The new restaurants and bars opening in Manchester this week
Think a new dive bar selling hotdogs in a doughnut dough casing, plus the return of Piazza's burrata-loaded pasta, a new food hall in Sale and loads more
As we roll full steam ahead into Christmas, hospitality is showing no signs of slowing down. The Manchester Christmas markets are in full swing, and there’s a whole host of new restaurants and bars opening their doors in Manchester.
This week, we’ve got plenty to talk about – from a new beer shop by suburban craft heroes The Epicurean, to the return of the burrata-loaded pasta kitchen known simply as Piazza.
Elsewhere, Northern Soul Grilled Cheese’s Church Street home has been transformed into dive bar Dust Dogs and is selling beef and plant-based hot dogs encased in doughnut bread, whilst Sale prepares to welcome its new food hall.
Keep reading to discover our top food and drink picks from the new restaurants and bar openings in Manchester this week.
Burger slingers What’s Your Beef will be a permanent addition to the new Sale Food Hall alongside artisan pizzeria Basilico / Image: What’s Your Beef
Sale Food Hall
Opening this Thursday, November 18, the newest addition to General Store’s popular foodhall concept lands in Sale with artisan pizza from Basilico and oozing smashed patty burgers from What’s Your Beef, plus a stint from Eat Dutch.
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The mini pancake slingers will be in residence in the pop-up kitchen here throughout November and December bringing a taste of the Christmas markets to Sale’s newest foodie addition.
The new 150-cover food hall replaces the former Groceries and Beer unit, and also includes a bar serving local craft beers, wine and spirits, a coffee shop with a bakery, and a General Store retail space.
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Find it at Stanley Square, Sale M33 7XZ.
Image: Dust Dogs
Dust Dogs
A new hotdog spot from the team behind Manchester restaurant Northern Soul Grilled Cheese, here at Dust Dogs you’ll find premium quality hotdogs delivered in a dive-bar setting.
Made using either beef or 100% plant-based ingredients, its buns are created using doughnut flour and are all vegan. The team has turned its old Church Street unit into a dive bar and is now slinging out hot dogs and ‘American mouth water’ beers hand over fist.
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Dogs come drizzled in sauces and a variety of toppings, whilst drinks-wise think craft beers and classic cocktails with a twist. The house signature here is the beerita (yes, that is a margarita topped with beer), but you can also opt for the likes of PBR or Red Stripe.
Find it at Unit 10, 11 Church St, Manchester M4 1PN.Open Wednesday to Sunday, 12 – 10 pm.
Image: The Epicurean Ancoats
The Epicurean
Already a popular neighbourhood go-to for craft beer lovers in the suburbs, with established shops in Didsbury, Chorlton and Heaton Moor, you can now also find The Epicurean in Ancoats as it opens its fourth Manchester site – its first in the city centre.
Inside, you’ll find over 500 beers – including some rare and niche selections – split across nine fridges at the new Henry Street store. Look out for selections from local breweries like Track and Pomona Island alongside international favourites Amundsen, Cassel and Ayinger.
Find it at 5 Henry St, Ancoats, Manchester M4 5DD.
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Piazza
Founded by the team behind popular Ancoats pizzeria Ciaooo, Manchester restaurant Piazza specialises in pasta dishes – but hasn’t been available at its home in the Arndale Market for a while. Fans of its burrata-loaded pasta dishes will be chuffed to hear it’s returned and is now cooking out of the same kitchen as Ciaooo on Swan Street.
There’s eight different pastas to choose from, including three vegetarian options, with classic choices like pomodoro, carbonara, arrabiato and bolognese listed alongside the likes of ‘abruzzo’ (truffle and mushroom pasta with sausage, burrata and parmesan) and ‘pesto’ (pesto, mushroom, chilli, sundried tomatoes, parmesan, burrata).
Find it at 62-64 Swan Street, Manchester, M4 5JU. Open Tuesday to Thursday (5 – 10 pm), Friday and Saturday (4 – 11 pm), Sunday (1 – 9 pm).
Image: Namii
Namii
Newly opened inside the former Blackhouse Grill site on New York street, new Vietnamese-style Manchester restaurant Namii is serving up traditional favourites like Pho, Bahn Mi, and summer rolls.
The new restaurant and bar also offer twists on classic brunch dishes, and an innovative cocktail menu inspired by Vietnamese mythology and folklore.
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Find it at New York St, Manchester M1 4HN.
Feature image – Piazza / Namii / Dust Dogs
Eats
Hot Blobs – Retro drink makes return to Manchester Christmas Markets, but what is it?
Daisy Jackson
It’s funny how we all turn a blind eye to the temperature outside when it comes to the Christmas Markets.
At a time of year where should probably all be hibernating inside, droves of us instead head out to brave the elements all in the name of the festivities.
Of course, the Manchester Christmas Markets sell all sorts of wares to take the edge off, and we’re not just talking about the stalls selling woollen mittens everywhere.
