pasta shapes get their name, like Schiaffoni, which loosely translates as ‘slaps’ because of the sound they make when they plop onto the plate.
Bob also explains the reason that Scamorza comes in a snowman-like shape, with the cheese being strung up by its ‘neck’ to dry and age.
He chats us through all the different flours, and why you would use which in your pizzas; why good tinned tomatoes are worth seeking out (cheap ones are like ‘bullets’); and that you should always bring your burrata up to room temperature.
Even as we’re checking out with our armfuls of pasta, the staff member serving us is passing on tips for a perfect amatriciana sauce.
Amato is open from 7am daily (except Sundays), and if you’re stuck on what to make for dinner, pay Bob and his team a visit.
Georgina Pellant -
31st March 2023 