Our favourite winter warmers tend to take the form of a tray of piping hot garlic potatoes, or a mug of hot chocolate, or another boozy beverage that’s massively underrated.
The drink in question is a Hot Blob, which is listed on the menu at the Piccadilly Gardens markets as ‘legendary’.
A bold claim, but a lot of long-time Manc residents will understand why.
The Hot Blob is a jaw-clenchingly sweet concoction served piping hot at the Manchester Christmas Market, similar to a hot toddy.
It’s made with Australian fortified white wine, lemon, sugar, and boiling water.
Hot Blobs – Retro drink makes return to Manchester Christmas Markets, but what is it? Credit: The Manc Group
The drink was first invented by Yates, that well-known pub chain, which started life as Yates’s Wine Lodge up the road in Oldham.
According to Pubs of Manchester, the Hot Blob has a tendency to ‘speed up drunkenness to a young drinker’.
These days, it’s pretty rare to come across one on a menu, but back in 1990s it was a staple in a few pubs around town.
There even used to be a ‘Blob Shop’ on High Street, run by local legend Ged Ford (now in charge of the equally legendary Millstone pub), which found itself in a state of utter carnage when the IRA bomb went off.
The long-lost institution specialised in ‘cheap wine, cheap beer, and plenty of blobs’.
The old Yates Blob Shop on High Street, Manchester. Credit: deltrems@flickr
Ged sold 6,000 a week.
And while the drink may have fallen out of favour since then, there are still healthy numbers being sold at this time of year, even if they are a damn sight more expensive than they were in the 1990s (£6 a pop, plus a glass deposit).
Anyway. If you’re sick to the back teeth of the endless gluhwein being peddled across the markets, make a beeline for Manchester Winter Ale House at Piccadilly Gardens, where you can find Hot Blobs as well as boozy Vimto and cask ales.
The Manchester Christmas Markets officially end on 22 December.
Where to find the cheapest drinks at the Manchester Christmas Markets, from beer to mulled wine
Daisy Jackson
The main gripe people seem to have with the Manchester Christmas Markets is the prices of food and drinks, blasting them every year like a broken record as being ‘overpriced’.
So we’ve done the hard slog for you, running all around the city centre to suss out exactly how much everything is costing in 2024.
From Piccadilly Gardens (rebranded as The Winter Gardens for the season) to King Street, there are wooden sheds and festive cheer absolutely everywhere.
There’s some brilliant food and drink to discover – you can see our top picks HERE – but as this is a huge visitor attraction, that can come at a price.
Once you factor in the deposit for a Manchester Christmas Markets mug, you can easily spend £12 just to get a mulled wine (though you will get £3.50 of that back when you return your mug).
There are also deposit charges on glassware – £2 for a pint glass, £3.50 for cocktail glasses and £7 for a stein.
You can see the full list of prices for food and drinks right across the Manchester Christmas Markets HERE, but below are where you can find the cheapest spots at the festive event.
Mulled wine
Mulled wines are priced at £5.50 almost everywhere across the Manchester Christmas Markets, though some stalls are offering bigger serves of this popular festive drink for a small price hike.
Then people are charging another £3 to add a shot of brandy, rum or amaretto, making an £8.50 total.
But the cheapest we’ve found is just £7 for mulled wine with a shot of booze, and that’s at Mamma Mia, an Italian stall on New Cathedral Street, right near St Ann’s Square.
Where to find the cheapest drinks at the Manchester Christmas Markets, from beer to mulled wine. Credit: The Manc Group
Beer
Again, prices for beers at the Manchester Christmas Markets are pretty consistent and average £6 a pint.
But you can get cheaper – at The Last Outpost, a Western-themed bar at Exchange Square, beers start from £5.50.
And at The Hip Hop Chip Shop at Piccadilly Gardens, they’re selling local craft beers, like Shindigger, Pomona Island, Manchester Union) for just £5.50. And you get bonus good vibes for supporting local breweries.
Wine
We’ve found a couple of glasses of wine for just £5 around the Markets this year, which is cheaper than most bars in town really.
The King Street Craft Bar, which has the bonus of having seating, has house wines from a fiver.
Christmas Alley at Piccadilly Gardens will also give you a wine for £5.
Prosecco
Prosecco works in every season and if this is your go-to of all the drinks at the Manchester Christmas Markets, we’ve found where you can save a few pennies.
Most places are charging between £6.50 and £7 per glass, but at El Gato Negro on King Street (yep, the same stall operated by the Michelin-recommended restaurant) are charging just £5 – that’s a whole £1.50 cheaper than most other stalls.
Hot chocolate
Basic hot chocolates are generally £3.50 everywhere, with a few very luxury upgrades (like a £7.90 creation from The Flat Baker that’s served in an edible cookie cup).
Once you add in a shot of alcohol, the cheapest as at the Apres Ski Bar at Piccadilly Gardens, which charges £2.50 for a spirit.
Georgina Pellant -
15th November 2021 
